Sheol & Hades

SHEOL & HADES

November 3, 2002

Two different names but the same meaning, one is Hebrew (Sheol) and the other is Greek (Hades). Hades NT:86, "the region of departed spirits of the lost" (but including the blessed dead in the period preceding the ascension of Christ). It has been thought by some that the word meant "the unseen" (from a, negative, and eido, "to see"), but this derivation is questionable; a more probable derivation is from hado, signifying "all receiving." It corresponds to "Sheol" in the OT. In the KJV of the OT and NT; it has been unhappily rendered grave, hell, and pit.

But what are they, we’ll look first at Sheol. In the first biblical appearance of the word Jacob said that he would "go down into the grave unto my son mourning" KJV

GENESIS 37:35

35 Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, "Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son." So his father wept for him.

Death and the grave, all men die, but do all men go to Sheol?

Job 24:19

19 "Drought and heat consume the snow waters,

So does Sheol those who have sinned.

PSLAMS 9:17

17 The wicked will return to Sheol, Even all the nations who forget God.

Sinners go, how about the good people?

Job 14:13

13 "Oh that You would hide me in Sheol, That You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You, That You would set a limit for me and remember me!

HOSEA 13:14

14 Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? 0 Death, where are your thorns? 0 Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion will be hidden from My sight.

So now in the Old Testament both good and bad went to Sheol how about in the New Testament? Hades is used 10 times in the New Testament, where Sheol was used 67. Jesus used Hades 4 times.

MATTHEW 11:23

23 "And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.

MATTHEW 16:18

18 "1 also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

LUKE 10: 15

15 "And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades!

LUKE 16:23

23 "In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.

Jesus used Hades four times three were in a negative way only the last usage, if you read farther, is positive. Paul in Acts 2:27 & 31 use it to tell where Christ was for a short time after His death.

ACTS 2:31

31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY.

Now we find that both are to be in Hades, the good and the bad. How can this be?

Luke 16:23 31

23 "In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 "And he cried out and said, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’

25 "But Abraham said, "Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.

26 "And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’

27 "And he said, "Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house

28 for I have five brothers in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 "But Abraham said, "They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’

30 "But he said, "No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’

31 "But he said to him, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead."’

There are two sides to Hades, one the side of punishment of the sinner and one for those that died in Christ. First the side of punishment.