SPEAKER_02 0:00

Hello

Revisiting the Concept of Hell

SPEAKER_00 0:02

and welcome to the Waking Up to Grace podcast, where we celebrate and explore the finished work of our Lord, Jesus Christ. The Waking Up to Grace podcast can be found on every major platform. And now, here's Lenny.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Welcome to the Waking Up to Grace podcast. Today we are going to explore the concept of hell and eternal punishment. In his book, The War of the Jews, the historian Josephus described the temple in Jerusalem fully enveloped in flames, seeming to boil over from its base. Yet he described the blood seeming more abundant than the flames. The soldiers, he says, climbed over heaps of bodies while chasing the fugitives. Then in another place, he says, orders were given first by the seditious that the dead should be buried out of the public treasury to get rid of the stench of the bodies. When that couldn't happen, they cast them down from the walls into the valleys beneath. When Titus, in going his rounds along those valleys, saw all of the dead bodies and the thick putrefaction, he gave a groan, and spreading out his hands, called God to witness that this was not his doing. It was a sad case of the city itself. Do you know what event is being described here by this Jewish historian Josephus? It is the 80-70 destruction of Jerusalem. Do you know the name of the valley in which these bodies were being dumped? It was Gehenna. Did you know that Christ Jesus and several other prophets prophesied about this event and warned the people of Jerusalem that God's judgment was coming soon? Are you aware that the word Gehenna was replaced by the word hell in your New Testament? I believe Young's literal translation is the only current translation that does not try and help us by changing this word. In our New Testament, the word hell is mistranslated from the Greek words. One is the word Hades, which is translated from the word, which is the Greek equivalent of Sheol, the place of the dead. Number two, it is translated from the Greek word Tartaru, once, which is the place of the condemned angels. And twelve times, hell is translated from the Greek word Gehenna. Today, we'll be placing our focus on Gehenna. and the passages where this word was translated to hell so we can explore the true meaning that these passages contain and the purpose of what was being said. Gehenna was a physical location in the valley outside of the walls of the once great city of Jerusalem. It was not at all a word describing a spiritual afterlife for the unfaithful, but it did represent a judgment. I think we have all been trained to believe that there is a place called hell, according to the Bible, and that place is where the unfaithful sinner goes on to eternal torment and punishment that never ends. They live forever in severe agony and separation from God. Some even believe that Satan is in charge in this place, and there will be burning and gnashing of teeth, etc. Today I'm going to call you to challenge what you have learned about hell, and what you have probably believed for a very long time about it. Let's dig into this topic together and see what the scripture actually tells us about this place of eternal torture. Gehenna, not hell, is used 12 times in the New Testament, 11 in the Gospels, and once in James. James simply says that tongue is set on fire by Gehenna. The other 11 times this word shows up, it is being used by our Lord. In the 11 times Jesus uses the word, he is always speaking to first century Jews. Audience relevance is very important to factor in when we read our Bible. Christ Jesus is always speaking to Jews in the first century that he was living in when he used the word Gehenna, which is translated as hell in our Bibles. This was a specific audience and the term Gehenna was specific to this audience. They would have known what he meant when he said it. And it did not mean what we think it means today. Stick around if you'd like to explore this topic with me to see if what I'm saying is true or false. Is this concept of hell actually biblical? Or are we literally passing down a translational error every time we promote this concept? Let's start with a passage most are familiar with, Matthew 5, verse 29. And I'll be reading from the English Standard Version, unless I mention otherwise. I just assume it'll be the English Standard Version translation of the Bible. Matthew 5. Chapter 5, verse 29 reads, And it sounds different, doesn't it? The question we need to ask here is what did the first century Jewish audience think of When Christ Jesus said Gehenna, was he simply saying your sinful body will be dumped over the city wall into the valley? Or was there something more to it? Did Gehenna represent something to this Jewish audience? Let's look at the history of Gehenna as written in scripture. In the following passage, Gehenna is referred to as Topheth or Hinnom. Jeremiah chapter 7 verse 30 says, But the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter. For they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere. And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and none will frighten them away. So people were literally using these high places to sacrifice their children to a false god. Later in Israel's history, a godly king, Josiah, came to the throne in Jerusalem and wanted to do away with the system of human sacrifices that had been practiced in the Valley of Hinnom. We read about this in 2 Kings chapter 23, And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or daughter as an offering to Molech. The prophet Isaiah speaks of Topheth as the fiery destiny of an enemy of God. In Isaiah chapter 30, For Topheth has long been ready, indeed it has been prepared for the king. He has made it deep and large, a pyre of fire with plenty of wood. The breath of the Lord like a torrent of brimstone sets it afire. So in our Old Testament scriptures, the Valley of Hinnom, which is Gehenna, was associated with the destiny of the wicked. It was a place of fiery judgment. Isaiah closes with these words describing God's destruction of Jerusalem and the generation when Christ Jesus was crucified. Isaiah chapter 66 says, And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh. Christ Jesus then seems to reference Isaiah in the Gospel of Mark. Mark chapter 9 verse 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 Gehenna, to the unquenchable fire. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. Sounds similar to Isaiah, doesn't it? When Jesus quoted these words, When I was reviewing this information, something I thought was interesting caught my attention. I just finished a two-part series on the letter of James. And in those episodes, we reviewed the multitude of passages in James' letter that were nearly identical to the words of Christ recorded in Matthew's gospel account. And now we see here that James and Jesus are the only two people on record using this word Gehenna, which we call hell in error. James' letter was addressed to the 12 tribes of Israel, so it's not surprising that he would use this word that they were familiar with, just like Jesus, but it seems to be another clue in my opinion, about the time frame of the letter of James. After the cross and resurrection, this word is no longer used by any of the apostles. Not to mention, writers like Paul, whose ministry was focused on the Gentiles, often referred to the coming judgment as relief from the current state of severe persecution that they were under. 2 Thessalonians is one example of that. His focus was no longer warning the Jews in his letters, but more so the coming glory that was synonymous with the raft. But getting back to the topic of eternal torment, let's look at some passages about unquenchable fire and see if we can discern whether or not this statement is referring to an eternal state of punishment and torture. In Amos 5, verses 5-6, we read, We see that the prophet Amos uses this statement to describe judgment on Israel. And then Ezekiel 20, verse 47, And then Ezekiel 20, verse 47, Hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God, Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you and every dry tree. The blazing flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from south to north shall be scorched by it. All flesh shall see that I, the Lord, have kindled it. It shall not be quenched. This prophecy made by Ezekiel was fulfilled in the 586 BC destruction of Jerusalem. This would be the destruction of the first temple. I wanted to point that out because many do not realize that the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem was actually the second temple. The first temple destruction was also prophesied by Jeremiah in chapter 21 verse 10. For I have set my face against this city for harm and not for good, declares the Lord. It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. And to the house of the king of Judah say, Hear the word of the Lord, O house of David, thus says the Lord. Execute justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. Lest my wrath go forth like fire, and burn with none to quench it, because of your evil deeds. Behold, I am against you, O inhabitants of the valley, O rock of the plain, declares the Lord. Israel did not heed this

