IT is a favourite resort of those who are opposed to the Bible doctrine of Hell to confuse their unlearned opponents by pointing out to them that in many passages where the English version has “hell,” the Greek has “hades,” and that “hades” simply means the place of the dead. Let us briefly notice a few passages in the New Testament to see if this contention is borne out by facts.
(1) Hades is the contrary of heaven: this is borne out by Matt. xi. 23—”Thou Capernaum which are exalted unto Heaven, shalt be brought down to hell (hades).” (2) Hades is Satan’s kingdom as opposed to Christ’s—”The gates of hell (hades) shall not prevail against my Church” (Matt. xvi. 18). (3) Hades is the prison of Satan and the wicked. The Redeemer said to John—”I have the keys of hell (hades) and of death” (Rev. i. 18). In the vision of the Great White Throne, John says:—”Death and hell (hades) gave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works” (Rev. xx. 14). (4) Hades is a place of torment. The Saviour tells us that when the Rich Man died “in hell (hades) he lifted up his eyes, being in torments”; and he cried, saying:—”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 tormented in this flame” (Luke xvi. 23, 24). Between him and Abraham there was “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.”
In three places “Hades” means “grave” in the New Testament:—(1) Acts ii. 27—”Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (hades), neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see corruption”; (2) Acts ii. 31—”He, seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption”; and (3) I. Cor. xv. 55—”O, death, where is thy sting? O, grave (hades), where is thy victory.”
With the exception of these three cases, the context of the foregoing passages shows that Hades denotes the place of retribution, and is therefore rightly translated “hell.” One has only to transpose the translation “spirit world” or “place of the dead” in the following passages to recognise how inapt they are:—”The gates of ‘the place of the dead’ shall not prevail against the Church.” “Thou Capernaum which are exalted unto heaven shall be brought down to ‘the place of the dead.'” “Death and ‘the place of the dead’ were cast into the lake of fire.” I saw a pale horse and his name that sat upon him was death, and ‘the place of the dead’ followed him.”