Chapter Four, Five, Six and
Seven of:
A
RESURRECTION
TO
IMMORTALITY
Subtitled:
The Resurrection, Our Only Hope Of Life After Death
William Robert West
Author of ÒThe Rapture And IsraelÓ
Is "The Wages Of Sin Death"
Or
"Eternal Life With Torment In
Hell"
An Immortal Soul and the Doctrine of
Hell
Chapter Four: The four
occasions Christ used Gehenna THE VANISHING HELL - THE CHANGING
HELL –THE MANY HELLS
TWENTH-FOUR
PLUS VERSIONS OF HELL
SOME
OF THE MANY DIVISIONS OF THE PROTESTANT VERSIONS OF HELL
1. The Calvin
version of Hell
2. The Jonathan
Edwards version
3. The Graphic
view of Hell
4. Satan doing
the tormenting
5. God doing
the tormenting
6. The
Metaphorical view of both Heaven and Hell
7. Mental
anguish only Hell - Billy Graham
8. C. S Lewis -
the almost pleasant Hell
9. Protestant
Traditionalist
10. Many
Protestant Premillennial versions
11. Realized
Eschatology – A. D. 70 version
12. Protestant
Rephaim version
EIGHT
OTHER VERSIONS OF HELL
1. Church of
Christ, Christian Church AbrahamÕs bosom after Judgment Hell, A newer version
1. Edward Fudge
version: The short Hell
2. Christadelphians
version
3.Church of God
and others
4. Universalist
version of Hell
5. Seventh-Day
Advent version
7. Latter-day
Saints version (Mormons)
8. The Grave is
Hell version (Jehovah's Witnesses)
THREE
CATHOLIC VERSIONS OF HELL
1. The Dark Age Catholic version of Hell
2. The New Catholic version of Hell
3. Nether World
NO
BIBLE HELL
Use
of fire and torment in the New Testament
Chapter Five: Sheol,
Hades, and Tartarus
Chapter Six: Sheol in the
Old Testament
THE WAY SHEOL IS TRANSLATED IN THE KING JAME VERSION
(1) Down into a pit in the earth (in 3
passages)
(2) Nations in the grave (in 4 passages)
(3) Nations in
Hell (in 14
passages)
(4) The good in the grave (in 10 passages)
(5) The bad in
the grave (in
7 passages)
(6) The good and bad in the grave together
(in 10 passages)
(7) The good
and bad in Hell together (in 2 passages)
(8) The good in Hell (in 7 passages)
(9) The bad in
Hell (In only
8 of the 65 passages)
HADES IS USED ELEVEN TIMES IN THE NEW
TESTAMENT
(1) That has reference to the death of
Christ (3 passages)
(2) That has reference to death (1
passages)
(3) That has reference to the
destruction of cities or countries (2 passages)
(4) The symbolical passages (5
passages)
Chapter Seven: A strange
and unexplainable silence. The reinterpreting of life, death, torment, destruction, destroy,
perish, die, and end
Is "The Wages Of Sin Death"
Or
"Eternal Life With Torment In Hell"
An Immortal Soul and the Doctrine of Hell
Over 633,000
downloads as of 1/9/11
Is
the wages of sin eternal life in Hell with torment?
William West
CHAPTER FOUR
From
where came Hell, from man or God?
How
did a real earthly valley near Jerusalem
Which
existed in the time of Christ
And
is still today called by the name ÒGehennaÓ
Become
a place of eternal torment named ÒHellÓ
Which
is not on this earth?
How was "the wages of sin is death" changed
to be Òthe wages of sin is an eternal life of torment for an immoral soul that
is not subject to deathÓ?
Back to: INDEX
AND CHAPTER ONE html – Or go
to: INDEX
AND ALL ELEVEN CHAPTERS pdf
The word Hell in the King
James Version is translated from four different words, three in the Greek New
Testament (Gehenna, hades and Tartarus), and one in the Hebrew Old Testament (sheol).
Both sheol in the Old Testament, and hades in the New Testament mean grave, but
are translated Hell in the King James Version, and Tartarus is translated Hell
one time. Most other translations (American Standard Version, New American
Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, New
International Version, and others) translate only one word (Gehenna) into Hell,
and only in the New Testament, not four different words, which have different
meanings. The word Hell is not in the Old Testament in any of the above
translations or is not in most other translations. Although this valley is
mentioned frequently in the Old Testament called the valley of Hinnom even the
King James Version did not translated it "Hell" as they did in the
New Testament. Gehenna was a well-known valley south of Jerusalem long before
it was made into a dump and it exists and has the name ÒGehennaÓ to this day. Josiah might have made this valley into a
rubbish dump (2 Kings 23:10; 2 Chronicles 28:1-4). In the time of Christ this
valley was the city dump. Most newer translations, and most all Bible students
now admit sheol, hades, and Tartarus do not mean Hell; but some still believe
Gehenna should be translated Hell; this makes a detailed look at this valley as
it is used in both the Old and New Testament is necessary.
Gehenna is the name of a valley south of Jerusalem;
it is a real geographical location, which
was used in the time of Christ as the city dump of Jerusalem. In the fifties I
did some work at the dump of a city about the size of Jerusalem in the time of
Christ. The refuse would be put in large piles and set on fire, and all day
rains could not put it out. There would have been no way for the people of
Jerusalem to quench it (put out) before it burnt up all there was to burn. The
remains of animals were put in pits to be covered and worms (Greek,
Maggots-Young, Page 1074) would get into them, and even after we put many
gallons of spray in a pit you could see the remains moving from the working of
the maggots. Back in the fifties and before cities did not have landfills; but
had garbage dumps where they would put the garbage in piles and burn them. Big
city garbage dumps were always burning night and day, and the smoke could
sometimes be seen for miles. They were the same as Gehenna was in the time of
Jesus, and were literally used for the destruction of the unwanted city
garbage. Brimstone (sulfur) was added to keep the garbage burning in Gehenna; it
was always burning night and day, and those near by could see the smoke always
rising. On some of the four occasions Christ used Gehenna as a metaphor those
He was speaking to might have been able to see the smoke of Gehenna in the
background while He was speaking. The people of Jerusalem did not have a trash
pickup as we do and had to take their own trash to Gehenna, most of those
Christ was speaking to would be very familiar with the never-ending fires and
worms for many would have taken their trash to it. How did the name of a valley that is near Jerusalem that exists to this
day and is still called Gehenna become Hell? In the time of Christ it was a
place of destruction with no torment, how did it get translated into an English
word that means an eternal place of torment by God that is not on this earth, a
place there is no destruction? The answer is simple; the translators were
willing to change the Bible to put their pagan doctrine into the Bible.
á
Gehenna—a
place of destruction with no torment that is on this earth.
á
Hell—a
pace of torment with no destruction that is not on this earth.
Albert Barnes in his commentary on Matthew 5:22: "The extreme loathsomeness
of the place, and filth and putrefaction, the corruption of the atmosphere, and
the lurid fires blazing by day and by night, made it one of the most appalling
and terrific objects with which a Jew was ever acquainted."
Alexander Campbell: "In the time of our Savior, it (Gehenna) was
the place to which all the filth, and the dead bodies of animals and criminals
from the city of Jerusalem, were conveyed. Here worms were ever reveling on the
carcasses of the dead, and fires were ever kept burning to consume the noxious
matter and to purge the air from its pestilential stench" "Five
Discourses On Hell" 1848.
In the time of Jesus
Gehenna was used as a place of destruction, but there was no torment in it. Those who heard Jesus would understand the
use of Gehenna as a symbol of destruction, but would not have been able to look
at Gehenna, their city dump and understand how it could be used as a symbol of
a place of torment for there was no torment in their city dump. When most
who use the King James Version read Hell they never understand that Christ was
speaking of the city dump, for they cannot from the King James Version for the
translators have completely hid this from their readers. It was mistranslated
to make the readers understand Christ to be speaking of a place that is not on
this earth where God will be forever tormenting immortal souls and will be even
after the earth is destroyed, even after the real Gehenna has been destroyed
with the earth.
A proper noun is the name of "a
particular person, place, or thing." Gehenna is a proper noun, the name of
a well-known particular place near Jerusalem. To translate it into Hell,
another proper noun, the name of a completely different particular place is more
than a bad translation; it is a deliberate changing. Bethlehem, Dead Sea,
Gehenna, Rome, and Jericho are all proper nouns and should not be changed into
another name. Why is Gehenna the only name that is changed to another name? Proper nouns (names) are the same in most languages, and
therefore, they are not translated; but Gehenna was changed, not translated,
into Hell, into another proper noun, the name of another particular place just
because the King James translators needed to. Hell is not a translation of Gehenna in the same way that New York is
not a translation of Jerusalem. Gehenna and Hell are two different proper names
of two different places. From where did the King James translators get this
name, and why did they want to deliberately mislead all who read their
translation? This valley is used in the New Testament only when speaking to
the Jews for it was not a locality that would be known to most Gentiles that
did not live near Jerusalem. It was a local particular place and Gehenna would
be a name known and used only to those who lived in or near Jerusalem. The
names of the city dumps of most cities are not well known to any but those who
live in or near that city, and those not from that city would not know or use
it. Paul did not use it in any of his letters to those not at Jerusalem.
The name of this
valley was not translated into Hell in the Septuagint, a translation of the Old
Testament from Hebrew to Greek that was used in the time of Christ.
"Hell" is not a translation but a deliberate changing of one place
for another completely different place. I believe it was deliberately changed
to put "Hell" in the Bible. A
place has been made up that is not in the Bible; and a name given to it that is
not in the Bible; if this is not adding to the Bible then what would it take to add to the Bible? That Christ used the name of a valley,
which was the city dump, is completely hid from the reader of the King James
Version, whether intentional or not; and they are led to believe He spoke of a
different place, which has been named "Hell." The teachings of Christ
have been deliberately changed. It is a real geographical location on this earth,
not somewhere under the earth or out in space, in the time of Christ it was a
real place where real fires were constantly kept burning since it served as an
incinerator for the useless refuse of the city. Christ used it as a symbol (an
illustration) of destruction (like the burning of the useless chaff of Luke
3:17). Gehenna cannot be translated or changed into Hell. To say
Gehenna, as used by Christ, is Hell; is to say it has no reference to the
Gehenna (the city dump) near Jerusalem.
The Jews might have made the valley of
Gehenna a dump because of their hatred of its misuse, but the figures or
symbols used by Christ (fire and maggots) came from its use in The Old
Testament. Fire and maggots are symbols of destruction, not of torment. In the
time of Christ there was no torment, and no idol worshipped in Gehenna (the
city dump). Christ was not alluding to idol worship or torment but to the
destruction of those who rejected him. Worms (maggots) do not eat living being,
but dead ones, not to torment them, but to consume (eat up for food), neither
do maggots eat Òsouls.Ó As long as there was something to burn or eat, the
maggots would never die out, and the fire would not go out; but be consuming,
not tormenting what was being cast in. In the time of Christ it was a place
used to dispose of useless things, not to torment them. Many misuse this to
show that living being will be tormented forever, and make God be doing the
tormenting. Living victims was not
preserved alive and tormented in Gehenna, but fire or worms devoured dead
victims. To make it a place of eternal torment is without any base
whatsoever. How and when did a valley that is there to this day and you can
visit it if you like, get turned into Hell that will not exist unto after the
judgment day?
