A. The Background of Gehenna - Hell.
Following the Great tribulation , all unsaved dead will be resurrected from Hades [Hell] to appear before the Great White Throne Judgment.
Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Rev 20:14 And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of fire.
Rev 20:15 And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
They will be then cast into Gehenna [hell] forever. Gehenna is a New Testament word, with an Old Testament background. It is found 12 times in the Greek New Testament, eleven of those instances coming from the mouth of the Saviour Himself.
Mat 5:22 but I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the hell of fire.
Hell γέεννα geenna gheh'-en-nah Strongs
Of Hebrew origin ([H1516] and [H2011]); valley of (the son of) Hinnom; gehenna (or Ge-Hinnom), a valley of Jerusalem, used (figuratively) as a name for the place (or state) of everlasting punishment: - hell.
See also Matt 5:29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 25:15; 33; Mk 9:43; 45; 9:47; Lk 12:5; James 3:6
The Etymology of the Word GHEHEENNA.
In the OT, a wicked King named Ahaz forsook the worship of Jehovah and followed the devil-god Molech. In His insane and immoral attempt to please Molech, he sacrificed his own children in the fires to Molech. Willmington p.682
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| Sacrificing Babies to Molech in Gheehenna. |
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| The Valley of Ben Hinnom was a narrow deep valley to the south of Jerusalem |
Geolocation G31.77° N, 35.23° E
2Ch 28:1 Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to rule. He ruled for 26 years in Jerusalem. He didn't do what the LORD considered right, as his ancestor David had done.
2Ch 28:2 He followed the example of the kings of Israel and even made metal idols for worshiping other gods-the Baals.
2Ch 28:3 He burned sacrifices in the valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his son by burning him alive, one of the disgusting things done by the nations that the LORD had forced out of the Israelites' way.
2Ch 28:4 He offered sacrifices and burned incense as an offering at the illegal worship sites, which were on hills and under every large tree.
2Ch 28:5 So the LORD his God handed him over to the king of Aram, who defeated him, captured many prisoners, and brought them to Damascus. GW.
2Ki 23:10 Josiah also made Topheth in the valley of Ben Hinnom unclean so that people would never again sacrifice their sons or daughters by burning them to the god Molech.
.Jer 7:31 They have built worship sites at Topheth in the valley of Ben Hinnom in order to burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices. I did not ask for this. It never entered my mind.
Jer 7:32 "That is why the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when that place will no longer be known as Topheth or the valley of Ben Hinnom. Instead, it will be known as Slaughter Valley. They will bury people at Topheth because no other place will be left.
Jer 7:33 The dead bodies of these people will become food for birds and animals, and no one will be there to frighten them away.
"Hell? No, that was just Gehenna."
Jen Buczynski says "Moving on, let’s tackle Argument #1—Hell was just Gehenna, a literal place in Jerusalem when Jesus was walking on the earth.
First, yes, absolutely, Gehenna was a real place at the time. In fact, when I visited Jerusalem for a college course on Archeology and the Bible, I stayed on the hill right next to it. I saw Gehenna, the place where trash and all sorts of disgusting waste was burned up. But let’s get something straight here, Jesus spoke about Gehenna to reveal a deeper spiritual truth.
In a similar way, Jesus called the word of God “seed”, because the people could recognize seed and see the meaning behind the parable. Gehenna was merely a earthly example of a spiritual place beyond comprehension. What else could Jesus compare hell to that the disciples and other followers could relate to?
Let’s look at some Scriptures when Jesus mentioned hell/Gehenna (using the NASB)
He described it as a place where the fire will never go out and where eternal punishment will happen:
Matthew 5:29 "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell" ("Gehenna" in Greek).
When someone died in Jerusalem, was their dead body thrown into the literal area of Gehenna? No, they had graves or family tombs, usually caves. Why would Jesus warn that because of sin the body would end up in Gehenna? It seems kind of irrelevant to those who followed Jesus.
Mark 9:43--"And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell (literally “Gehenna”), to the unquenchable fire."
Here Jesus even labels Gehenna as a place of unquenchable fire. The option here is either “enter life cripped” or go to hell/Gehenna and unquenchable fire with body intact. Apparently Jesus thought it was worth losing hands rather than go to that place of unquenchable fire.
