We have now considered Jesus’ teachings from a linguistic standpoint, to see if his actual words have been translated correctly, and at their context in Jesus’ sermons and conversations, to see what allowances may reasonably be made for deliberate exaggeration on Jesus’ part or misunderstanding on ours. But we are still left with the conclusion that Jesus is earnestly warning us that, unless we turn to Him for forgiveness and help, the bulk of humanity is set on a road that will lead us into destruction. And we are still left asking ourselves, “Why does it have to be that bad? If God really loves us, surely He could have come up with a better solution?”

You are far from being the only one to have felt that way. Most of us have; including Jesus’ first disciples and other early followers. We have already briefly suggested possible reasons why things might not be that simple, in the sections entitled “Why is God So Strict?” and “The Impossibility of Compulsory Love.” But now, faced with Jesus’ own plain statements on the subject, plus a number of unresolved questions about what exactly he meant, it is time to turn to the rest of the Bible, and especially the New Testament, to see how Jesus’ own disciples understood and explained his message.

The Awfulness of Eternal Punishment

“These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Mat 25:31-33; 41-46)

By far the most concerning feature of Jesus’ teaching is his reference to ‘eternal punishment.’ In the section entitled, ‘The Vocabulary of Jesus‘ we examined the suggestions that ‘eternal’ referred to the eschatological period rather than its duration and that ‘punishment’ should be understood in a corrective sense. But, although such interpretations can be found in Greek literature of other periods, these meanings are not supported by their use elsewhere in the New Testament or in the Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament. Nor are they supported by the original meanings of the Hebrew words they translate. For a more detailed discussion of this issue see Appendix A

Human attitudes to the idea of eternal punishment are somewhat ambivalent. On the one hand, we are creatures of such brief duration that a single night of toothache feels to us like an eternity; so seriously attempting to grasp the concept of any punishment continuing unabated for ever fills us with horror. On the other hand, most of us would subscribe to the idea that the punishment should ‘fit the crime.’ It is not uncommon to hear victims of particularly heinous crimes demand that the perpetrator should, ‘Burn in Hell for ever!’ But how do we measure that? How many lifetimes should a mass murderer endure? And if human beings were intended by God to live forever, rather than the mere span of our natural lives, then what is the real value of a life? How do we measure the true consequences of our wrong actions in the light of the suffering and offence caused, or their potentially eternal consequences for others?

We have previously seen the problem this caused for the author of the The ‘Targum Jonathan’; who chose to render the final words of Isa 66:24 (which in the Hebrew reads,”their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they will be loathsome to all mankind.” ) as, “their souls shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and the wicked shall be judged in Gehenna, till the righteous shall say concerning them, we have seen enough.” And, similarly, the Talmudic scribes sought to limit the duration of Gehenna to a maximum of 12 months. Yet, when Jesus cites this passage in Mar 9:43-48 and alludes to it in Mat 18:8-9, he instead emphasizes the eternal and unquenchable nature of Gehenna fire.

So, when Jesus speaks of Gehenna fire as being eternal and unquenchable, what does he mean? If you listen to some of the gorier descriptions of hell, it is like being burned alive, or forced to drink acid; and then, when about to expire from the agony, being revived and the whole process started again … and again … for ever. Descriptions of that sort can certainly be found in Christian literature from the dark ages and also in the Quran: but are they in the Bible?

The nearest I can find to such a description is the Lake of Fire in the book of Revelation: so let’s look at that.

What is the Lake of Fire?

This expression is found 5 times in Revelation, where John describes his vision of God’s final judgements. In Rev. 19:20, we are told that the beast and its false prophet were ‘thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.’ In Rev. 20:10 we are told that the devil himself is also thrown in, and that these three ‘will be tormented day and night forever and ever.’ This strongly implies that the lake of fire will have a permanent existence; which is consistent with Jesus’ teaching concerning Gehenna. Then, we are told,

Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire. (Rev 20:14-15)

The throwing in of Death and Hades is a very clear statement that these intermediate states between human death and judgement, however we visualize them, are now finished. But, most importantly, we are told that this lake of fire is ‘the second death’ and that it is the ultimate destination of any whose names are not found in the ‘book of life;’ which includes any of the following:

But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” (Rev 21:8)

But, earlier in Revelation, one group of those destined for the lake of fire is singled out for a special warning:

Another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a great voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead, or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is prepared unmixed in the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. They have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. (Rev 14:9-11)

These verses specifically state that those who choose to worship the beast and take his mark on themselves will share the same fate of never-ending torment as the beast, the false prophet and satan himself. It is perhaps particularly noteworthy that the Greek word ‘lambano’ (translated ‘receives’) has the following Strongs definition:

