I. Identifications made in Scripture.

A) Terms for Hell.

1) Gehenna: The Greek name for the narrow valley South/Southwest of Jerusalem. Hebrew name is the valley of Hinnom, II Kings 23. A place where children were sacrificed to the god Moloch. Later it became the trash dump of Jerusalem. The fire that burned in Gehenna never went out. It is used to denote the abode of the wicked after their death: Matthew 5:22, 29; 10:28; Mark 9:43, 45; Luke 12:5; James 3:6.

Matthew 5:22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.

Mark 9:43 "If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire,

2) Abysses: The word means bottomless. The "deep" waters of the sea. The depths of the earth. A symbol of distress and anguish for the soul, Psalm 71:20. The abode of the dead, Romans 10:7.

Psalms 71:20 You who have shown me many troubles and distresses Will revive me again, And will bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

Romans 10:7 or 'WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead)."

3) Tartarus: A place were souls are punished. It is used only once in Scripture and therefore our knowledge of this place is very limited. This place can be understood as the depths of hell were the soul suffers the most sever punishment. It also seems to coincide with Hades - being a temporary place of torment until the final day of Judgment. II Peter 2:4

2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;

Revelation describes Hell (Abysses) as a place watched over by Satan -

Revelation 9:1-2 Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. {2} He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.

Revelation 9:11 They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.

B) Terms Used for Heaven.

1) Heaven is - a) The sky, Hebrews 1:10; Matthew 16:2

Hebrews 1:10 And, "YOU, LORD, IN THE BEGINNING LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH, AND THE HEAVENS ARE THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS;

Matthew 16:2 But He replied to them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.'

Heaven is - b) Beyond the sky to the stars, Hebrews 11:12.

Hebrews 11:12 Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants AS THE STARS OF HEAVEN IN NUMBER, AND INNUMERABLE AS THE SAND WHICH IS BY THE SEASHORE.

Heaven is - c) The abode of God to which Christ ascended,

Matthew 5:34; 23:22; Acts 1:9-11; 7:49.

Matthew 5:34 "But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,

Matthew 23:22 "And whoever swears by heaven, swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.

Acts 1:9-11 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. {10}And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. {11}They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."

Acts 7:49 'HEAVEN IS MY THRONE, AND EARTH IS THE FOOTSTOOL OF MY FEET; WHAT KIND OF HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME?' says the Lord, 'OR WHAT PLACE IS THERE FOR MY REPOSE?

Heaven is - d) The eternal home of all believers, Matthew 5:12; I Peter 1:3-4.

Matthew 5:12 "Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

1 Peter 1:3-4 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, {4}to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

2) Paradise is - a) A Persian word meaning garden, (Eden) Genesis 2:8-17.

Genesis 2:8-17 The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. {9}Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. {10}Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. {11}The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. {12}The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. {13}The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush. {14}The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. {15}Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. {16}The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; {17}but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."

Paradise is - b) Home of the saints, Luke 23:43; II Corinthians 12:4; Rev.2:7.

Luke 23:43 And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise."

2 Corinthians 12:4 was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.

Revelation 2:7 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.'

C) Other Terms:

1) Sheol: The meaning is uncertain. It seems to mean the grave. A place where the wicked and the righteous go after death. A place for the mortal remains.

Genesis 37:35 Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, "Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son." So his father wept for him.

2) Hades: In unbiblical literature it seems to mean the realm of the dead. In the New Testament it does mean the realm of the dead, Acts 2:27, 31; Revelation 20:13-14; Luke 16:23. A place where unbelievers suffer. It could be a holding place before/until final judgement.

Acts 2:27 BECAUSE YOU WILL NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES, NOR ALLOW YOUR HOLY ONE TO UNDERGO DECAY.

Acts 2:31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that HE WAS NEITHER ABANDONED TO HADES, NOR DID His flesh SUFFER DECAY.

Revelation 20:13-14 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. {14}Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

Luke 16:23 "In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw^ Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.

