Hades, Heaven, & Hell
After Easter, we’ll begin a short series exploring how Jesus’ descent, resurrection, and ascension shape what we believe about death — and what lies beyond it.
The scriptures don’t answer every question we might have about the afterlife. Very often our ideas have been shaped far more by popular culture than by Scripture itself.
This has often exacerbated the anxieties and misgivings we feel about the life of the world to come.
As we process what the Bible says about Hades (Sheol), Heaven, and Hell, it’s God’s justice and compassion that will be our solid ground for trusting him with the life to come.
Ultimately, this is a series about confidence—not only in what happens after death, but in the goodness of the God who holds our future in his hands.
CONTENTS:
i. Talks Schedule & Description
ii. Preparation: Before We Begin
iii. Hades (Sheol and the Grave)
iv. Heaven (Resurrection and the New Earth
v. Hell (Gehenna and the Lake of Fire)
vi. Q&A Section
TALKS SCHEDULE & Description
click the drop down (+) to see a description of the theme of the passage.
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The Old Testament uses the term Sheol (or sometimes the grave) to describe the after life – a shadowy and ill-defined underworld existence.
It is not always clear how the righteous and unrighteous experience Sheol – is their experience the same, or different? This ambiguity raises several key questions that the New Testament will seek to address – Why do the righteous and the evil alike both die? is it better to rest in the grave, or to endure the suffering of life? How much overlap is there between the ideas of Sheol and Hades (the term the New Testament uses for the place of the dead). Will the wicked get away with the prosperity they enjoyed in this life? Will the righteous find justice after death?
We’ll explore what scripture’s teaching on death (Sheol and Hades) means for human existence between death and the resurrection to judgement. -
What does the bible have to say about our future home? How do the New Heaven and the New Earth relate to each other? What future can our bodies and our souls expect? How should (or shouldn’t) we imagine eternal life? How ought our hope about the future express itself in how we live in the present?
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Why didn’t the Old Testament ever speak about Hell? Why does Jesus seem to “suddenly” start speaking about Hell and where did he get the idea from? What does Jesus mean by hell? Who does Jesus warn about going to Hell? What kind of future judgement could be a true reflection of BOTH God’s Holy and Merciful character?
Preparation: BEFORE WE BEGIN:
The first “Preparation” section below lists resources we encourage you to explore BEFORE the series begins. They will help you process where you feel both clear and uncertain about this challenging topic. Exploring some of these resources before the sermons will help you get the most out of our Sunday services.
Below are a collection of resources that may be a real help in getting ready for this three part series on Hades, Heaven, and Hell.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS TO DO WITH HADES, HEAVEN, and HELL – PDF
This PDF gives definitions to some of the key terms that often are used in discussions about Hades, Heaven, and Hell. We will cover most of these in some way over the series.UNDECEPTIONS PODCAST – ON HELL
This podcast devotes an entire episode to the place of hell in the scriptures. Click the link-title above to take you to the podcast pageUNDECEPTIONS PODCAST – Q&A
This podcast tackles listener’s questions such as
- Why is it considered Good News, if so many who don’t believe will end up in Hell?
- Why do we know so little about Heaven?
- Is the punishment of Hell proportional to our acts on Earth?
Click the link-title above to take you to the podcast pageTHE APOSTLE’S CREED – DID JESUS DESCENDED TO THE DEAD or HELL?
What does it mean in the Apostle’s Creed when we declare that Jesus “Descended to the Dead”?
Why do some versions of the creed seem to imply Jesus descended to Hell?
Click the link-title above to take you to the blog pageIS HEAVEN REALLY OUR ETERNAL HOME?
Christopher Ash writes in the Briefing on why he doesn’t think about heaven as his eternal home – AND why we have something more wonderful in store than just a vaguely spiritual future up above.
Click the link-title above to take you to open a brief PDF article
1. HADES
(Sheol & the Grave)
A collection of resources on how the scriptures speak about the Grave, Hades, or Sheol.
How should we think about our existence between the death and the resurrection of the body? How does the New Testament give us a clearer picture than the Old Testament on these kind of questions?
Between Good Friday and Easter Day, Jesus descended to the dead. What does that mean for how we understand Jesus’ mighty Easter work?
What ideas did the OT have concerning the afterlife?
The above article helps us explore how Israel viewed existence between death & the resurrection.
2. Heaven
(Resurrection & the NEW eaRTH)
A collection of resources relating to how the scriptures speak about the Resurrection – along with the New Heavens and Earth.
The New Testament does NOT describe our future hope as a disembodied eternity in the heavens. Rather the NT describes a bodily resurrected life in a renewed Earth – with God bringing Heaven down to us!
Our future will not be a disembodied one. Rather we'll live with resurrected bodies in a new Earth. AND God will bring Heaven down to Earth so we might be with him. The above audio recording is a 3-part exploration of the renewed creation and bodies we’ll enjoy.
3. Hell
(Gehenna & the Lake of Fire)
Below are a collection of resources relating to how the scriptures speak about Hell.