Why no Hell in the OT

[TrueFollowerOfChrist]

I was thinking about this recently. The Old Testament doesn't mention Hell. It mentions sheol and Hades, yet not the fire and brimstone Hell. I know that there are only 2 destinations after death, Heaven and Hell. But if we were warned in the New Testament about Hell, WHY would the Jews in the Old Testament be warned about it? It kinda seems cosmically unfair NOT to warn them about such a terrible place. Is it possible the Jews get a pass for not being warned or told about this possible destination? Just looking for opinions and if you have scripture, please post it. 

Edited April 2, 2024 by TrueFollowerOfChrist
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[FJK]

That's a question that really needs to be asked of a Jew, a well learned Rabbi or a Rebbe.

There is *esoterically) withing Judaism both the concept of a hell, a purgatory of sorts, and a heaven.  But most will be unlikely to speak of it and many will simply not know of it.

[Still Alive]

1 hour ago, TrueFollowerOfChrist said:

I was thinking about this recently. The Old Testament doesn't mention Hell. It mentions sheol and Hades, yet not the fire and brimstone Hell. I know that there are only 2 destinations after death, Heaven and Hell. But if we were warned in the New Testament about Hell, WHY would the Jews in the Old Testament be warned about it? It kinda seems cosmically unfair NOT to warn them about such a terrible place. Is it possible the Jews get a pass for not being warned or told about this possible destination? Just looking for opinions and if you have scripture, please post it. 

Regarding the bolded: Jesus did not talk about two destinations. He talked about whether you are alive or dead. It's very clear in John 3:16 among other places. That's why it says do not fear him that can kill the body, but Him that can kill the body AND soul in Gehenna. Gehenna is used as an analogy. The listeners of the day know exactly what Jesus was talking about. We've kind of distorted it over the centuries.

Eternity is not about geography. It's about condition.

 

The personality of God is pretty clear in the OT. He eliminates His enemies. Any torture they receive is strictly in this life. That's why I really DO believe a lot of people suffer "hell on earth", but they will know peace after this body ends. Well, actually they won't know anything at all after the resurrection and they are "ended" for good.

[RdJ]

2 hours ago, TrueFollowerOfChrist said:

I was thinking about this recently. The Old Testament doesn't mention Hell. It mentions sheol and Hades, yet not the fire and brimstone Hell. I know that there are only 2 destinations after death, Heaven and Hell. But if we were warned in the New Testament about Hell, WHY would the Jews in the Old Testament be warned about it? It kinda seems cosmically unfair NOT to warn them about such a terrible place. Is it possible the Jews get a pass for not being warned or told about this possible destination? Just looking for opinions and if you have scripture, please post it. 

It was maybe in Enoch.

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. Jude 1:14 - 15

 

Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
Acts 17:30‭-‬31 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/act.17.30-31.NKJV

 

When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
Ezekiel 33:8‭-‬9 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/ezk.33.8-9.NKJV

[other one]

3 hours ago, TrueFollowerOfChrist said:

I was thinking about this recently. The Old Testament doesn't mention Hell. It mentions sheol and Hades, yet not the fire and brimstone Hell. I know that there are only 2 destinations after death, Heaven and Hell. But if we were warned in the New Testament about Hell, WHY would the Jews in the Old Testament be warned about it? It kinda seems cosmically unfair NOT to warn them about such a terrible place. Is it possible the Jews get a pass for not being warned or told about this possible destination? Just looking for opinions and if you have scripture, please post it. 

Sheol (Hebrew) and Hades (Greek) both refer to the grave.  Two other words that are often translated Hell are Gehenna, and Tartarus.   Gennah being the fiery place that sinners go in the end, and Tartarus is the place where the fallen angels are locked up waiting for judgement times.  The grave is for the bodies, but it seems our spirit goes to one of two parts of the grave.  Good guys to Abraham and the bad guys to temporary torment.  This comes from one scripture in Luke, as far as I know.

The first covenant did not deal with the spiritual side of things.  The promises that were made were to give the Israelites the land he promised Abraham and his dependents. As long as they followed God's law they could live long happy lives in the land.  I personally don't see eternal life promised to the Old Testament people.

What happens to them come judgement day.   I would surmise the same  thing that happens to people who live their lives and never hear of Jesus or that he came or did here.   It puts them into the hands of a loving and just God.  What he does with them is not my business as far as I know, and it's way over my pay grade to give him any advice.

