THE PLACE CALLED HELL
by: Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

1 Peter 5:8  "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."

Acts 2:21 "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

The Devil is real - He is your enemy - The Devil wants to destroy you

I'm reading tonight from the Gospel according to St. Luke, the 16th chapter, beginning to read at verse 19 as follows in Jesus' name:

Luke 16:19-31  "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.  And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate full of sores.  And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. 

And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom.  The rich man also died, and was buried:  And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 

And he cried, and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue: for I am in anguish  in this flame. 

But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receiveth thy good things, and like wise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 

And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you, cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 

Then he said, I pray thee therefore, Father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. 

Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.  And he said, Nay, Father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.  And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead."

IS THERE A PLACE CALLED HELL?

I wish to speak tonight on the subject entitled  "THE PLACE CALLED HELL".  Some people have said that this account in Luke's gospel is in fact a parable.  But that is not true. Because in the parables that Jesus Christ used, proper names were never given.

And yet the Bible tells us that there was a certain beggar named Lazarus.  There was a certain rich man, not just a rich man, but a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and linen, and he fared sumptuously every day.....and there was a certain beggar, this wasn't a parable, there was a certain beggar, and his name was Lazarus.

In all of the 29 or 30 parables that Jesus shared, not ONE time was a proper name used. Parables never contained proper names.

The Bible tells us there is a place called HELL.  And it describes it absolutely perfectly, to a T.  The man said, I don't want my brothers to come to this place, this terrible place, this place of torments.

Now a parable is an allegorical representation of something that is real, in nature, in human affairs, from which a moral  is drawn.  A parable is something in real life.  It is a representation of something real, from the real life which draws or shows you a certain  moral, and its a fictitious account.  It is something that isn't real, but is taken from something in real life.

The word that Jesus Christ used here for HELL, is the word Gehenna. This is a Greek word that means 'the place of departed spirits'.

It is taken from the word Hinnom, or Valley of Hinnom.  The word Hinnom means ' wailing', the actual meaning of the word is' wailing'.

The Valley of Hinnom was a very narrow valley, that lay south and west of Jerusalem, and Jesus used it as a type of eternal punishment.

The Valley of Hinnom burned day and night. A real place, lying south and west of the city of Jerusalem, a narrow valley. In Old Testament times, it was used for sacrifice. They sacrificed animals there.  And when they sacrificed the animals, there would be constant bleating and constant howling of these animals.

This is why Jesus Christ said in the gospels, that there shall be 'wailing and gnashing of teeth'.  For in the Valley of Hinnom, in the Old Testament times, there was constant sacrifice, with animals being slaughtered.

If you were near a place where many animals were slaughtered, a constant wailing sound would come from that place.  And Jesus drew upon that.  He pointed to the Valley of Hinnom when he spoke about Hell. Gehenna, taken from the word Hinnom, which means 'wailing'.   And there shall be 'wailing and gnashing of teeth'. (weeping and wailing.)

In New Testament times, Gehenna was a place where garbage was burned.  And the garbage burned day and night.   The Valley of Hinnom  became the garbage dump of Jerusalem.

Whenever you went by the Valley of Hinnom you would see the fire and smoke, and when Jesus Christ spoke about Lazarus and the rich man - even if it had been a parable, which it wasn't - it was a true story. Even if it had been a parable, what better illustration could Jesus have used of Hell,  than by pointing to the Valley of Hinnom saying that this is  what its is going to be like.

Even if these Scriptures (Luke 16:19-31) were a parable, which we have proven they were not, it still points to eternal suffering.

The garbage dump in Jerusalem never went out, year after year after year.  In the time of Jesus' earthly Ministry  it was used as a dump. This was a place of wailing, where the fire was constantly stoked and the flames  leaped in the air, with the smoke rising continually. And Jesus Christ spoke of this again and again through the Bible.

Now, in this comprehensive study I wish to share with you some powerful truths concerning Hell.  The place that is called Hell.

First, I wish to say that Death is a sure thing. Should Christ tarry, death is sure.  Every person will die one day should  Christ tarry.  People are wondering,  "What will happen to me?  Where will I go when this life is over?"

I preached a message some time ago entitled, WHAT IS MAN?  Where did we come from? What are we doing here? Where are we going when we die?  These are the 3 questions that people ask, Who am I? Where did I come from? What is my true identity?  What am I doing here, and where am I going when its all over?

In Daniel 12:8 Daniel spoke and said,  "And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?"

There must be millions of people today who wonder: What is going to be the end of me? What will happen and where will I go when I die?

