Hades (86) hades by Greek Word Studies

Hades (86) (hades) is the transliteration of the Greek word Hades (from a = negative + eido = to see) literally means "not seen" or "unseen". In Homer hades is spelled Haides and means obscure, dark, invisible. As discussed below from Luke 16:23 we discover that Hades is the region of departed spirits of unbelievers. Hades is used in the Septuagint where it translates the Hebrew words for Sheol and for death, once for silence (Ps 94:17, 115:17). In some of the OT passages where Hades is used for Sheol, the context suggest that the intended meaning is the grave. Hades is the NT term which equates with the OT Hebrew word Sheol. Hades was the name of Greek god of underworld and then the term for the underworld itself. Hades is pictured as a prison for which Jesus holds the keys (Rev 1:18). The reader is strongly advised to do his or her own study of the word Hades as it is used in Scripture and let that study guide the use of the definition in the various lexicons. For example, Vines is a respected conservative lexicon widely used by laymen to aid Greek word study and it has the following entry which I have added a few notes to to explain the lack of consensus among the lexicons and dictionaries on the meaning of hades... Hades, the region of departed spirits of the lost (but including the blessed dead in periods preceding the Ascension of Christ) (Ed note: Not all conservative commentators would agree with that statement)... It corresponds to “Sheol” in the OT. In the AV of the OT and NT, it has been unhappily rendered “Hell,” e.g., Ps 16:10; or “the grave,” e.g., Ge 37:35; or “the pit,” Nu 16:30, 33; in the N.T. the Revisers have always used the rendering “Hades;” in the OT they have not been uniform in the translation, e.g., in Isa. 14:15, “hell” (marg., “Sheol”); usually they have “Sheol” in the text and “the grave” in the margin. It never denotes the grave (Ed note: many would disagree with this statement, e.g., the NIV translates it as "grave" in Acts 2:27, 31 and respected commentators like John MacArthur state that in these verses it is "the NT equivalent of the OT grave or Sheol...here it refers to the general place of the dead" [Ref]), nor is it the permanent region of the lost; in point of time it is, for such, intermediate between decease and the doom of Gehenna. (Vine, W E: Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. 1996. Nelson) Here are all the occurrences of Hades in the Bible, most (107) being in the Septuagint - LXX (35" class="scriptRef">Gen. 37:35; 42:38; 9" class="scriptRef">44:29, 31; 16.30" class="scriptRef">Num. 16:30, 33; Deut. 32:22; 1 Sam. 2:6; 1 Ki. 2:6, 9, 35; Est. 3:13; Job 7:9; 11.8" class="scriptRef">11:8; 14:13; 17:13, 16; 21:13; 26:6; 33:22; 38:17; Ps. 6:5; 9:17; 16:10; 18" class="scriptRef">18.5" class="scriptRef">18:5; 30:3; 31:17; 15" class="scriptRef">49:14-15; 55:15; 86:13; 88:3; 89:48; 94:17; 115:17; 116:3; 139:8; 141:7; Pr 1:12; 2:18; 5:5; 7:27; 9:18; 14:12; 15:11, 24; 16:25; 27:20; 30:16; Eccl. 9:10; Cant. 8:6; Isa. 5:14; 14:9, 11, 15, 19; 28:15, 18; 38:10, 18; 57:9; Ezek. 31:15-16; 32:27; Hos. 13:14; Amos 9:2; Jon. 2:2; Hab. 2:5) A majority (about 61) of these uses of Hades are to translate the Hebrew word Sheol (7585), and some uses translate other Hebrew words such as death. One of the common OT meanings of Sheol was in reference to the place of the departed dead. Here are the 10 NT uses (Matt. 11:23; 16:18; Lk. 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31; Rev. 1:18; 6:8; 20:13-14) Mt 11:23 "And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You shall descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. (Comment: The inhabitants would go down to hades, the place of the wicked dead.) Mt 16:18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it. Luke 10:15 "And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades! Luke 16:23 "And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. (Comment: Many interpret this passage as supporting the teaching that there are 2 compartments to Hades/Sheol. This may have been the arrangement before the time of the Cross, but note that if that is so in this verse we read "in Hades" contrasted with "far away". The question is this - is "far away" another side of Hades? It could mean that, but one wonders why the Spirit did not inspire Luke to record something like "far away"...on the other side of Hades? In other words, the location of "far away" is not unequivocally stated. And this is one reason many writers are not dogmatic about the compartmentalization of Hades. See note above for interesting OT uses of Hades for Sheol - the question is do these passages suggest that there were 2 compartments to Sheol/Hades? After considerable study on this subject, I cannot offer a dogmatic statement, which can be supported from Scripture.) Acts 2:27 BECAUSE THOU WILT NOT ABANDON MY SOUL TO HADES, NOR ALLOW THY 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. (Comment: Although Vines stated categorically that Hades never means grave [see above] the context of this verse stating "nor did His flesh suffer decay" certainly seems to indicate that here hades represents the place of burial, the grave. The respected Bible Knowledge Commentary adds "The word translated grave in verses 27 and 31 is hades, which means either the grave (as here) or the underworld of departed spirits.