Gehenna and the Lake
of Fire are often thought to be the same metaphor by many. Gehenna is a place
of destruction, and the lake of fire is a place where no life as we know it
could exist; they are two different symbolic pictures (Revelation 20:14). Both
picture the total destruction of whatever was thrown into them; neither one is
a symbol of an eternal life of torment
On 11/1/2010 I found this on the web by Steven Clark Goad, church
of Christ Christian Ekklesia Podcast: ÒIn summation, isnÕt it strange indeed that false
teachers have taken a Òreal placeÓ (Gehenna) referred to by Jesus himself as a
metaphor of destruction and have changed in (? it) into another made
up/fabricated Òreal placeÓ (hell) where souls (spirits, living beings,
whatever) will be tortured unendingly by a loving heavenly Father? If Gehenna
is a metaphor of ÒhellÓ as it is traditionally taught, isnÕt it a poor one, for
Gehenna (the Jerusalem city dump of JesusÕ era) was a real place of destruction
and consummation with no torment and no torture involved, while ÒhellÓ is a
made up place of torment and torture with no destruction at all? Is this
twisted thinking the height of misguided thinking?Ó ÒThoughts on Punishment of
the WickedÓ at:
http://www.godsmessageontheweb.net/2010/07/25/thoughts-on-punishment-of-the-wicked/
UNQUENCHABLE
FIRE OF GEHENNA
IMMORTAL
WORMS OF GEHENNA
"Unquenchable
fire" and "their worm dies
not" as they are used in the Old and New Testaments: utter
destruction.
John the Baptist used
"Unquenchable fire" on one
occasion. He says Christ "will
gather his wheat into the garner, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12; Luke 3:17).
Will this unquenchable fire forever torment the chaff, which has been burned
up?
Adam Clarke: "He
will burn up the chaff that is, the disobedient and rebellious Jews, with
unquenchable fire that cannot be extinguished by man."
When a fire surpasses
the ability of firefighter and they cannot put out a burning building, they say
it is an unquenchable fire, but it is not a fire that will burn forever; no one
will be able to escape from it by putting it out, but it will go out when there
is nothing more to burn. An unquenchable fire is one that no person can put out
but it is not an eternal fire.
Unquenchable fire is
used on one occasion by Christ of the burning of trash in the city dump in Mark
9:43 where He repeats it a second time in verses 48 in the American Standard
Version, Revised Standard Version, New International Version. "Unquenchable fire" is
repeated five times in Mark 6:43, 44, 45, 46 and 48 in the King James Version. In
verses 44, 46, and 46 the American Standard footnote says they, ÒAre omitted by
the best ancient Authorities.Ó If on the only occasion Christ used "Unquenchable fire" was
repeated two times or five times what He was telling them was the same, what
ever was cast into Gehenna was consumed, not tormented.
Both the chaff and
trash are utterly destroyed by burning to get rid of something unwanted. The
chaff or the trash was not tormented. Gehenna was not used in the rest of the
New Testament, and neither is unquenchable fire; Paul, Peter, John, etc never
used it. Christ used
both the maggots and the fire of Gehenna as a symbol of total destruction, not
to show that God will forever torment most of mankind. If this is not
figurative language, will there be immortal maggots in Hell? Can earthly
maggots eat an immortal soul in Hell? Most that believes in Hell make the
maggots they say will be in Hell figurative maggots, not real maggots in Hell,
but make the fire they say will be in Hell be literal fire. It this was true,
how could they know it? Are they saying literal worms cannot eat a soul that is
Òimmaterial, invisibleÓ and has no earthly substance that literal worms can eat
but literal fire can burn this immaterial soul that has no earthly substance?
If GehennaÕs "unquenchable fire" and "their worm dies not" are a
description of the endless punishment of the wicked in "Hell," the
silence of the New Testament writers would be unexplainable. (1) Acts, a
history of the preaching and church for about thirty years does not mention
Gehenna, unquenchable fire, or immortal maggots. (2) In none of Paul's fourteen
letters, he never mentioned them. (3) Peter, John, James, and Jude are also as
silent as Paul. (4) Neither can they be found in the Book of Revelation.
(1) The only occasion Christ used "unquenchable fire" in Mark 9:43 and 9:48, He was quoting
from Isaiah 66:24. To understand his
words, they must be understood in the way the Old Testament used them, just
as much of Revelation is to be understood by the way the same symbols are used
in the Old Testament. ÒUnquenchable fireÓ was a well-known
expression in the Old Testament and would be understood by those hearing Christ.
"And the strong man will become
tinder, his work also a spark, thus, they shall both burn together, and there
will be none to quench them" (Isaiah 1:31). Jeremiah warned Jerusalem
of the consequence of their sins, "Then
will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of
Jerusalem and it shall not be
quenched" (Jeremiah 17:27). His warning was fulfilled in 2
Chronicles 36:19-21. Jerusalem was
destroyed with an "unquenchable
fire." It consumed all, and was not quenched unto it went out when
there was nothing more to consume; then the unquenchable fire went out.
Jerusalem is not burning today. An unquenchable fire is not an eternal fire,
but one that cannot be put out unto there is nothing to burn. When fire
fighters cannot put out a fire they call it an unquenchable fire but it goes
out when there is nothing more to burn. Those who believe in Hell change
"unquenchable" into "eternal" then move the unquenchable
fire that destroyed Jerusalem from Jerusalem on this earth and put this
"eternal fire" in their "Hell" which they say is not on
this earth. First, the fire must be changed. Second, the fire must be moved
from Jerusalem to Hell. Isaiah says, "
For behold, the Lord will come in fire and His chariots like the whirlwind, to
render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with the flames of fire. For the
Lord will execute judgment by fire and by His sword on all flesh, and those
slain by the Lord will be many...Then they shall go forth and look on the
corpses (dead bodies in American Standard Version) of the men who have transgressed against me. For their (the corpses) worm shall not die, and their (the
corpses) fire shall not be quenched; and
they (the corpses) shall be an
abhorrence to all mankind" (Isaiah 66:15-24); ÒcarcassesÓ in King James Version, ÒcorpusÓ in New American Standard, Òdead bodiesÓ New International Version. The worms consumed the
corpses, and the fires were not quenched unto there was no more flesh to
consume or burn. It was corpses, carcasses,
dead bodies which were on the earth that were being consumed by the
unquenchable fire and undying maggots, Òthose
slain by the LordÓ (Isaiah 66:16) not Òthose tormented by the Lord,Ó not
immortal souls in Hell that cannot be slain screaming in anguish and pain; Isaiah
66:16; 66:24 describes the aftermath of a battle with the dead unburied. Those
people back in the time of Isaiah did not look from Heaven down into Hell and
see living souls being eaten by maggots; it was the living people on this earth
that went out to the battle field and saw real dead bodies on this earth being
eaten and burned, not immortal souls in Heaven that "shall go forth and look on the corpses" and see living
souls that are that are being tormented by God in Hell as worms and fire are
consuming but never consume them. How can fire or worms eternally torment a
dead body? It is difficult to conceive those that believes a soul is an
immaterial, no subject something can be eat by maggots and made more difficult
by the fact that maggots eat only dead flesh. It is the fire that is
unquenchable and both Isaiah and Christ speak only of the maggots being alive,
not the corpses that were being burnt up or eaten, they are dead, they have
been slain, there is nothing said about them being alive and in torment, but
todayÕs theology says they are both alive in being forever tormented by fire.
There is not even a hint that the corpses that were in the unquenchable fire were
aware of anything. For this to prove the soul is immortal they would have to be
viewing disembodied immortal souls that had been "slain by the Lord" (Isaiah 66:16) but were still living
after the Lord had slain these souls, not viewing dead bodies that were on this
earth. Without doubt, this unquenchable
fire burning those that had been slain by the Lord was a judgment and
punishment on this earth that has ended and the unquenchable fire went out when
it had did itÕs work, not a punishment in Hell that will never end.
á
There is no mention of torment. The
ungodly had been killed; it says nothing about the Lord tormenting them after He killed them, but many add to the Bible by
adding torment where there is none.
á
There is no mention of living immortal souls that are being eaten
by maggots and being consumed by fire. The
witnesses are living people that see the result
of this destruction (slaying); they see real corpses, carcasses, dead bodies
being consumed by real fire and maggots, not a living immaterial, invisible
part of a person that is alive and being tormented, neither the worms or the
fire causes any suffering.
á
They do not see these dead bodies in pain and anguish, they do not see God endlessly torturing souls in Hell that He
will never let die; it is living people on this earth that see corpses that are
dead and are on this earth, not in Hell. To teach eternal torment in Hell the
dead bodies that are being eaten by maggots on this earth have been changed to
living souls suffering eternal torture by God in an endless Hell; it is beyond
me to see how those who make such a change can still say they do not change the
Bible; there is nothing about souls, eternal torment, or Hell in this passage
but they add all three.
á
Some
believers in Hell change the Bible by transferring the qualities of the worm
being undying to the dead bodies that the worms were eating, changing the worms
into undying soul. Maggots eating dead bodies changed them into souls in
torment is nothing more than a desperate attempt prove something that has no
proof.
(2) "Therefore thus says
the Lord Jehovah: Behold, mine anger and my wrath shall be poured out upon this
place, upon man and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the
fruit of the ground; and it shall burn,
and shall not be quenched" (Jeremiah 7:20). If this was the LordÕs
anger being poured out in Hell, it would make beasts, trees, fields, and the
fruit of the ground be in Hell.
(3) Ezekiel also speaks of
the destruction of Judah using the imagery of a forest burning. "And the word of Jehovah came unto me,
saying, son of man, set your face toward the south, and drop your word toward
the south, and prophesy against the forest to the field in the South; and say
to the forest of the South, Hear the word of Jehovah: Thus says the Lord
Jehovah, Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall consume every green
tree in you, and it shall devour ever green tree in you, and ever dry tree; the
flaming flame shall not be quenched,
and all faces from the south to the north shall be burnt thereby. And all flesh
shall see that I, Jehovah, have kindled it; it shall not be quenched" (Ezekiel 20:47-48). Adam
Clarke, "The forest of the south field is the city of Jerusalem; which was
as full of inhabitants as the forest is of trees. I will kindle a fire, i. e.,
I will send war; and it shall devour ever green tree, i. e., the most eminent
and substantial of the inhabitants; and every dry tree, i. e., the lowest and
meanest also; it shall not be quenched, i. e., till the land be utterly ruined." The Òunquenchable fireÓ
was God using Babylonian to destroy Israel (Ezekiel 21:19; Nehemiah 1:3). GodÕs
judgment on Israel was unquenchable, no one could stop it, but it ended when
Israel was destroyed as a nation.
(4) Isaiah describes the desolation
of Edom, "For my sword has drunk
its fill in heaven; behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people
of my curse, to judgment...For Jehovah has a day of vengeance, a year of
recompense for the cause of Zion. And the streams of Edom shall be turned into
pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land there of shall become
burning pitch. It shall not be quenched
night or day; and the smoke thereof shall go up forever; from generation to
generation it shall lay waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever.
But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it; and the owl and the raven
shall dwell therein" (Isaiah 34:6-15). If this fire that "shall
not be quenched night nor day" is the Hell that is taught today,
how is it that "none shall pass
through it forever and ever," is their no one that shall be in Hell
but pelican, porcupine, owl, and ravens? This is clearly an earthly judgment on
Edom that has long passed, not an unquenchable fire in Hell after the judgment
day. After the unquenchable fire had done itÕs work the fire went out and the
land became a desert inhabited by pelicans, porcupines, owls and ravens (Isaiah
34:10-11).