YOUR SPIRIT WILL NEVER DIE!  My dear friend,  you are eternal. You are  triune, as well as eternal.  You are spirit, soul or mind and body.  And when you die YOUR SPIRIT  WILL NEVER DIE.  Your spirit will live on and on...and you will, therefore, never die.

You are eternal, as God is eternal. He of course, is from eternity to eternity - with no beginning and no end, whereas we are created beings with an eternal spirit within!  Your body will go back to the dust of the earth, but your spirit will stand before God for judgment.

The Bible says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" (Hebrews  9:27).

WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON JUDGMENT DAY?

There is a Heaven and there is a Hell, and I'm going to prove it! What's going to happen at the judgment?  Where do we go from there?  What will happen after the judgment?  I want you to know that there is a Heaven and there is a Hell. And I'm going to prove it here.

ONE DAY YOU WILL DIE AND YOU WILL STAND BEFORE GOD FOR JUDGMENT! That it exactly right, one day you will die and you  will stand before God for judgment!  But, what a joy it will be to die as a believer, with faith in Christ.  St. Paul said, "For me to live is Christ but to die is gain."  Again he said in 2 Corinthians 5:8, "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord."

What did he mean when he stated: "TO BE ABSENT FROM THE BODY IS TO BE PRESENT WITH THE LORD."  He was saying: I would sooner be with the Lord, but for your sakes I will remain here.

There's no fear to the Christian in death.  Death has no terror, death has no fear for the Christian.  The Psalmist said, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.  For thou art with me."

Even in death there will be absolutely no fear.   We can walk through the valley of the shadow of death and His hand will be upon us. We as Christians can know that everything is all right.  We will fear no evil, he will bring us through.  We will pass through the waters of death, should Christ tarry, and we will NOT be alone. The Holy Spirit will be with us and we will not be afraid.  He shall bring us through and we will see our Master face to face.

Face to face will I behold him, far beyond that glorious sky, face to face will I behold him, I shall see him, by and by.

Face to face will I behold him, far beyond that starry sky.  Face to face in all his glory, I shall see him, by and by.

The sad thing is that the Christian Church is being corrupted and St. Paul warned in Acts 20:29, "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, sparing not the flock."2 Timothy 3:13, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."

2 Peter 2:1, "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily (secretly) shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

THE BIBLE SAYS THERE WILL BE FALSE TEACHERS AND FALSE PROPHETS

There shall be false teachers and false prophets, and I have said it again and again, if you want to draw a great crowd you just need to declare some great, far out thing and everyone will come.

Men are falling into gross error, and one of the grossest errors you can find is the error when they say, THERE IS NO HELL.  They say there is no hell, but they want to believe everything about heaven. Yes, they all believe they are going to heaven.

CURRENT TEACHING OF THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESS WATCH TOWER SOCIETY

The Society teaches that Hell is the grave, that man experiences ANNIHILATION [he ceases to exist] there. It is not a place of everlasting punishment. The New World Translation translates the word SHEOL as grave, pit and hell.

What the Bible Says about HELL And Related Terms:

1. Sheol:  In the Old Testament it usually means place of the departed spirits. -  Psalms 16:10

2. Hades:  Usually means place of the departed spirits in NT  -  Acts 2:27

3. Tartarus:  The deepest abyss of Hades prepared for the Devil and his angels  - Matthew 25:41-46

4. Grave [QUEBER In Hebrew]:  "he was buried in the grave of his father"  -  2 Samuel  17:23

NOTE:  SHEOL and HADES occasionally can be translated "grave" but not always. QUEBER always means "grave" where the body goes. Sheol, Hades, and Queber are not used interchangeably.

When the Jehovah's Witnesses were only small in number they believed that they were the only ones who would  inhabit Heaven. They misinterpreted the Scripture about the 144,000 in heaven, thinking that that is going to be the total population entering that holy City.

Now,  that they have many more members than 144,000, they had to change their doctrine to say that the rest of them have to  live on the earth for eternity!  They can't back track on that one because the first 144,00 might not like it.  They says there is NO hell but they say there is a heaven.

Did you know that in the Holy Scriptures, for every verse that speaks about Heaven in the New Testament there are 10 verses that speak about hell? These are the absolute facts.

THE WORD HELL IS USED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT 162 TIMES

Did you know that 162 times in the New Testament the word HELL is used?  And Jesus used the word Hell 22 times.

If you think that Jesus only spoke about Heaven you could learn a thing or two from the Bible.  162 times the word Hell is used in New Testament.  70% of ministers polled in the USA some years ago, said they didn't believe in Hell.

