What Do Mormons Believe About Hell?
by DaveLasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate –Dante’s Inferno
Q. What do Mormons believe about hell, and who is going there?
Short answer: We don’t believe in the traditional view of “hell” as a place of never ending torment for those who don’t accept Jesus in this world. Hell is a temporary state of terrible anguish and pain for the wicked, but with very few exceptions, everyone will eventually accept Jesus Christ and receive some degree of glory. Our belief that everyone eventually gets the same chance to accept the gospel, and that hell doesn’t last forever, makes the Mormon doctrine of the afterlife one of the most hopeful and merciful in all Christianity.
Long answer: I wrote this article because I’ve found that people assume we believe in the traditional hellfire and damnation, and that causes a lot of misunderstanding. For instance, we claim to be the only religion with the “fullness of the gospel,” and that you have to be baptized by someone authorized by God (only in the LDS church) in order to be saved. People hear that and assume that we therefore believe that everyone else is “going to hell” in the sense that, say, Evangelical Christians would use the phrase. That isn’t our belief, however.
What is hell? The word hell in the bible is the English translation of the Greek word hades or the Hebrew word sheol. It originally referred to a temporary dwelling of spirits of all dead people, both righteous and wicked (1), and not solely as a place of punishment (this agrees in general with Mormon theology). The word hell didn’t evolve the sense of being a place of everlasting punishment until later.
That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a place of suffering, however. We believe that when we die, our spirits go to a place that we call the Spirit World to await the resurrection and judgment. Furthermore, the Spirit World is divided into two general states: paradise and prison, depending on how you have lived your life (see Megan’s two-part summary of the afterlife). In the Spirit World, everyone gets an equal chance (if they didn’t have it on earth) to hear and accept the gospel. Unrepentant people will still suffer, and we still refer to their suffering as “hell.”
What is hell like? The torment of the wicked isn’t described in much detail in the Bible, but King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon taught that the knowledge of our guilt would be our torment:
Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever. (Mosiah 2:38)
Alma (also in the Book of Mormon) wrote that we will not be able to look up to God, “and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence” (Alma 12:14)
It’s important to know that this suffering, while agonizing, will not last forever. Of those who would eventually inherit the lowest degree of glory, Joseph Smith taught:
These are they who are liars, and sorcerers, and adulterers, and whoremongers, and whosoever loves and makes a lie. . .These are they who are cast down to hell and suffer the wrath of Almighty God, until the fullness of times, when Christ shall have subdued all enemies under his feet, and shall have perfected his work; (D&C 76:103, 106)
What about the sons of perdition? We believe that one day “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess” that Jesus is the Christ. With a few exceptions everyone will be redeemed. Death and Hell will deliver up their captive spirits (2 Ne 9:12, Rev 20:13), all men will be resurrected and be brought forth to be judged and receive a degree of glory. The few exceptions I mentioned are called “sons of perdition.”
Sons of perdition are the truly evil. They are those that want no part in salvation. They deny the truth and defy God’s power, and crucify the Savior unto themselves, and put him to an open shame. They are the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the Lord (D&C 76:31-38). They do not inherit a glory at all, but rather dwell with the devil and his angels forever. Their state is sometimes referred to as “hell” also, or “outer darkness,” though both of those words also refer to the temporary state. It’s hard to be a son of perdition. Really hard. Cain and Judas hard. For all intents and purposes, it’s not even an option for the majority of humanity.
If everyone will just be saved, why does anyone’s conversion even matter? I thought you’d never ask! It matters for two reasons: 1) The wicked will still suffer. A lot. Enough that no amount of raucous fun you could have on earth would ever possibly be worth it. And 2) There are very different degrees of glory that you will inherit forever, based on how much you were “willing to receive.” But that’s a topic for a different day.
(1) See Frederic W. Farrar, Eternal Hope (1892), xxxvi-xlii
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Thanks for showing me this site. Great article! It’s a great reminder of how merciful God’s plan really is.
Pretty much the best explanation ever.
Great post!
Great post! I knew the Mormon conception of hell and the afterlife was different from Catholic and Protestant theology, but I’ve been curious about the details.
This is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible also teaches that there shall be nothing added to or taken from it, hence the Book of Mormon. Christians in Utah pray that the Mormons will come to him before it is too late. Hell is a real place for those that don’t except him before they leave this earth.
