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Gehenna hell-fire
By Mahlon Wickey December, 2010
As we all know, the doctrine of "hell" is a major doctrine of most modern churches, and it is believed that ALL people that DO NOT confess Jesus Christ will suffer never-ending torment in a place called "hell". Millions of believers read their Bibles, and they truly believe what Jesus Christ said about hell and hell-fire. According to most English Bibles Jesus Christ did indeed talk about hell and hell-fire, and the terms, "everlasting punishment" and "everlasting fire" are also mentioned in most English Bibles. But the question is; did Jesus Christ talk about the KIND of "punishment" and the KIND of "hell-fire" that is believed and taught in our "spiritually enlightened" Churches? That is the question that will be addressed in this article.
Millions of believers seem to never give it a thought that there might be mistranslations or mistakes with the translated words found in their English Bibles. It is believed that the translated words in our English Bibles are very accurate since they are taken from the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. Our modern "spiritually enlightened" churches generally DO NOT consider that the translated words in our English Bibles are CHANGED words from the original INSPIRED words written in the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. Therefore certain words in our English Bibles could ALSO change the INSPIRED meanings!
Please understand; the meanings of the words in the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts are accurate enough for any common sense intelligent believer to know what God intended these words to mean. But some honest study is required to know what these original INSPIRED meanings are by using Strong’s Concordance and other Bible helps, which are easily available in today’s world. Only a very few English translated Bibles are fairly accurate in matching the original INSPIRED meanings, and these few translations use the word "Gehenna" instead of the word "hell". I will display these translations later.
Many pastors preach to their congregations that the English words found in their Bibles are the TRUE inspired words of God, and these pastors proudly proclaim that God has indeed "preserved His word". Then it is assumed (yes, assumed) the way God preserved His word was by having it translated into our English Bibles (namely the King James Bible). As we all know, the KJ Bible is the most popular and the most READ Bible in our modern Christian world, but it is generally IGNORED what the inspired original meanings are that certain words in our beloved KJ Bible were translated FROM.
Many TV evangelists are trained in speaking in order to get the attention of millions of TV viewers with their clever way of quoting scripture from our beloved KJ Bible. These "men of God" are supposedly proving that the "hell-fire" that is taught by Jesus Christ is endless TORMENT in "unquenchable fire" that is waiting for ALL people that DO NOT become "believers", and DO NOT confess Jesus Christ as their savior. This teaching on hell-fire is of course designed to promote the fear of God as a WARNING from a wrathful God that is speaking "through" these very "sincere" and highly respected pastors and evangelists.
Some of these highly trained and well respected men with their skillful speaking generally have a secret motive and desire to "(con)vince" millions of people to give millions of their dollars to support the lavish and rich lifestyles of these skilled con-artists. The spiritual tragedy is that most believers seem to never scripturally question these "men of God", and somehow it is believed that these "men of God" DESERVE their fancy homes, expensive cars, and luxurious lifestyles.
Millions of believers believe (yes, BELIEVE) in a merciful God who is called LOVE (1John 4:8), but it is a shame and a disgrace that they also believe that same merciful God will cast (or allow) vast billions of "unsaved" souls into hell to suffer torment for all of eternity! If we are honest that is basically what is generally believed and taught about hell and hell-fire by most modern churches. I must however point out that in recent years we seldom ever hear the kind of "hell-fire and brimstone" sermons as we did in the past. Could it be that many believers are "waking up" to certain spiritual truths?
When Jesus Christ talked about hell and hell-fire what did He mean, and what are the original intended meanings that the words hell and hell-fire were translated from? Keep in mind that Christ himself stated that His words are spirit and they are life (John 6:63). Therefore the words of Jesus Christ MUST be discerned spiritually (1Cor 2:14); they CANNOT be discerned in the normal and natural way by our human way of thinking. But understand; the discernment of Christ’s words MUST be revealed by the Holy Spirit of God so that we CAN know WHAT Christ meant, but FIRST a sincere EFFORT must be made on our part to study the original INSPIRED scriptures. The major point is that we MUST have a sincere DESIRE in simply wanting to know WHAT Christ meant, and then God will open our hearts so that we are then ABLE to properly DISCERN Christ’s words.
God knows our hearts better than we do, and if we CANNOT "handle the truth" (as Jack Nicholson would say) then God will NOT reveal the truth to us. Just a little bit of HONEST study is required to check the meaning of "hell" in Strong’s Concordance to know that Jesus Christ DID NOT talk about the kind of "hell" so-called Christianity has believed and taught for many centuries!