Let me read from Revelation 20:13, "And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works.  And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, this is the second death."

THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF THE SECOND DEATH

Jehovah's Witnesses call the Triune God the three - headed God.  They ridicule the Trinity and make Jesus Christ inferior to the Father. In their lack of spiritual understanding, they try to understand the eternal God and define Him in human terms.

How ridiculous that puny man thinks he can understand Deity when he cannot understand himself. That is a colossal error! You cannot seek to understand the incomprehensible God by equating the Omnipotent, Omniscient, Eternal,  Omnipresent God by defining Him in human terms as though He were another human!!

The Bible says in Philippians chapter 2,  that Jesus Christ was in the form of God. And that He thought it not wrong to be equal with God, yet He made himself no reputation and  came down to earth and wrapped Himself in human flesh, so He could die for our sins.

God the Father has given Jesus Christ great glory! God has honored him and exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that  Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Yet, the Jehovah's Witness say that Jesus was Michael the archangel.  They will try to persuade you that there is no hell. There are other cults that will do the same.

The Jehovah's Witnesses will come to you and they will say, "Did you know there are  two Greek  words, Hades and Gehenna, both of them are translated in the English language as hell.  But really, these two words mean "the grave."

I am going to refute their error right now and you will know without a doubt that the TRUTH is found in God's word and the Jehovah's Witnesses and other cults are in error.  The Jehovah's Witnesses also will tell you that the Hebrew word, Sheol, means the grave.

They claim that the two Greek words Gehenna, Hades and the Hebrew word Sheol all mean 'the grave'.  And when you die, that's it, there is no hell. But let me share with you some truths, some facts that prove thhe Jehovah's Witnesses have deliberately twisted the original Greek.

I have a letter in my files, from the only living Greek professor and scholar,  whom the Jehovah's Witnesses  quote in their New World translation of the Bible.  He is the only professor whom the Jehovah's Witness quote, that is still alive. All the others they quote have died.

But this man, this eminent scholar, whom they quote, has written a letter refuting the Jehovah's Witnesses, and he says they have deliberately twisted his writings when they translated the Bible from the Greek using his translations, in the New World translations.  He has said they have lied.

There is nothing worse in theology than a man who deliberately twists the meaning of the word, to prove something that he wants it to prove.

Let us be intellectually honest - let us be totally and completely honest.  Let us us take what the Bible says in the original Greek and the original Hebrew and let us believe it.  Let us NOT twist it to prove a set of doctrines.

Here are some facts and some figures.  There are two Hebrew words.  The one is Queber which means 'the grave."  There is another Hebrew word, Sheol, and it is 'the place of departed spirits.'  In the Hebrew, these two Hebrew words deal with death and hell.   As you study the Old Testament scriptures you will find these two Hebrew words play a great part.  There are five great facts that I want to share with regards to these words:

FACT 1 - As you study the of Old Testament scriptures, you will find that these two Hebrew words, Queber and Sheol play a great part.  You will prove that the body never goes to SHEOL (which the Jehovah's Witnesses  translate 'the grave') but the body goes to QUEBER - this is recorded 37 times in the Old Testament.  This is recorded 37 times proving the QUEBER is 'the grave' and SHEOL is the place where departed spirits go after the spirit leaves the body.

FACT 2 -  SHEOL is never upon the face of the earth, but QUEBER is located on the earth. We find this fact recorded 32 times in the Old Testament, proving that QUEBER is the grave and SHEOL is the place where the spirit goes after it leaves the body.

FACT 3 - . Man never puts another man into SHEOL, but 33 times we find a man burying, or putting another man, in QUEBER.  This proves that a man can dig a grave and put another man into it, but he cannot never put the soul or spirit of a man in SHEOL.

FACT 4 -  Man never digs or makes a SHEOL, but he makes a QUEBER (we find this recorded 6 times in the Old Testament).  This proves that a man can make a grave but he cannot make a place for the soul or the spirit,.  Man can make a place for the body, he can dig and excavate and bury a man in the ground, QUEBER, but he cannot put a man into SHEOL, the place where the soul goes.

FACT 5 - A man never speaks of a man touching SHEOL, but he touches a QUEBER (a grave) 6 times in the Old Testament.  This proves that a man can touch a casket or a grave, but he cannot touch SHEOL - the place where the spirit goes.

These are FIVE GREAT TRUTHS.

Jesus preached on Hell 22 times.  James preached on Hell once and St. Peter preached on Hell once.  The Greek from which we get the English versions that were translated out of the Greek.  We have now covered the Hebrew and I have shared with you five great truths that prove from the Old Testament, from the Hebrew the word QUEBER - which is 'the grave' and the word SHEOL - where the spirit goes.  The body goes to QUEBER and the soul or spirit goes to SHEOL.