God Bless
Denise,
You’re right. It’s no secret that our full doctrine of the afterlife doesn’t come from the Bible alone. How could it? The Bible gives scant detail about hell. It mentions both “hades” or “sheol”, the temporary state of the departed spirits (Luke 16:23), and an “everlasting punishment” (Matt 25:46), or “gehenna” (Matt 23:33). In the New Testament, they are two different places. There is some imagery of lakes of fire and the like, and a few examples of the kinds of people that would end up in those states, but other than that the doctrine is pretty unspecific. (Hence the widely variant interpretations of what hell is like throughout Christianity). And though you couldn’t possibly construct our belief of the afterlife from the Bible alone, it agrees pretty well.
For further reading about hell from the New Testament, I highly recommend the wikipedia articles entitled “Hell in Christian beliefs”, “Hades in Christianity”, and “Gehenna”.
Good article. From someone not totally familiar with the religion, I have a quick question regarding the levels of salvation / prison vs paradise. Where is this documented in LDS literature? Doctrine and Covenants? Could someone please provide the source so I can read up on it further? Thanks.
Sure thing, MH.
The best place by far to read about the three degrees of glory and the ultimate fate of everyone after the resurrection is in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 76. I would start there.
As for the spirit world (paradise/prison): a lot of it is pieced together from various references throughout the scriptures. But for a description of the spirit world (prison/paradise), I think the best place is in the Book of Mormon, Alma chapter 40, starting about verse 6. Also Doctrine and Covenants section 138.
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You can get to these places online at http://www.lds.org/scriptures
Also, under the “study helps” there’s a topical guide, where you can look up terms like “hell”, “paradise”, “spirit world”, or “spirits in prison” and it will give you references to scriptures for those.
Thanks for reading, and don’t hesitate to ask if you have any more questions.
MH, there is another article that talks about this on this site too–the post is called “Who Gets to Be Saved” and there are a several linked references at the bottom about those things too.
First off I’m non denominational Christian. I’m married to a mormon. I cannot control what he believes, he’s been a mormon his whole life. What I can say is I think,and have had this same conversation with my husband,this doctrine is an easy way to ease a sinning person’s mind…what about Luke chapter 16 verse 19-31? I mean Joseph Smith totally overlooked that one huh? He makes it clear after death there is no getting out of hell. And notice verse 24 he says “I’m in this flame”. Oh wait it gets better Abraham answered and said in verse 26 “and besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come from here to you will NOT be able, and that none may cross over from there to us”. (Read all of Luke 16 to get the full effect)MMMM….sounds to me like there is a hell that has fire to it and no one, not a bishop or priest or ANYONE…not even Abraham…can help you once you die. But this doctrine I’m sure was a great comfort to a man who had a bunch of wives, which the true word of God directly states is a sin. J.S. was special to God jus like anyone eles…he wasn’t anyone any greater than you or me…so to think that God changed his mind for a man, that’s insane. He did not recieve any great revelation, he wanted to please his flesh and at the same time ease his concious. And thousands of ppl have bought into that deception…if you don’t believe there are false teachers refer to 2 Peter chapter 2. Read all of it…all the scriptures work together. You can pick and chose if you want…but I don’t suggest it…I didn’t do this to make anyone mad…I did it hoping to help someone understand eternity is FOREVER….Speaking of eternity…you guys must of overlooked Revelations…it gives a very vivid picture of eternity and no where in there does it say righteous ppl will go to “spirit prison” and preach to anyone.There are lot’s of things I could touch on..but I don’t have time…but I do wanna say the whole “men get other wives after they die” thing is so funny. God is a just God…as matter of fact Jesus came to earth and lived in a part of the world where women were dogged…the men stepped all over them…In all accounts I read he never talked down to or mistreated them…in my opinion NO WOMAN who Loves their husband would ever be ok with sharing him with another woman…so the thought is just so funny that Jesus himself…the Savior…said in Mark chapter 12…the King James version…verses 24 and 25…”Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? verse 25 For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven.” mmmm…how do you break that down again…I mean to fit ya’ll. Like I said I could go on all day about this stuff but the only thing ya’ll can say is J.S got “new revelation”! I know that when my wonderful husband whom I Love and respect, dies he will have no other wives!!! My Jesus reassured me of that! And FYI…neither will the rest of ya! well I pray for everyone in the name of Jesus to have peace and I pray for the truth to set you free!