The fact is, Jesus Christ did indeed talk a lot about "hell" but there were TWO kinds of "hell" that He talked about; therefore these two kinds of "hell" of course have TWO different meanings. It therefore becomes the responsibility and DUTY of honest believers to check out these meanings, and then BELIEVE them. Then they should be honest witnesses for these inspired meanings in spite of what they might have taught and believed all their lives about hell and hell-fire!
As you probably noticed, I make a distinction and separate the word "hell" and the words "hell-fire" simply because these TWO kinds of hell are taken from these two Greek words, "Hades" and "Gehenna", therefore making a difference in the meanings of hell and hell-fire. The word "hell" is found twenty three times in the New Testament. Eleven times the word "hell" was taken from the word "Hades", and twelve times it was taken from the word "Gehenna". Webster’s dictionary says that the original Old English meaning of "hell" was to "cover" or to "conceal". But the modern "hell" is used by most modern churches to support the paganism of ETERNAL punishment.
"Hades" (G86) means the "unseen" state of departed souls, and the term "unseen" is in the sense of "imperceptible". In other words, "Hades" is NOT perceived by our human senses. The Easton dictionary defines Hades as follows….
That which is out of sight, a Greek word used to denote the state or place of the dead. All the dead alike go into this place. To be buried, to go down to the grave, to descend into Hades, are equivalent expressions.
The Hades/hell of the New Testament is what happens to EVERYONE that dies; NOT just the so-called "unbelievers" as taught by most modern Churches. The inspired meaning of Hades says NOTHING of torment or punishment, and most important, it says NOTHING about any kind of FIRE!
Even Jesus Christ went to Hades/hell when He died, but the difference of course is that Jesus Christ was resurrected, and therefore His soul did NOT stay in Hades/hell (Acts 2:31). This would mean that ALL souls will STAY in Hades/hell until they are resurrected. But DOES that "imperceptible" state of death mean that ALL the departed souls are in a conscious state of mind? That is the question. As we all know, most modern churches teach that "hell" does indeed mean conscious torment for ETERNITY for vast billions of "unsaved" souls.
Believers that have NO desire to study the original INSPIRED scriptures generally are NOT aware of the TWO different "hells" that Jesus Christ talked about. Therefore in their minds they are convinced that in ALL examples of "hell" Jesus Christ meant ONLY one thing, and that is conscious torment with "unquenchable fire" for eternity for ALL "unsaved" souls.
Jesus Christ did however talk about a certain "hell-fire" that puts the fear of God in "unsuspecting" believers, which is the kind of "hell-fire" taken from the INSPIRED meaning that means the "Gehenna of fire". This Gehenna/hell is the Greek word (G1067); which means the valley of the son of Hinnom where the most evil practice of children sacrificed by fire that was done in "honor" to the false god Moleck. At the time of Christ this was the SAME valley in Jerusalem where worms did NOT die and were continually feeding on dead rotten flesh, and the fires were continually burning filth and garbage and were never quenched at that time in Jerusalem.
Carefully read what Vincent’s Word Studies says about Gehenna hell-fire….
Mat 5:22 Hell-fire More accurately, the hell of fire. The word Gehenna, rendered hell, occurs outside of the Gospels only at James 3:6. It is the Greek representative of the Hebrew Ge-Hinnom, or Valley of Hinnom, a deep, narrow glen to the south of Jerusalem, where, after the introduction of the worship of the fire-gods by Ahaz, the idolatrous Jews sacrificed their children to Molech. Josiah formally desecrated it, "that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech" (2Kings 23:10). After this it became the common refuse-place of the city, into which the bodies of criminals, carcasses of animals, and all sorts of filth were cast. From its depth and narrowness, and its fire and ascending smoke, it became the symbol of the place of the future punishment of the wicked. As fire was the characteristic of the place, it was called the Gehenna of fire. It should be carefully distinguished from Hades, which is never used for the place of punishment, but for the place of departed spirits, without reference to their moral condition.
It is indeed very strange that ALL the epistles in the New Testament (except James) DO NOT talk about Gehenna! Later in this article we will look at the example of "Gehenna hell-fire" found in James 3:6. As we all know, the apostle Paul wrote more epistles than any other apostle (fourteen epistles), but he NEVER wrote about "Gehenna"! If (yes, IF) "Gehenna hell-fire" was such a serious WARNING for all believers then why didn’t Paul write and WARN about it? That is a very good question!