(5) For more examples of God's judgments in this world being spoken
of as an unquenchable fire see Isaiah 1:31; Jeremiah 17:27; 21:12; Amos 5:6; 2
Kings 22:26-17; 2 Chronicles 34:24-25. These passages
show that the writers of the Old Testament used "unquenchable fire" as a judgment by war and famine both on
Israel and on wicked nations when they sinned, BUT WHEN THE JUDGMENT WAS OVER
AND THE UNQUENCHABELE FIRES HAD DID THEIR WORK THEY WENT OUT. When Jesus was
speaking of the fire and worms of Gehenna, he was giving a description of the
finality of the coming destruction of Israel who rejected Him. His audience would know the way unquenchable fire and
undying worms were used in the Old Testament and would understand His use of them.
They would have known the Gehenna that He was speaking of was a foul place of
destruction where worthless things were disposed of, and would have known He
was saying the destruction He was speaking of would be like the destruction of
the garbage in Gehenna, like the destruction of Jerusalem by unquenchable fire
and maggots in the Old Testament. They knew they were being threatened with
complete destruction just as the trash in the city dump. Jerusalem was
destroyed and burnt, and historian's say in A. D. 70 many dead bodies were burned
and many were left unburied for the maggots. "The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, concerning Judah and
JerusalemÉAnd the strong man will become tinder, his work also a spark, thus,
they shall both burn together, and there will be none to quench them" (Isaiah
1:1-31).
Curtis Dickinson: ÒThere
are some 70 cases in scripture where fire is used as judgment upon
wickednessÉnever was it used for the purpose of torture.Ó ÒA Place Called
Gehenna,Ó church of Christ
Summary: The worm
that dies not, and the unquenchable fire, as used in the Old Testament and by
Christ, proves utter destruction,
not everlasting torment. Gehenna is
believed by those who teach everlasting torment to be their strong hold, but
the symbols of maggots eating dead bodies on this earth, and fire consuming
unwanted trash ("dead bodies"
Isaiah 66:24) are symbols of destruction, not symbols of torment. Many think
this is the strongest proof of everlasting torment in the Bible, but it is the
other way around, it is a strong proof that the lost will be everlasting
destroyed. It does not prove that a sadistic God will forever torment anyone.
THE
OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY OF GEHENNA
Gehenna was first mentioned
in Joshua 15:8; 18:16 although it was never called "Gehenna" in the
Old Testament. Ahaz "burnt incense
in the valley of the son of Hinnom,
and burnt his children in the fire" (2 Chronicles 28:3; 2 Kings 16:3).
Manasseh also burnt his children in the fire in this valley (2 Chronicles 33:6).
Jeremiah 7:31-32
Children of Judah burned their sons and daughters in the fire in this valley,
and Jehovah said, "And they have
built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom,
to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command,
and it did not come into My mind. It shall no more be called Topheth, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Topheth, till there be no place to bury. And the dead bodies of
this people shall be food for the birds of the heavens, and for the beasts of
the earth; and none shall frighten them away." Those who teach
"Hell fire" are saying to God, "O yes it came into Your mind.
You have said You are going to burn most of Your children in a fire much hotter
than the fire in which they burnt their children."
Jeremiah 19:1-15 "Thus says the Lord, Go and buy a
potter's earthenware jar, and take some to the elders of the people and some of
the senior priests. Then go out to the valley
of Ben-hinnom (later was changed to valley of Gehanna), which is by the entrance of the potsherd
gate; and proclaim there the words
that I shall tell you, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and
inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel,
Behold I am about to bring a calamity upon this
place, at which the ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. Because
they have forsaken Me and have made this
an alien place and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods that neither they nor their forefathers nor
the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the
innocent and have built the high places
of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing
which I never commanded nor spoke of, nor did it enter My mind; therefore,
behold, days are coming, declares the Lord,
when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-hinnom,
but rather the valley of Slaughter. And I shall make void the counsel of
Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I shall cause them to fall by the
sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I
shall give over their carcasses as food for the birds of the sky and the beast
of the earth. I shall also make this city a desolation and an object of
hissing; everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of the
disasters. And I shall make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of
their daughters, and they will eat one another's flesh in the siege and in the
distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life will distress them.
Then you are to break the jar in the sight of the men who accompany you and say
to them, Thus says the Lord of hosts, Just so shall I break this people and
this city, even as one breaks a potter's vessel, which cannot again be
repaired; and they will bury in Topheth
because there is no other place for burial. This is how I shall treat this place and its inhabitants,
declares the Lord so as to make this
city like Topheth. And the houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings
of Judah will be defiled like the place
Topheth, because of all the houses on whose rooftops they burned sacrifices
to all the heavenly host and poured out libations to other gods. Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the
Lord has sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the Lord's
house and said to all the people; thus says the Lord of host, the God of
Israel, Behold, I am about to bring on
this city and all its towns the entire calamity that I have declared against it,
because they have stiffened their necks so as not to heed My words." Jeremiah used the valley of Gehenna to warn Israel of their destruction
as a nation. Christ also used the valley of Gehenna to warn Israel of their
destruction as a nation.
Many believe the
angel of the Lord killed the185,000 Assyrians in this valley when they were
laying siege to Jerusalem (Isaiah 37:36). They were killed near Jerusalem and
it could have been in this valley, but I can find no proof that it was. See
Isaiah 30:31-33.
Josiah "defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no
man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech"
(2 Kings 23:10). This may be when it became the trash dump that it was in the
New Testament.
It is also mentioned
in Nehemiah 11:30; Jeremiah 19:2: Because of their worshiping other gods in it,
God made it a place of destruction and death, not torment. Topheth (Gehenna in
the New Testament) literally means a place of burning, and a place of death, "The valley of slaughter" (Jeremiah
7:31).
Every reference to Gehenna in the Old Testament
was to a place on this earth; not one of them says anything about eternal
torment after the judgment. It is
admitted by all that Gehenna in the Old Testament was not a place of eternal
torment, and it was not changed to "Hell" in any Old Testament
passage, not even in the King James Version which is sometimes called
"Hell's Bible."
Henry Thayer: "Gehenna, the name of a valley on the S. and E. of
Jerusalem...The Jews so abolished the place after these horrible sacrifices had
been abolished by king Josiah (2 k.xxiii, 10) that they cast into it not only
all manner of refuses, but even the dead bodies of animals and unburied
criminals who had been executed. And since fires were always needed to consume
the dead bodies, that the air might not become tainted by the putrefaction, it
came to pass that the place was called (Gehenna)." "A Greek-English
Lexicon Of the New Testament" Page 111. He also said in "Theology,"
"Our inquiry shows that it is employed in the Old Testament in its literal
or geographical sense only, as the name of the valley lying on the south of
Jerusalem-that the Septuagint proves it retained this meaning as late as B. C.
150-that it is not found at all in the Apocrypha; neither of Philo, nor in
Josephus, whose writings cover the very times of the Savior and the New
Testament, thus leaving us without a single example of contemporary usage to
determine its meaning at this period-that from A. D. 150-159, we find in two
Greek authors, Justin and Clement of Alexandria, the first resident in Italy
and the last in Egypt that Gehenna began to be used to designate a place of
punishment after death, but not endless punishment since Clement was a believer
in universal restoration-that the first time we find Gehenna used in this sense
in any Jewish writing is near the beginning of the third century, in the Targum
of Jonathan Ben Uzziel, two hundred years too late to be of any service in the
argument-and lastly, that the New Testament usage shows that while it had not
wholly lost its literal sense, it was also employed in the time of Christ as a
symbol of moral corruption and wickedness; but
more especially as a figure of the terrible judgments of God on the rebellious
and sinful nation of the Jews," Henry Thayer, "Theology."
Canon Farrar: "In the Old Testament it is merely the pleasant
valley of Hinnom (GeHinnom), subsequently desecrated by idolatry, and
especially by Moloch worship, and defiled by Josiah on this account. (See 1
Kings 11:7; 2 Kings 23:10; Jer 7:31; 19:10-14; Isa. 30:33; Tophet). Used
according to Jewish tradition, as the common sewage of the city, the corpses of
the worst criminals were flung into it unburied, and fires were lit to purify
the contaminated air. It then became a word which secondarily implied (1) the
severest judgment which a Jewish court could pass upon a criminal-the casting
forth of his unburied corpse amid the fire and worms of this polluted valley;
and (2) a punishment-which to the Jews a body never meant an end-less
punishment beyond the grave. Whatever
may be the meaning of the entire passages in which the word occurs, 'Hell' must
be a complete mistranslation, since it attributes to the term used by Christ a
sense entirely differently from that in which it was understood by our Lord's
hearers, and therefore, entirely different from the sense in which He could
have used it." From the preface to "Eternal Hope."
"Gehenna, the Greek word translated hell in the common version,
occurs twelve times. It is the Grecian mode of spelling the Hebrew words, which
are translated, 'The Valley of Hinnom.' This valley was also called Tophet, a
detestation, and an abomination. Into this place were cast all kinds of filth,
with the carcasses of beasts and unburied bodies of criminals, who had been
executed. Continual fires were kept to consume these. Sennacherib's army of
185,000 men was slain there in one night. Here, children were burnt to death in
sacrifice to Moloch. Gehenna, then, as
occurring in the New Testament, symbolizes death and utter destruction, but in
no place symbolizes a place of eternal torment" From the Emphatic
Diaglot.
George Lemasters said Gehenna is said to have been a receptacle of
bones, bodies of beasts and criminals, and all unclean things. Page 265,
Florida College Annual Lectures, 1975.
Ron Halbrook said Gehenna became a common refuse dump for the dead
bodies of criminals, animal carcasses, and other kind of filth. Page 123,
Florida College Annual Lectures 1986.
Whatever was cast into Gehenna (the city dump), if it were trash or the
bodies of criminals were cast into the trash dump to be destroyed and both were
destroyed, not tormented; trash or dead bodies cannot be tormented.
Whatever was cast into Gehenna was soon consumed by the fires and worms, Nothing was cast into Gehenna to be
preserved and no Jew hearing Jesus could have understand it in any way but a
place of total destruction. The fate of Israel is compared to trash and dead
bodies that were cast into the city dump to be disposed of.
Both Christ and James
used the name of the city dump (Gehenna). Although the translators have James
using the word Hell, when James wrote this neither the English word ÒHell,Ó did
not exist nor was there a Greek word for "Hell." Christ never used the word Hell, He used Gehenna, and He never said one
thing about Hell. Even in Old English Hell did not have the meaning it has in
todayÕs English.
THE
USE OF GEHENNA BY CHRIST
Gehenna was used on
four occasions by Christ, and was used one time by James, the brother of the
Lord (James 3:6). The name Gehenna is in the four gospels eleven times but as
the four gospels repeat the same discourses, Jesus did not really use it more
than six or seven times and these were all used in only four occasions (four
sermons).
THE
FIRST OCCASION
IN
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Gehenna is used 3
times in Matthew 5. Christ is teaching those who that at that time were under
the Law.
THE FIVE JUDGMENTS
Five judgments the disciples had heard that the Law said.
(1) THE FIRST JUDGMENT Matthew 5:21-26, "You
have heard that the ancients were told, 'You shall not commit murder,' and
'whoever commits murder shall be liable
to the court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother
shall be guilty before the court;
and whoever shall say to his brother, 'Raca,' shall be guilty before the Supreme Court; and whoever shall say, 'You
fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into
the fiery hell (Greek-Gehenna of fire)" New American Standard
Bible. Gehenna, the city dump of Jerusalem was always burning, day and night,
24/7.
