In the previous blog post, we saw what function the Valley of Hinnom will still have in the future. Gehenna will then be the place where the dead bodies of apostates will lie in display. We find in Isaiah, and later in the Gospels, another addition that is rarely understood.
Isaiah 66
24 And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who have transgressed against Me, for their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched, and they will become an abomination to all flesh.
These are words that the Lord Jesus later quotes in the Gospels when He speaks about Gehenna:
Mark 9
43 And if your hand ensnares you, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than having two hands to go into Gehenna, into the fire that is not quenched,
44 where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
Walking to Gehenna
Jesus is not speaking of a place where immortal souls are tormented, but cites the prophecy of Isaiah, which speaks of a specific geographical location. Here, during the Messiah’s reign, the unburied bodies of apostates and rebels will lie, as a warning and a graphic example for passing pilgrims. Those who heard Jesus speak of Gehenna knew very well that He was not referring to “hell,” but to a visible place, the Valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem. They could walk there!
Righteous Reign
Jesus, as the King Messiah, proclaimed the gospel of the Kingdom to Israel. The Kingdom had come near and the King had arrived (Matt. 3:2; 4:17). If Israel accepted Him as Messiah, a righteous Kingdom would be established (Zech. 9:9).
That did not happen then, but it will become a reality in the future. In the time of that Kingdom, Gehenna will be a spectacle of righteous rule. Those who rebel against the King will be destroyed. In the Valley of Hinnom will lie the corpses of rebels, ravaged by fire and eaten by worms.
Translations
The NBG and Statenvertaling (State Translation) use “unquenchable fire” in Mark 9:43. The translators projected their theology onto the text by first translating the word “Gehenna” as “hell,” and then making the fire “unquenchable fire.” But that’s not what it says; it literally says that the fire is not quenched. The strange thing is that both translations do say in the next verse: where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. The fire will not be extinguished. As long as there is “fuel,” it will burn.
worms
Also, the worms will not die there. This is not because worms are incorruptible in that place, but because there will be enough food for them. Moreover, worms (>maggots) rarely die anyway; they pupate.
We find the word Gehenna 11 times in the Gospels (Matt. 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5). Each time, it refers to the Valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem. It appears once more in James 3:6, where it is used figuratively.
Judgment
God judges, as we have also seen in this blog. But His judgments are never final and eternal. What would be the point of such a judgment? God’s judgments serve His purposes and always aim to set right and correct.
Jeremiah 23
20 The wrath of the LORD will not be turned away until He has done and performed the thoughts of His heart…