If Hell does exist why its not mentioned in OT?

You have to understand that the NT is a sequel; and like all sequels, you have to "up the ante" for the dangers faced by Our Hero....it's no longer enough that you're going to the same afterlife as everybody else and just be "away from god's sight", because that wasn't earning enough converts. Now they've gotta cast you into a Lake of Fire™, where there will be "much wailing and gnashing of teeth" and all that jazz.....

Hell does not exist in the Jewish Tradition. Sin separates man from God, but not in the same way expressed in the Christian Tradition.

Translations have a great affect on what is both taught and understood. Looking to the original texts is beneficial in anyone's quest for knowledge.

Peace be with you

Michael

Up until 200 years ago, Christians didn't know if they were going to heaven or not. This was decided strictly by God, and nothing was TAKEN FOR GRANTED. Notice that before her death, MOTHER TERESA said she didn't know if she would "make it." In the spoiled American culture, Hell has become a place for people who disagree with someone.

I put the question to you:

If a person's OPINION or GUESS ABOUT A SPIRITUAL RIDDLE is the basis for everlasting Heaven or Hell, does that sound more like a loving God or an arrogant human?

Hell, according to many religious beliefs, is a place or a state of pain and suffering. The English word "hell" comes from the Teutonic "hel", which originally meant "to cover". "Hel" later referred to the goddess of the Norse underworld, Hel. Compare Anglo-Saxon helan, Greek kalyptein and Latin celare="to hide, to cover" (all from PIE *kel-).

Rabbinic Judaism

Gehenna is defined in rabbinic literature. It is sometimes translated as "Hell", but this doesn't effectively convey its meaning. The term Gehenna (also prononuced Gehennom) is originally taken from the name of a valley (Gai' ben-Hinom - the dry valley of the son of Hinom) in Jerusalem, into which the offerings to the Temple that did not qualify were thrown.-So hell is kind of a garbage dump.

Christians generally see Hell as the eternal punishment for those who do not believe in Jesus Christ as their savior, as well as for the Devil and his demons. Exceptions are sometimes made for those who have failed to accept Jesus but have extenuating cirumstances (youth, not having heard the Gospel, mental illness, etc.). Most Christians believe that damnation occurs immediately upon death (particular judgment), others that it occurs after Judgment Day.

Certain denominations of Christianity, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, merely believe Hell to be the common grave of mankind where they unconciously await resurrection to life on a paradise Earth.

The Islamic Qur'an also says that some of those who are damned to hell are not damned forever, but instead for an indefinite period of time. When Judgement Day comes, the formerly damned will be judged as to whether or not they may enter into Paradise. In any case, there is good reason to believe that punishment in Hell is not meant to actually last eternally, but instead serves as a basis for spiritual rectification.

The Pentateuch doesn't even mention the Devil. There is the serpent in Genesis, which many people attribute as the Devil.

Check out the NRSV for a better translation; it's the scholar's Bible put together from the oldest texts, (many discovered since KJV).

The OT does not talk about Heaven either ... does that mean that Heaven does not exist?

The OT says very little about the afterlife.

Christians got the idea of eternal Hell from Jesus, of course. Jesus spoke more about the concept of eternal punishment then he did about the eternal reward of Heaven.

For a Christian to disbelieve in the concept of eternal punishment, one would have to delete most of what Jesus said.

To answer your last question, John referrs to Hell as the "second death". So since when does Hell equal Death is since when the NT was written.

Jesus referred hell to Ghena fire. A place where His own people passed their children through the fire to devils. So Hell was made for the devil & his angels. Those people also who do the devils destructive work.

Jesus said there is a hell and warns us of it. Those who receive the gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ, go straight to heaven. Those who haven't go where the dead go be with the dead, or the dead go in the sea, or the dead go in hell.

Christians go to heaven and are part of the first resurrection. Before the 1000 reign of Christ. The second death has no power over them. Others go to one of the other 3 places where they are part of the second resurrection before the Great White Throne Judgment. These are judged according to their works (conscience, land laws, etc.). Those whose names are not found in the books of life are throne into the lake of fire, the second death. Revelation 20.

Heaven is Abraham's bosom, paradise is raised up to heaven at Jesus resurrection.

Hell in OT is sh'h'l or sheole. grave, hell, pit. also hades. hell in NT is ge'ena fire (hell fire) or hades (death & hell, torments, levels of) or Tartarus (torturous abyss incarceration). Then there is the lake of fire. No one is in there yet.

