Jesus brought the unseen spiritual world to light for man to understand. One of those understandings was the Greek term 'Gehenna.' What did this word mean to the people of the first century? It had a significant meaning! The term came from the Old Testament Hebrew 'valley of Hinnom', a place just south of Jerusalem. This valley was part of the Israelite history where at one time, the corruption of the people burned the bodies of children as an offering to strange gods (Jer. 7:31). Can you imagine offering children as a sacrifce and burning them to death? God changed the name of the valley of Hinnom to the valley of Slaughter because God found their acts so repulsive and disgusting (Jer. 7:32-33). It became a place known as a place where God piled up the carcasses of unrighteous dead!
This Greek term 'Gehenna' would send fear and dread into the heart of the Jews. In the first century as one would approach Jerusalem from the south, they would pass by this valley on the left. It had become a garbage dump and the carcasses of dead animals were visible everywhere. Most people traveling would avoid entering Jerusalem from the south because of this valley. The stench was great and the smoldering of the flesh of dead animals was everywhere. To top it off was the visible hideous sight of millions upon millions of worms and maggots feeding on what was not being burned.
Jesus used 'Gehenna' in Mark 9:43-48 which we translate as 'hell.' A place of torment, the gnawing worm and fire. It is such a place that Jesus said extreme measures should be used by man to avoid. Jesus warned that man needs to not fear those who can kill the body but the one who can kill both body and soul in 'Gehenna.' (Matt. 10:28)
A place that is so horrid that Jesus took our place to keep us from there. Yet today, there is so little respect for God, His judgments and teachings. We throw the term 'hell' around at the drop of a hat. We speak of a person that suffers in this life as, 'going through hell.' We talk about a rough day using this term or a golf game that uses this term. We have more respect in this life for the term cancer than we do 'hell.' We have known people (and even our loved ones) who have suffered from cancer. We don't say, "They had one cancer of a time." We just don't use the term that is so deadly in that sense. Have we lost the fear of the Lord, respect for the One who can ruin both the body and soul in 'Gehenna' that we would throw that term around so loosely? Jesus sure didn't as He brought to light the horrible final dwelling of the unrighteous. It wasn't intended to be used in as a by-word or an exclaimation! That just dulls the spiritual senses.
3 comments:
So what is the difference (if there is one) between Gehenna and Sheol?
Great question! Sheol is the Hebrew word equivelent to the Greek word 'hades'. In the OT they had a very obscured teaching on life after death and sheol was that place the soul goes to. Sheol is used some 65 times in the OT and is always referred to as 'down'. Sometimes versions will substitutde the word 'grave' for sheol (which is sad) but the Hebrew word 'qeber' (kever) is completely different and used differently than the word sheol. The 'qeber' is the fate of the body and sheol is the fate of the soul. Sheol and the grave (qeber) are not the same! Again, very obscured in the OT. Hope that helps a little in such a little space!! Thanks Burnt!
I forgot to say that 'Gehenna' is the final resting place of all the uneconciled and unrighteous!
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