Could it be that most of the people that Paul was commissioned to preach the gospel (Gentiles) were generally NOT familiar with the valley of Gehenna in Jerusalem? Could it be that many Gentiles at that time NEVER saw or heard about the "hell-fire" in Jerusalem that Jesus Christ talked about, and therefore could it be that Gehenna was NOTHING more than a physical location in Jerusalem? But Paul did however write about "Hades", but only ONCE which is found in 1Cor 15:55….
1 Corinthians 15:54-55 KJV (54) So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (55) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
Paul asked the question; "O grave (G86) (Hades), where is thy victory?" which implies that the grave was NOT the victory. But The KJ translators believed in the kind of Hades/hell that DID have a certain victory. They knew that "grave" would BETTER suit their belief so they translated accordingly so as to put their emphasis on the "grave" INSTEAD of the Hades/hell that IS NOT a victory over death and the grave (Hades). But the problem is, in ALL other examples in the New Testament where the G86 Hades is found they always translated Hades as "hell". But it is very strange that they were NOT consistent, and made an exception with 1Cor 15:55 and INSTEAD used "grave" that obviously suited their BELIEF!
They believed Hades/hell DID have a certain victory in claiming departed souls from receiving salvation. But the ONLY victory over death and the grave (the G86 Hades/hell) is the victory found ONLY through the Lord Jesus Christ, as explained in 1Cor 15:57. Paul quoted from Hosea 13:14 and Isaiah 25:8. Read these scriptures very carefully because they explain exactly what Paul meant in 1Cor 15:54-55....
Hosea 13:14 KJV I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.
Isaiah 25:8 KJV He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
These Old Testament scriptures explain that God himself will be the "destruction" of death and the power of the grave (H7585), which is equivalent to the Hades/hell of the New Testament. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word was "sheol", and it was simply translated as "grave" many times, but also translated as "hell" many times; which means the KJ translators were ALSO NOT consistent with their English wording in the Old Testament. God himself will swallow up death in victory, which simply means that death and Hades/hell will be NO MORE!
This victory is also described in Revelation 20:14 when death and hell (Hades) will be cast into the lake of fire to be CONSUMED. This is also the time when God will wipe away all tears from off all (yes, ALL) faces, as we read in Isaiah 25:8. The corresponding scripture also explained this in Rev 21:4….
Revelation 21:4 KJV And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Notice, "there shall be no more death"; which simply means that God will "swallow up" death in victory, which was the premise of Paul’s statement in 1Cor 15:54 when mortality and corruption will "put on" (become) immortality and incorruption. But please understand, this Hades/hell/grave/ has NOTHING to do with the "Gehenna hell-fire" that Jesus Christ talked about!
Jesus Christ many times used figurative language and parables simply because the understanding of the subject discussed by Jesus Christ was NOT given for the masses of the general public of Christ’s day. In the case where Christ talked about Gehenna it was instructions ONLY meant for His disciples, and He spoke of Gehenna from the viewpoint and perspective of WHAT the disciples understood about that valley in Jerusalem (Gehenna).
Christ’s disciples were very familiar with that valley in Jerusalem where all manner of filth, garbage, and rotten flesh was cast. They certainly were NOT familiar with the "hell-fire" that is taught by most of today’s Churches to millions of "unsuspecting" believers. Please understand, Jesus Christ did NOT teach about "hell" and "hell-fire" from the viewpoint and perspective as taught and preached today in most Churches!
Let us now analyze the meaning of the figurative language that Jesus Christ used when He instructed His disciples about a certain valley in Jerusalem; which they knew as the place and location called the valley of Gehenna, and they saw the physical fires that were continually burning. I will display several translations of Matthew 5:29-30 that show the words of Jesus Christ when he instructed His disciples about this burning valley in Jerusalem known as Gehenna. Carefully read these following scriptures and notice that the "right eye" and the "right hand" can cause us to "stumble" ("trip us up" to make errors) and to be a "snare" (to "entrap") us….
Matthew 5:29-30 (Rotherham) (29) And, if, thy right eye, is causing thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee,—for it profiteth thee, that, one of thy members, should perish, and not, thy whole body, be cast into gehenna. (30) And, if, thy right hand, is causing thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee,—for it profiteth thee, that, one of thy members, should perish, and not, thy whole body, into gehenna, depart.
Matthew 5:29-30 (1912 Weymouth New Testament) (29) If therefore your eye, even the right eye, is a snare to you, tear it out and away with it; it is better for you that one member should be destroyed rather than that your whole body should be thrown into Gehenna. (30) And if your right hand is a snare to you, cut it off and away with it; it is better for you that one member should be destroyed rather than that your whole body should go into Gehenna.