The three crimes that were judged by the
courts: All three have to do with the way they felt toward their brother,
all three were judged by an earthly court. "Murder
shall be liable to the court: but I
say to you everyone who is,"
á
ÒGehenna of Fire Or ÔHell,Õ The
severest punishment inflicted by the Jews upon any criminal. The corpse (after
the man had been stoned to death) was thrown out into the Valley of Hennom (Ge
Hinnom) and was devoured by the worm or the flame.Ó Dr. R. F. Weymouth, ÒNew
Testament in Modern Speech, Mark 3:29. Page 10.
Matthew 5:23-26, A
lesson on how to make your offering acceptable to God.
"Agree with your adversary quickly,
while you are with him in the way; lest
haply the adversary deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the
officer, and you are cast into prison. Verily I say unto you, you shall by
no means come out till you have paid
the last farthing" (Matthew 5:25-26). "Make friends quickly with your opponent at law" New
American Standard Version. When it is
paid, then the person in prison shall come out. This is speaking of a
judgment and punishment under the Law, not at the resurrection.
(2) THE SECOND JUDGMENT, "You have heard that it
was said, 'You shall not commit adultery'" Matthew 5:27-30 "And if your right eye causes you to
stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that
one of your members should perish, and
not your whole body be cast into hell (Greek-Gehenna). And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it
from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish,
and not your whole body go into hell (Greek-Gehenna)." Jesus is saying
to them that they had heard that it was said (in the Law), ÒYou shall not commit adulteryÓ for which they would be put to
death under the Law of Moses (Leviticus 20:10) and their body cast into the
valley of Gehenna.
Christ is teaching
them that if there is a danger that they may look on a woman to lust after her,
if their eye causes them to stumble, pluck it out and cast it away. If taken
literal a disfigurement of their body would have been unlawful by the Old Testament
Law they were under. The lesson to them was that they were to remove anything
from their lives, which would cause them to be judged unworthy to be buried and
their bodies to be cast into Gehenna. Under the Law adultery had a death
penalty and could cause their whole bodies to be cast into the fire and maggots
in Gehenna (Leviticus 20:10-16). The lesson to them and to us is that if
something in our life that would cause us to be lost, even if it is as dear to
us as our eye or hand, it needs to be cut off unless the whole body be
destroyed, the removal of anything in our life that would cause us to be
destroyed by God as worthless trash was destroyed in Gehenna. Christ was saying
to them anything in their life; adultery or any other sin that would cause them
to perish needed to be removed. Those
that use this to prove Hell do not believe that to "cut off" any part of the body of a living person will
keep that person out of Hell after death. To them the hand and the eye are a
literal hand or eye, but according to their teaching "the whole body" is not a body at all but a formless, no
substance, invisible part of a person that has no body.
The
loss of a hand or eye is contrasted with the lost of the whole body (of which
the hand was a part) by being cast into Gehenna, not the loss of a hand being
contrasted with the soul, of which the hand was not a part, the hand that was cut of was not the hand of the soul
being cast into Hell. The "eye" and the "right hand" are a part of the
"whole body." No one can cut off the hand of a soul which
they say has no substance and Christ does not change from parts of the
earthly body to something that most who believe in "it" says
"it" has no body. No one that I know of who believes Hell is an
eternal place of torment believes the human body or any part of it will be
eternally tormented by God in that eternal place. In the same sentence, did
Christ change from a literal physical hand to a "soul"? If the "whole
body" is a formless no substance soul, then the "hand," which was cut off this body is a part of the "whole body," and would also
be a formless no substance something that we could not cut off, and if we
could, then the cut off hand of an immortal soul would be as immortal as the
rest of the no substance formless soul from which it was cut off. In today's
theology no one believes you can cut off the hand of a spirit so that the rest
of the spirit will not go to Hell. The "whole
body" that will be cast into Gehenna is the earthly body, not a spirit
that will go to Hell (Gehenna), but this spirit will not go to Hell if the hand
of the soul or spirit had been cut off. It is the hand that is a part of this
earthly body that is to be cut off that the whole earthly body would not be
cast into a real earthy valley. Today this has been changed to an invisible
immortal hand that cannot die, but it is to be cut off an immortal soul that
cannot die because if it is not cut off the soul that cannot die that will be
cast into a place of torment that is not on this earth. I have never heard
anyone say what he or she thinks will happen to the cut off immortal hand that
cannot die. No one that I know of believes the "soul" shall "enter into life," which he or
she says is Heaven, with a cut off hand of that soul in Hell. The
"soul" in Heaven but its "hand" in Hell! They don't believe
that a disfigurement of the earthly body, whether it is a self inflicted
disfigurement or any other disfigurement, will be passed onto the immaterial,
invisible part of a person in Heaven. Neither do they believe any person has
the power to cut of any part of his soul. Gehenna must be changed to Hell and be
literal, but the cut off the hand that is cast into Hell cannot be literal.
D. P. Livermore: "Though his followers were called to
suffer the loss of all things; though the hand of persecution might be raised
against kindred and friends, yet, better to enter into life thus maimed, than
to cling to those friends and share with them the judgments of God,
figuratively represented by Gehenna fire. Jesus required his disciples to
forsake all for him. He said: 'Whoso loves father or mother more than me, is
not worthy of me.' Those who loved ease and fame and popularity more than him
and his unpopular cause were not worthy of him. As though Jesus has said: 'In
embracing my cause, now unpopular, now scorned and rejected by the world, the
chief priests and rulers, you may be called upon to part with something dear to
you as a member of your body; some dear friend may turn coldly from you and
forsake you; it may be like severing a limb from the body; like cutting off a
hand, or plucking out an eye; yet, better to enter into life thus maimed;
better to cherish the hope of everlasting life at this great sacrifice, than to
reject the truth, and remain in a state of unbelief and moral blindness'"
"Endless Punishment" Page 49, 1864.
"Perish" must be changed to mean, "preserve."
God's word says He will destroy the soul, but many change this and make it say
God will not let the soul perish but will preserve it forever. There seems to
be no end to the changes they are willing to make. "Destroy the body and
soul" must be changed to "preserve the soul but destroy the
body."
A dead body part or a
whole dead body being cast into the city dump (Gehenna) to be destroyed by fire
or worms is not a picture of a living immortal soul being tormented forever in
some place other then Gehenna. There is no suggestion of eternal torment in
this. There is nothing, not one word
about an immortal soul or an immortal spirit in this passage. It was their "whole body" that would be
cast into Gehenna; nothing is said about an immaterial, invisible part of a
person that will be cast into "Hell, nothing about eternal torment." Instead of saying that immortal souls will
burn forever in Gehenna it says the body will be destroyed in Gehenna. Nothing
is said about an immaterial part of a person in Matthew 5:22, 29 or 30.
"Soul" is not in Matthew 5; it
has been added and is preached today that the "soul" will be cast
into "Hell," not the Òwhole bodyÓ cast into the Gehenna that those
hearing Christ would know about. This passage is one of the most used passages
to prove a person has in immaterial part that will be in an eternal place of
torment, but neither (1) an immaterial part of a person (2) or a place of
eternal torment is in it. Everything that Christ said is changed and that by
those that say they do not change the Bible.
(3) The third, "You have heard you shall not forswear
yourself" (Matthew 5:33).
(4) The fourth,
"You have heardÉan eye for an eyeÓ
(Matthew 5:38).
(5) The fifth, "You have heardÉlove your neighborÓ
(Matthew 5:43).
All five of the "you have heard" are about judgments of the Old Testament
Law that had punishment in this life, not about things in the life after the
resurrection and judgment. Being cast into Gehenna is an earthly judgment that
is in the same context with other earthly judgments. This is the first time Christ used the term Gehenna; if He had
used it to teach endless torment, He said nothing that those hearing Him, or
those who read His words today could know He was speaking of judgments in the
Law given through Moses; there is absolutely no indication He was speaking of
eternal torment of a Òsoul.Ó
THE
SECOND OCCASION
IN
A LESSON TO THE TWELVE DISCIPLES
"Fear him, who after
He has killed has power to cast into Gehenna" Luke 12:4-5; God is able
to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna Matthew 10:28. This was spoken
to the twelve apostles when they were sent forth to preach, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand"
(Matthew 10:1-28). He was persecuted, and they would be, but they were to "Fear them not." "But I will
warn you whom you shall fear: fear him, who after he has killed has
power to cast into Gehenna"
(Luke 12:4-5). "After He has killed" must be changed to "alive but separated
from God" to fit today's
teaching for an immortal soul cannot be killed and this passage must be changed
to teach an immortal soul that cannot be killed is alive and tormented in
"Hell." After all, they cannot have God killing an immortal soul that
cannot be killed before He cast it alive into "Hell" could they?
Man can destroy the
life we now have, but God alone is able to destroy (Apollumi) both soul (life-psukee) and body in Gehenna
"after He has killed." To prove Hell, many have this
earthly body tormented in Hell after the Judgment Day. If both the body and
soul are destroyed in Gehenna proves an immortal "immaterial, invisible part of man" (W. E. Vine) that
cannot die will be tormented in Hell, then it also proves the earthy body will
be tormented in Hell. If the "immaterial, invisible part of
man" cannot die because it is immortal from birth, God could do no
more than a man. He could only destroy (kill) the body, but not the immortal "immaterial, invisible part of
man" that cannot die and cannot be destroyed. Was Jesus telling
the twelve apostles not to fear God? He was if the soul (psukee) is immortal
from birth and cannot be killed. Does it mean what it says, or does "destroy," mean to
"torment forever," as today's theology interprets and demands? If it
were as is has been changed to today that destroy means torment, and Gehenna
means Hell, then they have God tormenting both this body of flesh and the
"soul" in Hell forever, which is more than they want it to say, but
when is Gehenna changed to "Hell," it makes this passage teaches
something that even those who make the change do not believe. Will this earthly body be in
"Hell" and be immortal? If it is to be tormented forever in
"Hell," then the earthly body is as immortal as the soul is.
When a person has killed
the body, he can do no more. At the worse, a person can only take a few years
of life from you, but there will be a resurrection and God can take an eternity
of life from you. God has the power to kill, or the power to torment (if He was
that kind of a God, a fiendish and sadistic God); but we must look to the Bible
to know what He will do and not look to theology. A man can only take this life
from you, and then can do no more, and most of the twelve Christ was speaking
to were soon killed by men who could do no more, but there will be a
resurrection of all they kill. God can destroy
this life, and then destroy the
resurrected life after the judgment. There is a second death for those not in
Christ.
Apollumi is used 95
times in the New Testament. Matthew
10:28 is the only time it is used of the soul (psukee—life) and it says God is able to kill (apollumi)
the soul. Those who believe we have a soul that cannot die must deny this
plain statement made by Christ. In the King James Version in the other 94 times
it is the body that is destroyed (the end of life of the body) or things that
are destroyed, not tormented such as bottles, meat, gold, Matthew 9:27; John
6:27; 1 Peter 1:7; etc. It is translated destroy, destroyed, perish, lose,
lost, and die.