G2983 – lambano – “A prolonged form of a primary verb, which is used only as an alternate in certain tenses; to take (in very many applications, literally and figuratively [probably objective or active, to get hold of; whereas G1209 is rather subjective or passive, to have offered to one; while G138 is more violent, to seize or remove]) …”

The point is that the warning applies to someone who goes as far as to actively identify themself as a worshipper and follower of the beast. And this is after the gospel has been proclaimed to all nations and Babylon has fallen (Rev 14:6-11). By this time the true nature of the gospel versus the rule of the beast should be pretty obvious to anyone: so this is describing a person who has chosen, deliberately and knowingly, to worship and serve the beast.

For the Devil and His Angels?

At this point we should take particular note of these words of Jesus:

Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels;’ (Mat 25:41)

The Greek word ‘angel’ literally means ‘messenger.’ Those who choose to serve the beast become his ‘angels.’ But Rev 14:11 appears to be the only place in the entire Bible that definitively speaks of humans being tormented unendingly in the lake of fire. So, if Jesus’ words are taken literally, it can be argued that it was not God’s intention that humans should suffer eternally in this manner; and that this is the only case in which they do.

Does Gehenna Always Involve Conscious Suffering?

Many Christians interpret all the references to the lake of fire as describing the same condition; and therefore conclude that anyone thrown in there will suffer eternal, unremitting torment. But even many of those who take this view agree that the actual level of suffering may vary depending on the severity of the sins committed.

However, although the descriptions of the lake of fire explicitly refer to everlasting torment only in the case of ‘the devil and his angels,’ Jesus’ own repeated emphasis that, “there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth,” in his references to Gehenna strongly imply that some form of conscious suffering and bitter remorse, of undefined duration, will apply to all that are cast into the fire (Mat 8:12; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; Luke 13:28). And the frequent association with fire, not just flame, suggests that this may involve acute physical pain. (We should also keep in mind that there were several active volcanoes in the Mediterranean region; so the concept of a deadly and destructive lake of fire would not be entirely unknown.)

What is ‘Second Death’?

The expression, ‘the second death,’ is found four times in the book of Revelation (Rev 2:11; 20:6; 20:14; 21:8); where it is identified as the lake of fire. Its context, as the second death, is given by Jesus himself:

Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. (Mat 10:28)

To truly understand what this means, we need to consider the biblical view of death. Human life and death are not primarily about the cessation of bodily functions: but about our ability to relate with the world about us and with God. God told Adam that on the day he sinned he would die. He did not die physically until many years later: but on that very day his relationship with God and access to the tree of life was cut off. Your soul does not die when your body dies. Only God has the power to destroy the soul. That destruction begins with permanent separation from God, which is the second death: but even that separation does not necessarily imply an immediate end to existence. It is clear, for example, that ‘the devil and his angels’ will continue to ‘exist;’ yet cut off forever from the presence of God.

What is Meant by Destruction?

The word ‘destruction’ is often associated with the ultimate fate of the wicked.

… when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, giving vengeance to those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus, who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction (G3639) from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might … (2Th 1:7-9)

“Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction (G684), and many are those who enter in by it.” (Mat 7:13)

What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath made for destruction (G684) (Rom 9:22)

… the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction (G684) … (Php 3:18-19)

The beast that you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the abyss and to go into destruction (G684). (Rev 17:8)

Two words may be translated as ‘destruction’ in this context, as indicated by the Strongs reference numbers in brackets above:

• G3639 – olethros – From ollumi a primary word (to destroy; a prolonged form); ruin, that is, death, punishment: – destruction.
• G684 – apoleia – From a presumed derivative of G622; ruin or loss (physical, spiritual or eternal): – damnable (-nation), destruction, die, perdition, X perish, pernicious ways, waste.

Most of us would like to think that ‘destruction’ implies that those thrown into the fire are instantly annihilated and cease to exist. Unfortunately neither of these words has ‘cease to exist’ as its primary meaning. Rather, they imply a process of ruination. And when we consider the concept of destruction by fire, with which Gehenna is commonly associated, both we and the original readers would understand that fire does not instantly consume its victims and normally leaves some kind of residue.

What Remains?

