Copyright © 2024 Michael A. Brown
The eternal state
1. Of
unbelievers: in the lake of fire
Gehenna was prepared as the ultimate eternal destiny
of Satan and the fallen angels that rebelled with him against God (including
those that were chained up in Tartarus).
It is ‘the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ (Matt.
25:41).
However, it will also be the eternal destiny of
everyone who does not know Jesus as their Redeemer, simply because they lived
their life under the dominion of Satan and they loved darkness rather than
light (John 3:19-20, Col. 1:13). So
they will go to the same location in eternity that sin and Satan their master
go to: the fiery furnace. Everyone
outside Christ, everyone who does not know God’s salvation that comes through
Jesus, will end up in Gehenna and suffer the punishment of eternal fire. Jude tells us that the inhabitants of ancient
Sodom and Gomorrah served as examples of this:
‘In a
similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to
sexual immorality and perversion. They
serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.’ (Jude v.7)
Gehenna takes its name from the Valley of Hinnom (or of
Ben Hinnom: see Josh. 15:8, 18:16; Neh. 11:30).
This valley lay to the south and south-west of Jerusalem, and the Valley
Gate led out to it. It was the place
where idolatrous and human sacrifices through fire were made to the false god
Molech in pre-exilic times (2 Ki. 16:3, 23:10).
Because of this association, it was considered to be an impure place,
and so it was also called the ‘valley of topheth.’ ‘Topheth’ means ‘fireplace,’
but it also seems to be associated with the concepts of spittle and shame, so
suggesting that this place was utterly despised. It was the garbage dump of Jerusalem, and so
fires constantly burned there. The
bodies of those deemed to have died in sin without any hope of salvation (such
as criminals) were thrown there to be destroyed.
This valley came to be seen as the place of unquenchable
fire and everlasting punishment for unrepentant sinners. So Gehenna is the parallel in eternity of
this valley outside Jerusalem. It is an
actual location outside heaven which effectively serves as eternity’s garbage
dump, and in which there is an utter absence of the presence and favour of
God. This parallel is referred to in the
following verse:
‘Outside
[the heavenly city] are the dogs, those who practise magic arts, the sexually
immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practises
falsehood.’ (Rev.
22:15)
1.a.
The lake of fire is the second death
When
God warned the couple in the garden of Eden, he told them that on the day they
ate of the forbidden fruit they would surely die (Gen. 2:17). Their separation from the life of God after
they did eat and were thrown out of Eden, was their entrance into a state of
spiritual death. In consequence, this
led ultimately to their physical death many years later. This is ‘the first death,’ and all human
beings born into this world are subject to it.
The
word of God calls the eternal judgment of an unbeliever in the lake of fire
‘the second death’:
‘The
lake of fire is the second death.’
(Rev. 20:14)
‘But the
cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those
who practise magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in
the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This
is the second death.’
(Rev. 21:8)
This second death consists of the destruction of both
body and soul in the lake of fire (Matt. 10:28). Believers in Christ are not subject to
this second death at all. They
experience eternal life in heaven (Rev. 2:11).
1.b.
Unbelievers will be conscious in the lake of fire
The
word of God teaches that those who end up in Gehenna will be conscious
there. They will not be
destroyed completely or annihilated, as some commentators think. They will be consciously aware of why they
are in Gehenna, and they will know that they deserve to be there. They will also be aware of the finality of
God’s verdict upon them on the day of judgement, and that they will be unable
to ever leave or escape from that place.
There is no indication in the word of God that those who are
thrown into the lake of fire will ever come out of it. So they will suffer torment and despair, with
no rest day or night, and they will weep and gnash their teeth with regret much
as they had done in Hades:
‘He will
be tormented with burning sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and of the
Lamb. And the smoke of their torment
rises for ever and ever. There is no
rest day or night…’
(Rev. 14:10-11)
‘They
will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.’
(Matt. 13:42)
‘…and
throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth.’ (Matt.
