“Here Today, Hades Tomorrow”

Monday, October 05, 2015

What do you suggest as a response to the following?

I wrote this: When we die, we go to Hades, which is a realm above the evil-doers, and it consists of Paradise and Torment. Good, Christ-loving spirits are in Paradise; evil ones go to Torment.

He wrote this: When we die, we go to the Judgment Seat, unbelievers as well.

I wrote this: Heaven is yet another realm above Hades where God and Jesus are with the angels.

He responded with: Hades is hell, and heaven is heaven.

My question is, I thought Hades was where paradise and torment are. Also, I didn't think we'd immediately be before God upon death?

Sincerely,
Habeas Corpus

Dear Habeas Corpus,

The easiest way to prove that Hades is not the same as hell is to compare two verses concerning Jesus:

1. It was prophesied that Jesus would go to Hades, but not remain there (Acts 2:25-32)
2. Jesus said that after He died at the crucifixion, He would be in Paradise (Lk 23:43)

The only way to reconcile these two verses is if Paradise is a place in Hades.  The other thing to consider is that Hades (which means 'the unseen place' in Greek) is the Greek word for 'Sheol' (Sheol is a Hebrew word used in the Old Testament).  In fact, when the Greeks translated the Old Testament into the Greek language (The Greek Old Testament is called the Septuagint, and even Jesus quoted from it), they used the word ‘Hades’ in place of the word ‘Sheol’.  The reason this is important is because it is VERY clear that ‘Sheol’ means ‘the place of the dead’.  Jacob said he would go to Sheol as he mourned the loss of his son (Gen. 37:35).  Jacob was a godly man, and it wouldn't make sense for him to say that he would go to hell in mourning.  ‘Sheol’ just means 'the place of the dead' - exactly like 'Hades'.

We will go to Paradise or torments directly at death, but there we, and even the angels, will wait for the great Day of Judgment (Jude 6).

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