The True Meaning of Hell: Neville Goddard and the Symbolic Bible
For centuries, hell has been central to religious doctrine, widely portrayed as a place of eternal torment for the wicked. This traditional, literal interpretation has shaped much of popular belief about the afterlife. Yet Neville Goddard—teacher of spiritual truth and imaginative power—revealed a radically different understanding, one rooted in the Bible’s symbolic language. According to Neville, the Bible is not a historical or theological document, but a spiritual manual encoded in metaphor. In this light, hell is not a physical place of punishment, but a psychological state of mind. His revelations uncover the true story of the Bible—one that stands in direct opposition to the popular electro-literal interpretation.
The Limited Biblical Mention of Hell
Though central to many religious teachings, the concept of hell barely appears in the original scriptures. Most references come from translations of words like Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, and Tartarus:
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Sheol (Hebrew): the grave, the realm of the dead—not inherently a place of punishment.
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Hades (Greek): the underworld, with no necessary implication of eternal torment.
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Gehenna: a valley outside Jerusalem, once associated with burning refuse—not a spiritual torture chamber.
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Tartarus: used once in the New Testament, borrowed from Greek mythology.
The fiery pit often imagined by doctrine was never a clear biblical teaching. Over time, external traditions expanded and distorted the meanings of these terms. Neville Goddard dismantled these literal readings and restored their original function—as symbols of inner states of being. His interpretation affirms that hell is not a place, but a condition of mind.
Neville Goddard’s Interpretation of Hell
Neville taught that hell is a state of inner suffering—a conflict arising when one lives in contradiction to their divine nature. It is the torment of fear, doubt, and self-betrayal. It is psychological, not punitive; a condition we enter, not a place we are sent.
For Neville, the fire of hell is symbolic of mental and emotional anguish. It is the burning sensation that accompanies inner contradiction—the pain of resisting one’s true desire or remaining trapped in false identification. This “fire” is not meant for punishment, but for purification. It presses us to confront our errors, to cast off limitation, and to awaken to our true identity as imaginative beings.
Saul and Sheol: Hell as a Living State of Consciousness
The symbolic nature of hell becomes especially vivid in the story of King Saul. His Hebrew name, Sha’ul (שָׁאוּל), means asked for or demanded. He represents a state of consciousness that is dependent on outer validation, constantly asking for instruction, never standing in inner knowing.
Now consider Sheol (שְׁאוֹל), traditionally translated as "hell" or "the grave." It shares the same root as Saul (ש־א־ל), meaning to ask. This is not a coincidence—it is a revelation. Saul is Sheol. He doesn’t fall into hell. He embodies it.
Saul lives out the symbolic hell: a tormented state of mind ruled by fear, cut off from the inner voice (symbolised by the prophet Samuel), and helplessly attached to expired structures of power. In 1 Samuel 28, his desperation drives him to summon Samuel from Sheol through a medium. Symbolically, this act is not about necromancy—it is about a dying consciousness seeking answers from the dead past instead of living from the imagination.
Neville unveils Saul as a type of consciousness that suffers because it cannot hear the "I AM". It reaches outward, while David—its spiritual successor—rules from within.
Hell as the Struggle of Consciousness
Neville often emphasised that real torment stems from mental division. When we live in separation from our inner creative power, we suffer. This is hell—not imposed from above, but self-inflicted through ignorance of who we are.
This state can look like:
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Obsessive fear of the future
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Living by external appearances
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Doubting one’s worth and power
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Identifying with failure or guilt
Hell is the inner breakdown that results from outer dependence. It is the price of spiritual amnesia.
The Power of Transformation
Yet Neville’s teaching is not one of condemnation, but liberation. Hell is not final—it is a threshold. Through awareness, imagination, and faith, we can shift our inner state. We can rise out of Sheol.
Neville taught that the moment we choose to identify with our true Self—the "I AM"—we begin the journey out of torment and into the Kingdom of Heaven. Heaven, like hell, is a state of consciousness. It is available now, through a shift in self-identification.
Fire as Symbolic Purification
Throughout the Bible, fire appears as a symbol not of destruction, but of refinement. In Malachi 3:2–3:
“For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap... he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”
Neville understood this fire as the inner heat of transformation. Life’s emotional intensities can burn away illusion, clearing the way for greater truth. Hellish states serve a purpose: they reveal what must be released, and what can be born anew.
Conclusion: Neville’s Revelation of the Symbolic Bible
Neville Goddard did not reinterpret the Bible—he revealed it. He uncovered what had been hidden in plain sight: that scripture is symbolic, psychological, and personal. The traditional interpretation of hell as a physical punishment is a complete misreading. The true story of the Bible, as revealed by Neville, is not about sin and wrath, but about imagination and transformation.
Hell is not eternal damnation, but inner disconnection. Saul is not just a king—he is a warning against living externally. And David is not just his replacement—he is the awakened imagination, the divine inheritance reclaimed.
Final Reflection: Saul, Sheol, and the Journey Within
Saul’s story is not history—it is prophecy. He symbolises every moment we give power to outer voices and forget the truth within. He lives in Sheol not because he dies, but because he ceases to listen.
David rises not by force, but by faith. He listens to the inner call. He is the image of imagination itself, crowned not by man, but by inner conviction.
Neville’s message is timeless: the fire you fear is the very thing that purifies. The hell you dread is the doorway to awakening. The story was never about punishment—it was about remembering. And it begins now, in you.
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