VERSION 2.0
Revised 2022
Revised 2022
PROVE ALL THINGS, HOLD FAST THAT WHICH IS GOOD
1 Thessalonians 5:21
1 Thessalonians 5:21
SECTION I(a) NOTES
Verses Not Containing The Word 'Hell' But Which Have
Direct Bearing On The Interpretation of Gehenna
Matthew 18:8
Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. |
Appears within the context of Matt 18:9 shown in Section I and listed here for clarity. This verse shows that 'Gehenna Fire' is often threatened as an 'eternal' (Gk. Aionion) or 'age lasting' fire; thus making those punishments associated with Gehenna (whatever they may be) 'age lasting' by implication in many verses in which Gehenna appears.
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Matthew 25:41
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:... And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. |
This is considered by many to be THE verse proving eternal torment. In their minds 'everlasting punishment' is equal to 'eternal torment'.
However, this punishment, whatever it may be, is not 'eternal', but rather 'age-lasting (see notes in the preliminary comments for this section.) The Jewish nation has undergone such a judgment for the past 20 centuries, and thus an example of what it means to undergo 'Gehenna Judgment' or 'Everlasting (Gk. Aionion) Punishment'. In either case, the 'everlasting punishment' here is in no case eternal torment. |
"Kolasis aionios, rendered everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46), is the punishment peculiar to an aeon other then that in which Christ is speaking."
Note also that the doctrine of the eternal torment of the wicked relies on the doctrine of the soul's immortality. Even if the reader fully rejects the notion that this verse could be referring to an 'age-long' punishment, it still does not follow that this verse teaches the eternal torment of the wicked. Why wouldn't annihilation or eternal death also be an 'everlasting punishment'? Physical torment is read into passages such as this where it does not exist. Those passages which speak of physical torment will be covered in the next section.
See also the following video:
See also the following video:
Isaiah 66:24
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. |
How, in the name of all that's sacred, can this verse possibly teach eternal conscious torment in hell? The only way it can is by first assuming that it MUST. Even then, such an interpretation not only stretches credibility to its limits, but completely smashes it to bits. If 'Carcass' or 'worm' can be interpreted to mean 'immortal soul burning in hell' then surely words have no meaning and we are hopeless to determine with any certainty the true meaning of ANY Biblical word or phrase.
This verse, along with Matthew 5:22 listed in the previous section, is the key to understanding the true meaning of Gehenna and the way in which Jesus used that word. Isaiah 66:24 is quoted three times in Mark 9 in connection with Gehenna. |
However, instead of using Jesus' quotation of this passage to interpret Mark 9, many assign an interpretation to Mark 9 based on assumptions and pre-conceived ideas, then attempt to read such an interpretation back into Isaiah 66:24 where it clearly does not, and cannot fit. Such handling of scripture is a recipe for disaster.
The fire and the worms of Gehenna clearly feed on carcasses; literally dead bodies. Far from supporting the doctrine of eternal torment, this verse is fatal to it.
The fire and the worms of Gehenna clearly feed on carcasses; literally dead bodies. Far from supporting the doctrine of eternal torment, this verse is fatal to it.
Matthew 3:12, Luke 3:17
Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:12) |
It's somewhat puzzling that these warnings from John the Baptist to the Pharisees ever became associated with the doctrine of eternal torment. Readers have become so conditioned to associating the phrase "unquenchable fire" with hell that time and again they fail to miss the proper application of warnings such those shown in Matthew 3:12 and Luke 3:17.
As I pointed out in the previous section, the warning verses which contain the Greek word Gehenna have reference to the well known curse and prediction of the prophet Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 19:6-9); That because of unbelief and disobedience God would destroy the Jewish nation. That same thought is expressed in these verses. John the Baptist is not warning the Pharisees about the dangers of "hell" but of the cataclysmic Judgment which was soon to befall the Jewish people; a judgment which began in 70 A.D. and has continued for centuries. The same thought is expressed in Malachi 4:1, and in the three passages below. |
Jeremiah 7:20, 17:27, Ezekiel 20:47-48
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, mine anger and my fury 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) |
What is an 'unquenchable fire'?