In the Greek, we find the 2 words, HADES & GEHENNA, which are two places.  First let me explain what these two words mean:  We will begin with the word HADES.  Let me explain with an illustration of Hades:

HADES:  Hell is a prison, isn't it.

When a man is caught committing a crime, he would be apprehended and be put into the local jail. This criminal would be held at the local jail until trial, until he was judged. The criminal would go to trial and the court would pass sentence and then he would be sent to the penitentiary.

HADES is like the local jail.  If you were to die tonight unconverted, without accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, you would go to Hades.

The word Hell comes from the Greek word Hades.  In the English translation for the word Hell, we find both the word Hades and the word Gehenna, but we are looking now at the original Greek to find out what these 2 words mean and which word that is translating Hell means Gehenna and which one means Hades.

If you were to die tonight as a sinner, immediately your soul would go down into a place called Hades.  You would wait for the Great White Throne Judgment, and you would be judged.  And then you would be sent to the penitentiary forever, a place called Gehenna, the lake of fire, where you would remain, forever and ever.

Now both of these places are places of suffering. The Bible says the rich man found himself in Hades, in hell, and he was in pain, he was in torment.  But he had not yet been cast into the eternal fires, with the judgment of God and the sentence passed upon him.  There is no one in Gehenna today.

Gehenna is the lake of fire, the final death, the final hell, the final penitentiary.  But right now, today, there are millions of souls in Hades, suffering the torments of the doomed, waiting for the judgment and for their sentence to be passed.

Let me read it to you from Revelation 20:11, "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it  from whose the face  the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them.  And I saw the dead small and great stand before God, and the books were opened, and another book was opened which was the Book of Life.

THIS IS THE JUDGMENT.  And the dead were judged out of  those things which were written in the books according to their works.  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.

This IS THE SECOND DEATH. And whosoever was found not written in THE BOOK OF LIFE was cast into the lake of fire.

Now here we find something very beautiful, I mean, the truth is beautiful.  The facts are terrible, Hell is awful, but the truth really grips your heart.

Here it says that DEATH  is 'THE GRAVE' and HELL is 'HADES'. They were both cast into the lake of fire.  Death and Hell cast into the lake of fire.

So we have 'the grave' - that is Death, we have Hell 'that is Hades' were both cast into Gehenna (or the lake of fire), after the Judgment. The body then, which is in the grave, the spirit which is in hell are reunited to stand trial.  The spirit, soul and body will be reunited, that person will stand before God.

The spirit will rejoin the body, the spirit and the body will be joined together. Spirit and Body, let me just qualify this, Spirit which is in Hades, joining together with the body which is in the grave, and the person standing there to trial at the Great White Throne Judgment, being judged and sent into eternal fires.  It says Death and Hell were cast into the lake of fire, this is the Second Death.  That's Gehenna.

I want to warn you, this is what will happen to you if you don't repent.  If you do not turn to God, your destination will be Gehenna - the penitentiary of the doomed forever.  After the Great White Throne Judgment, you will be tried and sentenced, to be placed in torment forever.

Let me go over this a bit more fully.  Let us turn to (1 Timothy 4:13) , "But I would not have you to be ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep, that ye shall not, even as others that have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him."  "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep, for the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel, with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with him in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

LISTEN CAREFULLY - When Jesus Christ comes again, he will bring with him all the redeemed, from all ages, he'll bring the saved dead, he will bring the spirits from those who died before.  The Bible says he will bring them with him.

Jesus Christ will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel.  Christ will come.  He will wait in the air.  With him will be all the souls of the redeemed who have died with faith in Christ.

As he waits in the air, their spirits will enter the earth.  The graves will be opened, the dead will come alive, and they will enter their new bodies and rise to meet him.  We which are alive and remain shall be caught up to join them in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

We shall enjoy the blessings of God in heaven, in a body, we shall be in a body, a resurrected, glorified body, we shall enjoy the blessings of heaven forever.  We shall have a new body that will never die.

But by the same token, and the same truth covers the unsaved.  The unsaved will die, without Christ, who are now waiting in Hades.  They will be called out of Hades, their bodies shall be resurrected and they will enter their bodies, and they will stand trial in a resurrected body that will never die.

They will spend eternity forever and suffer  in their body as well as their spirit.  This is why Jesus said there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

People laugh at this and say, How can a spirit gnash his teeth?  There will be more than a spirit.  Your body shall come back from the earth, from the dust, your body shall be resurrected.  Sinner, you shall be raised in the second Resurrection.

