The significance of the name Jared, Yared יֶרֶד cannot be overlooked. It is a name that deserves to be deeply pondered as it is vital to our life in Messiah. Jared means descent or will come down, and there are two aspects of this in the life of Yeshua.
To bring final atonement, Yeshua chose to step out of glory, descend to earth, and become part of His creation to redeem it. What a radical concept, that the Living God would come to earth, embody flesh and bone, only to face death on behalf of a sinful people. It is no wonder that His teachings were met with resistance and that He would say to the crowds, “He who has ears, let him hear!”.
During a nighttime meeting with the P’rushim (Pharisee) Nikadimon (Nicodemus), Yeshua said, No one has gone up into heaven; there is only the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. Just as Moshe (Moses) lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life. John 3:12-15 This is followed by arguably the most famous scripture in the New Testament, John 3:16. He came down and was lifted up so that we may live.
In John 6, a large crowd sought out Yeshua, He called them out for not coming to find Him due to His teachings or even the signs and wonders He had been performing. They sought Him because He had miraculously fed them by multiplying bread and fish. They were seeking with their stomachs rather than their hearts. So, they demanded to see a miraculous sign and then they would trust Him. Just having been fed due to a miracle was not enough for them. In His reply, He not once, but twice drives home a specific point. John 6:38 says For I have come down from heaven to do not my own will but the will of the One who sent me, and in verse 51, I am the living bread that has come down from heaven; if anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. Furthermore, the bread that I will give is my own flesh; and I will give it for the life of the world. This did not go over well with the Judeans, and they began grumbling against Him. The Bible says that “many of His talmidim (disciples) turned back and no longer traveled around with Him.” (v.66)
We know and are thankful that Yeshua came down to die on the cross so that we may have eternal life. And there are scriptures that we quote about His victory over death, hell, and the grave. In the book of Revelation during his vision, John saw Yeshua and said When I saw Him, I fell down at His feet like a dead man. He placed His right hand upon me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last, the Living One. I was dead, but look! – I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys to Death and Sheol.” Revelation 1:18 This is great news that gives us that blessed hope that death has no permanent hold over us. Ephesians 4:8-10 explains This is why it says, “After He went up into the heights, He led captivity captive, and He gave gifts to mankind.” Now this phrase, “He went up,” what can it mean if not that He first went down into the lower parts, that is, the earth? The one who went down is Himself the one who also went up, far above all of heaven, in order to fill all things.
Reading this begs the question, “Where and what is this place He descended or went down?” We can make that logical jump that Paul is referring to hell, but what do we know outside of it being a place we don’t want to go to as it will eternally separate us from God? To answer this question, we must take a deeper look at its meaning through scripture.
Sheol שְאוֹל can mean hollow hand, hollow place, or hell. To grasp the seriousness of this topic, we must take a hard look at what the Word says about it, and realize that this is no game, hell is not a vacation destination where it will be 24/7 parties. Hell is a horrific place that was not created for mankind. Here are the ways hell or Sheol is described in the Bible. There is a lot of scripture to cover, so I hope that you will read each that ties to their description. When we allow the Word to cut through to our hearts, we will see things in a different light. I believe this is one of those topics we need to let the Word shine through so that we truly understand the place Yeshua rescued us from.
The Underworld
Sh’ol below is stirred up to meet you when you come. It awakens for you the ghosts of the dead who were leaders on earth; it makes all the kings of the nations arise from their thrones. Isaiah 14:9
Who can live and not see death? Who can save himself from the power of the grave? Psalm 89:49(48)
For the prudent, the path of life goes upward; thus he avoids Sh’ol below. Proverbs 15:24
Where men descend at death
Though all his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, he refused all consolation, saying “No, I will go down to the grave, to my son, mourning.” And his father wept for him. Genesis 37:35 (Jacob upon hearing about Joseph)
Like a cloud dissolving and disappearing, so he who descends to Sh’ol won’t come back up. Job 7:9
Your pride has been brought down to Sh’ol with the music of your lyres, under you a mattress of maggots, over you a blanket of worms. Isaiah 14:11
Instead, you are brought down to Sh’ol, to the uttermost depths of the pit. Isaiah 14:15
An Insatiable Monster
Therefore, Sh’ol has enlarged itself and opened its limitless jaws – and down go their nobles and masses, along with their noise and revels. Isaiah 5:14
Truly, wine is treacherous; the arrogant will not live at peace but keeps expanding his desires like Sh’ol; like death, he can never be satisfied; he keeps collecting all the nations for himself, rallying to himself all the peoples. Habakkuk 2:5
Sh’ol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and human eyes are never satisfied. Proverbs 27:20
Figuratively Said to Have Snares
The ropes of Sh’ol were wrapped around me, the snares of death lay there before me. Psalm 18:6(5)
The chords of death were all around me, Sh’ol’s constrictions held me fast. Psalm 116:3
Dark, Gloomy, Without Return
Aren’t my days few? So, Stop! Leave me alone, so I can cheer up a little before I go to the place of no return, to the land of darkness and death-dark gloom. Job 10:20-21
For I have but few years left before I leave on the road of no return. Job 16:22
Without Work or Knowledge of Wisdom
For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; there is no longer any reward for them because all memory of them is lost. What they loved, what they hated, and what they envied all disappeared long ago, and they no longer have a share in anything done under the sun. Ecclesiastes 9:5-6
Whatever task comes your way to do, do it with all your strength; because in Sh’ol where you will go, there is neither working nor planning, neither knowledge nor wisdom. Ecclesiastes 9:10
Death is Their Shepherd
Like sheep, they are destined for Sh’ol; death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule them in the morning; and their forms will waste away in Sh’ol until they need no dwelling.
