IS HELLF FIRE DIFFERENT FROM LAKE OF FIRE? READ MORE
What is Gehenna?
Gehenna must be distinguished from Sheol-Hades in that it is the ultimate doom of all wicked men and wicked angels. It is that place of eternal punishment and anguish that the Bible calls the Lake of Fire. It was prepared for the devil and his angels but all men who choose to follow the devil in this life will also share the same fate as the devil:
Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, all of you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."
The name Gehenna is a Greek word derived from the Hebrew "ga-hinnom", which means "valley of Hinnom." This valley was situated south-east of Jerusalem and in Old Testament times it was known as "the valley of the son of Hinnom" (Joshua 15:8), "the valley of the children of Hinnom" (2 Kin. 23:10) and "the valley of Tophet" (2 Chron. 28:3; 33:6; Isa. 30:33; Jer. 7:32). The name "ga-hinnom" was later changed to the Greek name Gehenna in News Testament times. Ga-Hinnom or Gehenna, the valley outside the walls of Jerusalem was a rubbish dump site where the refuse and debri of Jerusalem was deposited. Perpetual fires were kept burning there to burn the refuse. Jesus used this place figuratively to describe the literal place of future punishment of all the wicked:
Mark 9:43 "And if your hand offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter into life physically disabled, than having two hands to go into hell (Gr. Gehenna), into the fire that never shall be quenched: 9:44 Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. 9:45 And if your foot offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell (Gr. Gehenna), into the fire that never shall be quenched: 9:46 Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. 9:47 And if your eye offend you, pluck it out: it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire (Gr. Gehenna of fire): 9:48 Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched."
This is the rest of what Christ taught concerning Gehenna:
1. ~ Christ taught that some people will be in danger of Gehenna of fire:
Matthew 5:22 "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, You fool, shall be in danger of hell fire (Gehenna of fire)."
2. ~ Christ said that the hypocrisy of the Pharisees would turn a proselyte into a child of Gehenna:
Matthew 23:15 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for all of you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, all of you make him twofold more the child of hell (Gr. gehenna) than yourselves."
3. ~ Christ taught that it was better that a person enforce even extreme rigours of discipline akin to plucking off an offending eye and avoid sin than to give in to sin and be cast into Gehenna:
Matthew 5:29 "And if your right eye offend you, pluck it out, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell (Gr. gehenna)."
4. ~ Christ taught that rather than fear men people should fear God who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell:
Matthew 10:28 "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 (Gr. gehenna)."
Now, the Bible teaches that the fire of Gehenna shall be everlasting. We have seen this fact in Matthew 25:41, 46 and Mark 9:43-48. The doctrine of everlasting punishment was also taught by John the Baptist:
Matthew 3:12 "Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
John the Apostle also taught the same:
Revelation 14:9 "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name."
John provides a list of candidates of Gehenna, which he calls the second death: Rev. 21:8 "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
In Revelation 19:20, he describes the casting of the Antichrist and the False Prophet into the Lake of Fire: "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."
One thousand years later, the devil is cast into the Lake of Fire and lo, the Antichrist and the False Prophet are still burning in it:
Revelation 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
If in 1 000 years the Antichrist and the False Prophet are still languishing in the Lake of Fire then it proves that there shall be everlasting punishment.
But what about Matthew 10:28, which seems to teach that God will destroy both the soul and the body in Gehenna? Let's take it up again:
Matthew 10:28 "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 (gehenna)."
If God will destroy both soul and body in gehenna, how then will that punishment be eternal?
Here is the answer: The word "destroy" is translated from the Greek word "appolumai," which means "to torment," "to ruin," "to mar," "to lose" and "to be lost." This is the meaning here and also in Matthew 8:29; 9:17; 10:6, 39; John 17:12 and 2 Corinthians 4:3. In all these verses the word "destroy" does not mean "annihilate."
Gehenna must be distinguished from Sheol-Hades in that it is the ultimate doom of all wicked men and wicked angels. It is that place of eternal punishment and anguish that the Bible calls the Lake of Fire. It was prepared for the devil and his angels but all men who choose to follow the devil in this life will also share the same fate as the devil:
Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, all of you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."
The name Gehenna is a Greek word derived from the Hebrew "ga-hinnom", which means "valley of Hinnom." This valley was situated south-east of Jerusalem and in Old Testament times it was known as "the valley of the son of Hinnom" (Joshua 15:8), "the valley of the children of Hinnom" (2 Kin. 23:10) and "the valley of Tophet" (2 Chron. 28:3; 33:6; Isa. 30:33; Jer. 7:32). The name "ga-hinnom" was later changed to the Greek name Gehenna in News Testament times. Ga-Hinnom or Gehenna, the valley outside the walls of Jerusalem was a rubbish dump site where the refuse and debri of Jerusalem was deposited. Perpetual fires were kept burning there to burn the refuse. Jesus used this place figuratively to describe the literal place of future punishment of all the wicked:
Mark 9:43 "And if your hand offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter into life physically disabled, than having two hands to go into hell (Gr. Gehenna), into the fire that never shall be quenched: 9:44 Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. 9:45 And if your foot offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell (Gr. Gehenna), into the fire that never shall be quenched: 9:46 Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. 9:47 And if your eye offend you, pluck it out: it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire (Gr. Gehenna of fire): 9:48 Where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched."
This is the rest of what Christ taught concerning Gehenna:
1. ~ Christ taught that some people will be in danger of Gehenna of fire:
Matthew 5:22 "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, You fool, shall be in danger of hell fire (Gehenna of fire)."
2. ~ Christ said that the hypocrisy of the Pharisees would turn a proselyte into a child of Gehenna:
Matthew 23:15 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for all of you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, all of you make him twofold more the child of hell (Gr. gehenna) than yourselves."
3. ~ Christ taught that it was better that a person enforce even extreme rigours of discipline akin to plucking off an offending eye and avoid sin than to give in to sin and be cast into Gehenna:
Matthew 5:29 "And if your right eye offend you, pluck it out, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell (Gr. gehenna)."
4. ~ Christ taught that rather than fear men people should fear God who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell:
Matthew 10:28 "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 (Gr. gehenna)."
Now, the Bible teaches that the fire of Gehenna shall be everlasting. We have seen this fact in Matthew 25:41, 46 and Mark 9:43-48. The doctrine of everlasting punishment was also taught by John the Baptist:
Matthew 3:12 "Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."
John the Apostle also taught the same:
Revelation 14:9 "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascends up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receives the mark of his name."
John provides a list of candidates of Gehenna, which he calls the second death: Rev. 21:8 "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
In Revelation 19:20, he describes the casting of the Antichrist and the False Prophet into the Lake of Fire: "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone."
One thousand years later, the devil is cast into the Lake of Fire and lo, the Antichrist and the False Prophet are still burning in it:
Revelation 20:10 "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
If in 1 000 years the Antichrist and the False Prophet are still languishing in the Lake of Fire then it proves that there shall be everlasting punishment.
But what about Matthew 10:28, which seems to teach that God will destroy both the soul and the body in Gehenna? Let's take it up again:
Matthew 10:28 "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 (gehenna)."
If God will destroy both soul and body in gehenna, how then will that punishment be eternal?
Here is the answer: The word "destroy" is translated from the Greek word "appolumai," which means "to torment," "to ruin," "to mar," "to lose" and "to be lost." This is the meaning here and also in Matthew 8:29; 9:17; 10:6, 39; John 17:12 and 2 Corinthians 4:3. In all these verses the word "destroy" does not mean "annihilate."
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