[Jayne]

3 hours ago, TrueFollowerOfChrist said:

I was thinking about this recently. The Old Testament doesn't mention Hell. It mentions sheol and Hades, yet not the fire and brimstone Hell. I know that there are only 2 destinations after death, Heaven and Hell. But if we were warned in the New Testament about Hell, WHY would the Jews in the Old Testament be warned about it? It kinda seems cosmically unfair NOT to warn them about such a terrible place. Is it possible the Jews get a pass for not being warned or told about this possible destination? Just looking for opinions and if you have scripture, please post it. 

Hell is mentioned about 30 times in the King James Old Testament.

It's the Hebrew word, שְׁאוֹל  which is pronounced "sheh' ole".

Here's the link with the King James [OT] with "hell" and you can read them and decide what you think they are talking about.

KJV Search Results for "hell" (blueletterbible.org)

 

 

[TrueFollowerOfChrist]

4 hours ago, Still Alive said:

Regarding the bolded: Jesus did not talk about two destinations. He talked about whether you are alive or dead. It's very clear in John 3:16 among other places. That's why it says do not fear him that can kill the body, but Him that can kill the body AND soul in Gehenna. Gehenna is used as an analogy. The listeners of the day know exactly what Jesus was talking about. We've kind of distorted it over the centuries.

Eternity is not about geography. It's about condition.

 

The personality of God is pretty clear in the OT. He eliminates His enemies. Any torture they receive is strictly in this life. That's why I really DO believe a lot of people suffer "hell on earth", but they will know peace after this body ends. Well, actually they won't know anything at all after the resurrection and they are "ended" for good.

So do you believe in annihilationism? That there is no Hell and people who don't go to Heaven will simply cease to exist?

[TrueFollowerOfChrist]

3 hours ago, RdJ said:

It was maybe in Enoch.

And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. Jude 1:14 - 15

 

Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
Acts 17:30‭-‬31 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/act.17.30-31.NKJV

 

When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
Ezekiel 33:8‭-‬9 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/ezk.33.8-9.NKJV

Excellent job with scripture there. It's true that we are judged by the amount of knowledge or "light" we have. If the Old Testament Jews had no knowledge of Hell, they would be less accountable than we are today. They also didn't yet know about Jesus as we do today. That's why Jesus told the people of Capernaum that their judgement would be WORSE than that of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

[TrueFollowerOfChrist]

2 hours ago, other one said:

Sheol (Hebrew) and Hades (Greek) both refer to the grave.  Two other words that are often translated Hell are Gehenna, and Tartarus.   Gennah being the fiery place that sinners go in the end, and Tartarus is the place where the fallen angels are locked up waiting for judgement times.  The grave is for the bodies, but it seems our spirit goes to one of two parts of the grave.  Good guys to Abraham and the bad guys to temporary torment.  This comes from one scripture in Luke, as far as I know.

The first covenant did not deal with the spiritual side of things.  The promises that were made were to give the Israelites the land he promised Abraham and his dependents. As long as they followed God's law they could live long happy lives in the land.  I personally don't see eternal life promised to the Old Testament people.

What happens to them come judgement day.   I would surmise the same  thing that happens to people who live their lives and never hear of Jesus or that he came or did here.   It puts them into the hands of a loving and just God.  What he does with them is not my business as far as I know, and it's way over my pay grade to give him any advice.

I'm not sure that people in the Old Testament are either automatically condemned or justified. In Romans it says we will be judged by how much light we had or knowledge we rejected. So people who had very little if any knowledge would be judged very less than us who have no excuse at all. I still believe that those who never heard of Jesus or Hell will still be judged, but it will be based on what they DID know of God from creation and consciousness than from what they didn't know. Just my 2 cents. 

[TrueFollowerOfChrist]

1 hour ago, Jayne said:

Hell is mentioned about 30 times in the King James Old Testament.

It's the Hebrew word, שְׁאוֹל  which is pronounced "sheh' ole".

Here's the link with the King James [OT] with "hell" and you can read them and decide what you think they are talking about.

KJV Search Results for "hell" (blueletterbible.org)

 

 

Unless I'm missing something, the words translated as Hell were simply the grave or underworld. The ancient Jews knew nothing of a place of eternal punishment. Correct?