JESUS USED THE WORD HADES ELEVEN TIMES IN THE BIBLE

Jesus used the word Hades 11 times in the Bible..  Lets look deeper into some of the instances where Jesus used the word Hades.  In Matthew 11:23, "And thou Capernum, which are exalted on the heaven, shall be brought down to hell. (to hades). From the mighty works which were done in thee, have been done in Sodom, and remain until this day.

Matthew 16:18, "And I say also unto thee, that thou art teacher, and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."

Luke 10:15, "And thou Capernum, which are exalted in heaven, shall be thrust down to Hades."Luke 16:23, "And in Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, seeing Abraham afar off and Lazarus in his bosom.

He was not in the grave now.  The Jehovah's Witnesses say that hell means the grave.  How can you be in torment in the grave?  You can't be in torments in the grave.  If you are dead, you are dead, you feel nothing.  The Bible says the dead no nothing.  And yet it says he was in torments.  It wasn't in the grave, it was in Hades.

Acts 2:27, "Because thou wilt not leave my soul in Hades."   Not my body in Hades, his body was in the tomb, but his SOUL was in Hades, proving that Hell is NOT the grave."

Acts 2:31, "He seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in Hades.  Neither did his flesh see corruption."

1 Corinthians 5:15, "Oh Hades, where is thy sting?"

Oh grave, where is thy victory.  You see, there is no sting because nothing can harm the child of God.  Nothing can harm your spirit or your body. Our body may die and they may bury it, but it will come alive as well.

The Jehovah's Witnesses say the grave is a quiet, peaceful thing, that the word Hell really means the grave, that it is quiet and that its peaceful.  They say that everyone is going to be annihilated and there is going to be no hell, just a peaceful rest in the grave.  And only The Jehovah Witnesses, of course, will enjoy heaven and upon the earth.  The rest of us will be in a peaceful grave and this hell is a peaceful place - its the grave.

But yet Jesus used the Valley of Hinnom to describe Hell.  Gehenna.  Why?  Hell is a peaceful place wouldn't Jesus just point to a casket and say, "That's what it is going to be like."  Why didn't Jesus point to a dead man being buried and say, "That's it, that is hell."

When Jesus talked about Hell, he pointed to the Valley of Hinnom, where the fire never went out.  The Valley of Hinnom where they burned garbage and refuse day and night, where you could see the flames rising there outside of Jerusalem.  The Valley of Hinnom, where there was wailing in the Old Testament times, when they used sacrifices of animals.  When there was wailing and terrible commotion.  And Jesus said, "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  He said, "The worm will die not and the fire will not be quenched."

That proves to me that its not a very quiet and peaceful place.

In Matthew 5:29-30,  the Bible says, "And if the right eye offend thee, pluck it out.  And cast it from thee.  For it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.  And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off and cast it from thee.  For it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish and not that thy whole body should be cast into Hell."

Matthew 10:28, "And fear not, them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him that is able to kill both soul and body in Hell."

If we are going to using the teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses on this, we'd say, well don't be afraid of the one who can kill your body but be afraid of the one who can bury you in the grave.  Well I don't care who buries me if I die before Jesus comes.  Who buries you doesn't make the difference.

But Jesus said FEAR the one who casts your soul into hell.  Don't fear the one who can kill your body, but fear the one who can cast both soul and body into Hell.  But the Jehovah's Witnesses say that Hell is the grave.  So don't fear the one who can kill you, fear the one who can put you in the grave.  Fear the undertaker.  Oh how twisted the Jehovah's beliefs are.  Thank God for the truth we have uncovered here.

In Matthew 5:22, "But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, will be in danger of the judgment, and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council, but whosever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire (Gehenna)."

If I was a Jehovah Witness I'd have to read this scripture as, whosoever shall say to his brother Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of 'grave' fire.  What kind of fire do you find in the grave?  Its hell fire the Bible is talking about, Gehenna fire.

When you take this doctrine the Jehovah Witnesses have, where you say that hell means 'the grave', you would read the above scripture and think that Jesus must be a nut.  You could say, "Well, don't be afraid of the one who kills you, but be afraid of the one who buries you."

Matthew 18:9, "And if thy eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast if from thee, for it is better thee to enter into life with one eye rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire (Gehenna)."

Matthew 23:15, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, ye make him two-fold more the child of hell than yourselves."

Matthew 23:33, "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"  What kind of damnation is there is the grave?

Mark 9:43-48, "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to get into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched."  Where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched."

