However, it is entirely conceivable that when we refer to our fellow believers, brothers, or neighbors as a “stupid blockhead,” we do merit the wrath of God. The Lake of Fire is a classic other-worldly description. The only passage using Gehenna that seems to be quoting or paraphrasing an Old Testament passage is Mark 9:43-48 which is drawing on Isaiah 66:24. Scriptures, unless otherwise indicated, are quoted from the KJV. Web. There is great confusion in Christianity regarding the ideas of Gehenna and the Lake of Fire. - Photo by Hunter McGee in creationswap.com; Hell on keyboard: t0zz / FreeDigitalPhotos.net. As discussed in an earlier blog post, the names of all believers are recorded in the Book of Life, but if the believer does not remain faithful, his or her name is erased or blotted out of the Book of Life, and ultimately, he or she is thrown into the Lake of Fire. Revelation 20:10 refers to the promised judgment of Satan. “And he destroyed Topheth, which is in the valley of the sons of Hinnom (Gehenna), that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. In summation, Gehenna and the Lake of Fire are semantically equivalent. Eyes to See The Revelation & The Kingdom of God. . This was known in the Old Testament as Gai Ben-Hinnom, literally the "Valley of the son of Hinnom", and in the Talmud as Gehinnam (גהנם) or Gehinnom. The Greek word gehenna is used in the New Testament for “hell” and is derived from the Hebrew word hinnom. Gossip, maligning, and judgment are sins, which can destroy others. Jesus used it as an illustration of the final judgment of the wicked. From the reign of Josiah onward, it was used as a garbage dump where the fires burned the refuse continuously. Rather, Gehenna, which has been traditionally translated as “hell,” is used as a metaphor by James, as it is elsewhere in scripture. In the Hebrew Bible, Gehenna was initially where some of the kings of Judah sacrificed their children by fire. This alludes to the wicked being cremated when God burns up the earth, turning it into the final Gehenna, called elsewhere "the Lake of Fire." We first see Jesus mention “Gehenna” in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. If Gehenna denotes hell, we can actually book a flight and go to hell! Image Credits - Hell Frozen Over: Christian-Graphics.net; Gehenna Valley: Photo by wkeown, available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Generic license; Quill & Glasses: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net; Figure chained to a ball: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net; Pharisees: Image from Duccio [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; Lazarus at Rich Man's Gate: Image from Fyodor Andreyevich Bronnikov [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; Demon in Hell: Image by Coppo di Marcovaldo [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; Child Sacrifice: Image by Charles Foster [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; What about me? Yes, God has the authority and power to kill you and make you the subject of His wrath, which can have ramifications in this life and the next. And Perhaps that's also relevant to understanding being outside New Jerusalem in Revelation 21-22. Thereafter, it was deemed to be cursed (Book of Jeremiah 7:31, 19:2–6). James stated, “And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body,  and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell [Gehenna]” (James 3:6). See The Entire Series At https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnXwlsHcasBKdn4ixpvwWmaBpMaZGMXOZ Share The Videos!!! The Epistle of James mentioned Gehenna in a most interesting way. Even today, we know that fire is kept continually burning in city waste burners. Here, “death” refers to the condition of spiritual death, and  “Hades” refers to a place of judgment. Main article: Hebrew Bible The oldest historical reference to the valley is found in Joshua 15:8, 18:16 which describe tribal boundaries. 20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs [] in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with [] brimstone. Not eternal torture. An apocalyptic description uses other-worldly images to explain spiritual ideas. Main article: Hebrew Bible The oldest historical reference to the valley is found in Joshua 15:8, 18:16 which describe tribal boundaries. At Matthew 23:15, Jesus accused the scribes and Pharisees of being sons of Gehenna. They are used symbolically to represent the wrath of God. Web. Gehenna was a valley south-southwest of Jerusalem. Normally, water is used to extinguish fire. It is also the location where And no one reading his words today would ever think of such an idea were it not for the background of distorted Dark Age interpretations that have crept into Christendom. Maggots and worms crawled through the waste, and the smoke smelled strong and sickening (Isaiah 30:33). The Valley of Hinnom, named Gehenna in Greek, lies just outside the city of Jerusalem. The Bible never describes a believer as being unsealed. 10:28 as the place of punishment of unquenchable fire where both the body and soul of the wicked go after death. Revelation 17:8 The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up from the unfathomable depth and go to destruction (ἀπώλεια). Many of your loved ones are right now in "hell"! Gehenna or Gehinnom (literally translated as "Valley of Hinnom") is thought to be a small valley in Jerusalem. Souls, with exception of martyrs and saints, ... Hades and death are thrown into the lake of fire in Revelation 20:13–14. However, the wrath of God can destroy the body and soul. Revelation 20:13; 6:8; 1:18: The same abstract meaning is indicated for Revelation 20:13. Just exactly what are these? While certain signs outline peripheral events, the main sequence from the Book of Nod is roughly as follows: 1. The previous verse Rev 20:9 shows individuals who join Satan being destroyed in fire. Gehenna is a parabolic description of the wrath of God, and the Lake of Fire is an apocalyptic description