~ A place to find answers to gnawing spiritual questions ~
Question: Could you please explain what 'Hades' is and is not?Answer: A book that I would strongly recommend to you on this subject of life after death is "One Minute After You Die," by Erwin W. Lutzer (Moody Press, 1997). You seem to want to make a serious study of the subject. This book is excellent, in my opinion.
Let me give you a brief summary of the subject of Hades.
The translators of the King James Version did not make a clear distinction between the words, Tartarus, Hell, and Hades. The New International, the New King James, and the New American Standard versions make up for this deficiency by showing the difference. I suggest you use one of those versions in studying this subject.
In relation to the world beyond, the Hebrew text uses the word Sheol, which in the King James version is translated Hell 31 times, The Grave, 31 times, and The Pit 3 times.
When the New Testament quotes from the Old Testament regarding Sheol, it uses the Greek word Hades as its equivalent (from example, Acts 2:27). So then, the Hebrew word Sheol is the same as the Greek word Hades. This is the region of the souls of the dead.
Another distinction also needs to be made. In the Old Testament, and until after Jesus Christ had completed His suffering on the cross, Sheol or Hades, had two compartments. One was the place of the wicked dead, and the other of the righteous dead. Jesus described the scene of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16, and showed that while the rich man was suffering torment, Lazarus was comforted in Abraham's bosom. We are also told that there was an impassable gulf between the two places. This place of the righteous dead is also called paradise, as Jesus promised the dying penitent thief (Luke 23:43).
After Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the Temple was miraculously torn from top to bottom, and the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints that had died were raised, and appeared to many (Matthew 27:51-53). This indicates that the compartment of the righteous dead had been moved from the underworld to a new location with Christ. Paradise is now in heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). The tree of Life is there (Revelation 2:7). Jesus has the keys of hades and of death (Rev. 1:18; 1 Cor. 15:55).
Now Hades has only the one compartment, a place of suffering for those who died without Christ, awaiting the final judgment. Now at death, the redeemed go to be with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:1-8; Philippians 1:23; Acts 7:59). Hades is the place only of the unsaved dead.
The book of Revelation gives us the final details of the future. At the "Great White Throne Judgment" in Revelation 20, we learn that Hades will give up the dead who are in it (verses 11-15), and the unsaved dead will be judged by their works. Then death and Hades will be cast into the "Lake of Fire." The Lake of Fire is the real "Hell" and continues forever and forever (Rev. 14:10-11).
If you want to make an in-depth study of this subject, then get the book that I recommended. Most of all, God has provided the way by which that place may be avoided - John 3:16. Jesus is the only answer.
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