Gehenna Fire (Listen or Read)
Fire of Gehenna
The second pillar in support of the doctrine of everlasting punishment is Gehenna. It is one of three words translated “hell” in the New Testament. It is the most common, used twelve times. Hades is used eleven times, and Tartarus only once. William Barclay stated:
Gehenna…means the Valley of Hinnom, a valley to the southwest of Jerusalem. It was notorious as the place where Ahaz had introduced the fire worship of the heathen God Molech, to whom little children were burned.…2 Chronicles 28:2-4. Josiah had stamped out that worship and ordered that the valley should be forever after an accursed place…it became the place where the refuse of Jerusalem was cast out and destroyed. It was a kind of public incinerator. Always the fire smoldered in it, and a pall of thick smoke lay over it, and bred a loathsome kind of worm which was hard to kill (Mark 9:44-48). So Gehenna, the Valley of Hinnom, became identified in people’s minds with all that was accursed and filthy, the place where useless and evil things were destroyed.¹⁴ See #1 Appendix V.
Hades is the Greek word for the Hebrew, Sheol, which the New Strong’s Concise Dictionary defines as “unseen,” the place (state) of departed souls.15 Throughout the Old Testament it refers to the state following death for both righteous and unrighteous. The NIV translates it “grave” or “death.” Tartarus is a holding area prior to judgment for angels who have sinned (2Pe. 2:4).
Gehenna is not mentioned in the Old Testament or by John, Paul, Peter, Jude, or James in all their writings (except once indirectly regarding the tongue—Ja. 3:6). Nor is it mentioned in the book of Acts or Hebrews. Jesus uses the term on what seems like only four occasions. (A few times He seems to refer to this judgment but without using the term. Mt. 3:10-12; 7:19; 13:40-50; 25:41) If Gehenna were truly eternal and purposeless agony as claimed, how can such a horrible fate—to which most people are destined—not be warned against everywhere? How can we explain this?
The First Time “Gehenna” Is Used by Christ
[Turn to Mt. 5:21-22.]
At the very outset of the New Testament, Christ established the limited nature of the Gehenna judgment. This is extremely significant. For in the context of His first mention of it, He confirmed the Mosaic code of justice: “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” (Mt. 5:38 derived from Ex. 21:24; Mt. 5:17-19). This code established that each crime merits a just and fit punishment, one obviously measurable: “You shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe” (Ex. 21:23-25). If Christ understood Gehenna to be everlasting, He could not have associated it with the Mosaic code. What is measurable about everlasting? And furthermore, He specifically confirmed this by saying that the same measure we use on others will be used on us! (Mt. 7:2). This indicates Gehenna is not eternal. For example, no derogatory remark (fool) afflicts everlasting pain, and therefore cannot merit everlasting punishment in return.
[Turn to Mt. 5:23-26.]
“Prison” here is a metaphor for Gehenna. This harmonizes with the “prison” of 1Pe. 3:19, and the Father’s sentence of Mt. 18:34-35. It is directly linked to Gehenna in the preceding verse (Mt. 5:22) by the word “therefore,” and it is immediately followed by another Gehenna judgment in the very next passage (Mt. 5:27-32). Thus, Mt. 5:23-26 is “sandwiched” between two Gehenna judgments. The final clincher is that the Lord identifies the Gehenna judgment as a most serious judgment we are all to fear. He says, “Truly (Assuredly NKJV) I say unto you.” That is serious. What other judgment could he possibly be referring to in this context but the Gehenna judgment?
“Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there [Gehenna] until you have paid up the last cent.” The word “until” unmistakably confirms Gehenna is of a limited duration. Once the penalty is exacted, release follows, but not before. Note He addressed these words to a mixed audience of believers and unbelievers (Mt. 5:1; 7:28; 8:1). (See also Mt. 18:34-35).
[Turn to Mt. 5:27-30.]
Here, He describes the consequences of sinning lustfully. We can all imagine the scene—not pleasant. Nevertheless, these are concepts we can identify with in this physical world. With Gehenna, however, we know little. We have to trust Christ implicitly. So what does He say? It is “more profitable” to lose an eye or a hand, than to experience Gehenna. That’s it. That is all He chose to say. If Gehenna were truly unending and horrible beyond what we can imagine, how could He describe it merely as “less profitable”? Is this all He could say to contrast momentary and unending pain? Such a phrase can only describe another finite penalty, though to a degree more severe.
For the continuing exposition of Christ’s use of Gehenna, including: “Fire not Quenched,” “Refining Fire,” “Undying Worm,” and “Lake of Fire.” See #1 Appendix V.
Whatever judgment fire entails, we can be confident it conforms to the character of our Father. “He is like a refiner’s fire…He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi…that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness”(Mal. 3:2-3). Please note that His judgment fire is administered in the presence of the Lamb who was slain for us from the foundation of the world (Re. 14:10; 13:8). He certainly will not rest day and night as He looks on our sufferings with His unchanging heart of compassion (Mt. 9:36; He. 13:8).Everything God does was planned before the world began. Gehenna was not something God was forced to create because man surprised or disappointed Him. Nothing is an afterthought. All things serve His good purposes for His creation, a creation which He declared to be, “indeed” very good (Ge. 1:31). God controls world! (1Pe. 1:18-20; 1Co. 2:7; Ep. 1:4; 2Tim. 1:9; Titus 1:2.)
(For the following three references, see #1 Appendix V)
References: See Bibliography page.
