“What is eternal death?”……Answer: In short, eternal death is the fate that awaits all people who ultimately reject God, reject the gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ, and remain in their sin and disobedience. Physical death is a one-time experience. Eternal death, on the other hand, is everlasting. It is a death that continues through […]

“Are there different levels of punishment in hell?”……Answer: The idea that there are different levels of punishment in hell derives primarily from the Divine Comedy written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and 1321. In it, the Roman poet Virgil guides Dante through the nine circles of hell. The circles are concentric, representing a gradual increase […]

Hell We have often heard statements such as “War is hell” or “I went through hell.” These expressions are, of course, not taken literally. Rather, they reflect our tendency to use the word hell as a descriptive term for the most ghastly human experience possible. Yet no human experience in this world is actually comparable […]

“Is there an afterlife?”……The book of Job asks the question about an afterlife very simply: "If a man dies, will he live again?" (Job 14:14). Asking the question is easy, but the difficult part is finding someone to answer the question with authority and experience. "Death and taxes" have said to be the two universals […]

“What is the difference between Sheol, Hades, Hell, the lake of fire, Paradise, and Abraham's bosom?”…The different terms used in the Bible for heaven and hell-sheol, hades, gehenna, the lake of fire, paradise, and Abraham's bosom (see study on Abraham's bosom)-are the subject of much debate and can be confusing. ……The word "paradise" is used […]

“Did Jesus go to hell between His death and resurrection?”Study by J.M.Nel 10.1.'14……There is a great deal of confusion in regards to this question. This concept comes primarily from the Apostles’ Creed(see study below), which states, "He descended into hell." There are also a few Scriptures which, depending on how they are translated, describe Jesus […]

“What does the Bible say about Purgatory?”……According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Purgatory is "a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God’s grace, are not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions." To summarize, in Catholic theology Purgatory is a […]