Jesus is the Word of God and He said there is a hell. Jesus Christ is the one who gave the Revelation to John, the Beloved, about the Lake of Fire. So, Jesus isn't a liar.

The old testament is full of the mention of hell. I read the KJV but I'm sure its in other versions. Hell is mentioned in the bible more then heaven as a mater of fact.

I really wish that you people who don't believe in God would REALLY read the Bible.

Hell is mentioned in the following verses:

Matt. 5:22

5:30

10:28

18:9

23:15

Mark 9:45

Luke 12:5

Jmaes 3:6

2 Peter 2:4

Happy reading :)

The word "Hell" itself does not appear in scripture. In the KJV (OT) the word "Hell" appears 65 times. It always comes from the word "Sheol". In the NAS the word is always "Sheol", not "Hell". It's pretty obvious that there is a "place" if one accepts the definition.

1. sheol, underworld, grave, hell, pit

a. the underworld

b. Sheol - the OT designation for the abode of the dead

1. place of no return

2. without praise of God

3. wicked sent there for punishment

4. righteous not abandoned to it

5. of the place of exile (fig)

6. of extreme degradation in sin

Now in the 65 times that you see Sheol in the original text, the translators have translated this word "Sheol" to:

Grave--31 times

Hell--31 times

Pit--3 times

The way I think about this is, it's going to be very difficult to get a true understanding with all of this if you read the translations and never look at the origins of words. Please take a look at all of this some times. Now continuing on to the New Testament.

"Yeevva" (Geenna) in the Greek translates to:

1. Hell is the place of the future punishment call "Gehenna" or "Gehenna of fire". This was originally the valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, where the filth and dead animals of the city were cast out and burned; a fit symbol of the wicked and their future destruction.

"Hades" in the Greek translates to:

2. name Hades or Pluto, the god of the lower regions Orcus, the nether world, the realm of the dead, later use of this word: the grave, death, hell.

"Tartaroo" in the Greek translates to:

( from "Tartaros" (the deepest abyss of Hell)

3. the name of the subterranean region, doleful and dark, regarded by the ancient Greeks as the abode of the wicked dead, where they suffer punishment for their evil deeds; it answers to Gehenna of the Jews to thrust down to Tartarus, to hold captive in Tartarus.

Mt. 5:22.."yeevva"=hell

Mt. 5:29.."yeevva"=hell

Mt. 5:30.."yeevva"=hell

Mt. 10:28.."yeevva"=hell

Mt. 11:23.."Hades"=hell

Mt. 16:18.."Hades"=hell

Mt. 18:9.."yeevva"=hell

Mt. 23:15.."yeevva"=hell

Mt. 23:33.."yeevva"=hell

Mk. 9:43.."yeevva"=hell

Mk. 9:45.."yeevva"=hell

Mk. 9:47.."yeevva=hell

Lu. 10:15.."Hades"=hell

Lu. 12:5.."yeevva=hell

Lu. 16:23.."Hades"=hell

Ac. 2:27.."Hades"=hell

Ac. 2:31.."Hades"=hell

Ja. 3:6.."yeevva"=hell

2 Pe 2:4.."tartaroo"=hell

Re. 1:18.."Hades"=hell

Re. 6:8.."Hades"=hell

Re. 20:13.."Hades"=hell

Re. 20:14.."Hades"=hell

Now, the word "hell" appears 23 times in the NT. I find it interesting that in 2 Peter it is translated to "tartaroo". The only thing I can come with here is that 1st Peter is to the Gentiles and of course 2nd Peter is to the Jews. (it answers to Gehenna of the Jews to thrust down to Tartarus, to hold captive in Tartarus.

Rev. 20:14--"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, this is the second death".

Rev. 20:10--And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Rev. 20:15--And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (There is no indication in the text that they ( the ones not found written in the book of life) would be tormented day and night for ever and ever like the devil, the beast and the false prophet, but the clear implication is that this will happen to them as well).

Rev. 14:10--The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

Rev. 14:11--And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

As a final note, it's interesting that Paul never warned or mentioned Hell in all of his writings. Also, Jesus himself didn't directly mention Hell in any way, only figurativly to the Jews.

Conclusion: The lake of fire is certainly a place that is going to be for ever and ever.

Interestingly, Greeks and Romans at the time of Jesus believed in an after-death underworld -- fiery Hades, for example. And the Romans and Greeks are the civilizations that took charge of this new religion Christianity in its infancy, deleting, editing, adding on and changing many things in the process.