Sleep or Torment?

How to Talk to Believers about
Death and Hell
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“O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!” (Job 14:13).

L. Mark Davis

Ever since Adam’s fall into sin and death, man has pondered what fate awaits him when he dies. What is the state of death? Could something intrinsic live on, or is it void of all sentient qualities? Worse yet, could the unrighteous suffer unending agony in the so-called fires of hell, while only a few receive the blissful reward of heaven? What hope is there for the recovery of man, and what future life awaits him beyond death?

Christians have looked to the Scriptures to find answers to these questions. Through them God has revealed his plan for man and their ultimate recovery from the wages of sin. The Scriptures tell us, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Here we find God’s true nature as a God of mercy and love and his plan for their recovery provided through his dear son Jesus.

When Adam sinned against God the penalty was made clear, “for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17). The penalty was not to suffer an eternity of torment. Instead, “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). All Adam’s descendants have fallen under this same curse of death and there is no escape (Romans 5:12).

What happens when a “soul” dies? We are told, “God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). The word “soul” is translated from the Hebrew word nephesh, which word is also used to describe the animals. “And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature nephesh” (Genesis 1:24). This word nephesh means the “essence of life,” “a sentient being”{1} capable of sense perception, from the smallest organism to the most complex such as man.

God distinguishes man above the beast, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). Adam was created a perfect man in the image of God with the ability to reason and with moral qualities of justice and love, but he was an earthly image of a spiritual being.{2}

Some suggest the spirit of man is above that of the beast when he dies, but the scriptures declare “that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts ... as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath ... All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again” (Ecclesiastes 3:19,20). Both man and beast were formed from the dust of the ground and had the same breath sustaining them as living beings. When the breathing process stops, within a very short period of time the body dies and eventually decays and returns to dust from which it was formed.

This one “breath” (verse 19), is translated from the Hebrew word ruwach. Some suppose the spirit of man lives on, yet this same word ruwach is also found in verse 21, where it is translated “spirit.” There the rhetorical question is asked, “Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward” or the “spirit of the beast that goeth downward?” Instead a “man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion” (Ecclesiastes 3:21-22). Here it clearly declares that nothing lives on in death, so man should make the most of this present life. This is further confirmed, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest” (Ecclesiastes 9:5,10).

Job asks, “If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come” (Job 14:14). Job prayed for suffering to end, “O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!” (Job 14:13). Job prayed to go to the Bible hell, sheol, here translated grave. Would he hope to go to a place of torture to escape suffering? (Obviously not!) Hell is the absence of life, it is not torture.

In the KJV Old Testament this Hebrew word sheol is translated 31 times grave, 31 times hell and 3 times pit, yet they all refer to the same thing. It signifies hidden or extinguished, the condition or state of death. {3}

Jacob, the father of the nation of Israel, lamented the presumed death of his son Joseph, and proclaimed, “I will go down into the grave sheol, hell [Douay] unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him” (Genesis 37:35). Jacob died and “was gathered unto his people” (Genesis 49:33).

The Sleep of Death

Many a king of Israel “slept with his fathers,” where the Bible refers to the condition of the dead. For example, we read of King David’s death, “So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David” (1 Kings 2:10). Death is likened unto a peaceful sleep of rest, a rest from all worries of the present life, being oblivious to all things, and hidden in the grave — in the dust of the ground.

However, the word sleep suggests an awakening. Our Lord Jesus uses this same analogy, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep” (John 11:11). Later, he says plainly, “Lazarus is dead” (verse 14). Along the way Jesus meets Martha, Lazarus’ sister, and tells her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:23-26 NAS). Our Lord’s own testimony is that any hope of future life rests with him, and he demonstrated it by raising Lazarus from the dead.

All who are in the grave, in the sleep of death, will hear “His voice, and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29 NAS).

Here we find the hope of a “resurrection of life” for those faithfully residing in the righteousness of Christ, hoping to be raised in the first resurrection to a spiritual heavenly reward. Our Lord also speaks of the “resurrection of judgment” when the time comes for the recovery of all of mankind in the general resurrection of the dead here on earth. Isaiah tells us, “when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9, Zephaniah 3:9).

The word “hell” originates from the Saxon word helan, which simply means “to cover.” We find its use also in Old English terms such as the “helling of potatoes, e.g., putting potatoes into pits; and of the helling of a house, e.g., covering or thatching it.”{4} This Greek word hades is used when referring to the fate of the City of Capernaum, “You shall descend to Hades” (Matthew 11:23, NAS). Today, not much of anything is left of this city, just a few remnants that have been uncovered from the earth — and nothing hot.