of the wrath of God. Unless one is associated with Jerusalem, which represents the kingdom of Christ, the threat of Gehenna has little meaning. As was told in the Revelation, it carries the Crowns of the Seven Deadly Sins upon its head, and it holds the globe of darkness, "Gehenna", which absorbs all attacks. Lucemon (Satan Mode) has the appearance of the dragon of Revelation and it is Lucemon's final form. 1067 géenna (a transliteration of the Hebrew term, Gêhinnōm, "the valley of Hinnom") – Gehenna, i.e. Woe to the world on account of the judgments thereof.” The ones that might get stuck in the slopes would be consumed by worms. Since Hezekiah his legitimate son by the daughter of the High Priest, succeeded him as king, this, if literal, is assumed to mean children by unrecorded pagan … He also used the word to describe the destruction of the great beast (who figures into the description of Gehenna in Revelation 20). A strong argument can be made that He was specifically teaching His disciples, meaning believers, who were His students. na) is mentioned 12 times in the Bible. While certain signs outline peripheral events, the main sequence from the Book of Nod is roughly as follows: 1. “G1067 – geenna – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NASB).” Blue Letter Bible. God’s judgment of Satan will have everlasting consequences, but again, in my opinion, the Lake of Fire is not a literal lake of fire, with endless screaming. Further, in the Bible, lakes and seas were often used as symbols of chaos. So we learn from the Bible that Hades will be cast into Gehenna. Revelation 20:14 says that God will also throw death into the lake of fire; death will no longer threaten His people in the new heaven and new earth. Now that we understand better, we know it means there would be no more death and grave (HADES) then! The wrath of God is inevitably directed at the chaos of this world. destroyed. 2) We studied Sheol/Hades earlier. Everyone is going to die, but more than fearing dying, we should fear His wrath. It is better understood as a generic, figurative depiction of the wrath of God, which can be experienced by the believer or unbeliever. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Required fields are marked *. Geographically, Gehenna is the Valley of Hinnom, a valley on the south-west side of Jerusalem. If we do not repent (change our minds), we will inevitably experience the wrath of God. Our continued arrogance does merit the wrath of God. Scriptures indicated NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved worldwide. In such a state, the believer lives like a mere beast. 9 Then the () fifth angel sounded, and I saw a () star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the () key of the [] bottomless pit was given to him. At Matthew 23:33, Jesus asked how such scribes and Pharisees could escape the sentence of Gehenna (meaning judgment because of their hardness of heart). The Bible refers to "Gehenna" as the place of death and pain. To properly interpret the Book of Revelation, we must have a thorough understanding of the New Covenant Spiritual Life. Since doctrines such as that of hell developed progressively as God provided revelation… [5] “G3326 – meta – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NASB).” Blue Letter Bible. The two Greek words used for “hell” in the New Testament are Hades and Gehenna. As stated above, the phrase, “Lake of Fire” was used in the Book of Revelation as an apocalyptic description of the wrath of God. Speaking hyperbolically, Jesus warned that it is better to tear your eye out of its socket than “for your whole body to be thrown into hell [geenna][3]” (Matt. If this is more than a poetic duplication of terms, Hades will stand for the personified state of death, Death for the personified cause of this state. For example, the storms on Lake Galilee were used as symbols of cosmological chaos. Our fleshly bodies are destroyed here on earth or in the grave. It is presently uninhabited, but the Beast and the False Prophet will be cast into it at the end of the tribulation (Revelation 19:20). Gehenna is a small valley in Jerusalem. Similarly, most Christians have believed that the Lake of Fire is the literal place of final punishment. . [1] “G1067 – geenna – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (NASB).” Blue Letter Bible. Otherwise known as Gehenna. It is apparently the future abode of Satan and his angels (Matt. Gehenna ("hell"), the place of post - resurrection torment (judgment), refers strictly to the everlasting abode of the un redeemed where they experience divine judgment in their individual resurrection-bodies . The word “hell” in Revelation 21:14 is the Greek word Hades. In the judgment, the knowledge of God fills the earth, as water covers the sea. Tartarus, Hades, Gehenna NOTE: It might help you to know that, in the Greek, the temporary dungeon for fallen angels (until Judgment Day) is called Tartarus. I argue that these locusts are doing a good thing by torturing wicked people on Earth. During Jesus’ time, it was the city’s garbage burner. 23:15-33) during his entire ministry, nor but four times in all. No living person was ever burnt alive or eaten alive by worms in Gehenna! Do not overthink apocalyptic language, imagining a revolving door of being written, then erased, then rewritten, ad nauseam. As stated in my earlier blog posts, I contend that after we first believed Jesus is the Christ, we are permanently changed. The Hinnom Valley in Jerusalem is basically a deep, fine narrow valley on the south end of Jerusalem. The Abyss, the Bottomless Pit, Tartarus, Hades, Torment, Hell, Gehenna, and the Lake of Fire When one reads the Bible, he encounters the terms Abyss or Bottomless Pit, Tartarus, Hades, Hell, Gehenna, and the Lake of Fire. Brimstone used to be added to fuel the incineration. The false prophet represents false religious systems.But how can institutions be tormented? Your email address will not be published. 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