Lesa,
I appreciate you coming on the site. Your comment is very long, so I’ll only respond to the parts that have to do with our view of hell.
I’m not sure if you read the section on the Sons of Perdition, but we do believe in a state of neverending punishment, which we sometimes call “hell,” but in our church we more often use the term “outer darkness.” What’s interesting is that when the Bible uses the word “hell” (like in Luke 16), it’s a translation of the Greek word “hades,” and is explicitly a transitory place. I’ll just quote from the wikipedia article on “Hell in Christian Beliefs”:
“The New Testament also uses the Greek word hades, usually to refer to the temporary abode of the dead (eg. Acts 2:31; Revelation 20:13).[7] Only one passage describes hades as a place of torment, the parable of Lazarus and Dives (Luke 16:19-31). Jesus here depicts a wicked man suffering fiery torment in hades, which is contrasted with the bosom of Abraham, and explains that it is impossible to cross over from one location to the other. Some scholars believe that this parable reflects the intertestamental Jewish view of hades (or sheol) as containing separate divisions for the wicked and righteous.[12][7] In Revelation 20:13-14 hades is itself thrown into the “lake of fire” after being emptied of the dead.”
So even Luke 16 describes hell in a way that is pretty consistent with the Mormon belief: a temporary spirit world that is divided between the righteous and the wicked.
Ok let me ask you this what if your wrong? What if there is a chance that Jesus meant just what he said…what if there is no preaching to the dead who are “in a place of torment”. What if its a literal fire that never ends. What will you do then seeing thousands of ppl believe that? Because teaching that carries accountability. The Bible is very clear in the book of Revelations that there is a lake of fire that burns 4ever….Satan isn’t working for nothing…he’s rackin up souls everyday….it’s not a game….Revelations chapter 21 verse 8…very clear no translation needed…I go to church where they bring up translations out of Greek and Hebrew…this life is but a vapor….me and my husband talk about this a lot and I have decided to read the Bible all the way through…yep even the Mormon bible….I would never place my soul in the hands of a man who very apparently wrote the word to fit his “wants”. The things you believe prove that…and I’m investing in a Greek-Hebrew dictionary and taking notes…if I’m wrong,I have no problem saying I am.But God is all truth and the Bible is infallible…it has been tested and broken down and torn apart…I believe it 100%. God didn’t need J.S. to come along so he could give “new revelation” matter of fact I think J.S was a con who wanted to make a name for himself…this is not anything I haven’t told my husband….we have had our discussions on these things and instead of reading the Bible for yourselves you go online and look up what other Mormons b4 you said or what they believed…I would never do that. By the way God didn’t have sex with Mary for her to conceive, the Bible says the angel told Mary the Holy Spirit would overshadow her and she would conceive . She was still a virgin. There is no wife of God or great mother in the sky…God is not flesh and bone he is a spirit…He was made flesh through Jesus…if you don’t believe me read the Bible…and btw Moses never saw God’s face..yeah…that seems weird to me to seeing the Bible in Exodus chapter 33 verse 20 he (God) says “no man can see my face and live” …funny one of the two ppl is a liar…God or J.S….my guess J.S. is! Because after he “claimed” he saw God he lived. verse 23 again states the same thing. Funny how when Jesus was baptized all he got was the Father’s voice out of Heaven saying ” this is my son in whom I am well pleased” but J.S was wondering in the woods, like young boys do and God appeared…wonder that!!! I’m really not trying to argue…and will not but my hope is that someone get’s a spiritual clue! Do not be deceived! Research it for you not anyone eles!!! Thanks for the response and being nice…that’s kool! Peace of Christ be with you!
Lesa,
It’s an interesting question you bring up: “what if you’re wrong?” It’s something everyone should ask. I think the answer to the question just depends on who’s right. (If the atheists or the Buddhists are right, I think I’m still ok, for instance). One of my main points in writing this article is to show that we believe in a God of mercy who doesn’t condemn well-intentioned good people to burn for all eternity just for not believing exactly the right thing on earth, but prepares a way for all his children to learn the truth eventually and choose to accept it.
