Hades Is Not Paradise by Editor

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Oct 28, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 41.

Hades Is Not Paradise

By Editor

A WRITER who signs himself "A. J. N." (is it Dr. A. J. Nelson?) has an article in the California Christian Advocate, of October 9, on "Hades—Tar-tarus—Gehenna—Aiden," one expression of which we wish to notice, because it teaches an erroneous idea.

"Hades of the New Testament is always the Paradise of the blessed dead, or the abode of the disembodied dead."

It is marvelous that a well-informed writer should make such a statement. Hades occurs in the original, we believe, eleven times, but never once is it used to mean "Paradise;" it always means the place or state of the dead—good and bad. "Paradise" occurs only three times in the New Testament, namely, Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 12:2, 4; Rev. 2:7. By comparing the last text with Rev. 22:1, 2, it will be seen that Paradise is where the throne of God is or, as indicated by Paul in 2 Cor. 12:2-4, in the third heaven. This is a fair sample of the scripturality of the whole article.