What is the difference between Sheol, Hades, Hell, the lake of fire, Paradise, and Abraham’s bosom?

Response

The various terms used in the Bible to describe heaven and hell—sheol, hades, gehenna, the lake of fire, paradise, and Abraham’s bosom—are the subject of considerable debate and can be perplexing.

The term paradise is often used interchangeably with heaven (2 Corinthians 12:3-4;Revelation 2:7). When Jesus was crucified and one of the thieves beside Him asked for mercy, Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” «And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. », (Luke 23:43). Knowing His impending death and imminent reunion with His Father in heaven, Jesus comforted the repentant thief by using paradise as a synonym for heaven, a term now associated with any place of ideal beauty and joy.

Abraham’s bosom is mentioned only once in the Bible—in the account of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31). In the Talmud, Abraham’s lap was used as a synonym for heaven (Seder Nashim, Kiddushin 72b). The imagery in the story depicts Lazarus reclining at a table leaning on Abraham’s chest—similar to John leaning on Jesus’ chest at the Last Supper—at the heavenly feast. The story emphasizes that the wicked will witness the bliss of the righteous while enduring torment, separated by a “great chasm” that cannot be crossed «And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.».

There is a great gulf fixed: so that those who would pass from here to you cannot; neither can those pass to us, who would come from there. », (Luke 16:26). Abraham’s bosom is evidently a place of peace, rest, and joy—in other words, paradise.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word used to describe the realm of the dead is sheol. It simply means “the place of the dead” or “the place of departed souls/spirits.” The New Testament Greek equivalent to sheol is hades, which is also a general reference to “the place of the dead.” Sheol/hades is divided into a place of blessing (where Lazarus was in Luke 16) and a place of torment (where the rich man was in Luke 16). Sheol also seems to be a temporary place where souls are kept as they await the final resurrection. The souls of the righteous, at death, go directly into the presence of God—the part of sheol called “heaven,” “paradise,” or “Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 23:43;2 Corinthians 5:8;Philippians 1:23).

The Greek word gehenna is used in the New Testament for “hell” (see Matthew 5:29;see Matthew 23:33). The word is derived from the Hebrew word ge-hinnom, which designated a valley south of Jerusalem—a repulsive place where trash and refuse were burned. Jesus referenced Gehenna as a symbol of the place of judgment after death.

The lake of fire, mentioned only in Revelation 19:20 and 20:10, 14-15, is the final hell, the place of eternal punishment for all unrepentant rebels, both angelic and human «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: », (Matthew 25:41).

It is described as a place of burning sulfur, and those in it experience eternal, unspeakable agony of an unrelenting nature (Luke 16:24; Mark 9:45-46). Those who have rejected Christ and are in the temporary abode of the dead in Hades/Sheol have the lake of fire as their final destination.

But those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life should have no fear of this terrible fate. By faith in Christ and His blood shed on the cross for our sins, we are destined to live eternally in the presence of God.