We are accustomed to answer that it is a fire that never, ever, EVER goes out, nor could it. We answer this way because of what we have been taught, not because this is what the Bible says, or how the Bible uses this phrase. The verses containing Gehenna listed above and in the previous section are always quoted to prove the teaching that 'hell' contains fires that will never, ever, EVER go out, but the language is taken from the verses listed to the left. Why are we never quoted these to explain the language Jesus was using? Let the BIBLE define what an 'unquenchable fire' is, let us not just assume it. These verses show that in each case the 'unquenchable fire' eventually did go out. Even in our English language, 'unquenchable' does not carry the meaning of something that will never cease. An unquenchable fire is not one that by necessity NEVER goes out. It is however one that CANNOT BE PUT OUT. For example, a firefighter may not be able to put out a fire, it is therefore unquenchable. Is does not however follow that the fire will NEVER go out. The fire will burn until it accomplishes its purpose or runs out of fuel to burn, man being powerless to stop it. An 'unquenchable desire to know the truth' is not a desire which of necessity which will NEVER cease. It is a desire which will continue relentlessly until it accomplishes its ultimate goal, nothing else being able to quell or satisfy it. This is the way in which this phase is used in the Bible. |
The reasoning which infers: 'since immortal souls cannot burn up, the fires of hell will never go out' is simply begging the question. There is nothing in the Bible which ever states that the fires of Gehenna burn immortal souls which can never be destroyed. Furthermore, there is not one verse in the entire Bible that teaches the immortality of the soul. On the contrary, Isaiah 66:24 tells us exactly what the fire does burn:
"And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched"
What about the worms that do not die? To say that an 'undying worm' is an immortal worm is to say what the Bible does not. Simply, like the fire, the work of the worms cannot be stopped, nor will they die until they accomplish the task of complete and utter destruction.
These passage clearly delineate earthy judgments.
"And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched"
What about the worms that do not die? To say that an 'undying worm' is an immortal worm is to say what the Bible does not. Simply, like the fire, the work of the worms cannot be stopped, nor will they die until they accomplish the task of complete and utter destruction.
These passage clearly delineate earthy judgments.
Jude 7
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. |
If an 'unquenchable fire' can eventually go out after it accomplishes its purposes, what of an 'eternal (Aionion) fire'? While this verse is sometimes quoted as proof for an eternal hell, a simple reading of the verse shows nothing of the kind. This verse is plainly talking about the CITIES of Sodom, Gomorrah, and those surrounding who suffered the vengeance of eternal (Aionion) fire.
But we must be careful not to draw conclusions which the Bible does not say. Notice carefully how an argument which attempts to make this mean that the inhabitants of these cities are burning eternally in hell simply destroys the force of Jude's argument. These cities are set forth as examples of the wrath of God on sin. But how are they set forth as an example?; by suffering the vengeance of eternal (Aionion) fire. But how would this be an example to anyone if this meant 'immortal souls burning in hell'. No one can point to anyone burring in hell as an example of God's wrath against sin. No one can SEE that anyone is burning in hell. Immortal souls in hell set forth no example. |
What can be seen and used as an example is that these cities were destroyed, and never rebuilt. The fire not only reduced these cities to ruin, but the judgment of God also ensured that they could never recover under the vengeance of an eternal fire. Scripturally speaking, an unquenchable fire is one that man cannot put out, but will burn until it accomplishes its goal or runs out of fuel. An eternal (Aionion) fire, or everlasting fire is one that is permanent in its effects as long as God decrees it to be so. See also verses in Section VIII.
The true meaning of the phrases "eternal fire" and "unquenchable fire" are derived from the way the Bible itself uses these them, and not from an arbitrary interpretation of what we think they MUST mean. Incidentally, the verse, nonetheless, speaks nothing of conscious torment. Please See Also: A Scriptural Example of Eternal Fire and the YouTube Video below:
The true meaning of the phrases "eternal fire" and "unquenchable fire" are derived from the way the Bible itself uses these them, and not from an arbitrary interpretation of what we think they MUST mean. Incidentally, the verse, nonetheless, speaks nothing of conscious torment. Please See Also: A Scriptural Example of Eternal Fire and the YouTube Video below:
