Why is there
a place called Hell?
Good question. This question deserves an accurate and substantive answer.
If hell is not an important topic to Jesus, New Testament and Old Testament why does Jesus teach on hell and the detest more than any other writer? Why?
As mentioned in the video clip: hell is a place created by God for the devil in his angels.
See Matthew 25:41.
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand,
Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,
prepared for the devil and his angels:
The simple reason behind creating a place like hell is simply because sin and equity, cannot exist or coexist with holiness and righteousness.
These Two different natures and characters are not compatible to be together. God created a separate place once the angels rebuild against God, they forfeited their privileged place to be in his presence for all eternity.
According to the gospel of Jesus Christ, every person on the Earth has “a limited time offer” to be cleansed of their sin and iniquity, and become a part of the family of God.
The Invitations have been sent out. Now God is simply waiting for our response.
Will I share in the eternal inheritance with the Saints? Or wil I choose to keep and maintain my sin and equity, and not have it forgiven, nor pardoned by the blood of the lamb, shed on the cross of Christ? Person that can make that choice is me.
If I choose to reject God’s invitation: Then I will be spending eternity away from God and close to the devil and his angels.
The two options have been put before me, and God will not take the choice away from me.
But I must choose to either serve God, or serve his enemy, and I will do that simply by my own actions, attitudes, and spiritual connections. Rid of my life was abundantly displaying what choice I have made.
Now that’s the scary part of the message of the gospel. That’s also probably the primary reason people don’t investigate a message very deeply. Because if they did, they would quickly and clearly find out what side of the line they are standing on. And in most cases those investigating the facts will find out they’re standing on the wrong side of the line eternity.
But the beauty of that is they can change. They have given a freedom to make a choice. Even the thief on the cross made a choice to change his attitude and his mindset while bleeding there next to Jesus and the other people who decided to deny Jesus and mock him.
The Bible is possibly the most often miss quoted, misrepresented, and an intellectually mis-examined book in the history of the world.
People–including students, professors, doctors, lawyers, politicians, businessmen, tax collectors, prostitutes, and drunkards: they all seem to have strong personal opinions that they have gathered from who knows where that are based on false assumptions. But so many people proclaim their false unfounded assumptions like they are gospel facts.
How do I know this? I know this because I was first in line talking out against God and the Bible, boldly proclaiming my own personally confused assumptions with great emotional zeal and a great amount of misplaced confidence.
Just like the young man in this video clip above. Only he is much calmer than I was, but just as confused.
He claims that there is no mention of hell in the Old testament. This is incorrect.
Let’s see if we can more closely examine his claim:
The word “hell” occurs 31 times in the Old Testament scriptures, and 23 times in the New Testament scriptures. So right off the bat, this poor student is misinformed.
Here are the names for “hell” in the Old Testament of the KJV Bible:
-
(translated as “hell” 31 times)
-
(another translation of Sheol, 31 times)
-
(another translation of Sheol, 3 times)
In total, the word “hell” appears 31 times in the Old Testament of the KJV Bible, specifically as a translation of Sheol.
One of the strongest and most visceral pictures of hell happens with Moses, and the people of Israel, and the desert are wandering between a place of slavery in Egypt, to the place of freedom and the promised land.
The story of Korah’s rebellion is detailed in the Book of Numbers, chapter 16. Korah, a Levite and cousin of Moses and Aaron, led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, claiming that Moses had appointed his brother Aaron as High Priest without divine instruction. Korah felt that he should have been given a higher position among the Levites, as he believed the leadership roles were unfairly distributed within his family. He was particularly upset that Elizaphan, the son of Uzziel, was chosen as the leader of the Kohathites instead of him, as he was the son of Kohath’s second son, Izhar13.
Korah gathered 250 leaders to support his cause, and they challenged Moses’ authority, arguing that all the community was holy and that Moses and Aaron were setting themselves above the congregation5. Moses proposed a test to prove God’s approval of Aaron’s priesthood: each of the challengers would offer incense to God, and God would choose the rightful priest. However, God intervened by sending fire to consume the 250 men who offered incense, and the earth opened up to swallow Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and their families135.
