Hell Dey Real? Wetin Bible Talk Say Hell Be?

The Answer wey Bible give

Different-different English Bible translation wey don old, like the King James Version, use the word “hell” for some verse. (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27 a) As the picture wey they use for this article show, many people believe say hell na place where them de burn wicked people for fire forever as their punishment. But na wetin Bible de teach be that?

For this article

Hell na place where people de suffer forever?

No. The original word wey them translate as “hell” for some Bible translation wey don old, (Hebrew, “Sheol”; Greek, “Hades”) de talk about “Grave,” wey them de bury human being. Bible show say people wey dey inside Grave no dey alive again.

People wey don die no know anything again and them no de feel pain. ‘You no fit work, or reason, or use sense, or know something, for inside hell.’ (Ecclesiastes 9:10, Douay-Rheims Version) Hell no be place wey people de shout because of pain. But instead, Bible talk say: ‘Make wicked people de shame and make them dey silent for inside grave [hell, Douay-Rheims].’—Psalm 31:17; King James Version (30:18, Douay-Rheims); Psalm 115:17.
The punishment wey God arrange for sin na death, no be to de burn people for hell. God tell Adam wey be the first man say if e no obey im law, e go die. (Genesis 2:17) God no talk say Adam go burn for fire forever. Later, after Adam don sin, God tell-am the punishment wey e go get, e talk say: “You be dust and when you die, you go return to the dust.” (Genesis 3:19) E no go de alive again. If to say God de send Adam go burn for hell, E for talk-am that time. God never change the punishment for sin when person no obey im law. Many years after Adam sin, God direct one of the people wey write Bible make e write say: “The price wey sin de pay na death.” (Romans 6:23) No need for another punishment “because the person wey don die don free from im sin.”—Romans 6:7.
God really hate the idea say people go burn for fire forever. (Jeremiah 32:35) This kind teaching no agree with wetin Bible talk say “God na love.” (1 John 4:8) God want make we worship-am because we love-am, no be because of fear say we go burn for fire forever.—Matthew 22:36-38.
Good people go hell. The different-different Bible wey use the word “hell” show say good people like Jacob and Job know say them go go hell. (Genesis 37:35; Job 14:13) Bible talk say Jesus go hell between the time wey e die and the time wey God bring-am back to life. (Acts 2:31, 32) E clear say when this different-different Bible use the word “hell,” na Graveb them de talk about.

Wetin Jesus parable about the rich man and Lazarus mean?

Na Jesus use this parable and them write-am for Luke 16:19-31. Parable na example wey de teach us wetin good and wetin bad and how God want make things be. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus no be wetin happen for real life. (Matthew 13:34) To know more about this parable, check the article “Who Be the Rich Man and Lazarus?”

When person dey hell, e know say e and God no get relationship again?

No. The belief say people wey don die know say them no get relationship with God again, dey against wetin Bible teach say people wey don die no know anything again.—Psalm 146:3, 4; Ecclesiastes 9:5.

Anybody don come out from hell?

Yes. Bible tell us about nine people wey go Grave (wey them still translate as “hell” for some Bible) and wey them resurrect.c If to say them know anything wey happen around them that time wey them dey hell, them for talk about-am when them come back to life. E really dey important to know say the nine people wey come back to life no talk anything say them suffer or say anything happen to them at all. Why? Because as Bible de always teach, when them die, them no know anything again. E just be like say them dey for deep “sleep.”—John 11:11-14; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6.

a Many English Bible translation wey dey now, no use the word “hell” for Acts 2:27. Instead, some use word like “the grave,” (New Century Version); “the realm of the dead,” (New International Version); “the dead” (The Passion Translation). Other translation just use the Greek word wey be “Hades.”—Holman Christian Standard Bible, NET Bible, New American Standard Bible, English Standard Version.

b Check the box “Original word for hell wey them use for Bible.”

c Check 1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:32-37; 13:20, 21; Matthew 28:5, 6; Luke 7:11-17; 8:40-56; John 11:38-44; Acts 9:36-42; Acts 20:7-12.

Bible verses wey talk about hell or Grave

Job 14:13: “I wish say you go hide me for inside Grave [“hell,” Douay-Rheims Version] . . . I wish say you go arrange time for me and remember me!”

Wetin e mean: Job wey be faithful man know say na hell (wey be Grave) go end the pain wey e de face and e still know say God go fit bring-am back to life from there.

Psalm 145:20: “Jehovah de protect all the people wey love-am, but e go destroy all the wicked people finish.”

Wetin e mean: God go destroy wicked people kpatakpata. E no go keep them alive for hell so that e go de burn them with fire forever.