Matthew 5:29-30 (Young’s Literal Translation) (29)`But, if thy right eye doth cause thee to stumble, pluck it out and cast from thee, for it is good to thee that one of thy members may perish, and not thy whole body be cast to gehenna. (30)`And, if thy right hand doth cause thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast from thee, for it is good to thee that one of thy members may perish, and not thy whole body be cast to gehenna.
Mark 9:43-50 are the corresponding scriptures of Matt 5:29-30; which as you will notice, the "foot" was ADDED to the "right eye" and the "right hand", and notice also that the "undying worm" and "unquenchable fire" were also added….
Mark 9:43-50 (Rotherham) (43) And, if thy hand shall cause thee to stumble, cut it off,—it is, seemly, for thee, maimed, to enter into life, rather than having, the two hands, to depart into the gehenna, into the fire that is not quenched; (45) And, if thy foot be causing thee to stumble, cut it off,—it is, seemly, for thee, to enter into life, lame, rather than having, the two feet, to be cast into the gehenna; (47) And, if thine eye be causing thee to stumble, thrust it out,—it is, seemly, for thee, one-eye, to enter into the kingdom of God, rather than having, two eyes, to be cast into gehenna, (48) Where, their worm, dieth not, and, the fire, is not quenched, (49) For, everyone, with fire, shall be salted. (50) Salt is, good: but, if, salt, become, saltless, wherewith will ye, prepare, it? Have, within yourselves, salt, and be at peace, one with another.
Mark 9:43-50 (1912 Weymouth New Testament) (43) If your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off: it would be better for you to enter into Life maimed, than remain in possession of both your hands and go away into Gehenna, into the fire which cannot be put out. (44) OMITTED TEXT (45) Or if your foot should cause you to sin, cut it off: it would be better for you to enter into Life crippled, than remain in possession of both your feet and be thrown into Gehenna. (46) OMITTED TEXT (47) Or if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out. It would be better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God half-blind than remain in possession of two eyes and be thrown into Gehenna, (48) where THEIR WORM DOES NOT DIE AND THE FIRE DOES NOT GO OUT. (49) Every one, however, will be salted with fire. (50) Salt is a good thing, but if the salt should become tasteless, what will you use to give it saltness? Have salt within you and live at peace with one another."
Mark 9:43-50 (Young's Literal Translation) (43)`And if thy hand may cause thee to stumble, cut it off; it is better for thee maimed to enter into the life, than having the two hands, to go away to the gehenna, to the fire--the unquenchable-- (44) where their worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched. (45)`And if thy foot may cause thee to stumble, cut it off; it is better for thee to enter into the life lame, than having the two feet to be cast to the gehenna, to the fire--the unquenchable- (46) where their worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched. (47) And if thine eye may cause thee to stumble, cast it out; it is better for thee one-eyed to enter into the reign of God, than having two eyes, to be cast to the gehenna of the fire-- (48) where their worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched; (49) for every one with fire shall be salted, and every sacrifice with salt shall be salted. (50) The salt is good, but if the salt may become saltless, in what will ye season it? Have in yourselves salt, and have peace in one another.'
Most English Bibles have translated Gehenna as "hell" or "hell-fire", but these displayed translations CORRECTLY explain that "hell-fire" was simply that burning garbage dump near Jerusalem called the "valley of Gehenna". It was NOT the kind of "hell-fire" that is generally taught today by most of our modern Churches. So please understand; there was absolutely NO biblical reason whatsoever to translate Gehenna as "hell" and "hell-fire", as the King James and other translations have carelessly done! It is very unfortunate that Gehenna was translated as "hell" and "hell-fire", which is a major reason why the teaching of "hell" and "hell-fire" has been a major doctrine of the so-called Christian faith for many centuries!
Jesus Christ used that burning garbage dump near Jerusalem called Gehenna simply as a symbol to figuratively point to a very REAL truth about a certain "fire" that figuratively "burns away" and "consumes" carnal sinful desires about us in order to get God’s desired results. These carnal sinful desires cause the hands, feet, and eyes to OFFEND us; which causes us to sin. Offend (G4624) means entrap, stumble, and entice to sin.
The major point is this; the hands, feet, and eyes are obviously the ACTIVE body parts in carrying out carnal thoughts of sin, and if (yes, IF) these flesh members were NOT "cut off" (resisting carnal sinful desires) then these flesh members along with the whole body would be cast into the "Gehenna of fire" to be figuratively "burned away" and "consumed".