Understanding Gehenna and Eternal Judgment

SPEAKER_01 11:55

warning. Jerusalem and the temple of God were burned to the ground by Nebuchadnezzar. You can see this in 2 Kings chapter 25. So based on what we read here, does an unquenchable fire burn forever? No, the fire burns until its divine purpose is complete. You will not put it out until that has been accomplished. There will be nothing left when it is finished. This is what Gehenna represented to the first century Jews that Jesus was speaking to. We could never understand the real meaning of these passages if we did not read and understand the first three quarters of our Bible. If we understand scripture more clearly the way Israel did, we would better understand why Jesus spoke to them in this way. If we read these words as if Jesus is speaking directly to us and just forget about context and audience relevance, then we can make it fit with what we are told about hell. But if we read scripture this way... then we really just proclaim another commonly held belief of our day that sounds like nobody can really say for sure what scripture is telling us. Everything is debatable. You hear people say we have to look for what it means to us. It has different meanings to different people. Now those statements do not come from the heart of those seeking truth. If you are only seeking opinions, you will find exactly what you are looking for in an abundance. I pray that you seek truth, not opinions. The Old Testament closes with the book of Malachi. Now Malachi in its entirety is an impeachment of the nation Israel. Coming judgment is the message that Malachi is sending to these people. In Malachi chapter 3 verse 5 we read, "...then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in his wages." the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner. And do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts. Malachi chapter 4. For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that will leave them neither root nor branch. And then in Malachi chapter 4 verse 5, we read, So then John the Baptist comes on the scene as a prophet after 400 years of silence. It is interesting, in light of the concluding statement made by the prophet Malachi, that John the Baptist is referred to as Elijah, according to Luke chapter 1 and Matthew chapter 17. In Matthew chapter 3 verse 11, John the Baptist says, And he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. John is mourning the religious leaders of Israel about the fiery destruction of Jerusalem to come in AD 70. The fact that the axe was already laid to the root of the tree, which represented God's covenant people, indicates the nearness of the judgment. Matthew 10, verse 28 says, And do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Here, Jesus uses the word destroy. He just simply says destroy. And the Greek word used here for soul is psuche, which means life. Soul is like our life force. Our promised gift as Christians is eternal life. And the wages of sin is death. There is eternal life and there's eternal death. Those who faced the judgment referred to as Gehenna, not hell, would face eternal death and separation from God. The consequence of this final judgment of Jerusalem, eternal death, would then apply to all who reject Christ even today, but the actual event was for Jerusalem. Matthew 23, verse 15, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Again, we see the statement being targeted by Jesus to the Jewish leaders and those who followed in their footsteps. Then a bit later, Christ gives us a time frame of the coming judgment. In Matthew 23, verse 36, he says, Then in Jude chapter 1, verse 7, we read about Sodom and Gomorrah. Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. So this is a reference to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. These cities are not still burning, but the fire was said to be eternal. So what do they mean by this? It seems to have the same meaning in every passage that we read. The fire ends, but the consequences are permanent and never-ending. We have to make that distinction, it seems, based on these passages, doesn't it? Then in Revelations chapter 14, verse 11, "...he also will drink the wine of God's wrath toward full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels." At first glance, this passage may seem to confirm the traditional idea of eternal torture and torment, but notice the setting for this passage. For the context, we see that the events it describes occur in Jerusalem amid earth-shaking disasters occurring immediately before or at Christ's return and the synonymous destruction of the Holy Temple, not in hell or the afterlife. This is a warning of the punishment that will come upon all of Jerusalem's inhabitants who worship the beast and his image and whoever receives the mark of his name. This is another passage that is speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem. And finally, what about the lake of fire? We can't talk about hell without addressing the lake of fire, can we? So let's look at Revelation chapter 20, verse 9. We read, And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. The destruction of Jerusalem took place over a period of time. The devil and all the disobedient in Yahweh's divine counsel, the fallen angels and the sons of God were destroyed at this final judgment as well. It is written that they would die like mere mortals despite having been created immortal. Read about this in Psalm 82 verse 6. Then Matthew chapter 25 verse 41. Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. So what we see here is that Satan and his gang in the demonic realms are gone. They're not just powerless. They are not just defanged and declawed in chains. They're beyond powerless. They have perished forever. Their death is eternal and will never end. Satan has been destroyed. They will receive the opposite of eternal praise. According to Merriam-Webster, consume means to do away with completely and to destroy. So if they were destroyed and done away with by the fire, and the fire went on until its divine purpose was complete like all the other passages we looked at, it would have to be kind of like the old saying goes, I will dance on your grave when we read the part that says they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. And it could represent the time before they were fully consumed. As it was written, they were consumed by the fire. It was also probably symbolic of the magnitude of justice that was served at that time and that would never be forgotten. When the Lord seeks justice, he makes it happen and it is no small event. Revelation chapter 20 verse 14 reads, Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was found not written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. I believe that the lake of fire is a sign or symbol of the fiery judgment that was about to take place on Jerusalem. It's also a sign or symbol representing Gehenna. It seems based on the text that there was one judgment and it was made at the spiritual second coming of Christ, which was synonymous with the destruction of Jerusalem, according to scripture. At this judgment, death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. That means that death was defeated. and Hades, or Sheol, which was the place of the dead before the resurrection, was no longer needed. The kingdom of God was prepared, the Old Testament prophets and saints, as well as all who would believe in Christ Jesus now and forevermore. Christ Jesus defeated death for the faithful, and the reward has been delivered. Salvation is here. We no longer sleep in Sheol, and those who reject Christ no longer wait for their judgment. Without Christ, you earned your wages. Payment is death. The fire will consume the enemies of God. No eternal torture necessary. It is a life and death situation. Those who love God will live with him. Those who reject him will perish and be separated forever from his presence. The history of the events recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus and the destroyed site of the temple are evidence that the prophecy made by Jesus and many other prophets were not false. Jesus made it clear that his second coming was synonymous with this destruction. It is possibly the most overlooked biblical event of all time, with hundreds of years of people proclaiming it is about to happen, continuing even today. I think we need to take a moment to consider what about to come and soon meant to the people who were told he was coming very soon. We need to consider that the temple Jesus was standing in was not a third temple that will be built sometime in the future. Luke chapter 21 verse 5 And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, As for these things, you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down. And then in Luke 21, 20, It was also recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus that a gate was opened for the Christians to flee into the mountains. Is there any prophecy that Jesus left to be fulfilled? I don't believe there is. I believe that Jesus finished his work fully and fulfilled all prophecy. In Revelation 21, verse 3, we read, And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them as their God. The new heaven and new earth are symbolizing the new age and the full establishment of the body of Christ and his new covenant. Many believe that these passages are to be taken literally. If everything was to be literally perfect, what would we make of this next passage in Revelation 22 verses 1 through 3? We read, "...then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. Also on either side of the river the tree of life, with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it and his servants will worship him. So why would the nations in this perfect new earth need healing if the prior passage was to be taken literally? I think these passages symbolically describe how wonderful this new covenant age is for those who believe. Revelation is just a just a masterpiece of symbolic imagery. I mean, how can we not be in awe of what God did to us and did for us through our Lord Jesus Christ? We have been made perfect forever. Our life is as long as Jesus is now. We've been forgiven as far as east is from the west. That's a never-ending circle around the face of the earth. Our sins will be remembered no more. We've been reconciled to the true living God forever. He is literally living in us and doing his will through us, who are his holy temple. You are a new creation with new purpose and have a comforter and counselor to guide you through everything you will ever face. If you liked this episode, stay tuned for next week's message, because we still have more to cover before we can get this exploration of scripture complete. If you're listening to our podcast on a smartphone, you can text me a message right from the link in my episode information section. It's super quick and easy, and I love to hear from you guys if you're enjoying the message. It keeps me motivated more than you might realize. I hope you guys have a great day out there, and thank you for listening to the Waking Up to Grace podcast.

SPEAKER_00 27:37

Thank you for joining us today. This podcast is brought to you by Waking Up to Grace Ministries. You can visit our blog page, add comments, or reach us privately from our contact form at wakinguptograce.com.

UNKNOWN 27:53

Thank you.