The Concept of "Hell" based in Biblical Linguistics and Aggadah

(by Christopher Fredrickson, host of the Brutal Planet radio program, and professor at Frontier International Mission College)

(NOTE: The day after this article was written I was forced to resign from Frontier International Mission College, because of this article)

This maybe a controversial article. But, it is something I would say to research on your own as well. In today's time an "eternal damnation" theology abounds. It is an idea to get people to be like you because of the reason of an eternal consequence more horrific than you can comprehend. But we have to ask, is it Biblical? 

The modern concept of "hell" comes not from the Bible, but instead from Dante's Inferno, a dovidic comedy. This is where this ideology stemmed from and was adopted from, not the biblical narrative on a linguistic level nor a theological level. Let's explore the linguistic level and then we will get into the theological. 

The word used by Yeshua, that is often translated to "hell" is Gehinnom. Now Gehinnom was referred to by Jeremiah as well. It was a garbage dump in a valley, that was well known in Israel, and it is where garbage was sent to be burned and it was constantly burned there. 

The other word translated to "hell" in the Bible is the word Sheol. Sheol is the word for "grave" in the Bible. It can also be translated as "long sleep". Sheol was never a word used to describe a place of eternal damnation where people were burning and burning forever. The concept simply isn't there. Let's investigate the passages. 

For, hinei, HaYom bah (the day cometh), that shall burn as an oven; and kol zedim (all the proud), yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and HaYom that cometh shall burn them up, saith Hashem Tzva'os, that it shall leave them neither shoresh (root) nor anaf (branch). But unto you that fear My name shall the Shemesh Tzedakah (sun of righteousness) arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. And ye shall trample down the resha'im; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in HaYom that I shall do this, saith Hashem Tzva'os.
(Malachi 3:1-3) 

This instead even shows Hashem's divine mercy to the evil. Because it says we will be walking on their ashes. If they are burning for ever and ever in eternal damnation how is this possible? It shows instead the evil, in their finite state, try and overtake Jerusalem and Hashem burns them up quickly and we walk on their ashes. Hashem doesn't even allow the evil to suffer long because of his own chessed (divine mercy). Let's look at another one. 

"And then it happened that the meskine {the poor man} died, and the Malake {the Heavenly Messengers/the Angels} brought him unto the bosom of Abraham. Then that athiyra {rich man} also died, and was buried, and while tormented in Sheul, he lifted up his eyes from afar and saw Abraham, and Lazar {Lazarus} at his bosom. And he cried out in a qala rama {a loud voice} and said, ‘My father Abraham, have compassion on me and send Lazar, so that he may dip the tip of his finger in the waters and moisten my tongue for me. For, look, I’m tormented in these flames!’ Abraham said unto him, ‘My son, remember, that you received your good things during your life, and Lazar {Lazarus} bad things, and now, look! He is comforted here, and you are tormented."
(Luke 16:22-25) 

Now the interesting thing we see from the Aramaic Khabouris Codex is that the word translated as "hell" in your bible is very similar to the Hebrew word "Sheol" and the Aramaic "Sheul" is the Aramaic form of "Gehinnom". The holy languages bring us a parallel that the Holy One, blessed be He, knew would be a part of a theological debate. This is why he says, "study to show yourselves approved." Now, the thing we notice here is that first of all the garbage dump is mentioned and the Aramaic contains the words for that particular garbage dump and also the word for "grave" there as well. This should be striking because it makes clear, even in the parable of Yeshua, that this is not talking about a soul going to an eternal destination. But if it were then why would Abraham be in "hell" first of all, and why would be be the representative go talk go Lazar and not Mashiach himself, or Hashem? 

Because, in Abraham's death he was buried at Machpelah. Now this alludes to "death" in the literal sense, for various literary reasons in language but also we are shown this because of Abraham being mentioned as the representative. Kabbalistic literature such as the Zohar speaks a great deal about the burial of Abraham and Machpelah where all the forefather's were buried. In fact the Torah refers to Ya'akov as "bones" at one point because they had to carry Ya'akov's bones to Machpelah to rest with the rest of the forefathers and their wives. Without the background information and language, it is easy to adopt the later ideal of Dante's Inferno in terms of this passage. 

Now one can also make the claim of Revelation 20:10 being a source text for this theology

"And Hasatan, the one deceiving them, was cast into the Agam HaEish (fire) and gofrit (sulfur), where both the Chayyah [Anti-Moshiach] and the Navi Sheker (False Prophet) were, and they will be tormented yomam v'lailah l'Olemei Olamim (day and night forever and ever)."
(Revelation 20:10)

​Yet the source text shows it is only for the Anti-Messiah and false prophet reside.  

There is also the book of Mark

And if your yad causes you a michshol, cut off your yad; for it is better for you if you enter Chayyei Olam as an amputee, than, having both yadayim, you go away into Gehinnom, into the EISH LO TIKHBEH (fire not [ever] extinguished, Where their TOLAAT LO TAMUT (worm does not die) and EISH LO TIKHBEH (the fire not [ever] extinguished).] And if your regel (foot) causes you a michshol, cut off your regel; it is better for you to enter Chayyei Olam lame, than, having both raglayim, to be cast into Gehinnom, Where their TOLAAT LO TAMUT (worm does not die) and EISH LO TIKHBEH (the fire not [ever] extinguished.] And if your ayin (eye) causes you a michshol, take it out; for it is better for you to enter the Malchut Hashem one-eyed, than, having both eynayim, to be cast into Gehinnom, Where their TOLAAT LO TAMUT (worm does not die) and EISH LO TIKHBEH (the fire not [ever] extinguished).
(Mark 9:43-48) 

Huge problems here with the "hell" ideology from Dante's inferno.  Because we see the worms do not die, and we see it is talking of the physical place Gihennon yet again in parable form, just like the parable of Lazarus.

