Various theories on the location of hell have been put forward. A traditional view is that hell is in the center of the earth. Others propose that hell is located in outer space in a black hole. In the Old Testament, the word translated “hell” is Sheol; in the New Testament, it’s Hades (meaning “unseen”) and Gehenna (“the Valley of Hinnom”). Sheol is also translated as “pit” and “grave.” Both Sheol and Hades refer to a temporary abode of the dead before judgment (Psalm 9:17; Revelation 1:18). Gehenna refers to an eternal state of punishment for the wicked dead (Mark 9:43).
The idea that hell is below us, perhaps in the center of the earth, comes from passages such as Luke 10:15: “And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell” (KJV). Also, in 1 Samuel 28:13-15, the medium of Endor sees the spirit of Samuel “coming up out of the ground.” We should note, however, that neither of these passages is concerned with the geographic location of hell. Capernaum’s being thrust “down” is probably a reference to their being condemned rather than a physical direction. And the medium’s vision of Samuel was just that: a vision.
First, it is necessary to examine evidence that shows the religious doctrine of "hell" or "hellfire" is a myth, that originated from pagan sources and not taught in the Bible, though the words "hell" and "hellfire" are used in the
King James Bible.
The teaching of a "hellfire" dates long before Jesus stepped on the earth. In the book
The History of Hell, by Alice K. Turner (1993), noted this about the doctrine or teaching of a "hell": "The first accounts of the Land of the Dead that we know about were written nearly
four thousand years ago on baked clay tablets from the Tigris-Euphrates Valley north of the Persian Gulf in Iraq. Sumer is the earliest name we have for the region....The Sumerians were conquered by the Semitic Akkadians, and the area began to be known as Babylonia, after the
principal city, Babylon. The Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, and neighboring Assyrians are frequently grouped as Mesopotamians, and they shared many of the same beliefs and myths, though their gods sometimes went by different names." Thus, from ancient Babylon and the surrounding area came forth the belief of a "hellfire."
This belief continued down through the centuries to the classical Greek period, before Alexander the Great conquered Medo-Persia in 331 B.C.E. In the book
Histoire des enfers (
The History of Hell, 2005), by Georges Minois, page 50, it said: "Of all classical Greek philosophers, the one who has had the greatest influence on traditional views of Hell is Plato (428 ?-347 B.C.E.)”
The
New Encyclopædia Britannica (1988), Volume 25, page 890, states: “From the middle of the 2nd century AD Christians who had some training in Greek philosophy began to feel the need to express their faith in its terms . . . The philosophy that suited them best was Platonism [the teachings of Plato].” Thus, the Babylonian teaching of "hell" that Plato taught was now
absorbed into so-called "Christianity".
The
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994 edition, page 270, states: “The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, ‘eternal fire.’ The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God.” Hence, orthodox "Christianity" teaches "hell" as a doctrine that is supposedly supported by the Bible. But does it ?
At Jeremiah 7, God condemns the nation of Israel for having "built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to
burn their sons and their daughters in the fire;
which I commanded them not, neither came it
into my heart."(Jer 7:31,
King James Bible) He says that "the children of Judah have done
evil in my sight, saith the Lord: they have set their
abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it"(Jer 7:30,
King James Bible) Thus, God calls the burning of the Israelites "sons and their daughters in the fire", "
evil in my sight....abominations." Could a righteous God condemn the Israelites for these wicked actions, while at the same time burn people in a "hellfire" ?
At Jeremiah 19, God again scathingly criticizes the Israelites, saying that "they have built also the high places of Baal, to
burn their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which
I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it
into my mind."(Jer 19:5,
King James Bible)
Furthermore, at Jeremiah 32, God says concerning this practice: "Because of all the
evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to
provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.....And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass
through the fire unto Molech; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do
this abomination, to cause Judah to
sin."(Jer 32:32, 35, King James Bible)
How could God condemn the Israelite nation for "burn(ing) their sons with fire for burnt offerings unto Baal", even saying that "I commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into my mind" and yet burn people in a hellfire ? Would this not be hypocritical of God to condemn the Israelites for ' burning their sons with fire' while at the same time burning people, even wicked people, in a hellfire ? Too, could God be a "God of love" while also burning people for all eternity ?(1 John 4:8) The two are incompatible,
diametrically opposed.
Hence, the teaching of a "hellfire" began some four thousand years ago on the plains of Mesopotamia, at Babylon. In the book of Revelation, a mystic city, called Babylon the Great, is seen in vision by the apostle John. The ancient city of Babylon is the prototype of Babylon the Great. Ancient Babylon was known for its paganistic or false religion, and from which false religious teachings and doctrines originated, such as hellfire, immortality of the soul, a trinity of gods.
At Revelation 18, after Babylon the Great's fall, "another voice out of heaven say(s): “Get out of her, my people, if you do not want to share with her in her sins, and if you do not want to receive part of her plagues. For her sins have massed together clear up to heaven, and God has called her acts of injustice to mind."(Rev 18:4, 5) Thus, Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion, is to be called to justice by God for "her sins have massed together clear up to heaven," including the teaching of a pagan hellfire.