As you noticed, Mark is worded different than Matthew in explaining the "figurative language" that Christ used about these body parts. In Matthew 5:29-30, I believe Christ used the "right" hand because the right hand (NOT the left hand) is favored to lead and be ACTIVE first. But what about the "right eye" that is also mentioned? Could this be the SINGLE "evil eye" spoken of in Matthew 6:23? If this be the case then this RIGHT "evil eye" is also favored along with the RIGHT hand to LEAD and start the physical motions of sin in the body.
As explained, it is better to be figuratively "maimed" with the loss of SINGLE body parts than the loss of both hands, both feet, and both eyes. In other words, it is much better to RESIST carnal sinful desires; which is the SAME as being figuratively "maimed" of the use of only one hand, one foot, and one eye. Yes, this is much BETTER than having the WHOLE body cast into the "Gehenna of fire", which is WHERE the worm did NOT die and the fire was NOT quenched. These were REAL worms (maggots) feeding on dead rotten flesh cast into Gehenna, and these worms came from the larva of common flies and then just bred and recycled again, and in that sense they did NOT die, as Jesus Christ explained.
Gehenna was also the place where these fires were NOT quenched, but these fires eventually burned themselves out when NOTHING was cast into that valley to feed those fires. No, they were never quenched, but just go to Jerusalem sometime and see if these fires are STILL burning.
The "Gehenna of fire" symbolically pictured the "fiery" judgments of God applied to called-out believers NOW in this evil age, and also in future ages for the rest of mankind when they ALSO will be judged by this Gehenna/hell-fire. In verse 49 Jesus Christ explained that the "Gehenna of fire" applied to EVERYONE when He stated that everyone will be figuratively "salted" with this "Gehenna of fire". Did Jesus Christ leave anyone out? I find it very interesting that the "Peoples New Testament" says this about being "salted with fire"….
Fire is used in the Scripture to denote suffering, persecution, trial, distress of any kind. Salt is used to denote permanence, preservation from corruption. Every one, good and bad, must suffer.
I believe this description of "salted with fire" is RIGHT ON TARGET! Jesus Christ used the symbol of the common mineral of salt for a theological REASON to figuratively show a very REAL truth! As we all know, the natural mineral properties of salt are to "season" and to "preserve".
EVERYONE (good and bad) must SUFFER trials and distress of ANY kind when they are "salted" with the Gehenna fire judgment to be "seasoned" and "preserved" for the eventual salvation for EVERYONE! To have "salt" in ourselves is to be "seasoned" and "preserved" with prudence (G217); which means foreseeing and avoiding evil (Webster’s Dictionary), therefore having peace with one another (Mark 9:50).
To be judged figuratively by "Gehenna fire" is NOT a pleasant experience. We figuratively suffer the judgment of "Gehenna fire" NOW when we experience trials and distress of ANY kind, and also the mental struggle of "overcoming" the sinful works of the flesh ("cutting off" flesh body parts). It is called the "school of hard knocks" in which our heavenly Father has to chastise believers to CORRECT them (the KJV INCORRECTLY calls this "everlasting punishment", as we shall see).
The judgment of spiritual Gehenna fire is divinely designed to INSPIRE believers to build and develop Godly CHARACTER, which they must do (God does NOT do it for them). Godly character HAS to be LEARNED with time and patience, and carefully guided and INSPIRED by the Spirit of God.
The biblical principle is this; Godly character can ONLY be learned and developed through sufferings, trials, and distress of any kind; which takes TIME with chastisement from a loving Heavenly Father, and at times this chastisement can be very grievous (Hebrews 12:11). This grievous chastisement is when it is a FEARFUL thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31). God is NOT mocked, and "He means business", as we would say. He is the Master Potter and we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8), and He molds and shapes us in the manner that He determines FOR OUR GOOD!
Most of mankind has NOT figuratively "cut off" the carnal sinful desires of the hands, feet, and eyes, and therefore they will suffer "everlasting fire", as explained in Matt 18:8. It is also called "everlasting punishment" in Matt 25:46. This punishment (G2851) means penal infliction, and was also translated as "torment". Thayer’s also mentions "correction". But this punishment and torment is taken from (G2849) that means "to chastise". Penal infliction means imposing an unpleasant punishment. The word "everlasting" (G166) is taken from G165 (aion); which properly means an AGE. Matt 18:8 and 25:46 were CORRECTLY translated in the 1912 Weymouth New Testament as follows….
Matthew 18:8 If your hand or your foot is causing you to fall into sin, cut it off and away with it. It is better for you to enter into Life crippled in hand or foot than to remain in possession of two sound hands or feet but be thrown into the fire of the Ages.