Now let's get into the theological realm. Is there a concept of "hell" in Judaism? You may be surprised to realize the answer is actually, yes. But it is not a place of torture and burnings forever. Instead it is like the Catholic version of "limbo" which is shear nothingness. Unlike the Catholics however, is Jews do not think aborted babies go into this version of limbo, instead we see children as being close to Hashem even in death. Now we do have scriptural precedent for the Jewish belief of "hell". 

"I have da'as of a man in Moshiach arba esreh shanah (fourteen years) before, whether in or out of the basar I do not have da'as, Hashem knows--such a man was snatched up and raptured to the raki'a haShlishi (3rd level) of Shomayim."
(2 Corinthians 12:2) 

Raki'a HaShlishi!!??? What? Where in the Bible do we see this idea of "levels of heaven" in the Bible before then? It doesn't appear. But it is often talked about in the Talmudic literature and in Jewish Kabbalistic literature. And most of this discussion goes back to the Torah Portions Tazria and Metzora; ya know, the two Torah Portions about lepers. 

In those passages in the Torah we see a person with a skin disease (nega tza'arat) which is linguistically a spiritual condition manifest in the physical. And he becomes a Metzora (leper). He is taken out side of the camp for a while till his condition goes away and the kohen then goes and checks him and either allows him back in or he has to go back into his seclusion. The rabbis liken this pattern to that of the "hell" concept. 
We all know the story of Rabbi Akiva going into the PaRDeS and going through the various levels of heavens and investigating them in midrashim. And this is where the concept of "hell" is based on in the Torah and from the sages. The Jewish understanding is that a person in hell is stuck in nothingness far away from G-d and it is like G-d putting a person in a time out, they can progress back into the layers of the Shamayim when they have learned their lesson and they are no longer afflicted by nega tza'arat and the Metzora has cleared up. This is the Jewish understanding.

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What About Hellfire?

The hebrew word for fire is אֵשׁ (pronounced Aish or Esh). Now as a Lapid Jew, I should note, we get our name where Mashiach is referred to by a similar title, as it says:

"Thus is it written, A torch (lapid) scorned by the complacent, hardened ones, who are destined to stumblings of the feet. (Job 12:5). This is the meaning of the verse: The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘A single herald arose for Me in the generation of the Flood, that being Noah.’ The word lapid is interpreted to mean “herald” because it is customary there that they say instead of ‘Call him,’ ‘Lapid him’.”
(Bereishis Rabbah 30:8)

The word לפיד (Lapid) means "torch". We see this language in the New Testament as well.

"I am immersing {baptizing} you in maya {in water} for repentance, but, that One who comes after me, He is stronger than me. That One’s sandals I’m not worthy to carry! He will immerse {baptize} you in The Rukha d’Qudsha {The Spirit of Holiness}, and in The ܘܒܢܘܪܐ (Nura) {The Fire}."
(Matthew 3:11)

"You are The Nuhreh d'Alma {The Light of the World}, it isn’t possible that a madintha {a city} which is built upon a tura {a mountain} could be hidden. They don’t light a shraga {a lamp} and place it under a satha {a bushel}, but rather, upon a manartha {a lamp-stand}, and it manhar's {gives light/shines} for all those who are in the house. Likewise your light should shine before mankind, so that they might see your good deeds and they might glorify your Father who is in the Shmaya {the Heavens}."
(Matthew 5:14-16)

We see also fire used within the Tanach to indicate purification.

"Everything that can withstand Aish (fire), ye shall make it go through the aish, and it shall be tahor; nevertheless it shall be purified with the mayim of niddah; and all that can not withstand the aish ye shall make go through the mayim."
(Numbers 31:23)

"That the genuineness of your Emunah, much more valuable than gold which though perishable is tested by Aish (Fire), may be found to the tehillah (praise) and the kavod (glory) and the tiferet (splendor) at the Hisgalus (Revelation, Apocalypse) of Moshiach Yeshua"
(1 Peter 1:7)

"I counsel you to buy from me zahav (gold) having been purified by aish (fire) --that you may be oisher (rich) --and a kittel, that you may be clothed in lavan (white), and that the bushah (shame) of your nakedness not be made nikar (evident), and eye salve to rub on the eynayim (eyes) of you that you may see."
(Revelation 3:18)

"And leshonot (tongues of fire) appeared to them, being divided as eish resting on each one of them,"
(Acts 2:3)

The list goes on and on. In fact the sages say that when Aaron's two sons were killed by Hashem for offering strange fire to G-d that fire went into their nostrils and killed them from within and was swift and painless and purifying to their souls. So please explain to me someone, why it is that when the Bible speaks of purification through fire over and over again, we can then in certain passages say that G-d is using fire for torture when there is ZERO precedent for that ZERO ZILCH NADA.