II. The Reality of Hell.

A. The Cause of the Soul in Hell - Unbelief!

John 3:18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Mark 16:16 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.

Unbelief is evidenced by the way of life a person lives:

1 Cor.6:9-10 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, {10}nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

Gal.5:19-21 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, {20}idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, {21}envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

(See also: John 3:18-21; Rev. 22:15; Ephesians 5:6)

B) The Torment of the Soul in Hell.

Isaiah 66:24 "Then they will go forth and look On the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm will not die And their fire will not be quenched; And they will be an abhorrence to all mankind."

Matthew 8:12 but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 13:42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 24:51 and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:30 "Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

(See also: Mark 9:43-49; Matthew 13:50; Matthew 22:13)

C) Degrees of Torment in Hell.

Matthew 11:16-24 (22)"But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who call out to the other children, {17}and say, 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.' {18}"For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!' {19}"The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds." {20}Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. {21}"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. {22}"Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. {23}"And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. {24}"Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you."

Matthew 23:14 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.

Luke 12:46-48 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. {47}"And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, {48}but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.

D) Separation from God in Hell.

Deuteronomy 25:16 "For everyone who does these things, everyone who acts unjustly is an abomination to the LORD your God.

Habakkuk 1:13 Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You can not look on wickedness with favor. Why do You look with favor On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they?

Luke 16:15 And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.

Micah 3:4 Then they will cry out to the LORD, But He will not answer them. Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time Because they have practiced evil deeds.

Matthew 7:23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

Matthew 25:41 "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;

(See also: Psalms 5:4-5; Isaiah 59:1-2; 2 Chronicles 24:20)

Summary: Hell is described in Scripture as a place of unquenchable fire and a place of detestable suffering (worm does not die & gnashing of teeth). Hell is a place of separation from God.

A soul is cast into hell because of unbelief. Once in hell a soul suffers according to the sins committed during its earthly life.

One thing is sure, there are no atheists in Hell. All will stand before God and then be cast away from His presence to suffer for all eternity.

Another reference to help understand the fires of hell is Exodus 3:2-3. God appeared to Moses in the burning bush. The bush was on fire but was not consumed. This is an example of what the fires of hell are like. The fire burns but the sinner is not consumed so the punishment is eternal.

As to the physical location of hell, we do well to heed the advice of the Early Church Father Chrysostom; "We search not where it is, but how we may flee it."

III. The Reality of Heaven.

A. The Cause of the Soul in Heaven - Belief!

John 3:18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Mark 16:16 "He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; {9}not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Acts 4:12 "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."

B. Heaven is Described as;

A Wedding;

Matthew 25:10 "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.

Revelation 19:9 Then he said^ to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' " And he said^ to me, "These are true words of God."

A Feast;

Matthew 8:11 "I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven;

Luke 13:29 "And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God.

Sitting upon Thrones;

Luke 22:30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

1 Corinthians 6:2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts?

C. Degrees of Bliss in Heaven.

There are No degrees of bliss in heaven. Everyone will share the same measure of happiness.

Daniel 12:3) "Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

Revelation 21:2-5 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. {3}And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, {4}and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away."

Isaiah 11:6-9 And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. {7}Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. {8}The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. {9}They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.

Revelation 22:14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city.

D. Degrees of Glory in Heaven.

There are degrees of glory in heaven as each servant of God is rewarded for service to God throughout his/her life in this world.

Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. {20}"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; {21}for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

1 Corinthians 3:8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

2 Corinthians 9:6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Revelation 22:12 "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.

Summary: Heaven is a place where fellowship with God is face to face. God and His people are one as it was in the beginning in the Garden of Eden.

Admittance into the kingdom of heaven is based purely on belief in Jesus Christ as Savior. Works hold no merit on being accepted before God.

Belief in Jesus as Savior grants admittance into God's kingdom. Once in the kingdom, God rewards His children for the works they do in His name.

Therefore there are no degrees of eternal bliss (happiness) but there are differing degrees of glory determined by our service in this life.