Men did kill the
bodies of many disciples and Christ warned that they would be killed, but this
has no effect on their ultimate existence. Death is but a brief sleep, which
will be as if it were only a moment from death unto the resurrection. (Deuteronomy
31:16; 2 Samuel 7:12; 1 Kings 1:21; Job 7:21; 14:12; Psalm 13:31 Jeremiah 51:39,
57; 1 Kings 2:10; 11:21, 43; 14:20, 31; 15:8, 24; 16:6, 28; 22:40, 50; 2 Kings
8:24; 10:35; 13:9, 13; 14:16, 22, 29; 15:7, 22, 38; 16:20; 20:21; 21:18; 24:6;
2 Chronicles 9:31; 12:16; 14:1; 16:13; 21:1; 26:2, 23; 27:9; 28:27; 32:33;
33:20; Job 3:13; Isaiah 26:19; Matthew 9:24; 25:5; 27:52; Mark 5:39; Luke 8:52;
John 11:11-14; Acts 7:60; 13:36; 1 Corinthians 15:6, 18, 20, 51; 1
Thessalonians 4:13-15; 5:10; 2 Peter 3:4). There will be a resurrection, and in
the ultimate eternal sense, man cannot kill the soul—life (psukee). God
can destroy and make our memory to perish (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6;
Ecclesiastes 9:4-6; Psalm 31:12; 88:5; Isaiah 26:14; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Matthew
10:28; Luke 12:5; Romans 6:23). If death does not indicate unconsciousness, then
the analogy of sleep, which is used throughout the Bible, is meaningless for
the dead are not asleep. It is more than just meaningless, being asleep when
they are awake in Heaven or Hell would be an outright lie that is repeated
frequently. The second death is never called a sleep because there will be no
waking up or resurrection from it.
Many believe that the destroying spoken of
in Matthew 10:28 is to be after the resurrection, but just do not agree on (1) if
destroy really means destroy or (2) if destroy mean an everlasting life with
punishment. "Fear him who is able to
destroy." If it were as many believe that this destroying to be at
death, or as others believe the destroying is to be after the judgment, this
passage clearly says God is able to destroy the psukee (life-soul). I know many
who have a gun but there is no point to fear someone because he has a gun and
could kill you if you know he never will. There would be no point to fear God
because He has the power and could destroy you, but you know He never will.
Jesus is not just making an idle threat. God
is to be feared because He will destroy. The fear is not of the fact that
He can, but on the fact that He will destroy, on the certainty that He will
destroy. If there is an "immaterial, invisible part of
man" that is immortal and can never die, then God cannot kill it and Christ
is saying do not fear God for he cannot kill the immaterial, invisible part of
a person. If a person kills us, God
will raise us at the judgment. Those whom God will destroy will be destroyed
forever with no hope of a resurrection to life. God is able to destroy both
body and soul is changed to: God is able to preserve both body and soul.
Without this change there would be no way to put "Hell" in this
passage, and without it there would be no way to put the "soul" in
"Hell" without also putting the body in "Hell"; but most
important, without changing this passage there would be no way to keep the soul
that many say, "cannot be destroyed" from being destroyed.
1. There is
nothing said about a person now having an immortal soul that cannot be
destroyed.
2. Or about God
tormenting anyone after the Judgment is over. Noting about torment anyone at
any time, neither in Gehenna nor after the Judgment.
3. If the
destroying spoken of in this passage is Israel in Gehenna, or if the destroying
is at the Judgment, the destroying cannot be moved to after the Judgment is
over and them the place then be changed from destroying in Gehenna to eternal
life in Hell.
If the words "immortal soul"
were substituted for "soul" and "life," it would be absurd. "But are not able to kill the immortal soul (life—psukee): but fear him who is able to
destroy both immortal soul (life—psukee)
and body in Hell (Gehenna)...He that finds his immortal soul (life—psukee) shall lose his immortal soul (life-psukee); and he
that loses his immortal soul for my
sake shall find his immortal soul "
(Matthew 10:28-39). In using this to prove that a person has an immortal soul,
which cannot be destroyed, it proves that the soul can be destroyed. If psukee
were an immortal soul, then God would be able to destroy this immortal soul. There is no stronger way in which to say God
can and will destroy it. He is to be feared by those of the world because
He will. I find it strange that one of
the most used passages to prove there is an "immaterial, invisible part of
man" (Vine) that cannot be
destroyed says God can destroy the very thing that some are trying to prove
cannot be destroyed; but, no stranger then the use of death to mean an eternal
life of torment with God doing the tormenting. By saying black is white you
can prove anything.
The point some are
trying to make from God being "able
to destroy" is that there is life after death, an immortal soul that
cannot be destroyed, which this does not prove. At the resurrection there will
be life that God can destroy, not
that there is an immortal soul that God cannot destroy. It says nothing about an "immaterial, invisible part of man" that
is alive before the resurrection that cannot be destroyed. It does not say
there will be any life from death unto the resurrection. That there will be a
resurrection is taught through out the New Testament, but if all are alive when
Christ comes, there cannot be a resurrection of those that are not dead. God can destroy the life now is and the
life that will be after the resurrection. He is to be feared by the lost
because He will destroy the life they will have after the resurrection.
Proves more than the advocate's of an
immortal soul want to prove. Matthew 10:28 proves more than they believe and more
them they want to prove, for they do not believe this earthly body will be
tormented in "Hell" or that the "immaterial, invisible part of
man" will be destroyed. But, to prove their Hell, they make destroy be just
a loss of well being, but still alive and being tormented in Hell. If the
immaterial, invisible part of a person is not destroyed, but just lost its well
being, then the earthly body is not destroyed, but has just lost its well
being. The same thing happens to both the body and the immaterial, invisible
part of a person; therefore, if destroy means one is tormented, not destroyed,
then destroy means the earthly body will be tormented in Hell just as the soul
will. Most who believes in Hell do not believe the flesh and blood
"body" will be tormented, but, it is clear that whatever happens to
the "body" also happens to the "soul" (psukee—life), both are destroyed. If one is killed, both are
killed, if one is tormented, both are tormented. If God is able to kill or destroy both the body and soul (psukee—life), neither one
could be immortal.
ÒFear
him who is able to destroy both soul
and body in hell (Gehenna).Ó
The word "destroy" is from apollumi. Christ is speaking of a soul (life—psukee) whose destruction is expressed by the same
Greek word, apollumi, as is the destruction of the body. Whatever you believe
the "soul" to be, it is shown to be as destructible as the body is. What
God created, God can destroy.
The advocate's of an
immortal soul say, "destroy,Ó (apollumi)
means "torment." If this is true, "torment" should be used
in place of "destroy" in all places. Try it. The same is true when
apollumi is made to mean "a loss of well-being."
"Destroy
both body and soul (psukee)" God
will destroy both body and soul (psukee, life, living creature) just as certain
as the fire consumed the garbage of Jerusalem. When Jesus says that God can
destroy the body and soul in Gehenna, it is the whole being of man, not just
his "well being." There is no
ground for the traditional view of an immortal soul that cannot be destroyed in
this passage or any other passage, but there is ground for the whole of man,
body and psukee (life—soul),
being destroyed in this and many other passages.
Jesus
used both kill and destroy, but said nothing about torment. Theology must be
used to make destroy mean torment for if the words kill and destroy are not
changed to mean torment, there would be no living "souls" to be
tormented in Hell, therefore, no Hell.
Christ speaks of being destroyed in
Gehenna but never says anything about Gehenna being eternal or about torment in
Gehenna, but those who change Gehenna into Hell add both eternal life and
torment to Gehenna. To have the "Hell" that is taught today, Gehenna
must (1) be changed from a place of desertion to a place of torment, (2) then
it must be moved, (3) them the place that have been changed and moved must be
given a new name (Hell).
From the same lesson (God is able to
destroy) to his disciples, lose his life (Greek soul—psukee) must be changed to mean an everlasting life
of torment that can never be lost (Matthew 10:39).
1.
"He who
finds his life—shall lose it."
2. "He who loses his life—shall find
it."
"He who finds his life (soul—psukee)
shall lose it." The person who
saves his life (psukee) by denying
Christ will lose his life at the
judgment. He who finds his life is one who puts this life ahead of Christ, but
he will "lose it" at the
judgment, not have an everlasting life with torment. (1) "The wages of sin is death"
(Romans 6:23) (2) "A certain
fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall devour the adversaries" (Hebrews
10:27). (3) "The day of judgment and
destruction of ungodly men"
(2 Peter 3:7). "And forfeit his life" (soul—psukee) (Mark 8:36). "And
lose himself" (Luke 9:25) Luke used the pronoun "himself" in the place of "psukee—life"
that Matthew used making ÒlifeÓ (soul—psukee) and ÒhimselfÓ
both be the same thing. It is
the ÒlifeÓ of the person or ÒhimselfÓ that will be lost or saved,
not just an inter invisible part of the person that has no substance, not just
something inside of a person that no one can tell us what it really is. The
teaching today is that this no substance part of the person will not really be
lost, but will just change its address to Heaven to Hell. Life (psukee) is the same word that is translated soul 58 times,
and is the only word that is translated soul in the New Testament. An immortal
soul had to be put in the Bible, but to do so, the translators had to throw
away the whole person we now are to make only an immaterial, invisible part of
a person be immortal, and only this "invisible
part of man" will have eternal life in Heaven. Those who do not obey Christ shall lose the very thing that is saved by
those who do obey Him-life; the lost
shall die and the saved shall live. "But
the righteous shall go into eternal life"
(Matthew 25:46). Many are saying, "Not so Lord, they 'shall not lose it,'
for the 'immaterial, invisible part of a
man' shall have eternal life in Hell"; if this is not what they say,
than what are they saying? It is life
that is being spoken of as being saved or lost, nothing more, not an immortal
soul that can never lose its life being saved from eternal torment by God.
There is not a word said about Hell or an immortal, immaterial, invisible part
of a person.
"He
who loses his life (soul—psukee) shall
find it." How could Christ have said it any clearer that the person
that loses his life (soul—psukee), his earthly life because he is a Christian and will
not deny Christ will find life at
the judgment? If "lose his life" (soul—psukee) is to lose his life
(soul—psukee) for
being a Christian, them "lose his life (soul—psukee)" cannot be to have an everlasting life with
torment that cannot be lost.
The same thing that is saved is the same
thing that will be lost.
When save and lose in Matthew 10:39 are applied to an immaterial soul
that cannot die as it is used in today's theology it makes nonsense.
Finding life and losing life are not an everlasting life of torment separated from God. (1) "He that finds his life shall lose
it," by some kind of magic charm losing life is turns into eternal
life in Hell that can never be lost. "Shall
lose it (his life)" is made to mean an eternal life of torment in Hell. How could anyone know this? What
dictionary is being used? How can losing life mean eternal life in Hell!!! (2) "He that loses his life for my sake
shall find it." Losing the life of the body - being put to death for
believing in Christ, also by some kind of magic is turned into eternal life for
an "immaterial, invisible part of man" at death before the
resurrection. Their magic makes the resurrection useless for they say eternal
life is given to all at birth and none can lose it; therefore, Christ cannot
give us life. He can only give a reward for being good and can only punish for
being bad. To make psukee be an "immaterial invisible, immortal part of
man" that cannot die makes it be nonsense. No doctrine of the Bible is
more plain than the loss of life in this passage is the lost of our earthly
life because of being faithful to Christ, not eternal life with torment for the
sinner; finding life is to find eternal life at the resurrection, and the
person that saves his earthly life (psukee)
by denying Christ will lose his life at the judgment.
á
"For
whosoever would save his life (soul-psukee) shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life (soul—psukee) for my sake
shall find it. For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole
world (become very rich in this life),
and forfeit his life (soul—psukee)? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his
life (soul—psukee)?" (Matthew
16:25-26 American Standard Version).
á
Mark 8:35-36 "For
whosoever would save his life (soul—psukee) shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his
life (soul—psukee) for my sake and the gospel's shall save it.
For what do it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life (soul—psukee)? For what
should a man give in exchange for his life (soul—psukee)?"
á
Luke 9:24-25"For
whosoever would save his life (soul-psukee) shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life (soul—psukee) for my sake,
the same shall save it. For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world,
and lost of forfeit his own self?"