Matthew 25:46… "And these shall go away into the Punishment of the Ages, but the righteous into the Life of the Ages."
The "Gehenna of fire" symbolically pictures the "fire of the ages" (G166) when most of mankind will go through the "punishment of the ages" (G166) with the mental torment of penal infliction; the unpleasant punishment in correcting most of mankind. Eventually during the ages (G166) when everyone will be figuratively "salted" with Gehenna fire to be judged, chastised, and corrected to learn the Godly character of the "salt" of prudence (G217) in foreseeing and avoiding evil. Everyone will then be "seasoned" and "preserved" (salted) so that during the ages they eventually can be SAVED!
I want to now show several translations where Christ talked about certain judgments facing brothers that speak angry words to each other. First I will show the KJV which uses "hell-fire", which will be compared to other CORRECT translations....
Matthew 5:21-22 (KJV) (21) Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: (22) But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire.
Matthew 5:21-22 (Rotherham) (21) Ye have heard, that it was said, to them of olden time,—Thou shalt not commit murder, and, whosoever shall commit murder, shall be, liable, to judgment. (22) But, I, say unto you, that, every one who is angry with his brother, shall be, liable, to judgment,—and, whosoever shall say to his brother, Worthless one!, shall be, liable, to the high council; and, whosoever shall say, Rebel!, shall be, liable, unto the fiery gehenna.
Matthew 5:21-22 (1912 Weymouth New Testament) (21) "You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT MURDER', and whoever commits murder will be answerable to the magistrate. (22) But I say to you that every one who becomes angry with his brother shall be answerable to the magistrate; that whoever says to his brother 'Raca,' shall be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and that whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the Gehenna of Fire.
Matthew 5:21-22 (Young's Literal Translation) (21)`Ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not kill, and whoever may kill shall be in danger of the judgment; (22) but I--I say to you, that every one who is angry at his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment, and whoever may say to his brother, Empty fellow! shall be in danger of the sanhedrim, and whoever may say, Rebel! shall be in danger of the gehenna of the fire.
Yes, these scriptures seem to have a dire WARNING for brothers. This certain judgment of Gehenna hell-fire is what brothers "in the faith" should by all means respond to! Calling a brother "Raca" (G4469) is calling him empty and worthless, and calling a brother a "fool" (G3474) is calling him a dull, stupid, and heedless blockhead. The major point is that there is very LITTLE difference (if any) in defining "Raca" and defining a "fool". Please keep this very obvious FACT in mind!
It is very interesting that in Matt 23:17-19 Jesus Christ himself "rudely" called certain people of His day "fools" (G3474). Of course, there were dull, stupid, and heedless blockheads in Christ’s day, and Christ was simply identifying them!
At that time in history anyone speaking angry words against a brother by calling him "Raca" would be liable of the judgment of the Jews Sanhedrin, and anyone calling a brother a "fool" would be liable of the fiery judgment of Gehenna (KJV says "in danger of hell-fire"). So I am very much compelled to quickly WARN any angry brother "in the faith" that it would be MUCH BETTER to call another brother "Raca" INSTEAD of calling him a "fool"!
Why would I say that when the IRONY is that there is very little difference (if any) in "Raca" and "fool"? Simply because IF (I repeat, IF) we happen to believe in the kind of "hell-fire" that is believed today by millions of believers then of course it would be MUCH BETTER to call a brother empty and worthless (Raca) INSTEAD of a stupid blockhead (fool). What brother "in the faith" and in their RIGHT mind would choose to suffer torment in "hell-fire" for all of eternity, instead of choosing a MUCH LIGHTER judgment of only facing the Jewish Sanhedrin?
This would indeed be a laughing matter if it wasn’t so tragic that believers by the millions can so easily be "duped" and deceived on the "Gehenna of fire". If (yes, IF) brothers "in the faith" respond to the judgment of "Gehenna fire" it will chastise and correct them on TRUE forgiveness, NOT to hate a brother, NOT to hold a grudge against a brother, NOT to pre-judge a brother, and NOT to have prejudice against a brother. Carefully read the following translations of the "Gehenna hell-fire" found in James 3:6….
James 3:6 (KJV) And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
James 3:6 (Rotherham) And, the tongue, is a fire,— as , the world of unrighteousness, the tongue, becometh fixed among our members, that which defileth the whole body and setteth on fire the wheel of our natural life, and is set on fire, by gehenna!
