The Greek word in the NT that is usually translated as \"hell\" is \"Gehenna\". This is actually a Hebrew word that meant the stinking, burning place outside the city of Jerusalem where the Jews dumped and burned their refuse, an actual place. And in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man definitely said that he was in anguish in the flame, which would tend to suggest an actual place. As to the gulf that separated him from Lazarus, that no man could pass through, that is a metaphor for the finality of the situation, that once you die, there is no \"turning back\" or repentance after death. On a side note, the name of the city Vienna is actually a contraction of the words Via Gehenna--the Road to Hell. If someone could do some more research on how the city got this name, I\'d like to read it.
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