Heaven and Hell

Definition and Meaning

The Korean term for heaven, cheonguk (天國), means "the kingdom of heaven." It refers to the place where God reigns and where the saved live forever with God. Hell, jiok (地獄), refers to the place where those who have rejected and turned away from God receive punishment after the Last Judgment. Protestantism generally teaches that these are the two places where humanity's eternal destinies diverge, and it treats them under eschatology.

Biblical and Historical Background

The Old Testament called the place to which the dead go "Sheol," and the New Testament, written in Greek, rendered this term as "Hades." "Gehenna," the word Jesus used when speaking of hell, derives from the Valley of Hinnom south of Jerusalem. The "kingdom of heaven" in the Gospel of Matthew has the same meaning as the kingdom of God in the other Gospels. For this reason, the term is sometimes read as referring to God's reign rather than to a place. Revelation 21:1 speaks of "a new heaven and a new earth" that will come at the end of time, and Revelation 20:14–15 speaks of "the lake of fire."

Since the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church has taught the doctrine of purgatory, a stage in which the soul is purified before entering heaven. The Reformers rejected this doctrine as lacking a basis in Scripture. The Westminster Confession of Faith, a doctrinal standard of Presbyterianism, states in chapter 32 that the souls of the righteous are received into heaven immediately upon death, while the souls of the wicked are cast into hell.

Practice in Korean Churches

The major Korean denominations, including the Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and Full Gospel churches, confess eternal life in heaven and eternal punishment in hell as orthodox doctrine. Some theologians, however, do not take expressions describing hell, such as "fire" and "outer darkness," literally, interpreting them instead as symbols of separation from God.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church teaches "conditional immortality," holding that the wicked do not suffer eternally but are ultimately annihilated. Jehovah's Witnesses regard the hell of the Bible as the common grave of humankind. Both positions differ from the understanding of the major denominations.

In evangelism, slogans such as "Jesus, heaven; unbelief, hell" (Yesu cheonguk, bulsin jiok) are used. Some regard such slogans as presenting the gospel simply and clearly, while others criticize them as relying on fear. At funeral services, mourners are commonly comforted with the assurance that the deceased has gone to heaven, and some churches call the funeral service a "heavenly send-off service." Regarding testimonies of having personally seen heaven or hell, some believe they strengthen faith, while others are concerned that they rely excessively on personal experiences outside Scripture.