Death and Hell are God's Enemies

December 10

Death and Hell are God’s Enemies

Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it…. He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption (Acts 2:24, 31)

One should not embrace or take comfort in the false teaching that a literal hell does not exist. We can see that part of the redemption price that Jesus paid was to enter into hell. This proves that the doctrines of soul sleep and annihilation are utterly false and have no bearing in Scripture. Otherwise Jesus would have had to suffer both.

However, another false doctrine taught in the majority of Christianity is the false idea that God personally imprisons sinners in hell upon their death. On the contrary it is the sinner himself who chooses hell because he or she refuses to repent. If men and women will choose to serve God’s enemies while alive on the earth then He will give them over to these same enemies upon their death.

The fact that hell is an enemy of God is seen in how it attempted to hold Jesus in its grip upon His sacrificial death on our behalf. The word “death” in verse 24 is "Hades" which is translated "hell" in other parts of the Bible. Furthermore, in the original languages, hell takes on a living personality. One scholar says, “....it should be rendered snares of death; the figure being that of escape from the snare of a huntsman” (Marvin Vincent's Word Studies; emphasis mine). Another scholar notes:

“....but the Hebrew original means ‘snares’ or ‘traps’ or ‘cords’ of death where sheol and death are personified as hunters laying snares for prey ....’Loosing’ (lusas) suits better the notion of ‘snares’ held a prisoner by death” (A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures In the New Testament)

Hell attempted to hold on to Jesus. Hell was not the friend of Jesus. Jesus went to war and defeated hell on our behalf. We are told, “God raised him up! God freed him from death’s dreadful grip, since it was impossible for death to hang on to him” (Common English Bible) and Then God released him from the horrors of death and brought him back to life again, for death could not keep this man within its grip (The Living Bible). Jesus defeated hell on our behalf so that those who appropriate this truth won’t go there.

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