á
"He that
finds his life (soul—psukee) shall lose it; and he that loses his life
(soul—psukee) for my sake shall find it" (Matthew
19:39).
á
Luke 17:33"Whosoever
shall seek to gain his life (soul—psukee) shall lose it: but whosoever shall lose his
life (soul—psukee) shall preserve it"
á
"He that
loves his life (soul—psukee) loses it; and he that hates his life (soul—psukee) in this world
shall keep it unto life eternal" (John 12:25).
THE
THIRD OCCASION
IN
ANOTHER LESSON TO HIS DISCIPLES
This was a different
discourse than Matthew 5:29-30 above, but He was teaching the same thing. See
the notes on the first occasion above. Matthew 18:9 "And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it
from you: it is good for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than
having two eyes to be cast into the Hell
(Greek—Gehenna) of fire." Mark 9:43, 45, 47 "And if your hand
cause you to stumble, cut it off: it is good for you to enter into life maimed,
rather then having your two hands to go into Hell (Greek—Gehenna), into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot cause you to stumble,
cut it off; it is good for you to enter into life halt, rather then having your
two feet to be cast into Hell (Greek—Gehenna). And if your eye cause you to stumble, cast
it out; it is good for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye,
rather than having two eyes to be cast into Hell (Greek—Gehenna) where their worm dies not, the fire is not quenched" "Where
their worm dies not, the fire is not quenched" is in Mark 9:44, 46,
and 48 in some translations. The footnote in the American Standard Version
says, "Verses 44 and 46 (which are
identical with verse 48) are omitted by the best ancient authorities."
Not many believes the human body is
going to be cast in ÒHellÓ and be tormented, yet this passage about the human
body being cast into the valley of Gehenna is often used to prove the ÒsoulÓ
will be eternality tormented. "Where
their worm dies not, the fire is not quenched" is a direct quotation
from Isaiah 66:23-24 where it is speaking of dead bodies on this earth being
burned with fire and eaten by worms just as anything that was cast into Gehenna
was burned with fire and eaten by worms. Gehenna, a place on this earth,
has been changed to Hell, a place not on this earth; and no one can give a
Bible passage that tells of a place called "Hell." ÒIt is better for you to enter life crippledÓ (Mark 9:43), what ÒlifeÓ
is Christ speaking of, this life Òcrippled,Ó
or life in Heaven ÒcrippledÓ? If
Christ were speaking of Heaven, unless it is possible to be crippled with only
one foot and one eye in Heaven this passage would make no sense. Do
unconditional immoralists believe Christ is saying it is better for an immortal
soul to enter life in Heaven a ÒcrippledÓ
soul; Òit is good for you to enter
into life halt, rather then having your two feet to be cast into Hell (Greek—Gehenna)Ó? If Christ were speaking of immortal souls
entering life in Heaven or being cast into Hell, would there be any way to say
there will not be crippled souls in Heaven? These are symbolic words teaching
that if there is anything in our lives that would be in the way of entering
into the kingdom of Heaven we need to remove them; a person who uses drugs
needs to repent, a person who is a thief needs to repent.
THE
FOURTH OCCASION
IN
A SERMON TO THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES
Gehenna is used two
times in a sermon to the Scribes and Pharisees warning them of God's rejection
of Israel. In Matthew 23 and 24 Christ speaks of the destruction of Israel. "All these things shall come upon this
generation" (Matthew 23:36). The
context of these two uses of Gehenna are clearly an in time judgment of Israel,
a judgment that has now passed, not of anything that will be after the judgment
at the coming of Christ. They have no reference to "Hell." The
judgment and destruction of Israel did come on that "generation," but "damnation
of Hell" as it is preached today did not come on that "generation." Damnation" is from krisis which
means judgment, not damnation as it is mistranslated in the King James Version,
the "judgment of Gehenna," not the "damnation of Hell."
These two uses of Gehenna are in a context of a rebuke toward the Pharisees and
religious leaders of that time and not of anything after the judgment day.
ISRAEL THE WICKED
HUSBANDMEN Matthew 21:33-46: Before looking at this use of Gehenna it may help
understand it to first look at the parable of the wicked husbandman that comes
just before it and is a part of the same sermon spoken to the Scribes and
Pharisees. "When; therefore, the
lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do unto these husbandman? They
say unto him, He will miserably destroy
these miserable men, and will let out the vineyard unto other husbandmen,
who will render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus said unto them, did you
never read in the scriptures, the stone, which the builders rejected, the same
was made the head of the corner; this was from the Lord, and it is marvelous in
our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, the
kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation
bringing forth the fruits thereof. And he who falls on this stone will be
broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust. And
when the chief priests and Pharisees heard his parables, they understood that He was speaking about them." How is
it that today most do not understand this parable to be about Israel? Many
parables deal with the rejection of Christ by Israel and its destruction. See
chapter 8, part 1, and part 2.
(1) SON OF GEHENNA: Matthew 23:15 "Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! For you compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is
become so, you make him twofold more a son of Hell (Greek—Gehenna)
then yourselves." In speaking to
the Pharisees, Christ said, "For you
are like unto whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly
are full of dead man's bones, and of all uncleanness"
(Matthew 23:27). The Scribes and
Pharisees made their proselytes twofold more a son of Gehenna than them selves (Matthew 23:15). A place cannot
give birth to a person. No one, not even those who believe in Hell believe Hell
is literally the father or mother of anyone. To call a person a son of a place
is not to say that place is literally the personÕs mother, but is to say a part
of his or her character is similar to the place. Gehenna was a place of filth
and uncleanness. To use the
metaphors "son of Gehenna"
is to say they were unclean like the
filthy city dump. To be a "son of
Gehenna" means to be like Gehenna and the things in it: to be filthy
and contemptible fit only to be destroyed. The proselytes were made twofold
more unclean then the Pharisees.
Because Gehenna does not literally have sons, this is a figure of speech and
not intended to be taken literally not in this life or after death. James and
John are called "sons of
thunder" (Mark 3:17). Thunder did not give birth to them, but a part
of their character is similar to thunder, "And
if a son of peace be there" (Luke 10:6), "Son of exhortation" (Acts 4:36), "Sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2), "The son of destruction" (2
Thessalonians 2:3).
J
W McGarvey, Matthew 8:11: "The child of anything in Hebrew phraseology
expressed the idea of special property which one has in the thing specified,
as, for instance, children of disobedience (Eph. ii. 2)" The Fourfold
Gospel, Standard Publishing Company, 1914.
This metaphor is taken from
the filth and uncleanness of Gehenna. Although this passage is repeatedly used
to prove eternal torment after death, there is nothing about any torment in it,
not in this lifetime or after death.
In the same address
to the Scribes and Pharisees Christ gives two more examples of their
uncleanness.
Matthew 23:13-39 is a list of seven woes
to the Scribes and Pharisees. "Twofold
more a son of Gehenna." Matthew 23:15 is the second of
the seven woes on the Scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:13-39).
1. The Pharisees shut
the kingdom of Heaven against men and enter not in (Matthew 23:13-14).
2. The Pharisees made their proselytes twofold more
a son of Gehenna than them selves (Matthew 23:15).
3. The Pharisees
said to swear by the temple is nothing (Matthew 23:16-22).
4. The Pharisees left
undone the weightier matters (Matthew 23: 23-24).
5. Within they are
full of hypocrisy and iniquity, they cleaned only the outside of the cup (Matthew
23:25-26).
6. The Pharisees are
like whitewashed tombs full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness (Matthew
23:17-28).
7. The Pharisees are sons and partakers with their
fathers that slew the prophets. "How
shall YOU escape the judgment of Gehenna"? (Matthew 23:29-39).
(2) JUDGMENT OF GEHENNA: Matthew 23:33-36 "Fill you up then the measure of your
fathers. You serpents, you offspring of
vipers, how shall you escape the
judgment of Hell (Greek—Gehenna)?
Therefore, behold, I send unto you
prophets, and wise men, and Scribes: some of them shall you kill and crucify;
and some of them shall you scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city
to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from
the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah,
whom you slew between the sanctuary and the altar. Verily I say unto you, all these things shall come upon this
generation." Christ had just told the Scribes and Pharisees they
made their proselytes more a "SON of Gehenna" more unclean than themselves; then He
calls them "offspring (SONS of) vipers," and "all these things (all
the righteous blood from Abel to Zechariah) shall come upon this generation." Matthew 23 is a discourse to the
Scribes and the Pharisees, and they knew that Jesus was speaking to them, not
about things that are happening today or after the judgment day; many take one
word of this discourse out of it context, and then changed this one noun to
another noun, which is not in the Bible.
The Scribes and
Pharisees knew the law, but did not keep it. Outwardly they were as beautiful
as white sepulchers, but inwardly were full of dead man's bones. They would not
escape the judgment to come. "Verily
I say unto you, all these things shall
come upon this generation" (Matthew 23:36). Matthew 24 is a
discourse to His disciples about the destruction of Israel of which He had
spoken of to the Pharisees in the chapter before. That generation would not escape
the judgment of Gehenna. It came in A. D. 70 when some historians say
Gehenna was filled with the dead bodies of Jews from the destruction of
Jerusalem (See Jeremiah 19). To the Jews, to be left unburied, to be judged as not
being fit to be buried and thrown into the city dump just as they were doing to
those they judged as being unfit to be buried was the worse of all insult. It
was the most severe judgment of contempt upon a criminal known to the Jews. In
the judgment soon to come upon them Josephus
said six hundred thousand dead bodies of the Jews were carried out of Jerusalem
and lift unburied.
CONDEMNATION, DAMNATION, AND DAMNED
Of the
King James Version
The seventh woe of this
lecture and warning to the Scribes and Pharisees is about the judgment coming to
them and on Israel. Why did the King James translators change ÒThe judgment (krisis) of GehennaÓ into
Òthe damnation (krisis) of HellÓ (Matthew 23:33)?
ÒJudgment of GehennaÓ for Israel that Òshall come
upon this generationÓ (Matthew 23:36) is changed to: ÒDamnation of Hell.Ó That
generation is long pasted and there has been no Òdamnation of HellÓ yet, but
the judgment of Gehenna did come on that generation in A. D. 70 when Israel was
destroyed. I would really like to know how the translators thought they had the
right to change this warning to the Scribes and Pharisees about a judgment of
Gehenna that was coming on that generation to the Hell they believed in,
especially when the word ÒHellÓ is not in the Greek from which they translated
it.
Krisis is used in the New Testament 48
times and translated "judgment" 41 times, "damnation" 3
times, condemnation 2 times, accusation 2 times in the King James Version. The
translators must have thought that if they put damnation with Hell that it
would make the threat of Hell stronger? Krisis should have never been
translated damnation or condemnation. In the American Standard Version Krisis
is translated "judgment" 47 times, and "sin" 1 time in Mark
3:29.
The
resurrection of damnation (krisis)
(KJV), judgment (krisis) (ASV), "The resurrection of judgment
(krisis)" (John 5:29) says nothing about an eternal life of torment in
Hell after the judgment although this passage is continually used to prove
eternal torment. The verdict of the judgment, if it be death, eternal life with
torment, or what ever it maybe, the
verdict of the judgment is not in this passage. In an attempt to put Hell
in the Bible, the translators of the King James Version (1) changed the
judgment and made it be the verdict of the judgment (2) and then made the
verdict be what they needed it to be, namely eternal torment by God.