Ecclesiastes 9:10: “You no fit work, or plan, or learn, or think inside Grave [“hell,” Douay-Rheims Version], the place wey you de go.”

Wetin e mean: People wey dey Grave, or hell, no know anything again, so them no de suffer. And e clear say good people dey among the people wey the person wey write this Bible verse de talk about.

Acts 2:31: ‘E don see-am and e talk about the resurrection of Christ, say them no leave e soul for hell.’—King James Version.

Wetin e mean: Jesus Christ go hell (wey be Grave) when e die.

Romans 6:23: “The price wey sin de pay na death”.

Wetin e mean: Death na the full punishment for sin no be to de burn people for fire.

Revelation 20:13: ‘Death and hell bring out the dead people wey dey inside them’—King James Version.

Wetin e mean: Na people wey don die dey hell. Them go come back to life because of the resurrection.

Revelation 20:14: ‘Them throw death and hell inside the lake of fire’—King James Version.

Wetin e mean: When dead people come back to life, hell (wey be Grave) go empty and them go destroy-am forever, like something wey them use fire burn. After, death wey come because of Adam sin, no go dey again.—Romans 5:12.

Original-language words for Bible

As the list wey dey down show, people wey de translate Bible don confuse people as them use “hell” replace the original language words with different-different meaning. Sometimes, e fit be say them want make people believe say them no go destroy wicked people kpatakpata, but them go put them for fire make them go de burn forever.

Sheol (Hebrew שְׁאוֹל), Hades (Greek ᾅδης)

Wetin e mean: Anywhere wey them bury person wey don die .—Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:31

How them use-am: Grave, hell, pit (King James Version); realm of the dead (New International Version)
Gehenna (Greek γέεννα)

Wetin e mean: Everlasting destruction.—Matthew 5:30

How them use-am: Gehenna; hell (King James Version, New International Version)
Tartarus (Greek ταρταρόω)

Wetin e mean: The bad condition wey the demons, wey be the wicked angels go dey.—2 Peter 2:4

How them use-am: Tartarus; hell (King James Version, New International Version); lower hell (Douay-Rheims Version)
Apoleia (Greek ἀπώλεια)

Wetin e mean: Destruction.—Matthew 7:13

How them use-am: Destruction; hell (Good News Bible)
Pyr (Greek πῦρ)

Wetin e mean: Fire. When Bible use-am, e fit be real fire or e de represent something.—Luke 17:29; Jude 23

How them use-am: Fire; fire of hell (God’s Word Translation)

The history about hellfire

E start from pagan worship: Egypt people for olden days believe hellfire. One Book wey concern burial wey them de call Ȧm-Ṭuat (Amduat), people wey know about history find out say them write-am for 16th century B.C.E., e de talk about people wey ‘them go throw inside pits of fire and . . . no go fit escape from the heat of the fire.’—The Egyptian Heaven and Hell.

Christians for olden days no teach anything like that: “E really make sense to know say for the N[ew] T[estament], we no see hell fire for any part of the things wey Christians that time preach about.”—A Dictionary of Christian Theology.

Greek teaching start to change wetin religion believe small-small: “From the middle of the 2nd century [C.E.] Christians wey get training for Greek teaching start to de join wetin them don learn with their religion. . . Part of this teaching wey them like pass na the things wey Plato teach [wey be Platonism].” (Encyclopædia Britannica) Part of the things wey e teach na the belief say people go burn for fire forever after they die. ‘For all the Greek teaching, the one wey don affect the way people de see Hell pass na the one wey Plato teach.’—Histoire des enfers (The History of Hell).

Them use hellfire as excuse to torture people: For the period of time wey people de call Spanish Inquisition, them catch people wey no support wetin the church de teach and burn them for pole, them talk say this punishment go “make them know how the real hellfire go be like.” and say this one go make them repent before them go die. (The Spanish Inquisition, by Jean Plaidy) For the same way, Queen Mary I of England burn about 300 Protestants for pole, and e believe say “since the soul of the people wey no support wetin the church de teach go still burn for hellfire forever, e no bad to burn them for this earth since na the same way God go take punish them.”—Universal History, by Alexander Tytler.

Change for this our time: Today some church don make their teaching about hellfire no too serious and no be because them believe say hellfire na lie-lie teaching, but na just to make their members happy. (2 Timothy 4:3) Professor Jackson W. Carroll talk say: “People want God wey dey gentle, wey go make them feel good, and wey them fit talk to . . . E no dey popular today to talk about sin and to talk about wetin go make person mind de judge am.”