As for the fifty some odd other topics you’ve mentioned, if I tried to systematically address them my response would be way too long for a comment. And most of them have been addressed elsewhere on the site anyway. It seems from the things you bring up, though, that you don’t really understand exactly what we believe about those. Maybe you’ve heard them from sources that aren’t Mormon?
I don’t want to dismiss any of what you’re saying, though, they’re all valid questions. Is there a particular issue that troubles you about our beliefs the most, that you want us to address? Also, feel free to submit a question on the main page, or you can email me personally at mixterhealey@gmail.com
Lesa, I’m glad that you found our little site. Take some time to read a few articles and get to know us better.
I just have one request for future comments: will you please take the time to use paragraphs and complete sentences? It’s very hard to read your writing.
Welcome to the site, Lesa. I just wanted to address a couple of points that you brought up. I’m interested to hear what you think we believe about the parable you referenced with Lazarus in heaven with Abraham. I think you might be mistaken in what you perceive as our beliefs.
We don’t believe that priests or elders or even prophets could have crossed that great chasm between heaven and hell for others or themselves. Only Jesus Christ could. And he did. If you don’t believe that he conquered death AND hell, then what is the point of being a Christian? At the time he taught the parable, there was no bridge between the two and the people who had been in hell had been there a LONG time. But Christ provided the way out when he died and resurrected. Continuing revelation fills in the gaps of what happened AFTER he died, because actually, he continued to live and teach and do His Father’s work. It is fascinating to read about. So there is no incongruity in our beliefs and that story. We just believe that Christ made amazing things possible–like salvation, resurrection and release from Spirit prison (or hell–which is a real place 1 Peter 3:18-19).
That is why we love Him so much.
As far as polygamy goes, that seems to be a real concern for you. You may be relieved to know that Mormons don’t really even think about polygamy. It just doesn’t come up. We don’t practice it, we don’t teach it, we (at least, I) don’t expect that it will be an issue for us in the future. It is a part of our history and even if we don’t understand it completely, we do believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and that it was commanded. We’re cool with it. No apologies for doing what God commanded. For more information from a Mormon perspective, check out this article: Ben’s polygamy article
Lesa,
Your version of Hell is a scary thought and fairly arbitrary in its application. If one has to accept Jesus to be saved from eternal damnation and fire, then what happens to all those people who weren’t privileged enough to even hear of Christ and all those poor children who died before understanding enough to accept Christ as their personal savior? If we are all God’s children, it seems that he’s condemning the majority of them to his hell, not a very loving father.
Great article, Dave.
Last year I had begun a study of the Bible to try and gain a better understanding of topics such as the end times, and of hell (Sheol/Hades), and of the after life or resurrection of the dead. The book “Charting the End Times” by Tim Lahaye has been helpful to me because of the way it presents the material.
But there remained a number of things that I could never seem to “close” with my understanding (i.e. I could never seem to connect all of the dots). Then I happened to be in Salt Lake City for business (a very unusual occurence looking back) and I decided to visit the Temple grounds. I realized that I barely knew anything about Mormon doctrine except what I had heard others say (which, by the way, I know now is almost always wrong). So I decided to educate myself and bought the book “Church History for Latter-day Saint Families” and purchased a copy of the Book of Mormon (with D&C and Pearl of Great Price).
To make a longer story short, I have found the Book of Mormon (along with the other portions) to be a great compliment to the Bible and the teachings of the Bible – and I have yet to see where the Mormon theology is not in harmony with, wholly complimentary, and further explanatory of the Bible’s teaching. Is it completely without errors – likely not (JS said, “And now if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God…” It has helped me to “connect the dots” and answered some of the questions that the Bible has so far left me unable to close (not that the Bible is necesarily insufficient – I am the one that is lacking in knowledge and understanding and in need of help to put this stuff together!).
I would encourage those who are critical of Mormons not to have “hardened hearts”. About Joseph Smith and this notion of him being a prophet, I have asked myself, “Why is it so hard to believe that God could choose a person in our time (relatively speaking) to reveal additional hidden truths and knowledge about the history of the world, and about His Son Jesus Christ and the Gospel and His plan for redemption?” And they did to Joseph Smith exactly as they did to the Old Testament prophets.
i wonder if this article was written by LDS members like me. hell is just a holding place till we understand and go with god. it isn’t an everlasting place of torment but a place to relize that god is the rightous choice and the best one at that. if any of you out there belive that we are the wrong church because of what your freinds told you. i have one thing to say. what would you do if you would want to learn more about the prodestant or baptist religion you would go to a preacher of the church why not with the LDS church why not ask the bishop.