James 3:6 (1912 Weymouth New Testament) And the tongue is a fire. That world of iniquity, the tongue, is placed within us spotting and soiling our whole nature, and setting the whole round of our lives on fire, being itself set on fire by Gehenna.
James 3:6 (Young's Literal Translation) and the tongue is a fire, the world of the unrighteousness, so the tongue is set in our members, which is spotting our whole body, and is setting on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by the gehenna.
James explained Gehenna hell-fire somewhat similar as Christ explained, but he ADDED the "tongue" to the flesh body parts of the foot, hand, and eye, and therefore the tongue must NOW also be resisted (cut off). The term "course of nature" (G5164) means a wheel or circuit of physical effects, and "nature" (G1078) means nativity (or birth).
I want to offer my opinion on what the term, "course of nature" could mean. What do the terms, "wheel" and "circuit" have in common? As we all know, they are both in a round shape, and they both go "around", and the physical effects (G5164) of the natural life from birth (G1078) are figuratively confined WITHIN the "boundaries" of the symbolS of a round wheel or circuit.
The natural life from the nativity of birth (G1078) is predicable in the same predicable way of what is explained by this saying; "what goes around comes around", and that is WHAT the symbolS of a round wheel and circuit figuratively DO in the natural life (from birth). Living by the symbolic wheel and circuit of physical effects (G5164) is the ONLY way the natural sinful man (from birth) knows how to live!
His natural life is very limited (from the nativity of his birth) WITHIN the symbolS of a wheel and circuit that just keeps going "around", and finally when the natural man DIES his "wheel" and "circuit of life" STOPS going "around" and comes to a "dead end" (literally). Feeble and carnal man searches for the ideal peaceful and trouble-free life, but finds himself "going around in circles". That indeed it very true! It is the symbolic "circle", "wheel", and "circuit" of the natural life (from birth) that leads to "nowhere", simply because it KEEPS "going around"!
There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9), and that includes nothing NEW about the natural carnal man from the nativity of his birth. The natural carnal man is very limited, and everything about his natural carnal life just keeps going "around", "recycles", and "circulates", and he finds NO REAL meaning and purpose for his natural carnal life, and he finds no real meaning and purpose for his existence. The natural carnal man does NOT know and has no clue WHY he is, and also does NOT know and has no clue in the WAY he is!
The remedy (yes, remedy) for his very limited natural condition is NOT found in the "course of nature" (natural life from birth), which is inside that symbolic round wheel and circuit, but the remedy IS found in the "spiritual life" by a NEW birth. Please understand; this is WHY the "course of nature" is set on FIRE (by Gehenna hell-fire) so as to "clear the way" (which is to figuratively "burn away" the fleshly carnal desires) in order for the NEW birth to LIVE the spiritual life.
James explained that the tongue is itself a "fire" that is fixed, placed, and set in our bodies. As we all know, the uncontrolled carnal heart and mind speaks with an uncontrolled carnal tongue. The uncontrolled carnal tongue is a "world of iniquity", as James explained, and I believe this "iniquity" (immoral, wickedness) when spoken with the tongue is for the divine PURPOSE to defile, soil, and spot our whole body! This "world of iniquity" points to the divine NEED for the spiritual remedy that CALLS for the judgment of "Gehenna hell-fire" to divinely chastise and "burn away" the carnal sinful FLAWS!
James writes in a special and unique manner explaining that Gehenna hell-fire is operating NOW in the hearts of TRUE believers. Yes, Gehenna/hell is "setting on fire" the flesh body parts for TRUE believers that are sincerely resisting (cutting off) the wrongful works of the flesh practiced by the ACTION of the hands, feet, eyes, and the wrongful works and iniquity of the tongue is now ALSO included by James.
Christ also mentioned Gehenna/hell in Matthew 10:28….
Matthew 10:28 (KJV) And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28 (Young’s Literal Translation) And be not afraid of those killing the body, and are not able to kill the soul, but fear rather Him who is able both soul and body to destroy in gehenna.
This scripture seems to say that God will destroy souls and bodies in Gehenna/hell. But Christ does NOT say that; only that God is ABLE to destroy (not that He WILL destroy). Another major point is that "destroy" does NOT mean to destroy "out of existence". It could mean to "render useless" (according to Thayer’s Lexicon). The meaning is to "destroy fully" (G622) in which souls and bodies could be rendered FULLY useless.
But here is the problem and dilemma for those that believe in the hell-fire as taught by most modern Churches. They HAVE to believe that wicked souls will NOT be destroyed out of existence simply because (it is believed) they are destined to suffer with conscious torment in hell-fire for ALL eternity. But let’s just say that God WILL destroy souls and bodies out of existence in "Gehenna hell-fire"; which some believers are convinced means total annihilation.