[Ref]) Rev 1:18 and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. Rev 6:8 And I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth. Rev 20:13 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 And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. (Comment: Hades is the intermediate state between death and the ultimate hell, Gehenna = second death = lake of fire = hell. Note unfortunately KJV often translates Hades as Hell which confuses the issue for the ultimate, final hell is gehenna not hades.) Mt 16:18: What is the relation of Hades to the body of Christ, the church? Gate of hades will not prevail – the meaning debated. Death will not prevent the work of the church, the living orgasm representing the body of Christ, composed of all believers since the birth of the Church in Acts 2. Death (Hades) has in fact been conquered (see notes Hebrews 2:14; 2:15) by Christ at Calvary. Death no longer has a sting for believers who compose the body of Christ, the Church. Therefore Hades which symbolizes the place of the unbelieving dead cannot prevail against those who are in the body of Christ, the Church. Rev 1:18: What is the relation of Jesus and Hades? John records Jesus declaration that He is... "the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades." Keys speak of Christ's authority over the power of life and death - to grant entrance and release in regard to Hades. Today the gospel of Jesus Christ represents Christ's gracious offer (as proclaimed through His servants, the saints) to take by grace through faith the "key" from Him which releases the repentant, believing sinner from relegation to Hades at the time of physical death. Instead the believer is now set free from fear of Hades Lu 16:23 Not a parable (although many commentaries call it such) and so one can glean several facts that relate to the place called Hades. Those who say it is a parable however would disagree that one can draw significant conclusions regarding the afterlife from Luke 16:19-32. With that caveat and understanding what are the observations one can make from Luke 16:19-32? Rich man in hades = Unbeliever In torment Saw Abe far away Conscious exist No 2nd Chance No communication with the living. Our Lord conclusively teaches here that there is no possibility of repentance after death. The state of human beings in Hades is immediate and irreversible after death, although it does not constitute the eternal state, for Hades itself later becomes the exclusive place for unbelievers. It is cast into the lake of fire (see below Rev. 20:14), Rev 20:13-14: What do you learn about Hades? Death & Hades had dead in them and were both thrown into Lake of Fire, the Second Death. Hades thus is a temporary holding tank for the unbelieving dead. If someone refuses Christ's free gift of salvation by grace through faith in this life, they go immediately to Hades when they die, where they will await their final judgment at the time of the Great White Throne described here in Revelation 20:11-14. Ephesians 4:10 What is Paul's main point? What does it mean? That Christ might fill all things. What does this mean? There is not a consensus but if one fills all, it would be tantamount to being over all or in control of all and seems to speak of our Lord's sovereignty over all things in all places for all times. Ephesians 4:12-16 THE PURPOSE Ephesians 4:12 What is the purpose of Christ's gift of gifted men to the Church? Equipping of saints (Equipping = katartismos - see word study) Mt 4:21 This verse uses verb form of "equip" – what is the picture it gives? The idea is to make one what he or she ought to be Mend nets: Mending, preparing for service, getting ready for action (See word study of katartizo) Who does this equipping? How? Pastor-Teachers who speak the "utterances of God" (cf notes 1 Peter 4:11) The Word of God (Not devotionals, not commentaries, etc but the pure milk of the word) 1 Peter 2:2 How vital is the Word to equipping? Apart from the word there is no growth in respect to salvation! (Cf Jesus statement that man does not live by bread alone but by every word… What is the critically important point in regard to the local churches? Pastor-Teachers must (not should but must) feed the sheep the Word. Why equip saints? For the work (ergon) of service. Ergon is related to ergs a unit of measuring energy. The point is that the service will take work! The tragedy is that most churches have reversed this dynamic divine design and have the "paid staff" doing the "work of service" that for the sake of the "common good" should be done by equipped gifted saints (Peter says we are all "priests"!) who, for the most part instead of being equipped, are sitting and soaking, listening to tapes, going to seminars, watching videos, etc, but failing to focus on the pure milk of the word, the only resource God promises is able to equip them! This is not meant to be mean spirited diatribe, but a cry in the wilderness for the preaching and teaching of the Word, accepting no substitutes. The substitutes can be very subtle. For example, there may be a very popular book or video series which includes a few Scriptures (often taken out of context) to add a sense of Biblical credibility, but which fails to focus on the pure, unadulterated milk of God's Word. We need to return to the "ancient paths". That is the spirit in which this cry is issued. May God in His great mercy and grace, heed His children's cry for spiritual food and be pleased to send His Word through gifted, faithful men, so that the times of refreshing can come from the presence of the Lord, the Living Word. Amen What do saints? In serving they build up body (quality not quantity) Compare this dynamic to the call to make disciples as in 2 Timothy 2:2 (note) How do saints build up the body? What are their tools? The build with their spiritual gifts, those "tools" which which they are equipped as the gifted men feed them the Word of God. As they eat the Word, they grow in their grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and they become more aware of what gifts they possess and how those gifts are best utilized in the local body to which they belong. In other words, these "tools" are honed and sharpened by the teaching of the pure milk of the word by the Pastor-Teachers -- who should be teaching not just the ABC's of Christianity but solid food! Ephesians 4:13 What are the goals? 1) All attain (in Acts "attain" is used to mean to to arrive at a destination!) to unity of the faith ("the faith" = not "belief" but body of truth believed) 2) Knowledge of Son of God = experiential knowledge, growing intimacy with Jesus (See word study epignosis) Ephesians 4:13 What result attain unity & knowledge? Maturity (wholeness) (See study of root word teleios) In context see what maturity looks like (see notes Ephesians 4:2) Ephesians 4:13 Goal of maturity? Christlikeness - Measure of stature which belongs to fullness of Christ Ephesians 4:14 When we are Christlike what danger avoid? No longer = implies they were at one time acting like children. Children (Literally means "not speaking", word for a helpless infant and in context describes spiritually immature) See: notes Hebrews 5:12; 5:13; 5:14 See also 1Cor 3:1-4 Ephesians 4:14 What happens to immature? What is result of maturity? Tossed (see word study kludonizomai) & carried by (see word study periphero)... 1) Winds of doctrine - – "religious fads", we have all seen these blow thru churches – can be destructive (church splits, etc) 2) Tricky men (dice loaded) (see word study of kubeia) – Idea is that they manipulate the truth to their advantage 3) Cunning method lead astray - cunning means they make error look like truth (See word study of panourgia) (See word study on method - methodeia) Study the picture of meaning of panourgia -- craftiness or cunning -- in 2Cor 11:3 Note: The antidote for all 3 above is Pastor Teachers feeding sheep pure Word, solid food, not just ABC's – so that saints are maturing and able to discern good from evil (cf Heb 5:14) becoming Christlike (Ephesians 4:13) Ephesians 4:15 What proper process for growth in Body? Speaking truth (right doctrine) (includes idea of walking in truth) Doing so in love (right spirit) Ephesians 4:15 What result? Grow up in all aspects into Christ Christ = Goal Ephesians 4:16 What is Christ regarding growth of body? Not only goal but Source of growth Ephesians 4:16 HOW BODY INTEGRATED? Under Lord's direction (present = process)… Being Fitted together Being Held together Under Lord's direction (present tense for both verbs indicates it is a process)… Being Fitted together (see word study of sunarmologeo) Being Held together Note "being" is passive = action on saints from outside Source – shaping them, sanding them, fitting them as living stones into the Temple of the Lord, Dwelling of God cf Eph 2:21-22 Ephesians 4:16 How important is every member? fitting & holding together is by what every joint supplies – each part working properly Ephesians 4:16 What happens to body when each working properly (exercising gifts in His power for His glory)? Each working properly means each and every believer is exercising gifts in His power for His glory) Result is… 1) Body Grows 2) Builds self up In what environment or sphere are they to grow up and build up? In love (agape love = sacrificial, gives w/o expecting in return, fruit of Spirit, divine love as in John 3:16) (See word study of agape) Centrality of love in Ephesians... Ephesians 1:15 Your love for all the saints Ephesians 4:2 Showing tolerance in love Ephesians 4:15 Speaking the truth in love Ephesians 4:16 Building itself up in love Ephesians 3:17 Rooted and grounded in love Ephesians 3:19 Praying they would know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge Colossians 2:19 What does the parallel passage teach about growth of the body? Must hold fast to Head = Christ Head is ultimate source of growth But "joints and ligament" (gifted saints) hold body together (when Pastor-Teachers are equipping them to understand and use their spiritual gifts) i

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Hades (86) hades

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