WHAT KIND OF FIRE IN IS THE GRAVE?

Mark 9:45-46, "And if thy foot offend thee, cut if off:  it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:  Where their worm dieth not, and the fire in not quenched."

All of the ancient translators, said that the word "worm" meant the memory.  The MEMORY never dies.  Where your memory will never die, where you will remember all the opportunities you had to be saved, when you will remember this message, when you will remember reading these words, when you will remember the Gospel, when you will remember the alter call... When you shall REMEMBER, when the memory dieth not.

If hell is a peaceful, quiet place, and it is a grave, what is the fire doing down there, what is the memory doing down there?

Luke 12:5, "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him."

James 3:16, "For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."

He talks about the tongue being a fire of hell.  2 Peter 2:4 talks about the fallen angels being cast into darkness, and that word is Tartarus, a special place for the angels.

Very quickly I am going to wind up this message.  Let me read Matthew 7:13, "Enter ye into the straight gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go in there at."

IF DESTRUCTION IS THE GRAVE, THEN WHY DOESN'T IT SAY,  AND ALL GO IN THERE AT.  Why many?  Because some of us are saved, Hallelujah!  We are not going to that way of destruction.

Matthew 13:40, "As therefore the ters are gathered and burned in fire, so shall it be in the end of the world."

If at the end of the world, people are just going to be put in the grave, why does it talk about the wicked being burned up?  Un-quenching fire...un-quenching fire that you can't stop.  Not once over, not a poof - and 60 seconds and you are gone.  But the fire will be un-quenching.

Now did Jesus really mean these words? Of course he did.

Matthew 13:50, "And shall cast them into the furnace of fire, and there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:41, "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels."

Oh they say, so that's its, the fire is everlasting, but not the torment.  Well read on Matthew 25:46, "These the wicked shall go into everlasting punishment.''

The everlasting fire is the everlasting punishment that it speaks of in Matthew 25:40, "And the wicked shall be cast into Hell.  Then shall he say also unto them on his left hand, Depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and His angels, and these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal."

It does not mention Hell.  The word Hell is not used, but what is everlasting punishment?  What is everlasting torment?  What is everlasting fire?

Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned."

To go the the grave, does that mean to be damned?  OF COURSE NOT.  To be damned means to be cast into Hell.

John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life,  and He that believeth not on the Son shall not see life.  But the wrath of God abideth on Him."

THE WRATH OF GOD ABIDES

The wrath of God abides, it abides - it doesn't just stay there.

John 5:28, "Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming in the which, that are that are in the grave shall hear His voice, and they shall come forth."  Some to everlasting shame and contempt, some to  eternal life."

How many of you are glad that there are answers in the Book - the Bible?  How many of you are glad that the Atheists don't have the last word?  The Jehovah's Witnesses don't have the final say.  The modernists who say there is no Hell have no leg to stand upon.  Because when we go back to the original Greek and Hebrew, the Greek in the New Testament and the Hebrew in the Old Testament, I  promise you, the Holy Scriptures will have the Final say!

We preach the truth, then we see the demonstrations, when the demons come screaming out.  We see the truth when the sick are healed and lost souls are saved.

Praise the Lord.  I am going to close this message and I want to say that if you die in your sin, they'll take your body down to the undertaker and they put you in the ground.  Your loved ones will weep and cry over you, and they will cover you up with 6 feet of earth.  But your spirit  will go to stand before God.

If you are a sinner, your soul would go down into Hades.  During the time of the Old Testament, the righteous went into one compartment of Hades called Paradise, and the wicked went into the other compartment of Hades which was the place of the damned.

And the rich man, who died in his sins, in torment, in Hades (Hell), looked over to Paradise, and there was a gulf between them.  And he shall Lazarus in Abraham's bosom, being comforted.  And when Jesus Christ died, he descended into the lower parts of the earth, into Hell, how long he was in the regions of Hades, of the damned,  I do not know.  But Jesus crossed over into the righteous compartment called Paradise, the first day, because he said to the thief of the cross, "This day shall thou be with me in Paradise."

Jesus went down there and after 3 days, he tore loose the bars and opened the door of the righteous compartment, and took the souls that had died with faith in the coming Messiah, because they had never seen Christ, he took them with Him, and arose from the dead with them.  That part of Hades was then closed.  Then Jesus Christ arose from dead, and He said to Mary, "Touch me not until I have ascended."

Jesus took his blood which He had said which didn't die, and he carried that blood into the Holy of Holies and presented it to the Father.  When Jesus Christ arose, some graves were open, and righteous men, who were dead, walked about in Jerusalem.