The lake of fire itself will remain forever. But as for what else remains to be seen, neither Jesus nor the rest of the New Testament have much to say about this. The only further description of this scene is provided in the final chapter of Isaiah:

“For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me,” says Yahweh, “so your seed and your name shall remain. It shall happen, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me,” says Yahweh. “They shall go forth, and look on the dead bodies of the men who have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they will be loathsome to all mankind.” (Isa 66:22-24)

‘Dead bodies’ is the Hebrew word, ‘peger,’ which particularly signifies a limp or lifeless corpse, whereas an alternate word, ‘geviyah,’ simply means ‘body’ — whether alive or dead.

Most people, on reading the expression ‘their worm shall not die’, probably visualize this as a description of maggots feeding on rotting corpses. But, whereas it is relatively easy to visualize a fiery crater burning incessantly, it is harder to conceive of an inexhaustible supply of maggot food.

But there is another potentially more significant symbolism here. During our earlier consideration of the vocabulary of Jesus, it was pointed out that Mark’s gospel records Jesus explicitly commenting on this very passage:

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having your two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire, ‘where their worm (G4663) doesn’t die (G5053), and the fire is not quenched.’ If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life lame, rather than having your two feet to be cast into Gehenna, into the fire that will never be quenched – ‘where their worm (G4663) doesn’t die (G5053), and the fire is not quenched.’ If your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out. It is better for you to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire, ‘where their worm (G4663) doesn’t die (G5053), and the fire is not quenched.’ (Mar 9:43-48)

We noted at that time that, whereas the Greek word (G4663) in both Mark and the the Septuagint translation of Is 66:24 is commonly translated as ‘maggot,’ ‘grub’ or ‘worm,’ the original Hebrew of Is 66:24 is different. The normal Hebrew equivalent would be ” rimmah” (H7415): but instead it uses a very specific term, “tole’ah” (H8438). This translates as the name of one very specific kind of grub (the ‘crimson grub’, Kermes ilicis) or else of the vivid scarlet or crimson dye for which that grub was famous. (And since the Greek uses a generic term for ‘grub,’ it seems that the focus is on the grub itself, rather than just its colour.)

Now this grub has a most unusual life cycle. The adults do not feed on decaying flesh: but rather on the sap of oak trees. But when the female is about to lay its eggs, it fuses itself to a stem or leaf, forming what looks like a swollen red gall that acts as a living shield for its young; until they hatch and then consume the dying mother. The red colouration initially produced by the mother is so vivid that it colours the leaves, the young twigs and the grubs themselves (which are collected and dried to make dye). A few days after the grubs hatch, what remains of the mother falls off and becomes a white, waxy material, resembling a blob of wool.

Now this word “tole’ah” is the same word for ‘worm’ that is found in Psalm 22:6, where it describes Jesus hanging on the cross.¹ And it is the same word used in Isaiah 1:18:

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson [“tole’ah”], they shall be as wool.”

So we have, in this strange allusion, a vivid picture of how Jesus shielded us from judgement on the cross. He laid himself over us; surrendering his own life in order that we might feed on him and live (John 6:51-56). And He then reappears as the sinless one, to share his righteousness with us.

But in what sense do these grubs not ‘die’ (G5053)? In every one of its other 9 N.T. occurrences, this word denotes a biological death: but the context here suggests a more metaphorical sense.

Is it suggesting that, somehow, those consigned to the lake of fire actually survive? This seems improbable, since we are talking here about the second death, which destroys both soul and body Mat 10:28. Yet even when the grubs are killed, their vivid red colouration remains, leaving a grim reminder that what took place here was, in God’s eyes, the greatest tragedy of all time! Why? Because it wasn’t for lack of mercy that they died!

The apostle John tells us concerning Jesus that …

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world. (1Jn 2:2)

Jesus has already done everything necessary to provide a free pardon for anyone who comes to Him for mercy.

All those who the Father gives me will come to me. Him who comes to me I will in no way throw out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day. This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:37-40)

The Lord … is patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

Even to the very end of your life, God is still longing to save and forgive you. But Evil’s Viscious Spiral is constantly at work, seeking to keep you from ever coming to Jesus. Remember the 2 criminals dying beside Jesus on the cross? One turned to Jesus and found instant pardon for all his misdeeds! But the other was so hardened he could not recognize love even when it was staring him in the face. Even as Jesus was praying for his tormentors, he treated Jesus with the same contempt as those who engineered his death. (Luk 23:34-43)

Beware, brothers, lest perhaps there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God; but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called “today;” lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:12-13)

Working together, we entreat also that you not receive the grace of God in vain, for he says, “At an acceptable time I listened to you, in a day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the acceptable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)

… how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation… ? (Hebrews 2:3)

Footnotes

1. See this article: “I am a Worm” at http://delevensschool.org/en/psalm-226-worm/