13:50)
The word of God says that those who are thrown into
Gehenna will perish and be destroyed (see Matt. 10:28 and 2 Peter 3:7,9), and
some commentators believe that this means that they will therefore be
annihilated and cease to exist. However,
W.E. Vine advises us that the Greek words apollumi and apoleia
which are used in these verses and mean ‘to destroy utterly’ and ‘utter
destruction,’ refer not to extinction, but to ruin and loss, not of being but
of well-being. So the idea is that of
the utter ruination of a person’s body and soul, and it implies that people who
are in this state of utter ruination will still be conscious. Because the essence of our being is spirit
(and this being the breath of God), we cannot be annihilated, because spirit is
eternal in its very nature.
Furthermore,
if a person were to be annihilated in Gehenna, then there would be no need to
fear it at all, there would be no need for it to be an eternal fire, and any
element of punishment in being thrown there is effectively removed (cf. Matt.
10:28, 25:41; Jude v.7).
The fact that those who are in Gehenna will be conscious
is confirmed also by the following words of Isaiah:
‘And
they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against
me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be
loathsome to all mankind.’
(Isa. 66:24)
The context of these words is clearly the new creation,
and they are therefore referring to the eternal state of unbelievers. This was confirmed by Jesus when he linked
them to those who would be thrown into Gehenna:
‘It is
better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes
and be thrown into hell [gehenna], where “their worm does not die, and the fire
is not quenched.” Everyone will be
salted with fire.’
(Mark 9:47-49)
2. Of
believers: in the new heaven and new earth
Those who have repented from sin and embraced Jesus as
their Redeemer, and who overcome as they persevere in their faith through life,
will not suffer the judgement of the second death. Instead, they will be welcomed into the
kingdom of God the Father, where they will dwell with him eternally:
‘He who
overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.’ (Rev. 2:11)
‘Blessed
and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them…’ (Rev. 20:6)
2.a.
The new heaven and new earth
The
prophet Isaiah foretold that there will be a new heaven and a new earth, which
will replace the present heaven and earth.
Regardless of our desire to steward this creation and its resources in
the best way we can, this present earth will not be saved through net-zero
climate change ideology. No, its
ultimate destiny is to pass away once and for all:
‘Behold,
I will create new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.’ (Isa. 65:17)
‘“As the
new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me,” declares the
Lord, “so will your name and descendants endure.”’ (Isa. 66:22)
After the final judgement, when the ungodly have been
cast into the lake of fire, the present heaven and earth will themselves be
destroyed by fire:
‘By the
same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for
the day of judgement and destruction of ungodly men.’ (2 Peter 3:7)
‘That
day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements
will melt in the heat. But in keeping
with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the
home of righteousness.’
(2 Peter 3:13)
This therefore marks the ‘end of the world,’ the end of
the present order of things, after the final judgement. God will then bring into being the new
creation, the promised new heaven and earth, the new eternal order, and the
home of righteousness in which sin will have no part:
‘Then I
saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had
passed away…’
(Rev. 21:1)
‘“…the
old order of things has passed away.” He
who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”’ (Rev. 21:4-5)
2.b.
The eternal home of believers
It
is this new heaven and new earth which will be the eternal home and dwelling
place of all those who have received Jesus and are washed in his blood (Rev.
7:14, 22:14). Much of the narrative of
Revelation chs.21-22 is given over to a description of the New Jerusalem in
which believers will dwell in eternity:
‘I saw
the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared
as a bride beautifully adorned for her husband.’ (Rev. 21:2)
‘And I heard a loud voice from the
throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with
them. They will be his people, and God
himself will be with them and be their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain…’
(Rev. 21:3-4)
‘Therefore, “They are before the
throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the
throne will spread his tent over them.
Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any
scorching heat. For the Lamb at the
centre of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of
living water. And he will wipe away
every tear from their eyes.”’ (Rev. 7:15-17)
‘Then the angel showed me the river
of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and
of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of
life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the
healing of the nations.’ (Rev. 22:1-2)
‘To him who is thirsty I will give
to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.’
(Rev. 21:6)
‘The Spirit and the bride say,
“Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!”
Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the
gift of the water of life.’ (Rev. 22:17)
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