John 5:29
John 5:24
Matthew 23:33
John 3:19
If "krisis"
means "damnation" then we are all in trouble for "It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this comes damnation
judgment (krisis)" (Hebrews 9:27), judgment will come to all, both the
saved and the lost, but not damnation. When it is applied only to the lost the
King James translators translated "krisis" condemnation or damnation,
but when it is applied to all (Hebrews 9:27) they translated "krisis"
judgment. Just one more example of how they were willing to mistranslate to put
"Hell" into the Bible. The American Standard Version and most others
do not translate "krisis" into condemnation or damnation. Two words had to be changed in Matthew
23:33 to put today's Hell in the Bible. "Judgment" had to be changed
to "damnation" and "Gehenna" had to be changed to "Hell."
NO ROOT, NO BRANCH,
NO HOPE OF LIFE FOR ISRAEL. Foy E. Wallace, Jr.: "The prophet declares that 'the day
shall burn as an oven' and 'it shall burn them up'--a pronouncement against the
Jewish nation and governments that rejected and condemned the Christ, and
persecuted his saints. The advent of the Messiah would be 'the coming of the
great and dreadful day of the Lord'" "God's Prophetic Word,"
Page 545.
Krino is translated judge, judged, 86
times in the King James Version, damned 1 time, condemn 1 time, condemned 2
times, condemneth 1 time in the King James Version.
John 3:17-18
á
ÒFor God sent not his Son
into the world to condemn (krino) the world; but that the world through
him might be save. He that believeth on him is not condemned (krino):
but he that believeth not is condemned (krino) alreadyÓ King James Version.
á
ÒFor God sent
not the Son into the world to judge (krino) the world: but that the world should be saved through him.
He that believeth on him is not judged (krino):
he that believeth not has been judged (krino) alreadyÓ American
Standard Version.
Romans 14:22
á
ÒHappy is he
that condemneth (krino) not himselfÓ King James Version.
á
ÒHappy is he
that judgeth (krino) not himselfÓ American Standard Version.
2 Thessalonians 2:12
á
ÒThat they all
might de damned (krino)Ó King James Version.
á
ÒThat they all
might be judgedÓ American Standard Version.
There is a vast different in ÒdamnedÓ and Òjudged,Ó both cannot be right. Condemnation, damnation, and damned
were all taken out of the American Standard Version and most others. How many
millions have been made to believe a lie by this deliberate changing of the
Bible?
The Jews would
have been acquainted with the language of judgment on nations in the Old
Testament. Malachi's pronouncement is against the Jewish nation. "For behold, the day is coming, burning
like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the
day that is coming will set them ablaze, says the Lord of hosts, so that it
will leave them neither root not branch" (Malachi 4:1). Job says when
a tree is cut down there is hope that the root will sprout (Job 14:8); there is
hope of life. In the last chapter in the Old Testament of our English Bible
Malachi says Israel will not be left a root to sprout a branch or a branch to
sprout roots; therefore, there will be no hope for life.
Summary: Just as every reference to Gehenna in
the Old Testament is to a place on this earth, to the valley south of Jerusalem
and is never translated "Hell." every reference to Gehenna by Christ
is also to the same place on this earth. In the four occasions that Gehenna is
used, not in a one is Gehenna said to be eternal or everlasting, not once is
there any torment of living persons in it, and not once is it used in
connection with the resurrection, but today preachers most always add
everlasting and say it will never end. How do they know this? None of the apostles ever preach anything
about Gehenna. If it were a place of torment where God shall torment all of the
lost, why did they never say anything about it? They used death, destroy,
destroyed, perish, die, and end; but never "Hell."
AND
ONE TIME BY JAMES
TO
THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL
SET ON FIRE BY GEHENNA James 3:6 "And the tongue is a
fire; the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the
whole body, and sets on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire by Hell (Greek-Gehenna)." James used the same proper noun (the name of
a particular place) that Christ used in Matthew 23:15 as a metaphor of
uncleanness. The tongue is a fire and is set on fire by Gehenna-the filthy,
contemptible garbage dump. Most who are given to gossip look for some filthy
rotten garbage on someone, and then cannot wait to tell it. James did not use
Gehenna to teach the Jews about what was going to happen them after death if
they rejected Christ. To say, "The tongue is set on fire by the place of
eternal torment after the judgment," which is what many teach, makes no
sense. This metaphor is not taken from the destruction by the fire and maggots
in Gehenna; but it is a metaphor taken
from the filth and uncleanness of Gehenna. There is nothing about torment
or destruction in it, and nothing about after death. The tongue is a fire now
in this lifetime. To make Hell be a literal place not of this earth that sets
on fire a literal tongue of a living person on this earth would somehow make
that person's tongue be in contact with a place that is not on this earth. James used Gehenna as a place of uncleanness, which he figuratively applied to a
vile tongue.
Summary: In none of
the times Christ used Gehenna it was not a place of torment, it was always a
place of destruction.
THE
MISTRANSLANTION OF GEHENNA
| KJV | ASV NASV RSV NRSV* | Others**
Matthew 5:22, 29, 30_| Hell | Hell
Footnote-Greek Gehenna| Gehenna
Matthew 10:28 | Hell | Hell
Footnote-Greek Gehenna| Gehenna
Mt 18:9 Mk 9:43,44,45| Hell | Hell
Footnote-Greek Gehenna| Gehenna
Matthew 23:15, 33 | Hell | Hell Footnote-Greek Gehenna| Gehenna
Luke 12:5 |
Hell | Hell Footnote-Greek Gehenna| Gehenna
James 3:6 |
Hell | Hell Footnote-Greek Gehenna| Gehenna
The American Standard Version, Revised
Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, and others have a footnote
"Gr. Gehenna."
**New American Bible (Catholic), World
English Bible, Young's Literal New Testament (author of "Young's
Analytical Concordance"), Wesley's New Testament (founder of Methodist
Church), Christian Bible 1991, and many more have "Gehenna" in the
text as it should be as it is a Proper Noun (the name of a particular place).
The Amplified Bible has it as an insert in the text: "Hell (Gehenna) of
fire."
THE TRANSLATION OF GEHENNA
IN SEVEN TRANSLATIONS
(1)
Young's Literal Bible (1891) Author
of "Young's Analytical Concordance To The Bible"
First occasion,
in the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:22—Gehenna Of The Fire
Matthew 5:29—Gehenna
Matthew 5:30—Gehenna
Second
occasion, in a lesson to the twelve disciples
Matthew 10:28—Destroy in Gehenna
Luke 12:5—Gehenna
Third occasion,
in another lesson to his disciples
Matthew 18:9—Gehenna of the fire
Mark 9:43—Gehenna; Mark 9:44 and
Mark 9:45 - Gehenna
Fourth
occasion, to the Scribes and Pharisees
Matthew 23:15—Son of Gehenna
Matthew 23:33—Gehenna
And one time by
James, to the Twelve Tribes—James 3:6—Set of fire by the Gehenna
(2)
Wesley's New Testament (1755) the
original edition by Wesley, the founder of Methodist Church, not the updated
editions that were changed by others.
First occasion,
in the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:22—Gehenna
Matthew 5:29—Gehenna
Matthew 5:30—Gehenna
Second
occasion, in a lesson to the twelve disciples
Matthew 10:28—Gehenna
Luke 12:5—Gehenna
Third occasion,
in another lesson to his disciples
Matthew 18:9—Gehenna
Mark 9:43—Gehenna
Mark 9:44 and Mark
9:45 - Gehenna
Fourth
occasion, to the Scribes and Pharisees
Matthew 23:15—Gehenna
Matthew 23:33—Gehenna
And one time by
James, to the Twelve Tribes—James 3:6—Gehenna
(3) Weymouth New
Testament (1903)
First occasion,
in the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:22—Gehenna of Fire
Matthew 5:29—Gehenna
Matthew 5:30—Gehenna
Second
occasion, in a lesson to the twelve disciples
Matthew 10:28—Gehenna
Luke 12:5—Gehenna
Third occasion,
in another lesson to his disciples
Matthew 18:9—Gehenna of fire
Mark 9:43—Gehenna
Mark 9:44 and Mark
9:45—Gehenna
Fourth
occasion, to the Scribes and Pharisees
Matthew 23:15—Son of Gehenna
Matthew 23:33—Gehenna
And one time by
James, to the Twelve Tribes—James 3:6 - Set of fire by Gehenna
(4)
The New American Bible (1991)
(Catholic)
First occasion,
in the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:22—Whoever says, 'You fool,' will be liable to
fiery Gehenna
Matthew 5:29—Better to lose part of you body than have it
all cast into Gehenna
Matthew 5:30—Better to lose part of you body than have it
all cast into Gehenna
Second
occasion, in a lesson to the twelve disciples
Matthew 10:28 Gehenna
Luke 12:5—Fear him who has power to cast into Gehenna
after he has killed
Third occasion,
in another lesson to his disciples
Matthew 18:9—Better to enter life with one eye than be
thrown with both into fiery Gehenna
Mark 9:43—Better for you to enter life maimed than to
keep both hands and enter Gehenna with its unquenchable fire
Mark 9:44—Better for you to enter life crippled than
to be thrown into Gehenna with both feet
Mark 9:45—Better for you to enter the kingdom of God
with one eye than to be thrown with both eyes into Gehenna
Fourth
occasion, to the Scribes and Pharisees
Matthew
23:15—Gehenna; Matthew 23:33—Gehenna
And one time by
James, to the Twelve Tribes—James 3:6—And its fire is kindled by hell
(5)
The Christian Bible (1991
First occasion,
in the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:22—The Gehenna of Fire
Matthew 5:29—Your whole body should be thrown into
Gehenna
Matthew 5:30—Your whole body should pass away into
Gehenna
Second
occasion, in a lesson to the twelve disciples
Matthew 10:28—And the body in Gehenna
Luke 12:5—Gehenna
Third occasion,
in another lesson to his disciples
Matthew 18:9—Then to have two eyes and to be thrown into
the Gehenna of fire
Mark 9:43—Gehenna
Mark 9:44 and Mark
9:45—Thrown into Gehenna
Fourth
occasion, to the Scribes and Pharisees
Matthew 23:15—A son of Gehenna
Matthew 23:33—Gehenna
And one time by
James, to the Twelve Tribes—James 3:6—The tongue...is set of fire by Gehenna
(6) World English Bible
First occasion,
in the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:22—Shall
be in danger of the fire of Gehenna
Matthew 5:29—Than
for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna
Matthew 5:30—And not your
whole body be cast into Gehenna
Second
occasion, in a lesson to the twelve disciples
Matthew 10:28—Able to
destroy both soul and body in Gehenna
Luke 12:5—Gehenna
Third occasion,
in another lesson to his disciples
Matthew 18:9—Than
having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire
Mark 9:43—Gehenna
Mark 9:45—Gehenna
Mark 9:47—Gehenna
of fire
Fourth
occasion, to the Scribes and Pharisees
Matthew 23:15—You
make him twice as much of a son of Gehenna as yourselves
Matthew 23:33—How
will you escape the judgment of Gehenna?
And one time by
James, to the Twelve Tribes James 3:6—Set on fire by Gehenna
(7)
Phillips New Testament (1952)
First occasion,
in the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5:22—Fire of destruction
Matthew 5:29—Rubbish-heap
Matthew 5:30—Rubbish-heap
Second
occasion, in a lesson to the twelve disciples
Matthew 10:28—Fire of destruction
Luke 12:5—Throw you into destruction
Third occasion,
in another lesson to his disciples
Matthew 18:9—Fire of the rubbish-heap
Mark 9:43—Go to the rubbish-heap
Mark 9:44—Thrown on to the rubbish-heap
Mark 9:45—Thrown on to the rubbish-heap
Fourth
occasion, to the Scribes and Pharisees
Matthew 23:15—Ripe for destruction
Matthew 23:33—Fire of destruction
And one time by
James, to the Twelve Tribes James 3:6—It can set the whole of life ablaze, fed with the fires of hell
(8) There
are also many other translations that do not have "Hell" in them.
