From “Answers To Your Bible Version Questions” by David W. Daniels
Question: Gehenna is not hell, is it? It was a valley where outcasts, thieves and infected people where thrown when they died. The Bible refers to “Gehenna” as the place of death and pain. The word “hell”, as you so often use, where eternal pain and fire awaits is actually “Gehenna”. If you have read a bible written before 1400, you will notice a very important thing: “HELL” is missing. Instead it says “Gehenna”. There is no fire breathing eternal pain demon hell!! In fact YOU are committing a sin here. Telling people, or lying to people about hell, when you should know about “Gehenna”. There is no hell. Only the valley of “Gehenna”. A graveyard!!
Answer: The word “Gehenna” is properly translated “hell” in the King James Bible. And actually, except for three known Bibles1, every Bible says “hell,” not the untranslated word “Gehenna”.
What does “Gehenna” mean?
“Gehenna” originally referred to the Valley of Hinnom by Jerusalem. It was the place of horrible idolatry. So when the Hebrews finally came back to Jerusalem after 70 years of Babylonian Captivity (about 605-535/6 BC), they resolved never to use the Valley of Hinnom for idolatry again. Instead, they burned their trash there, and it became a burning valley of waste.
But we know that Jesus and the apostles didn’t mean to refer to a garbage dump. Here’s why. There are certain statements in the Bible that tell us clearly about “Gehenna”, translated “hell” in the King James Bible. Notice these verses.
Both body and soul are destroyed there
“And 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” (Matthew 10:28). No power on earth can destroy a soul. The soul is a part of a person that exists beyond physical death (Revelation 20:4). “Gehenna” has to be a place to destroy both the body and the soul.
A person goes there after death
“And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him” (Luke 12:4-5). It is no threat to throw a dead body into a grave, a junkyard or a furnace. But God has power to cast a person, whose body is dead, into “Gehenna.” There is only one reason to fear the person that can throw you into Gehenna: you must be aware that you are cast there. So Gehenna is hell, the place where the unrighteous dead are cast.
Its fire shall never be quenched
“And 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, into the fire that never shall be quenched:” (Mark 9:43, 45). “Gehenna” is said to be a “fire that shall never be quenched”. The earth and the works therein shall all be burned up (2 Peter 3:10), but they will be replaced with a new earth wherein righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1). So “Gehenna” could not mean an earthly place, since all fires shall be quenched on earth. But hell’s fire shall never be quenched. It is clear: Gehenna is hell, not a trash dump.
Even though the word “Gehenna” comes from the Valley of Hinnom, simply rendering it as “garbage dump” or “valley of waste disposal” or “burning garbage” could not be an accurate translations, because that’s not what Jesus and the apostles meant when they used the word. It meant “the place where people go when they die.” That’s what we mean when we say “hell”.
You wrote:
“If you have read a bible written before 1400. You will notice a very important thing, HELL is missing. Instead it says Gehenna.”
You mentioned Bibles before 1400. The only known Bible in English from before then is the Wycliffe Bible of 1380. Does it use “hell” or “Gehenna”? Let’s find out!
The term “Gehenna” is found in Greek in these verses of the Bible:
Matthew 5:22,29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15,33; Mark 9:43,45,47; Lu 12:5; Jas 3:6
Here they are in the Wycliffe version:
Matthew 5:22 But Y seie to you, that ech man that is wrooth to his brothir, schal be gilti to doom; and he that seith to his brother, Fy! schal be gilti to the counseil; but he that seith, Fool, schal be gilti to the fier of helle.
Matthew 5:29-30 That if thi riyt iye sclaundre thee, pulle hym out, and caste fro thee; for it spedith to thee, that oon of thi membris perische, than that al thi bodi go in to helle. And if thi riyt hond sclaundre thee, kitte hym aweye, and caste fro thee; for it spedith to thee that oon of thi membris perische, than that al thi bodi go in to helle.