If you say that the Bible is not infallible and you say that God doesn’t have the power to draw his elect to him while they are on this earth, then you say God is not omnipotent and in control. The bible teaches that if anyone comes, even an angel from Heaven and preaches another Jesus or another Gospel other than the one that Paul and his followers preached, then he is to be accursed. I am pretty sure that that Greek word in the bible meant eternal damnation. I think anyone who follows the Mormon blasphemous teachings that conflict with the Word of God on SOooo many points should be really scared because they are headed straight for Hell at this point (forever). Seek the God of the bible and repent. Seek God while he can be found (while you are alive). Check out the Isaiah scroll found in 1947. It says there is only one God as well. There are not many gods. God is not a liar and will not be mocked. The devil may deceive those already headed for Hell but he will not deceive Jesus’ true sheep. All of you mormons need to pray to God to free you from the delusion you are under – it doesn’t matter if you’re family believes and you are left all alone. They can’t save you. Only the God of the bible can save you. Do not be swept away by false teachings and false prophets.
I agree with Lesa 100%. She is asking that you search the answers for yourself. The Bible talks about false teachers many times. Be not deceived. Thaddeus, are you joking? Your concern is that she use paragraphs and complete sentences? Dave brings up a good point. Even Christians who read only the Bible have varying beliefs. However, The Bible is clear, you choose to accept Jesus before you die or you will not inherit the kingdom of Heaven.
To Dave, thank you for the article, it was well stated.
to Lesa, I am sorry for your angst against the LDS church and our beliefs, and the beliefs of your husband. I simply ask you to put yourself in the mind of God. If he is our Father, then would he not love us all? If he is a just God, then would he not give everyone a chance?
I know when I think about these things I have strong emotions about being a parent, even to the 3 children I have, the love for them creates such joy it is overwhelming. To love all the children he has on this earth, both past and present must be an unimaginable amount of love and joy. Why then, would he punish those who have not had a chance to know him? For me, it seems like punishing a child who had just been burnt by a hot iron. Not only is the child in a terrible amount of pain for reasons they know not, but now, their parent is punishing them? That is not love, that is not hope and that is not charity. “For 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. This sounds to me like God doesn’t want to loose any of his children. Would it not then, make sense for him to give us all a way back to Him? If I had children who where lost in the world, I would do everything in my power to 1) give them their freedom of choice, and 2) get them home to me safely so that I may throw them a feast.
To believe in Christ is not to just say you believe, but it is to do all the things which he preached. You cannot say you believe in Christ yet choose to do only a few of the things he commanded because they are convenient. “..shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James 2:18 “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Issac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?” James 2:20-22.
So in this, we are all condemed? Not one of us, save for Christ, is perfect in this. Our belief that not all sinners are condemed to burn in hell for eternity is more of a Christ-like expression than letting our brethern and sisters suffer unbelievable anguish forever. Would Christ not want to help those who suffer? Did Christ not help those who did suffer? Whether the suffering be in this life or the next, to me it is no different.
Those who are in “hell” after this life, or “condemnation” are only there because they have stopped progressing. And they are only there as long as they have no progress. If a man says there is no need to search for more truth because they have found it, in them there is damnation. Damnation is a blockage, a stopping of progression. If you think you have come to the end, or simply refuse to look further, then you have condemned yourself. As soon as you repent of your folly, then your progression begins again. It will be the same in the afterlife as it is here, only on a different level of realization.
I am sorry, I ramble on and on. It is hard not to when all the words of the gospel are so interconnected. It is impossible to truely do one without the others.
Thank you for your time. I apologize for the length.
I just wanted to clarify something: my understanding of the afterlife as Mormons believe it includes both a temporary “hell” (see the section “what is hell?”) and a permanent “hell” (see the section about the sons of perdition). While the latter will never be an issue the vast majority of humanity, it is real and it is scriptural. It just seemed from some comments that that might not have been clear.
Mike, thanks for your story! It strengthens my faith. Really, I hope you tell it wherever and whenever you get the chance.
