Gehenna

The Greek word geenna {gheh’-en-nah} (G1067) or gehenna is in the Bible twelve times.  It is either translated hell or hell fire.  Gehenna’s literal translation is the Valley of the son of Hinnom.  It was a garbage dump outside of Jerusalem, whose fires burned continuously.  The bodies of criminals were thrown there, who were not worthy of a proper burial.  In scriptures, Yeshua uses the term gehenna to refer to a totally different meaning than hades.

Matthew 5:22

²²But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment (krisis): and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell (gehenna) fire.

Hell is the Greek word geenna {gheh’-en-nah} (G1067).  Anger without cause brings people into a spiritual condition of rejection.  This condition is similar to being blind with anger.  These people would miss the message of the gospel because of their blindness.  This could lead to rejecting the Messiah, the only hope.

This might sound like works salvation, because it is.  However, it is referring to a time when one is judged by works in the millennium.  This occurs in the parable of the sheep and goats, refer to By Sight and Works.  These are not present day believers.  The individual referred to in Matthew 5:22 could end up like the criminals in the garbage during the millennium.

Gehenna which is the Valley of Hinnom represents a spiritual condition that occurs in the millennium.  Although, there are some today well on their way to gehenna.  Gehenna is the symbol for the Lake of Fire, second death.

Matthew 5:29 & 30

²⁹And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell (gehenna).  ³⁰And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell (gehenna).

Again, hell is the Greek word gehenna.  Many believe that this is referring to a literal hell, a place of fire and torment.  If this is really referring to a literal hell, then it would follow that in heaven there will be those that will be missing an eye or their hand will be cut off.  The thought of that is completely ridiculous.  These verses are not literal and need to be seen for the spiritual meaning that Yeshua intended.

In Matthew 5:29 & 30, Yeshua is stating in spiritual terms that it is better to lose a part of one’s body than for the whole body to end up in the garbage heap.  The understanding is, if one’s lust or lifestyle is such that it would blind them to the gospel message; they would be better off to completely deny the lust or change their lifestyle to obtain eternal life.  It is better to give up the things of life if it prevents one from hearing the message.

Matthew 10:28

²⁸And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (gehenna).

Matthew 10:28 completely disputes the notion that man has an immortal soul.  A man can kill your body, but that is all he can do.  God intends to destroy non-believers soul in gehenna.

Therefore we can state if the soul can be destroyed and the place of destruction is the Lake of Fire (refer to Lake of Fire (LJ)), then gehenna is the Lake of Fire.  If Gehenna is the Lake of Fire and the Lake of Fire occurs during or at the end of the millennium then no one goes to this supposed Hell until the Millennium.  One can understand why Peter stated in 2 Peter 2:9

⁹The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment (krisis) to be punished:

The wicked are being reserved for the Day of Judgment, the Millennium.  Therefore, if one is not born again, when they die they go to sheol awaiting the millennium.

Matthew 18:9, Mark 9:43, 45 & 47 and James 3:6, these are similar Matthew 5:29 & 30.  Whether it is ones foot, signifying their walk in life, their hand, signifying what they do in life, their eye, signifying what they lust after in life or their tongue, signifying their confession of life; each one can cause an individual to be blind and miss God’s remedy, the Messiah.  If any of these are true, then one needs to stop it or possibly they could end up in gehenna, the Lake of Fire.  Messiah is the only remedy for gehenna, the Lake of Fire.

Matthew 18:9

⁹And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell (gehenna) fire.

Mark 9:43, 45 & 47

⁴³And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell (gehenna), into the fire that never shall be quenched:

⁴⁵And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell (gehenna), into the fire that never shall be quenched:

⁴⁷And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell (gehenna) fire:

James 3:6

⁶And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell (gehenna).

 Next Matthew 23:15

¹⁵Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell (gehenna) than yourselves.

 And Matthew 23:33

³³Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell (gehenna)?

This speaks of the teaching of the Pharisees and any teaching that is works oriented.  These would lead one to be blind to the Messiah.  These particular teachings provide a false sense of security for the individual that their works are sufficient.  No man will be saved of works outside of Messiah, through His grace.

 Luke 12:5 is similar to Matthew 10:28.

⁵But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell (gehenna); yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

What these verses teach us is that gehenna refers to the literal Valley of Hinnom ,the garbage dump or symbolically of the Lake of Fire.  It is where unbelievers will go at the end of the millennium.  Gehenna does not change the understanding of sheol or hades.  Gehenna is always used in reference to a spiritual condition or a physical state at the end of the millennium.  Gehenna is not the place where people go when first death occurs.  It is the place of second death, destruction.  It is the Lake of Fire referred to in Revelation 20 for those who are twice dead.

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