Hell and How To Get Out Of It?

There is a widespread belief that "hell" is a place where immortal souls of the wicked are tortured for ever.  Many authors have described the agonies of "hell" in detail and artists have painted scenes of horror.  The Bible however presents a quite different view of "hell".  The dead are unconscious;  this is clearly stated in Ecclesiastes:
"...for the living know that they will die, but the dead know not anything and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten".  
(Ecclesiastes 9 v 5  N.K.J.V.)

But what about the many references to hell in the Bible?  How do these mentions of "hell" square with unconsciousness in death?  The answer lies in the way that the Bible has been translated.  The original words translated as "hell" just as frequently appear as "the grave".  The people who heard Jesus preach did not have any problem understanding about "hell".  When Jesus spoke about "hell" and in some cases about "hell fire" he wasn't speaking in English.  He spoke in the language of his country and would use the word "gehenna".  All the people who heard him knew that "Gehenna" was a valley outside Jerusalem where all the refuse of the city was burned.  Jerusalem had a lot of refuse and so the fire burned continually day and night.  So to get the idea of total destruction Jesus created a picture of burning rubbish in the minds of his listeners.

Recent translations of the Bible are more accurate, translating "hell" as "grave".  When Jesus died he did not go into hell, he went into the grave.  We know that his grave was a tomb cut into the rock with an entrance covered with a large stone.  Jesus got out of his tomb because God raised him to life and made him immortal.  He cannot die again.  So using the words of some translations, Jesus got out of "hell".

What happens if we die before Jesus returns to the earth?  Our only hope of getting out of "hell" or the grave, as we should call it, is to share in the resurrection promised to all those that believe in God and His Son Jesus.  Now is the time to reflect on the future and think about what we believe.