There is a stark comparison here with Psalm 23. Unlike those who walk with the Good Shepherd, death is the shepherd of those who refuse Him.
Righteous Dread it Because No Praise or Presence of God There
For in death, no one remembers you; in Sh’ol who will praise you? Psalm 6:6(5)
Sh’ol cannot thank you, death cannot praise you; those descending to the pit cannot hope for your truth. Isaiah 38:18
Deliverance From it is a Blessing
Adonai, you lifted me up from Sh’ol; you kept me alive when I was sinking into a pit. Psalm 30:4(3)
I will thank you, Adonai my God, with my whole heart; and I will glorify your name forever. For your grace toward me is so great! You have rescued me from the lowers part of Sh’ol. Psalm 86:12-13
Righteous Shall Not Be Abandoned
For you will not abandon me to Sh’ol, you will not let your faithful one see the Abyss. Psalm 16:10
Is Ransomed For
But God will redeem me from Sh’ol’s control because he will receive me. Psalm 49:16(15)
The righteous person perishes, and nobody gives it a thought. Godly men are taken away and no one understands that the righteous person is taken away from the evil yet to come. Yes, those who live uprightly will have peace as they rest on their couches. Isaiah 57:1-2
In the New Testament, the Greek rendering for Sheol or hell is Hades. It is described as “the infernal regions, a dark and dismal place in the very depths of the earth. As with the Hebrew scriptures, there are descriptions and verses in the New Testament that shed light on how horrible hell really is.
The Common Receptacle of Disembodied Spirits
(From the parable of the rich man and Lazarus) In Sh’ol, where he was in torment, the rich man looked up and saw Avraham (Abraham) far away with El’azar (Lazarus) at his side. He called out, ‘Father Avraham, take pity on me, and send El’azar just to dip the tip of his finger in water to cool my tongue because I’m in agony in this fire!” Luke 16:23-24
Hades As a Power is Personified
Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? 1 Corinthians 15:55
Be Thrust Down Into the Depth of Misery and Dsigrace
And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? Nom you will be brought down to Sh’ol! Matthew 11:23
Multiple times throughout the gospels, Yeshua declared that with those thrust out, there would be “wailing and gnashing of teeth”. Matthew 8:12, Matthew 13:42 and 50, Matthew 22:13, Matthew 24:51, Matthew 25:30, and Luke 13:28.
As I sat and read through all these verses, the reality of where I have been saved from washed over me, and the reality of where so many are heading has become a heavier burden. So many people are lost and on their way to eternal damnation because they haven’t heard or refuse to hear the good news of Messiah. It is not the Father’s will that even one should perish, but do we have that same heart? If we have that discernment and knowledge of what He really did for us, then why are we not burdened for the lost? Why are we not doing everything we can to show them the road to life? There is a powerful song by Casting Crowns that came out years ago called If We Are the Body that asks the question, “If we are the body, why aren’t His arms reaching? Why aren’t His hands healing? Why aren’t His words teaching? If we are the body, why aren’t His feet going? Why is His love not showing them there is a way?”
Yeshua descended and lived life here on earth for one purpose. To become our sin, to die on that cross, to be laid in a tomb, and while that stone covered the entrance, He descended even further, into hell itself, took the keys to death, hell, and the grave. He was resurrected and ascended to the right hand of the Father, and very soon the shofar of the Lord will sound, and we will be caught up with Him and changed, but not before the dead who are in Him rise first. Death’s hold broken, its bonds shattered, its grip forever loosened. Until then, there is a single line from The Chosen that sums up what we are to do. People Must Know!
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