The reason for this severe punishment was not just the rebellion itself but the fact that Korah and his followers were challenging God’s appointed leaders. The earth swallowing them was a dramatic demonstration of God’s displeasure with their actions45. The story does not explicitly mention that they were taken down to hell in the biblical account, but in some Jewish legends, Korah and his followers are said to be punished in hell, with their torment continuing until the end of days2
In summary, Korah’s rebellion was motivated by jealousy and a desire for power, leading to a confrontation with Moses and Aaron. The severe punishment was a result of challenging God’s authority and appointed leaders.
Citations:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korah
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqztl13Dpuw
- https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/246641/jewish/The-Story-of-Korah-in-the-Bible.htm
- https://splnewulm.org/devotions/gods-word-for-you-numbers-1628-35-the-earth-opened-its-mouth-and-swallowed/
- https://www.gotquestions.org/rebellion-of-Korah.html
- https://hebrewcollege.edu/blog/when-the-earth-opened-her-mouth/
- https://www.hearthymn.com/cause-of-korah-and-his-followers-swallowed-by-the-earth.html
- https://iws.edu/2014/08/carla-waterman-but-the-sons-of-korah-did-not-die/
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/d0aofi/did_god_send_children_to_hell_in_numbers_1631/
- https://www.godscharacter.com/bible-study/numbers/korah-s-rebellion/
Answer from Perplexity: pplx.ai/share
The record of Korah’s rebellion is presented below:
If you haven’t read this before, prepare yourself.
That testimony has been pretty outrageous details.
1 Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men: 2 And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown: 3 And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? 4 And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face: 5 And he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even to morrow the LORD will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to come near unto him: even him whom he hath chosen will he cause to come near unto him. 6 This do; Take you censers, Korah, and all his company; 7 And put fire therein, and put incense in them before the LORD to morrow: and it shall be that the man whom the LORD doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi. 8 And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi: 9 Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself to do the service of the tabernacle of the LORD, and to stand before the congregation to minister unto them? 10 And he hath brought thee near to him, and all thy brethren the sons of Levi with thee: and seek ye the priesthood also? 11 For which cause both thou and all thy company are gathered together against the LORD: and what is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?
12 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab: which said, We will not come up: 13 Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether a prince over us? 14 Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? we will not come up.
15 And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the LORD, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them. 16 And Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the LORD, thou, and they, and Aaron, to morrow: 17 And take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the LORD every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also, and Aaron, each of you his censer. 18 And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron. 19 And Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto all the congregation.
20 And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, 21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. 22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?
23 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 24 Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. 25 And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and Abiram; and the elders of Israel followed him. 26 And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins. 27 So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children.
28 And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the LORD hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of mine own mind. 29 If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the LORD hath not sent me. 30 But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.
31 And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: 32 And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. 33 They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. 34 And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them: for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also. 35 And there came out a fire from the LORD, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense.
36 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 37 Speak unto Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed. 38 The censers of these sinners against their own souls, let them make them broad plates for a covering of the altar: for they offered them before the LORD, therefore they are hallowed: and they shall be a sign unto the children of Israel. 39 And Eleazar the priest took the brasen censers, wherewith they that were burnt had offered; and they were made broad plates for a covering of the altar: 40 To be a memorial unto the children of Israel, that no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to offer incense before the LORD; that he be not as Korah, and as his company: as the LORD said to him by the hand of Moses.
41 But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the LORD. 42 And it came to pass, when the congregation was gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation: and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD appeared. 43 And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle of the congregation.
44 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 45 Get you up from among this congregation, that I may consume them as in a moment. And they fell upon their faces.
46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun. 47 And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation; and, behold, the plague was begun among the people: and he put on incense, and made an atonement for the people. 48 And he stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stayed.
49 Now they that died in the plague were fourteen thousand and seven hundred, beside them that died about the matter of Korah. 50 And Aaron returned unto Moses unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: and the plague was stayed.
If that is not a picture in the Old Testament of men being taken directly down to the pit, sheol, the grave, or hell; I don’t know what it is.