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Questions & Answers

Sheol

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Our Lord and the Faith › Sheol

The question

Can you explain Sheol to me? I am confused as to what exactly it is. I have read that it was once a waiting place for BOTH believers and nonbelievers, but after the resurrection, the doors of Sheol were ripped down and the believers were then taken to Paradise with Christ. So, now the once combined waiting place of both believers and nonbelievers is only for the nonbelievers. 

The answer

This is correct. Sheol is another name for Hades. When the Lord Jesus Christ died upon the cross, He descended into Hades and released the righteous who had been held captive in Sheol since the exile of Adam and Eve. Thus, the priest prays during the Anaphora in the Divine Liturgy, "He descended into Hades through the cross... He rose from the dead on the third day." Now, the believers and the righteous wait in the Paradise of Joy, as the Lord promised Demas, the thief on the right (Luke 23:43), and as the souls of the martyrs beneath the altar were comforted (Revelation 6:9-11), but the wicked and unbelievers remain in Hades. All await Judgment Day. 

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 2534 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.