He trimmed the choices down to two:
1. sin = fire, and
2. no sin = entering life.
Again, why would someone be worried about being thrown into Gehenna because they could not stay away from temptation? A greater spiritual truth (life vs. eternal fire) was in His mind here.
http://jenbuczynski.hubpages.com/hub/Hell-vs-Gehenna-in-the-Bible.
Combining both OT and NT passages and their meanings, we have desribed for us a place of filth, garbage, of fire and of death. This then is the word used by the Holy Spirit to ably describe the final destiny for the Unsaved.
B. The Location of Hell.
Where is hell located? The Bible clearly tells us that it is somewhere down in the heart of the earth.
Num 16:31 And it happened, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart.
Num 16:32 And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who were for Korah, and all their goods.
Num 16:33 They and all that they had went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed upon them. And they perished from among the congregation. Sheol is the place of waiting of the dead. They are waiting for the Judgment.
Jesus teaches us about Gehenna.
Mat 8:11 And I say to you that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven.
Mat 8:12 But the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Shall be cast out into outer darkness ... - This is an image of future punishment. It is not improbable that the image was taken from Roman dungeons or prisons. They were commonly constructed under ground. They were shut out from the light of the sun. They were, of course, damp, dark, and unhealthy, and probably most filthy. Masters were in the habit of constructing such prisons for their slaves, where the unhappy prisoner, without light, or company, or comfort, spent his days and nights in weeping from grief, and in vainly gnashing his teeth from indignation. The image expresses the fact that the wicked who are lost will be shut out from the light of heaven, and from peace, and joy, and hope; will weep in hopeless grief, and will gnash their teeth in indignation against God, and complain against his justice. What a striking image of future woe! Go to a damp, dark, solitary, and squalid dungeon; see a miserable and enraged victim; add to his sufferings the idea of eternity, and then remember that this, after all, is but an image, a faint image, of hell! Compare Mat_22:13. Matt 25:30 Barnes
The Apostle Peter
2Pe 2:14 having eyes full of adultery and never ceasing from sin, alluring unstable souls, having a heart exercised with covetousness. They are cursed children
2Pe 2:15 who have forsaken the right way and have gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,
2Pe 2:16 but had reproof of his lawbreaking, a dumb ass speaking in a man's voice, held back the madness of the prophet.
2Pe 2:17 These are wells without water, clouds driven with a tempest, for whom the blackness of darkness is reserved forever.
To whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever - The word rendered “mist” here, (ζόφος zophos,) means properly muskiness, thick gloom, darkness, (see 2Pe_2:4); and the phrase “mist of darkness” is designed to denote “intense” darkness, or the thickest darkness. It refers undoubtedly to the place of future punishment, which is often represented as a place of intense darkness. See the notes at Mat_8:12. When it is said that this is “reserved” for them, it means that it is prepared for them, or is kept in a state of readiness to receive them. It is like a jail or penitentiary which is built in anticipation that there will be criminals, and with the expectation that there will be a need for it. So God has constructed the great prison-house of the universe, the world where the wicked are to dwell, with the knowledge that there would be occasion for it; and so he keeps it from age to age that it may be ready to receive the wicked when the sentence of condemnation shall be passed upon them. Compare Mat_25:41. The word “forever” is a word which denotes properly eternity, (εἰς αἰώνα eis aiōna,) and is such a word as could not have been used if it had been meant that they would not suffer forever. Compare the notes at Mat_25:46. Barnes
These NT verses indicate that Gehenna hell is located away from the earth in outer Darkness.
C. That Nature and Characteristics of Hell.
What will it really be like? Note the following verses.
1. A Place of Unquenchable Fire.
Mat 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water to repentance. But He who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire;
Mat 3:12 whose fan is in His hand, and He will cleanse His floor and gather His wheat into the storehouse; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Mat 13:41 The Son of Man shall send out His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who do iniquity,
Mat 13:42 and shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
And shall cast them into a furnace of fire,.... Not a material, but a metaphorical one; denoting the wrath of God, which shall fall upon wicked men, and abide upon them to all eternity: which is sometimes called hell fire, sometimes a lake which burns with fire and brimstone; and here a furnace of fire, expressing the vehemency and intenseness of divine wrath, J. Gill
2. Hell is a Place of Memory and Remorse.
In Lk 16:19-31 the unsaved rich man experienced memory and remorse over his lost condition in the tormenting fires of hades.
