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For Hades is the abode of the departed wicked,
that is, the place where the wicked go immediately after death (Luke 16:22-24) where
they await the resurrection of damnation (John 5:29). While
Gehenna is the place where the wicked will be cast after their resurrection
and judgement (Revelation 20:11-15).
Gehenna is called also “everlasting fire” (Matthew 18:8; 25:41), and “the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone” or ‘the second death” (Revelation 20:15; 21:8). As
for the words ‘the second death,’ I would like to say that when Jesus said: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my
saying, he shall never see death” (John 8:51) He referred to this death, that
is, the second death, and not to the physical death, for as you know Paul and
Peter and all the other apostles saw the first death, that is, the physical
death, but they will never see the second death.
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To sum up, Hades
differs from Gehenna in that Hades is temporary, for souls only, while
Gehenna is a place of eternal condemnation after the soul has been reunited
with the body.
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The KJV
translates both Hades and Gehenna as ‘hell’ [for instance in Luke 16:23
(Hades) and Matthew 10:28 (Gehenna)]. This translation creates
confusion for the above mentioned reason. There is no doubt that Hades can be translated as ‘hell’
(when Hades refers to the temporary
place of torment where the souls of sinners go after death), just as Gehenna also can be translated as
‘hell,’ if by the term ‘hell’ is meant the eternal place of torment for the
wicked, but in order not to create confusion in the minds of the readers the
best thing to do is to leave these two Greek words in their untranslated
Greek form. Another solution is to leave Hades
in its untranslated Greek form and to translate Gehenna as ‘everlasting fire’ or ‘hell’. For instance the NKJV in
Luke 16:23 leaves Hades in its untranslated Greek form, and in Matthew 10:28 it
translates Gehenna as ‘hell’. Still
another solution is to translate Hades
as ‘hell’ and Gehenna as
‘everlasting fire.’
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