But what these believers FAIL to explain is that if (yes, IF) everything about sinful man is totally annihilated, then why in Matt 10:28 did Jesus Christ NOT mention the SPIRIT, along with the soul and body? According to 1Cor 5:5 it is the SPIRIT that will be saved, yet so as by FIRE (Gehenna hell-fire, if you will). Man is composed of spirit, soul, and body (in that creative order). That is HOW man was created and that is WHAT MAN IS.
The apostle Paul explains this in 1Thes 5:23….
1Thessalonians 5:23 (KJV) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice that Paul said; "sanctify you wholly". It is possible that God will sanctify (set apart for holy use) the WHOLE man to be preserved (salted) to be blameless. But of course most of mankind had no desire to "cut off" (resist) the wrongful desires the hands, feet, eyes, and also RESIST the iniquity of the tongue from defilement of the whole body. Therefore these bodies and souls are FULLY useless to God (destroyed), and therefore their WHOLE bodies and souls are destined to be cast into "Gehenna hell-fire" (EVERYONE "salted with fire") so that their spirits can STILL be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus….
1 Corinthians 5:5 KJV To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
These believers (yes, believers) were delivered to "Satan" for the divine PURPOSE to "destroy" (render FULLY useless) their souls and bodies! Yes, these believing saints when delivered to Satan are no longer considered to be true believers, and they are to SUFFER the most severe loss of their souls and bodies, but their spirits will still be SAVED to be clothed with a NEW creation of NEW souls and NEW bodies.
But the faith of the early believers was the salvation of the SOUL (Heb 10:39). They are a new creation NOW in this evil age (2Cor 5:17), since they are judged by Gehenna hell-fire NOW, and are truly resisting (cutting off) their body parts from defiling their whole bodies. Their whole spirit, soul, and body are preserved (salted) "blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Thes 5:23). It is these saints that will escape the most severe judgment of "Gehenna hell-fire" when WHOLE bodies (and souls) will be cast into "Gehenna hell-fire" during the unpleasant chastisement and "punishment of the ages".
The term "fire" is used all over the Bible, and many times it is simply used for cleansing and purifying. Physical fire can be very destructive, but it can also be very USEFUL in preparing food, burning garbage, heating a home, and is useful for other things in every day physical life. The point is, physical fire is VERY necessary in every day physical life, and spiritual fire is also VERY necessary in every day spiritual life by cleansing and purifying everything that is HARMFUL to our hearts and souls in our spiritual walk with God.
We figuratively experience "Gehenna hell-fire" in every day physical life and at times it might be very grievous, but we can all be assured it will ultimately be for our GOOD! The symbol of Gehenna hell-fire is simply picturing God punishing, chastising, judging, and correcting the carnal sinful flaws of ALL mankind for their ultimate GOOD! This divine correction is so that ALL mankind can fulfill the purpose of their creation and their eventual destiny; which will be their salvation!
The fact is, God is (yes, IS) a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29). God himself IS what the "Gehenna hell-fire" pictured, and yes, He is to be feared and highly respected in the SAME manner as we fear and highly respect the hurtful destructive nature of physical fire. But the symbolic "Gehenna hell-fire" is also to be feared and highly respected, and it would be much BETTER for us if we suffer in the "loss" (figuratively "maimed") of the use some flesh body parts NOW during this evil age THAN having our WHOLE body cast into "Gehenna hell-fire" later.
This means we have to be in subjection to the Father of our spirits (Hebrews 12:9), and being in subjection to Our Heavenly Father not only requires us to "cut off" flesh body parts, but also requires us to highly respect the truth of HIS words by the honest study of the meanings of the true original inspired words, and then BELIEVE them and bear witness of them!
In conclusion; I believe the spiritual LESSON of "Gehenna hell-fire" is that it burned away and consumed all manner of PHYSICAL filth and garbage in the SAME MANNER that the FIRE of God’s Holy Spirit will ALSO burn away and consume all manner of SPIRITUAL filth and garbage of our carnal HEART, so that we are then ABLE to "cut off" our ACTIVE flesh body parts that offend, entrap, entice, and cause us to stumble into sin. This is how I currently understand the words of Jesus Christ when He spoke two thousand years ago of a certain fire near Jerusalem called Gehenna; that deep valley where all manner of filth, garbage, and dead flesh was cast where the worm did NOT die and the fire was NOT quenched.
By Mahlon Wickey December, 2010
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