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HELL, NO ONE SHOULD WANT TO GO THERE

Victor M. Eskew

 

            The subject of “hell” is definitely a New Testament subject.  The “word” hell is found 23 times in 23 verses in the New Testament.  Three different Greek words are translated “hell”:  Gehenna, Hades, and Tartaros.  The only word that involves eternal condemnation is “Gehenna.”  Gehenna is used twelve times in the New Testament.  It is only found one time outside the gospels.  James uses it in James 3:6.  In the gospels, the only person who speaks about Gehenna is Jesus Christ (Matt. 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15; 23:33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5).

            When the word “Gehenna” is used in the New Testament, we learn enough about the place called “hell” that no one should want to go there.  Let’s look at the three descriptions of Gehenna that should make it repulsive to every human being.  First, it is a place of fire.  In Matthew 5:22 and Matthew 18:9, Gehenna is translated “hell fire.”  “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 whosever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matt. 5:22).  Jesus uses Gehenna three times in rapid fire in Mark 9.  Each time He uses it, He continues with this description of hell:  “…into the fire that never shall be quenched” (Mark 9:43-48).  James, the only New Testament writer to refer to Gehenna, also connects it with fire.  “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).

            Most people have been slightly burned with fire one or two times in their lives.  It may have involved the eye of a stove.  It could have been a burn from a hot coal from a camp fire.  Some have been burned from the fiery heat of an iron.  There are at least two aspects of fire that make it reprehensible to human beings.  One, the pain is extremely intense.  The pain does not settle only on the flesh.  Instead, it runs extremely deep into the nerves and bones.  Two, the pain does not dissipate quickly.  Even the smallest burn lingers for several minutes or hours.  Those who are punished in Gehenna will experience the torments of fire.  It will involve the totality of their being.  Too, the pain and suffering will never cease.  Remember, Jesus said “the fire shall never be quenched.”

            Second, Jesus teaches us that both soul and body will be impacted in hell.  In Matthew 10:28, we read these words of Jesus:  “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.”  The soul cannot be seen, but it is a real entity.  One man cannot harm the soul of another man in any way, but God can.  Jesus tells us that God can destroy both body and soul in hell.  The word “destroy” can mean punish.  This is the meaning here.  God will punish body and soul in hell.  We know the affliction that can be brought to bear on the body.  What type of punishment and affliction can God assert on the soul of man?  Surely, no one wants to find out the answer to this question. 

            Third, Jesus refers to the “damnation of hell” in Matthew 23:33.  When He speaks to the hypocritical Pharisees and scribes, He asks:  “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”  The “damnation” of hell refers to the divine sentencing of God to eternal condemnation.  It involves the very last words the sinner will ever hear from the mouth of Jesus Christ.  Jesus expounds upon this divine sentence in Matthew 25:41.  “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from ye, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”  This sentence is final.  It is irreversible.  It will last throughout eternity.

            When the Jews heard the word “Gehenna,” there was a place near the city of Jerusalem that came to mind.  It was the valley of Hinnom.  This valley was located outside the city walls on the south side of Jerusalem.  The valley of Hinnom was known as the place for the burning of trash.  It was basically Jerusalem’s landfill.  Yes, trash was burned there, but other things were burned there as well.  Dead animals were cast into this fire.  The bodies of criminals were disposed of in the fires of Hinnom.  The bodies of individuals with no identity were also burned in the valley.  It was a place of stench.  It was a place of slow, continual burning.  Jesus took this place and attached to it a spiritual meaning.  Gehenna was not only a physical place, it was also a spiritual place.  It is a place of refuse.  It is a place of stench.  It is a place of eternal burning.  It is the place of punishment for criminals and the enemies of God. 

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            How many of us would like to make our dwelling in a garbage dump?  How many of us long to hear the sentence of divine condemnation from the lips of the Son of God?  How many of us want to burn continually?  How many of us want both our body and soul punished in the horrors of hell?  Surely, no one desires such a place for his final abode.  If he does, he will not once he has experienced just a few seconds in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. 

Every human being can escape the eternal destination of Gehenna.  That escape is found through Jesus Christ the Son of God.  The Golden Verse of the Bible tell us:  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”(John 3:16).  God gave Jesus as a sacrifice for man’s sins.  “Whosoever believeth in him should not perish.”  This verse does not teach the doctrine of “faith only” as so many proclaim.  The faith about which Jesus speaks is an obedient faith.  We know this because Jesus also said:  “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21).  Dear reader, to escape the damnation of hell, an individual must trust and obey.  As the old hymn declares:  “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way” (See Luke 13:3; Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 22:16; Rev. 2:10).