Jesus took the souls of the righteous dead, and He swept into Glory.  And now, when a Christian dies, he doesn't go down, into Paradise, in the heart of the earth, but he goes right up into Heaven in the presence of Jesus.

For to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord.  If you were to die tonight, Christian, you would go immediately into the presence of God.  IMMEDIATELY INTO HEAVEN.  But if you were a sinner, you would go down into Hades and you would wait in the place of the doomed. You would wait in the city jail, or the place of the doomed called Hades, waiting and suffering in agony and remorse, your spirit would be bound in prison until the White Throne Judgment.

Your body would then be raised in the Second Resurrection.  Your spirit would enter your body, and you will stand before God to be judged.  Then you will be sent to the final penitentiary, the final prison called Gahenna - to be doomed forever - - lost without hope throughout the eons of eternity.

But there is an opportunity for you today.  You can be saved.  Jesus died for your soul.  Jesus died to save you. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost.  He shed His blood so you wouldn't have to go to that penitentiary - so you wouldn't have to go to that final prison.  So you can be saved for time and eternity.  That's why  Jesus Christ paid the price.  That's why Jesus Christ shed His blood.  That's why Jesus came.

The Bible says, "For God so loved the world, that whosoever believeth in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life."  Jesus said, "I am come to seek and to save that which was lost."  He invited, "Come unto me all ye that labor are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Bow your head and close your eyes.  I wonder how many there are in this service tonight, or reading these words, who say, Brother Solbrekken, Pastor, Man of God, I NEED PRAYER.

I don't ever want to die and go to hell.  I don't ever want to be lost, I don't ever want to perish, I don't ever want to go to the place of the doomed.

I want to be saved tonight. I want Jesus Christ to come into my heart today.  I want Jesus to save me and set me free.  I need your prayers - please PRAY FOR ME.  You say, I'm a sinner, but I don't want to be lost.

Then, will you lift your hand for my prayer.  How many will raise your hand and say, PRAY FOR ME.  I WANT TO BE SAVED, I WANT GOD TO FORGIVE ME. I WANT JESUS TO COME INTO MY HEART AND INTO MY LIFE.  I DON'T WANT TO GO TO HELL - I WANT GOD TO SAVE ME.

Fall to your knees right now and pray to Almighty God for his mercy and grace.  Let Jesus Christ wash away your sins and save your soul. Amen.

BIBLE SCRIPTURES ON 
Hell, hades, gehenna, gueber

Compare: Luke 16:19-31; Psalms 9:17; Revelation 20:14,15; 21:8.

Jehovah's Witnesses say: "Hell" simply means the grave.  The Hebrew "sheol", the Gk. "hades"  and the Gk. "gehenna" are all translated "Hell" in the Bible, but we believe that all they mean is simply the grave. (They say it)

But that is not what the Bible says The Bible says there is a literal Hell! 162 times in the New Testament alone the Bible talks of Hell! Man's unbelief does not make the Word of God of none effect! Let God be true but every man a liar! (Romans. 3:3,4)

In the Old Testament The Heb. word "Queber" is translated "grave." (the place where the body goes at death)

In the Old Testament The Heb. word "sheol" is translated by three English words:

(1) "Hell" (31 times) (the place where soul and spirit go at death - the place of departed spirits. Deut 32:22; II Sam. 22:6; Job ll:8; 26:6; Ps. 9:17; 16:10; 18:5; 55:15; 86:13; 139:8; Prov. 5:5; 7:27; 9:18; 15:ll,24; 23:14; 27:20; Is. 5:14; 14:9,15; 28:15,18; 57:9; Ezek. 31:16,17; 32:21,27; Amos 9:2; Jonah 2:2; Hab. 2:5.

(2) 'Grave" (31 times) Genesis 37:35; 42:38; 44:29,31; I Samuel 2:6; I Kings  2:6,9; Job 7:9; 14:13; 21:13;  24:19;33:22; Psalm 6:5; 30:3; 31:17; 49:14,15; 88:3; 89:48; 141:7;

Proverbs 1:12; 30:16; Eccl. 9:10; Song 8:6; Is. 14:ll; 38:10,18; Ezekiel 31:15; Hos. 13:14.

(3) "Pit" (3 times) Numbers 16:30,33; Job 17:16.

NOTE: Sheol-Hades should be translated "Hell" in every reference, as can be clearly seen in the above Scriptures.

