Hades

Jesus stated in John 3:13 that “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”

OK—If no one went to heaven prior to Jesus’ messianic work, where did people go when they died? The most scriptural answer seems is that they went to HADES. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew counterpart for the Greek word hades is SHEOL. The word sheol is used numerous times and in different ways in the Old Testament, including to describe a place in the earth, the abode of the dead, oblivion, or simply as the grave. (“Grave” may be an improper translation of sheol as a different word, qeber, is the Hebrew word for grave.) Sheol/hades is most often understood as a temporary place of the dead, awaiting the general resurrection.

The Old Testament gives a somewhat mixed message about sheol/hades and an afterlife. For example, some passages suggest only a limited hope for an afterlife―for example Job 7:9. Yet passages such as Job 19:26; Psalm 49:15; Isaiah 26:19, and Daniel 12:2 say that the dead shall rise [from sheol].

Sheol/hades seems to be a place of consciousness (Numbers 16:30; Job 26:5; Psalm 55:15; Isaiah 14:9-11; 44:23; Ezekiel 31:16-17; Luke 16:19-31, and Revelation 6:9-11). It is not always a place of punishment of the wicked (Psalm 9:17), as we see such faithful servants as Jacob there (Genesis 37:35; 42:38; 44:29, 31). It is a place where one can unite with his ancestors (Genesis 25:8; 35:29; 37:35; 49:33; Numbers 20:24; 31:2; Deuteronomy 32:50; 2 Samuel 12:23).

Apparently, sheol was the temporary place for one’s soul (or spiritual body), as Jacob went there to be with his relatives over two months before his body was buried (Genesis 49:33-50:14). Similarly, Saul and his sons joined Samuel in sheol three days before their bodies were desecrated and buried (1 Samuel 28: 13-19; 31:8-13). Righteous Job also longed for sheol in Job 14:13. Jesus apparently went there (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:24-31; 1 Peter 3:19).

In the New Testament, the King James Version has confused English readers for a long time. The Greek language (Greek being the language of the New Testament) has different words for hades and hell, but the King James Version improperly translated both of them as “hell.” Most modern translations have made a partial correction, and you will see both words hades and hell in English versions of the New Testament. Thus, in most modern translations, the Greek word hades is usually kept as “hades,” but the Greek word gehenna is substituted (not translated) with the word “hell.” The word “hell” actually does not appear in the New Testament. Rather, in the Greek there are both hades and gehenna, which are different things.

Hades appears in the New Testament at least eleven times, either by name or implication. The more significant passages that seem to relate to the concept of hades, even if the word is not specifically mentioned, are: Luke 16:22-23 (Abraham’s side/bosom), Luke 23:43 (paradise), Acts 2:24-32 (Jesus was not held by it), Ephesians 4:8-10 (Jesus descended to the lower parts of the earth while his body was in the grave), 1 Peter 3:18-20; 4:6 (Christ’s proclamation to the spirits in prison), and Revelation 20:13-14 (death and hades thrown into the lake of fire). While the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:22-23) was a parable, it imparts helpful information about hades. You might want to take the time to look up each of these passages.

Revelation 20:13-14 indicates that hades was dissolved and emptied, and everyone judged at the Great White Throne Judgment at Christ’s Parousia (“Second Coming”). The futurist view is that this is still a future event. The preterist view is that if they were dead at the Parousia in AD 70, they left hades and went to either heaven or hell (i.e. gehenna, which is sometimes understood as annihilation) for eternity. After Christ’s finished work there was no reason to keep hades open. Note: Gehenna (“hell”) was a literal trash burn dump outside of Jerusalem. Some Christians believe gehenna means annihilation or destruction for the wicked/unbelievers. Others believe it means eternal conscious punishment.

The “region” of hades where the faithful resided is “Abraham’s bosom” or “paradise.” Some believe that the “region” of hades where the condemned resided is “tartarus” (also spelled “tartaroo,” found only in 2 Peter 2:4). In Greek mythology Tartarus was a place of punishment for departed spirits. So, while different interpretations are possible, it seems that Peter used Greek imagery to convey the idea of a special place of confinement for the wicked until the final judgment. (The Reformation Study Bible annotations, page 1822.)

Jesus apparently announced to the faithful in Abraham’s bosom the good news that they would be raised to heaven (Ephesians 4:8-10; 1 Peter 3:18-20). Both futurists and preterists generally agree on this idea, but futurists put the general resurrection and the dissolution of hades at the end of time, while preterists put it at AD 70.

In what body do believers reside in the afterlife. The description varies in the New Testament. Sometimes it is referred to as “spirit” (Psalm 31:5; Luke 23:46; Acts 7:59; 1 Peter 3:18-20; 4:6). Other times it is the “soul” (Revelation 6:9; 20:4). Paul describes it as “spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:35-48). In any case, it is not a re-constituted fleshly body, but a new spiritual body.

So, when was hades emptied? Surprising to many Christians, the Bible never speaks about the end of time. Rather, it speaks of the “time of the end,” that is, the end of the Old Covenant AGE, which is certainly marked by the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70 (Daniel 12). There are 19 primary mentions of the “last days/end times” in the New Testament. The culmination of none of them can be placed outside the first century. The dissolution of hades was at the end of the age in AD 70 (Revelation 20:11-15; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:55; Hosea 13:14).

The Catholic notion of purgatory is the idea of a temporary waiting place of the dead where one can get purged (purified) of their venial sins (forgivable sins). One cannot be purified of mortal sins, which lead to eternal damnation. The Catholic Church teaches that the fate of those in purgatory can be affected by the action of the living. Its teaching is based on the practice of prayer for the dead mentioned in 2 Maccabees 12:42-46, considered by Catholics and Orthodox to be part of sacred Scripture. Protestants argue that Catholics have added this idea to the concept of hades based on tradition and extra-biblical sources rather than on Scripture. Protestants also argue that the idea of purgatory seems to suggest, while not specifically taught by Catholics, that some people get a “second chance” after death—which is unbiblical.

The preterist view of hades—being abolished in AD 70—is based on over 100 passages in the New Testament that teach that the last-days events would be fulfilled while some of the disciples were still alive. Especially noteworthy is Revelation in which we find over 30 imminence statements such as “must shortly take place,” “soon,” “near,” and “about to happen” found from beginning to end in the book. Revelation 20 describes the dissolution of hades. I am persuaded that, indeed, hades was abolished at Jesus’ Parousia in AD 70 per Revelation 20:11-15.

The preterist view is an optimistic view. When believers die now, we do not go to a waiting place (hades). We go immediately to heaven in our new glorified body. Some futurists think that our soul will be reunited with our physical body at the end of time. But that notion is exceedingly difficult to substantiate from Scripture.

See also:

The Soul and the Afterlife

The General Resurrection of the Dead

Making Sense of Revelation 20