HADES

This word comes directly from Greek into English, letter-for-letter. W.E. Vine noted that some derive the term from the negative prefix a ("not") and eido ("seen"), hence "the unseen," though he felt the more likely possibility is that it comes from hado, signifying "all receiving." In the KJV it is rendered "hell," but this is incorrect. Hades is the generic name for the intermediate state of the dead, i.e., the receptacle of the soul -- whether pertaining to the righteous or the wicked. Jesus was in Hades while his body resided in the tomb (Acts 2:27). Likewise, the selfish rich man, mentioned by Christ, was tormented in his Hadean abode (Lk. 16:23). At the time of Christ's return, when all bodies are raised from the dead (Jn. 5:28-29; Acts 24:15), Hades will surrender the spirits it has retained (Rev. 1:18; 20:13-14). Then, both the good people and the bad will enter their final destinies, with bodies (incorruptible in nature -- 1 Cor. 15:53-54) and souls reunited (Mt. 10:28; 2 Cor. 5:1ff).