Responding to Peter’s proclamation, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus told his disciples that he would build his church upon this fundamental rock of truth and that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:16,18). Would the Church try to break into a fiery hell? Or is the Church on a fiery side trying to break out? His point was that the sleep of death, hades, would not prevail against the Church, just as he had promised that the Heavenly Father would raise him from the dead (Luke 9:22).

In the last parable of Luke chapters 15 and 16, Jesus spoke the parable of the “Rich Man and Lazarus” to warn the Pharisees of the coming death of the Judean nation. “The rich man also died, and was buried. And in  hell [hades] ... being in torments ...” (Luke 16:22,23). If Abraham’s literal bosom is not big enough for Lazarus and thousands of other Christians, then how could the rich man’s fiery hell be literal?{5}

Some may ask if Luke 23:43, “Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise,” proves everyone goes to his reward at the moment of death? The translators Rotherham and Lamsa each note that the comma may be properly placed either before or after the word “Today.” Since Peter implies Jesus went to hell for three days (Acts 2:27-31, Psalm 16:10), what kind of promise would hell be to the penitent thief? What Jesus actually said was, “Verily I say unto thee this day: with me shalt thou be in Paradise” (Rotherham).

Good Riddance to Hell

There is, however, a condition from which there is no recovery. The Greek word Gehenna is used in the New Testament to describe such a condition. It refers to a place in the Hebrew called the “Valley of Hinnom” (Joshua 15:8), a deep and narrow ravine to the south and west of Jerusalem. Here, the refuse of the city was thrown and fires kept burning to make sure all that was thrown in was thoroughly destroyed.

From this some have the false impression that “hell” in the Bible is a place of “eternal fire and torment.” Rather Gehenna simply represents utter destruction from which there is no recovery. If one were to go to this valley today, he would find no eternal fires burning. They have all gone out, but all that was thrown in has perished.

Jesus refers to Gehenna when he says, “And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna” (Matthew 10:28, Weymouth). He was telling his disciples not to fear those that could kill the body in this present life, but rather have reverence for God, who has the power to create a life and also to destroy both it and any hope of future life in “second death.”

In the book of Revelation the Scriptures speak of this “second death” and that it has no power over him “that overcometh” (Revelation 2:11). We are also told, “he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:6). During the millennial kingdom, Christ and his church will reign over the resurrected world of mankind as they are awakened from the sleep of death.

Revelation 20:14 says, “death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” Could “hell,” or hades, be thrown into itself — a “lake of fire”? Rather, this Scripture tells us that the “lake of fire” is the second death, a condition of total and irrecoverable destruction. In fact we are told here that “death and hell” will be cast into the second death, being completely destroyed. They will be a thing of the past!

Revelation 20:10 says that Satan will be cast into this lake of fire. He too will be utterly destroyed. So also will all those that willfully continue to follow him, both angels that have been “cast down” to tartaroo,{6} reserved in chains/pits of darkness (2 Peter 2:4), as well as those of mankind who will fail to heed the call to refrain from their past evil ways (Revelation 21:8).

We can be thankful that during Christ’s Kingdom all will be given a full opportunity to learn the righteous ways of God and with repented hearts have life restored, just as Adam once had, right here on earth. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Christ must reign until he [God] hath put “all enemies under his feet.” We are told, “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (verses 25, 26).

“Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (Isaiah 25:8, 1 Corinthians 15:54, 55). Amen.

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(1) Vine’s Expository Dictionary of the Old Testament; “Studies in the Scriptures,” Volume 5, page 322.

(2) “Studies in the Scriptures,” Volume 1, page 174.12 13 July / August 2012
 
(3) “Studies in the Scriptures,” Volume 5, page 354.

(4) “What Say the Scriptures About Hell?” by Charles Taze Russell.

(5) The 5:1 ratio of brothers to the rich man is the same as the already-dead 10-tribe Kingdom of Israel to the 2-tribe Kingdom of Judah. And just as hell is to give up the dead in it; so after eighteen centuries the nation of Israel is coming back. (The Douay version says, the rich man “was buried in hell.”)

(6) Tartaroo: i.e., deprived of ability to materialize again. Tartarus was corrupted by mythology to: “A dark abyss ... the prison of the Titans” (Liddell & Scott, abridged edition).