Hell Is Real (Refuting Salvation For All and Similar)

Introduction

    Recently, there has been a resurgence in universalism on the internet, particularly coming from websites similar to Salvation For All.  I was given the challenge of refuting this website, and so I will do so.

    All citations of the Bible are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

Confusion About Greek

    The first mistake this article from Salvation For All (SFA) makes is saying that early Greek was written right-to-left.  This is untrue.  The Open University points out that it was flexible and could be written both left to right and right to left.  So SFA starts off with an error.  One can simply pull up any interlinear translation of any new testament scripture and see it.  From there, it disintegrates into illogical statements like, "Yeah, I didn't get it either...."

    SFA then points out that translation of the Bible is a requirement.  That's too obvious.  But they then try to say that all references to hell except one are the Greek word Gehenna.  This is untrue, because it predicates only the English word "hell," but there are several words used for that location.  In failing to mention the synonyms of hell, SFA deceives its readers.  Allow me to demonstrate all uses of hell, Hades, and synonyms:

PASSAGE
 WORD EN/GK
 PASSAGE
 WORD
 PASSAGE
 WORD
Matthew 5:22
 hellfire / geennan tou pyros
 Matthew 5:29
 hell / geennan
 Matthew 5:30
 hell / geennan
Matthew 10:28
 hell / geenne
 Matthew 18:9
 hell / geennan
 Matthew 23:33
 hell / geennes
Mark 9:43
 hell / geennan
 Mark 9:45
 hell / geennan
 Mark 9:47
 hell / geennan
Luke 12:5
 hell / geennan
 Luke 16:23
 Hades / hade
 Matthew 11:23
 Hades / hadou
Matthew 16:18
 Hades / hadou
 Luke 10:15
 Hades / hadou

    A second problem with how SFA is written is that it fails to tell the reader that, even if Gehenna was a real place, the words used in several of these passages (such as Mark 9:45) do not just say Gehenna, but say "into the unquenchable fire."  Gehenna as a trash dump had quenchable fire, in that people kept it burning by burning their trash.  Rain, floods, natural disasters, etc. could just as easily quench such a fire, no matter how large.  Hell's fires are truly unquenchable.

    A third problem is that SFA brings up the Bible dictionary on the topic of Gehenna, but this is not a translator note on the word itself.  This is done to deceive, for the first place one goes for a definition of a Greek word is the concordance.  Why?  Because SFA looked up a topic, not the Greek word itself.  See above: what the Greek is using is a conjugate of the word.  Take for instance Matthew 10:28, Strongs 1067, "geenne"

Usage: In the New Testament, "geenna" is used to denote a place of final punishment for the wicked. It is often translated as "hell" in English Bibles. The term is used to describe a state of eternal separation from God, characterized by suffering and destruction. It is distinct from Hades, which refers to the temporary abode of the dead.

    So what we have here is SFA intentionally rushing to a different definition that suits their agenda rather than to the real definition they should have informed the reader of.  This is deception.  So deception in failing to tell the reader what translation of the Bible they are using, then also failing to mention the various synonyms (Greek also had synonyms), then also failing to use the proper sourcing and sequence of research.

Denial of the Everlasting Nature of Hell

    Not only does SFA fail to acknowledge the words used of hell, but then it claims the Bible never mentions that hell is eternal.  This is incorrect, as already pointed out in Mark 9:45, but I will demonstrate here.

Mark 9:43 And if your hand causes your downfall, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go to hell—the unquenchable fire....

Mark 9:45 And if your foot causes your downfall, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell— the unquenchable fire....

Luke 16:23,25 And being in torment in Hades....  " Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us."

Matthew 25:41 Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 This will take place at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His powerful angels, taking vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord’s presence and from His glorious strength....

Revelation 14:9-10 "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is mixed full strength in the cup of His anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb...."

Revelation 20:10, 13-15 The Devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.  Then the sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead; all were judged according to their works.  Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And anyone not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

    Note that in the end, hell and death will be cast into the lake of fire, another location that SFA seems to fail to mention.  And it says this is an eternal torment.  Basically, all in Hades will stand for judgment and then go to the lake of fire.  So SFA is engaged in a sort of deception where it leaves out information that would discredit their point.

Denial of Consciousness in Hell

    SFA then also denies conscious torment, yet we see in Luke 16 in the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus that the rich man was indeed conscious.

    SFA then claims Gehenna represented national judgment to the Israelites, but SFA is unable to take a time machine and go back in time to poll those living around the time of Jesus to see what they believed.  Not like their belief would prove anything, for the Israelites in the time of Jesus very clearly thought the Messiah was a military savior that would exterminate Rome and free them from oppression.  Jesus had to repeatedly teach people that this was not the case.

Side Chain: The Tongue On Fire Of Hell

    SFA then tries to claim that because James 3 says the tongue is "set on fire by hell" that this could not mean eternal punishment.  But, again, above, I demonstrated that hell has several synonyms.  This is likely a red herring, for whether the Bible had said that the tongue is set on fire of hades or of hell, the result in context is the same: it has an incredible potential for evil and can corrupt people.  The meaning doesn't change, so using James 3 to try to disprove the concept of hell is not logical.

Tartarus

    SFA then cites 2 Peter 2:4 as a "hell."  This doesn't disprove any eternal hell or punishment.  Mentioning what Greek mythology says about the passage is sort of moot because, just because the Bible is using these Greek words doesn't mean God's intent is for people to believe in Greek mythology.  He simply used the closest word to the concept.  As described in the Berean:

Usage: The verb "tartaroó" is used to describe the act of casting down to Tartarus, a place of punishment. In the New Testament, it specifically refers to the confinement of fallen angels. The term is used to convey the severity of divine judgment and the ultimate fate of those who rebel against God.

    So pointing this out isn't very helpful at all.  And SFA then goes on to say they are being "held for judgment."  This is true.  But if you read Revelation 20, hell is that holding place for people (not angels), as they will be recalled from hell, judged, and then put in the lake of fire.  As for these angels in Tartarus, this is the only time this word is even used in the New Testament.  It could be referring to Revelation 9:15, the four angels held.  Something slightly similar happens during the millenial reign, in Revelation 20:3 & 7 where Satan is held for 1,000 years and then released.

    The bottom line, then, is SFA is bringing up a red herring.

Deception

    So here's where I explain the deception.  SFA doesn't mention any of the uses of Hades in the New Testament, several in fact by Jesus.  In doing so, they claim "only one" is not the word Gehenna.  But in my chart, above, there are actually four uses of Hades, and all of them were spoken by Jesus.  SFA intentionally leaves this out, meaning they are intentionally engaged in deception.  They also failed to bring up the Bible dictionary about the actual word being used, as "Gehenna" is not the word being used, but the conjugates geenan and geene.

Conclusion

    SFA did not prove their point and engaged in deception.  The Bible does mention hell and the eternal nature of hell.  While hell itself, since it is thrown into the lake of fire, is not eternal by itself, in the sequence of events it is eternal because no one escapes from hell or the lake of fire.  In the sequence of events, hell -> judgment -> lake of fire, there is no recovery.  Besides, conceptually, if hell is thrown into the lake of fire, you could consider it basically eternal.  Once in hell, there is no hope.  The punishment is conscious and eternal.  This is why we need to tell people about Jesus.