OBSERVATIONS:    In the Old Testament. we are taught:

1. The body never goes to "sheol" but goes to "queber" (37 times). (proving "queber" is the grave, and "sheol" is the place of departed spirits)

2. "Sheol" is never on earth but "queber" is on earth (32 times). (proving "queber" is the grave, and "sheol" is the place of departed spirits)

3. Man never puts another man into "sheol" but does in queber (33 times). (proving man can put another man in the grave, but cannot put a soul in Hell)

4. Man makes a "queber" (grave) but never makes a "sheol" (hell) (6 times).

5. Man never touches "sheol" but touches "queber" (6 times).

IN THE New Testament, the word "hell" is found 24 times. Jesus, truly a hell, fire, and brimstone preacher, preaches on hell 22 times. Peter uses it once, and James uses it once. Two Greek words are translated "hell" in the New Testament.

The Greek word "hades" (same as 0ld Testament "sheo1") is translated "hell" eleven times. The Greek word "gehenna" is translated "hell" thirteen times.

Jesus uses these two words for hell. Why? Because there are definitely two separate places called "hell" in the Bible. Do they teach a purgatory? NO! NO! NO!

NOTE: According to Revelation 20:13-15 there are at present no souls in "gehenna" - all souls of the wicked dead are in "hades".

IN THE New testament.: Jesus used "hades" (hell -place of departed spirits of wicked dead) 11 times (Note: "hades" the New Testament equivalent of the 0.T. "sheol") Matt. ll: 23; 16:18; Luke 10:l5;

16:23; Acts 2:27; 2:31; I Corinthians 15:55 ("oh, grave-hell"); Revelation 1:18; 6:8; 20:13,14.  (Read each verse and insert "hades" for "hell.") You can get no grave out of "hades."

Jesus used "gehenna" (hell -final penitentiary of lost souls) eleven times.

Matt. 5:22; 5:29,30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15; 23:33; Mk. 9:43 (44); 9:45~~(48); Lk. 12:5.  (Read each verse and insert "gehenna" for "hell.") If vou can get a grave out of "gehenna", you're a miracle person indeed.

James used "gehenna" (hell) one time - James 3:6. Peter used "gehenna" (hell) one time - II Peter 2:4

In the New Testament, there are 139 more Scriptures describing Hell, though not specifically using the very word "hell", but using other descriptive words.

See Matthew  3:12; 7:13; 8:12; 13:40; 13:50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; 25:41,46;  Mark. 9:44,46,48; 16:16;  Luke 13:28; John 3:36; 5:28;  Acts 17:31; Romans 2:5,6,8; II Thessalonians l;8,9; Hebrews 6:2,8; 9:27; 10:26,31; II Peter 2:9; Revelation  14:10,11; 19:20; 20:10,15; 21:8; etc.

Check your concordance for remaining references.

NOTE: For every one verse in the Bible on Heaven there are ten verses on Hell! Jesus himself talked much more about Hell than He did about Heaven.

The Bible clearly and plainly states there is a real, literal hell! A careful study of Luke 16:19-31 will reveal the following startling truths! Hell is a real place.

It is the eternal destinv of every lost soul! Listen to what Jesus says:

1.- Hell is a place of unending life v.22,26)

(The rich man died and was buried, but after death, he had eyes to see, fingers to feel, ears to hear, lips to speak, a tongue to taste, a soul to live forever in Hell.)

2.- Hell is a place of unsatisfied desires. (v.19)

(Desires of rich man for money, worldly pleasure, etc. could never be satisfied in hell)

3.- Hell is a place of untold suffering. (v.23,24,25,28)

(The rich man was tormented by intense heat, flame, fire and brimstone continually.)

4.- Hell is a place of ungodIy associations. (v.19) Cf. Revelation 21:8; I Corinthians 6:9-11.

(It will be populated with the vilest, most sinful and ungodly men and women, who, like the rich man, forgot God.)

5.- Hell is a place of undulled (keen) memory. (v.25)

(Rich man remembered his whole past life in panoramic view.  He remembered it all!)

6.- Hell is a place of unabated (vivid) consciousness. (v.23-25)

(Rich man had eyes to see, ears to hear, a tongue to speak, fingers to touch, a mind to think, a memory to recall, etc.. He was in a conscious state.)

7. Hell is a place of unclaimed (lost) opportunities. (v.29-31)

(Rich man had opportunities to do good to Lazarus and others, had opportunity to live right and godly as Lazarus had lived, but he didn't.)

8..  Hell is a place of unanswered prayer. (v.24,27)

(Rich man cried and prayed, and had a prayer meeting, but it was too late.)

9.   Hell is a place of unauthorized (no) return. (v.26)

(The rich man had absolutely no way out of hell; hell has no exits)