Luk 16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame.
3. Hell is a place of Thirst. see Lk 16:24 above.
4. Hell is a place of Misery and Pain.
Rev 14:9 And a third angel followed them, saying with a great voice, If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark in his forehead or in his hand,
Rev 14:10 he also will drink of the wine of the anger of God, having been mixed undiluted in the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented by fire and brimstone before the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. And they have no rest day or night, those who worship the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.
Mat 13:41 The Son of Man shall send out His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who do iniquity,
Mat 13:42 and shall cast them into a furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 24:51 And He shall cut him apart and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
6. Hell is a place of Separation.
Often the Unbeliever jokes about hell saying, “ Oh, if I do go to hell, I won’t be lonely, for all my friends will be there too. But quite the opposite is true.
In at least four separate passages Gehenna is called the SECOND DEATH.
Rev 2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. The second death has no authority over these, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him a thousand years.
Rev 20:15 And if anyone was not found having been written in the Book of Life, he was cast into the Lake of Fire.
Death in the Bible means separation. There in Hell the sinner will for ever be separated from God.
7. Hell is a place of undiluted Divine Wrath.
The wicked have already experienced some of God’s wrath on earth, but, not in its final and pure state. Note Habakkuk’s Prayer
Hab 3:2 O Jehovah, I have heard Your report; I am afraid. O Jehovah, give new life to Your work in the midst of years; in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy.
But no more! All Unsaved should ponder these frightful words.
Rev 14:10 he also will drink of the wine of the anger of God, having been mixed undiluted in the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented by fire and brimstone before the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.
Rev 14:11 And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. And they have no rest day or night, those who worship the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.
8. Hell is a place that was originally designed for the devil and his angels.
Mat 25:41 Then He also shall say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire for the Devil and his angels.
That man should refuse heaven, a place prepared for all repenting men and choose hell. What Tragedy!!! Joh 14:2 Jesus said “In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. “
9. Hell is a Place of Everlasting contempt.
Dan 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
shame :חרפּה
cherpâh BDB Definition:
1) reproach, scorn
1a) taunt, scorn (upon enemy)
1b) reproach (resting upon condition of shame, disgrace)
1c) a reproach (an object)
contempt: / דּראון
derâ'ôn / dêrâ'ôn BDB Definition:
1) aversion, abhorrence
J. Gill Comments “wicked men, who lived in a course of sin in this world, without any remorse or shame; but, when they shall rise from the dead, they will rise with all their sins upon them, and with a full conviction of them in their consciences; and will be ashamed of them, and to appear before God the Judge of all; and will be had in contempt by the Lord, by elect angels, and all good men; and this reproach shall never be wiped off; see Isa_66:24. Our Lord seems manifestly to have respect to this passage, when he speaks of men coming out of their graves at the last day, "some unto the resurrection of life, and others unto the resurrection of damnation", Joh_5:28
Jud 1:7 What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities near them is an example for us of the punishment of eternal fire. The people of these cities suffered the same fate that God's people and the angels did, because they committed sexual sins and engaged in homosexual activities.
How can a just God rightfully punish forever, those sins which were committed for just a brief time on earth. Only God knows the real answer but Hell does show the Heinousness of sin and the Holiness of God. Thus sins against God’s eternal Holiness, can only be punished by God’s eternal Justice.
There will be degrees of suffering in Hell. God shows no partiality or injustice Romans 2:6;11
Mat 11:20 Then Jesus denounced the cities where he had worked most of his miracles because they had not changed the way they thought and acted.
Mat 11:21 "How horrible it will be for you, Chorazin! How horrible it will be for you, Bethsaida! If the miracles worked in you had been worked in Tyre and Sidon, they would have changed the way they thought and acted long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
Mat 11:22 I can guarantee that judgment day will be better for Tyre and Sidon than for you.
Mat 11:23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to heaven? No, you will go down to hell! If the miracles that had been worked in you had been worked in Sodom, it would still be there today.
Mat 11:24 I can guarantee that judgment day will be better for Sodom than for you."
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