Also, I wanted to say that I agree with Thaddeus about the paragraphs. Not to make a big deal of it, but I don’t think he was off the mark there.
Kristi, I also want to assure you that we are very much searching the scriptures ourselves for answers. I think Candiss’s comment shows a deep reflection on the scriptures and their import in her life personally (thanks, Candiss).
Thank you for speaking the truth, Lesa.
You may have just opened some people’s eyes and saved them from an eternity of torment for following false teachings.
I live with a Mormon. She is my best friend. While trying to research her Mormon faith, I found this site. Thank you Lesa so stating what I think to be true. It was very interesting to see the views of other people and the Mormon Faith. I looked over the text mentioned above about Hell. I just do not understand how you can read this and take it apart to make it what you want it to be. It simply is what the text says it is. It is an eternity of pain that the rich man will never get out of. Although some of you may think this is a scary thought, (and it is) it is the truth! It is the Bible, which is the complete and total truth. For those who ask “what happens to those who do not get the privilage of hearing the Gospel?” I strongly think there are acceptions for everything, like babies. But as a human on this Earth, there is no way that you cannot look at the stars and not know that there is something greater than ourselves.
Alyssa,
I’m assuming the text you’re referring to is the following, from the Wikipedia article “Hell in Christian Beliefs”:
“The New Testament also uses the Greek word hades, usually to refer to the temporary abode of the dead (eg. Acts 2:31; Revelation 20:13).[7] Only one passage describes hades as a place of torment, the parable of Lazarus and Dives (Luke 16:19-31). Jesus here depicts a wicked man suffering fiery torment in hades, which is contrasted with the bosom of Abraham, and explains that it is impossible to cross over from one location to the other. Some scholars believe that this parable reflects the intertestamental Jewish view of hades (or sheol) as containing separate divisions for the wicked and righteous.[12][7] In Revelation 20:13-14 hades is itself thrown into the “lake of fire” after being emptied of the dead.”
I think it’s clear why the word “hell” in the New Testament refers to a temporary abode of all the dead, not an everlasting abode of the wicked. It’s because that’s what the Greek word meant. The Lazarus passage is unique because it’s the only reference to hell as a place of torment. As the article states, scholars read this passage and conclude not that torment is the only thing in “hell”, but that the abode of departed spirits may be divided into two different places that cannot be bridged.
I’m not sure where the misunderstanding is, or why this is “taking it apart” and “making it what I want it to be.” It’s what the text says. Mormons didn’t write it; we just like it because it sort of reinforces what we already believed. So you may be right about the Luke passage, but if you are, you have a lot of bible scholars and linguists to convince.
I am intereated to know which scholars believe in this compartmentalisation of sheol and hades (referenced in the Wikipedia article)?
As a Christian looking into the LDS faith (seriously) I have been amazed that my belief about outer darkness is something you people also believe. I am either dead wrong or we are both right
Anyone who can shed light on these ’scholars’ so that I can carry out further research? Much appreciated!
Paul (UK)
Paul,
Yeah, I really wish I knew that also
For the statement “Some scholars believe that this parable reflects the intertestamental Jewish view of hades (or sheol) as containing separate divisions for the wicked and righteous.”, the wiki article cites the New Bible Dictionary articles “sheol” and “hell”. I don’t have that, but I imagine those articles would have further citations, or could be attributed to whatever editors or authors wrote the articles.
New Bible Dictionary 3rd edition, IVP Leicester 1996. “Sheol”.
New Bible Dictionary 3rd edition, IVP Leicester 1996. “Hell”.
In addition, the most famous scholar who pointed out that the Greed word Hades refers to a place of all departed souls, not just the wicked, was Frederic W. Farrar, in his book Eternal Hope (1892), xxxvi-xlii.
I hope this helps in your search. If you find out more, definitely come back and post the info; I’d be interested to hear. Thanks for your comment.
read the bible much? it contradicts just about everything you just wrote about….yeeeaaaah. Oh and read the last few lines of the bible…that just about proves Smith was lying. If you disagree you are saying God is lying…up to you i guess.
Wowzzzaa, could you be a little more specific? What verses have you read that contradict this post?
Regarding the last few lines of the Bible, please see this post. I’d love to continue this thread over there.
Thanks for visiting our site!