Origins of Hell

[Molly]

Right Micah, after the word "aeonian", hell has got to be the most misunderstood translation word there is.
The problem isn't even the word, it's mankind's view of it.
Sometimes, I amuse myself by telling christians we are all going to hell. They are shocked. Then I add... just like Jesus did.
Unbelieveably, some don't even seem aware of Jesus going to "hell" but it is where the term originated:

"Jesus went to hell and back for us."

Seriously, I wonder about that.  When he says, 'the gates of Hell will not prevail against it [the church],"   what does he mean?

Gates are meant to keep people in and also to keep people out.  To the church, they are an open door.  Does that mean we will also go into Hell to preach the gospel at some point and lead many captives captive?

[ded2daworld]

I don't think so. Jesus has the keys to the gates. I didn't mean we would do in hell what Jesus did, it's just that so many christians read what it says andare so flabbergasted when you tell them Jesus went to hell and everybody that dies goes to hell.
...first

[lomarah]

Actually I think the sons of God will be doing that. I know of a couple people who have been sent to another person's "hell" to help free them. Awesome stuff!

[eaglesway]

Right Micah, after the word "aeonian", hell has got to be the most misunderstood translation word there is.
The problem isn't even the word, it's mankind's view of it.
Sometimes, I amuse myself by telling christians we are all going to hell. They are shocked. Then I add... just like Jesus did.
Unbelieveably, some don't even seem aware of Jesus going to "hell" but it is where the term originated:

"Jesus went to hell and back for us."

Seriously, I wonder about that.  When he says, 'the gates of Hell will not prevail against it [the church],"   what does he mean?

Gates are meant to keep people in and also to keep people out.  To the church, they are an open door.  Does that mean we will also go into Hell to preach the gospel at some point and lead many captives captive?

I think that means we will plunder Sheol- "the grave" (remember the real word here is Sheol not hell), bringing life to the dead- delivering men from the grave, passing from death unto life by the ministry of reconciliation which was begun on the cross of Jesus the Messiah- everywhere the church is "walking in life", souls are being delivered from chains of death. I believe this will continue in "the ages to come", but it is supposed to happening(and is) "in this present evil age" through the testimony of those are overcoming by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony and are loving not their lives unto death.

It is the gates of sheol