Hell is endless. (See 2 Ne. 1:13; Jac. 6:10; D. and C. Commentary, pp. 81, 131, 209, 564, 577)
In the religious conceptions of the Hebrews, from the early ages, there was a world, or kingdom, of the dead, as well as of the living. That world they called "Sheol."
The meaning of this word is not clear. Some derive it from "sha-al," to ask, to seek, and suggest that it means the land about which so many questions are asked, as for instance, "Man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?" (Job 15:10) Others reject that explanation.
According to the Old Testament, Sheol, the domain of the dead, is situated under the surface of the earth. "The Lord ... bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up." (Ezek. 26:20) Such are the expressions used.
It is a land of darkness and the shadow of death: "Before I go whence I shall not return, even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death; a land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness." (22) It is not only dark but also chaotic ("without any order").
Sometimes "Sheol" stands for the grave, where the body rests. This is the meaning of the word when Sheol is represented as a place in which there is no remembrance, no knowledge. "For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" (Ecclesiastes 9:5) This is fully explained in verse 10: "For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." "For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth." (Is. 38:18) In these and many similar passages, where the inspired authors seem to teach that the dead are in a state of unconsciousness, they refer only to the grave.
But Sheol also stands for that part of the land of the dead where the spirits dwell after death. And these spirits are not unconscious. The remarkable story of Saul and the woman of Endor (1 Sam. 28:7-20) shows the Hebrew conception of the state of the dead. Saul, cut off from divine revelation through the regular channels, and being threatened by the Philistines, went to a woman reputed to be in communication with the spirits beyond the veil. He asked her to call up Samuel, the prophet. According to the account, Samuel did appear and foretold the death of Saul: "Tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me." (v. 19) No matter what view we may take of the historical substance of this account, we perceive that the Hebrews at an early day believed that the spirits of the dead were alive in Sheol, that they retained an outward resemblance to their former selves, and that they were interested in earthly affairs. The Prophet Isaiah (14:9-23) predicts the fall and utter destruction of Babylon under the grand imagery of a general commotion in hell. Hell arouses the kings of the nations, whose bodies lie in "glory," each in his own grave, (v. 18). They speak to the king of Babylon and express their contempt for him. They will not even accord him an honorable burial. He is to be cast out of the grave as a "carcass trodden under feet." (v. 19) Here again we see the Hebrew idea of the status of the human spirits in Sheol.
In the New Testament we learn more about the realm of the dead, which in those writings is called Hades. The departed ones are in Hades, but not all in the same part of it. The "rich man" (Rev. 2:7)
In Sheol, or Hades, as understood by the Hebrews, there is also a place of torment. David says: The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." (Rev. 21:8)
We have seen now that Sheol, or Hades, in the Scriptures, sometimes means the entire realm of the dead, sometimes only a part of it, as the grave, paradise, the lake of fire, etc. For a correct understanding of the subject, this distinction is important.
This is an exceedingly solemn subject. It calls for serious consideration. And the thought must never be lost sight of that if a soul is finally lost, it is not because God does not want that soul. The plan of salvation is for both living and dead. And none that can be saved will perish. Destruction is only for those who, in the pride of their hearts, refuse to be saved on the conditions of the Son of God.
Some hold that the Hebrews received their religious concepts from Babylonian, or Egyptian, or other pagan sources. Delitzsch, the eminent German Assyriologist, did much to popularize this view. 1
The fact, probably, is that all the people of the near Orient drew their wisdom from the same original sources. They were all one family of peoples. Assyrians, Chaldeans, Arameans and Syrians were really one nation. And the Hebrews belonged to the same group, as is clear from the fact that Bethuel, the son of Abraham's brother Nahor, and the father of Laban and Rebecca, who became the wife of Isaac, is called a Syrian (Deut. 26, the Israelite, who came to the altar of God with a gift consisting of the products of the earth, was directed to say, "A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt" (v. 5), so that the Israelites, if the race is considered, was one with the Syrians, or Arameans. The distinction between these nations was one of geography, rather than race. Consequently we may accept it as natural that their civilizations had a common origin. But they did not all preserve the traditions of their fathers with equal care. In this respect the Jews predominated. Their religion was pure, as long as they followed the leadership of their inspired prophets.