The New
Testament in Modern English" by J. B. Phillips says, "and go to the rubbish-heap where the fire
never dies" (Mark 9:43); and "thrown
on the rubbish-heap, where decay never stops and the fire never goes out"
(Mark 9:49). Also Matthew 5:29, 18:9, Mark 9:47, "Fire of destruction" in Matthew 5:22, 10:28, 32:33, Luke 12:5.
He leaves out "Gehenna," a
name of a particular place; and puts what Jerusalem's Gehenna was to the people
of that time to make it where people today will understand the same thing the
Jews Christ was speaking to would have understand. Many today would not know
that Gehenna was the Rubbish-heap of Jerusalem. This is not a translation of
the Greek, but it is a good commentary. He translated "Gehenna" into Hell only one time (James 3:6). This is
the only time Hell is in his translation, and shows he believed in Hell, but
knows the Greek manuscripts did not have it.
DID JESUS SAY MORE ABOUT HELL THAN
HEAVEN?
It has been said
often by many preachers that Jesus said more about Hell than He did about
Heaven. Is this the truth or is it a lie that has been told so many times by
preachers that many believe it without questioning it? The truth is that
without mistranslating to make Jesus say something He or any New Testament
writers did not say, there is not one word about Hell in the Bible. Although
they said nothing about Hell they did say much about Heaven. Although Hell is
not in the Bible, Heaven is hundreds of times referring to Heaven itÕs self,
the kingdom of Heaven, and to the universe – the heavens. The claim that
Christ said more about Hell than He did about Heaven is not true and is only a
desperate attempt to prove Hell.
á
A place in Heaven "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so,
I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare
a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am,
there you may be alsoÓ (John 14:12).
á
Our treasures are in Heaven Matthew 6:20;
10:21; 19:21; Luke 18:22
á
Our citizenship is in Heaven Philippians
3:20-21
á
Reserved in Heaven for us 1 Peter 1:4;
Matthew 6:20; 19:21; Mark 12:25; Luke 6:23
á
THE VANISHING
HELL
TRANSLATIONS
ARE GETTING AWAY FROM HELL
The King James
Version and the New King James Version are
the only two of the major translations that have Hell in the Old Testament. All
others have been rejected as a bad translation. Hell is rapidly vanishing
from the Bible. It has vanished from the Old Testament in most conservative
translations. Moses or Abraham did not know about it. It has all but vanished
from the New Testament in the conservative translations, and has vanished altogether
in many. Even in the 31 times Hell is in the Old Testament of the King James
Version, in 12 of these, the New King James Version changed Hell in the King
James Version to sheol (from 31 times to 19 times). Were the translators trying
to ease away but were afraid to go to far?
The vanishing Hell: Why is the number of times Hell is used decreasing?
Translators cannot agree on how many times to mistranslate it.
Number
of times Hell is used in - - - The Bible | The O.T. | The N. T.
The Wycliffe Bible
(1395) 83 times | 57 times | 26 times
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535) 70 times | 50 times | 23 times
The Bishop's Bible
(1568) 59 times | 35 times | 24 times
The Geneva Bible
(1587) 36 times | 16 times | 20 times
Westster Bible
(1611) 49 times | 26 times | 23 times
The Original King James Version (1611)
52 times | 30 times | 22 times
King James Version (1769
update) 54 times | 31 times | 23 times
The King James Version has had several
reversions and the one that is used today (1769) is not the original 1611
version; it is the last of several revisions.
New King James Version
(1982) 32 times | 19 times
| 13 times
Young's Literal Bible (1891) 0
times | 0 times | 0 times
American Standard Version (1901) 13
times | 0 times | 13 times
New American Standard Version (1960) 13 times |
0 times | 13 times
Revised Standard Version (1946) 13 times |
0 times | 13 times
Derby Translation (1890-1961) 12
times | 0 times | 12 times
New International Version (1987) 14
times | 0 times | 14 times
New International Version (2010) 13 times |
0 times | 13 times
New International Version – UK (1984) 14 times | 0 times | 14 times
TodayÕs New International
Version(2005)13 times | 0 times |
13 times
Amplified Bible
(1987) 15 times
| 0 times | 15 times*
New Century Version (1987) 12 times | 0 times | 12 times
New Revised Standard Version (1989) 13 times
| 0 times | 13 times
Revised English Bible (1989) 28 times | 15 times | 13 times
Contemporary English Version (1995) 20 times
| 0 times | 20 times
New Living Translation
(1996) 19 times | 3 times | 16 times
English Standard Version (2001) 14 times |
0 times | 14 times
Holman Christian Standard Bible (2003)
11 times | 0 times | 11 times
Update Bible Version 1 9 (2003) 12 times | 0 times | 12 times
Peshitta - Lamsa translation 12 times | 1
time | 11 times
Common English Bible (2011) 13 times | 0 times | 13 times
Darby Translation (Catholic) 14 times | 0 times | 14 times
New American Bible (Catholic) (1991) 0 times
| 0 times | 0 times
World English Bible (Catholic) 0 times | 0
times | 0 times
Rotherham Emphasized (1902) 0 times |
0 times | 0 times
Young's
Literal Translation 0
times | 0 times | 0 times
Fenton's Bible in Modern English (1903)
0 times | 0 times | 0 times
Hebrew Names Version of WEB 0 times | 0
times | 0 times
Daniel Mace New Testament
(1729) 3 times
Wesley' N. T (The original, not some
updated editions) (1755) 0 times
Scarlett's New Testament
(1798) 0 times
New Covenant, New Testament
(1884) 0 times
Scrivenre New Testament (1884)
0 times
Hanson's New Covenant
(1884) 0 times
Twentieth Century New Testament
(1900) 0 times
Rotherham's Emphasized Bible
(reprinted)
(1902) 0 times
Fenton's Holy Bible in Modern
English
(1903) 0 times
WeymouthÕs New Testament in Modern
Speech
(1903) 0 times
Panin's Numeric English New
Testament
(1914) 0 times
The People's New Covenant
(Overbury) (1925)
0 times
Western New Testament
(1926) 0 times
The New Testament, A Translation
(Clementson) (1938) 0
times
J. B. Phillips New Testament in Modern
English (1947) 1 times
New Testament of our Lord and Savior
Anointed (Tomanek)(1958) 0 times
Western New Testament
(1959) 0 times
Restoration of Original Sacred Name Bible (1976) 0 times
The New Testament, A New Translation
(Greber) (1980) 0 times
Concordance Literal New Testament
(1983) 0 times
Christian Bible, New Testament
(1991) 0 times
Recovery Version, New Testament
(1991) 0 times
New Testament of Our Lord and Savor
Jesus Anointed 0 times
The Original Bible Project (Dr Tabor)
0 times
The New Testament in Greek and English
(Kneeland) (1823) 0 times
Interlinear Greek-English New Testament (Berry)(Note
A)(1897) 0 times
Emphatic Diaglott, Greek/English
Interlinear (Wilson)(1942) 0 times
Zondervan Parallel N. T. in Greek and
English (Note A)(1975) 0 times
NASB-NIV Parallel N. T. in Greek and
English (Marshall)(1986) 0 times
Interlinear NASB-NIV Parallel NT Greek-English
(Note A)(1993) 0 times
Jewish Publication Society Bible Old
Testament (Note B)(1917) 0 times
Tanakh, The Holy Scriptures, Old
Testament (Note B)(1985) 0 times
The Complete Jewish Bible
(Note B) 0 times
The Septuagint-translation of Hebrew to
Greek 3rd century BC 0 times
*12 times the Amplified Bible has "Hell (Gehenna)" in the text,
not in a footnote.
Note A, the word-for-word translations beneath the Greek, not
the translations in the margin.
Note B, all Jewish translations I found of the Old Testament
do not have "Hell" in them. It is not in the Septuagint, a
translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek that was in used in the
time of Christ.
I find it strange that the Catholic Church
believes in Hell yet they removed Hell from two translations they made. I have
been told that there is a NWT translation by the Jehovah's Witnesses that dose
not have "Hell" in it, but I could not confirm this. I am sure there
are many others that I do not know about in English, and there are many in
other languages for Gehenna, like all other proper nouns, is seldom translated
or changed to another proper noun in the translations in other languages.
ONE
EXAMPLE OF THE VANISHING HELL Psalm 116:3.
Why did the King James translatorÕs use
the Old English word ÒHellÓ? Was it not to force their pagan beliefs into the
teaching of Jesus?
When was
the last time you heard a sermon of Hell?
There was a time when most every revival had one or more sermons on the horrors
of the Hell and that most were going to be tormented by God. Most every sermon
ended with a warning that all that did not repent was going to Hell. Jonathan
Edwards was well known for his ÒHell-fireÓ sermons.
These
"Hellfire" preachers are not as poplar as they once were and their
audience is much smaller. Today in
most churches a sermon on Hell is never preached and no one is told he or she
will go to Hell if they do not repent. Although there are many who do not
believe in Hell and other that are no longer sure that there is a Hell why do
many say nothing about it in their sermons and Bible lessons? A preacher may
think he would not be allowed to preach and most would not. Many churches would
brand him a heretic and he would not be able to preach in most churches. Elders
and Deacons would not be allowed to continue as Elders and Deacons. Bible
teachers would not be permitted to teach. Members would not be permitted to
lead singing, lead prayer, or do anything in the worship service. About all that
anyone who does not believe in Hell is permitted to do in most churches is come and sit and give their money; you will
be shut out and not be permitted to lead prayer or take part in the worship in
any way, but no matter what you believe you will be permitted and even expected
to give your money. Along with many others I can tell you for a fact that this
is sure to happen in most congregations of the church.
THE VANISHING HELL
THE
CHANGING HELL
Why are there many conflicting Hells? In ÒFour Views of HellÓ William Grocket gives four different and
conflicting views of Hell that are now being taught in the Protestant churches
by four top of the line orthodox Protestant scholars. In ÒTwo Views Of HellÓ
Robert A. Peterson and William Fudge give two competing views. These two books
show that there are very different competing views about Hell in the Protestant
churches, but in true there are many more than four conflicting views in
Protestant and Catholic churches, all with a large number of believers, and
many more views in other churches. Any
view a person may have, all that believe the same view is in a small group when
compared with all that are in all other group. Not one of the many views of Hell
has even one-fifth of all those that claim to believe the Bible. The
divisions on what Hell is and who will be in it is unbelievable, and most who
say they believe in Hell has no idea of the vast number of the visions of Hell,
or the unbelievable differences in what Hell is believed to be, how long it
will last, who will be in it, and where it will be.
TWENTH-FOUR PLUS VERSIONS OF HELL
Did
you know there are over 24 different Hells that are commonly believed by many?
While some have some features that are similar they are all difference and have
sharp disagreements. Those that believe one version of Hell are in conflict
with all those that believe any of the others.
SOME
OF THE MANY DIVISIONS OF THE PROTESTANT VERSIONS OF HELL
1.
The Calvin Version of Hell
2.
The Jonathan Edwards version
3.
The Graphic view of Hell
4.
Satan doing the tormenting
5.
God doing the tormenting
6.
The Metaphorical view of both
Heaven and Hell