Matthew 10:28 And nyle ye drede hem that sleen the bodi; for thei moun not sle the soule; but rather drede ye hym, that mai lese bothe soule and bodi in to helle.
Matthew 18:9 And if thin iye sclaundre thee, pulle it out, and caste awei fro thee. It is betere to thee with oon iye to entre in to lijf, thanne hauynge tweyn iyen to be sent in to the fier of helle.
Matthew 23:15 Wo to you, scribis and Farisees, ypocritis, that goon aboute the see and the loond, to make o prosilite; and whanne he is maad, ye maken hym a sone of helle, double more than ye ben.
Matthew 23:33 Ye eddris, and eddris briddis, hou schulen ye fle fro the doom of helle?
Mark 9:43 (9:42) And if thin hoond sclaundre thee, kitte it awey; it is betere to thee to entre feble in to lijf, than haue two hondis, and go in to helle, in to fier that neuer schal be quenchid,
Mark 9:45 (9:44) And if thi foote sclaundre thee, kitte it of; it is betere to thee to entre crokid in to euerlastynge lijf, than haue twei feet, and be sent in helle of fier, that neuer schal be quenchid,
Mark 9:47 (9:46) That if thin iye sclaundre thee, cast it out; it is betere to thee to entre gogil iyed in to the reume of God, than haue twey iyen, and be sent in to helle of fier, where the worme of hem dieth not,
Luke 12:5 But Y schal schewe to you, whom ye schulen drede; drede ye hym, that aftir he hath slayn, he hath power to sende in to helle. And so Y seie to you, drede ye hym.
James 3:6 And oure tunge is fier, the vniuersite of wickidnesse. The tunge is ordeyned in oure membris, which defoulith al the bodi; and it is enflawmed of helle, and enflawmeth the wheel of oure birthe.
So you see that “Gehenna” is not the term used in English at all! Not until Young’s Literal Translation in the late 1800s, followed by the Catholic New American Bible of 1970 was the untranslated “Gehenna” put in. Look at foreign translations. The Spanish Reina-Valera of 1602-1989 rightly says “el infierno” and the Portuguese Corrigida Fiel says “do inferno”, both of which mean “Hell” as we in English use the term. “Hell” is an understandable word. “Gehenna” is not.
And “hell” accurately translates the meaning of the word “Gehenna.” “Gehenna” is not a translation; it is just a transliteration (translating letters, but not meaning). We find that first in the perverted Roman Catholic Latin Vulgate (400s AD), which was forced on the people of Europe as the only legal Bible for over a thousand years. Not until the Reformation of the 1500s were God’s actual words translated into the language of the people. And every one of them was careful to translate “Gehenna” into an English word with the same meaning. All but two of the English Bibles, from at least 1380 onward (that’s all I’ve checked on this so far), translate “Gehenna” into the understandable word “hell.”2 That’s what a good Bible should do.
WHO NEEDS HELL?
“Hell” is an uncomfortable word. Everybody knows what it means. But new Bible versions, wherever possible, try to remove the word “hell” from the Scriptures and replace it with “sheol” or “gehenna” or “hades” or “Tartarus.” In doing so, they rob the Scriptures of the force of the word “hell.”
“Hades” has a big pagan meaning that is completely divorced from the Bible. “Sheol” is a Hebrew word without any meaning at all to an ordinary reader. Have you ever heard people say they don’t want to “go to gehenna?”
No. But people do say, “I don’t want to go to hell.” Many people’s salvation is based on that …they didn’t want to go to hell. They may not understand the love of God, but they understand clearly that they do not want to go to hell. The revival that happened under the ministry of Jonathan Edwards began with a sermon called “Sinners in the hands of an angry God.” His listeners felt themselves slipping out of their seats and their feet getting singed by the fires of hell when he preached, and revival broke out.
We need a Bible with a lot of hell in it. We need to know where we are not going. The whole purpose of evangelism is to save people from hell. We need a Bible that doesn’t try to sanitize it with a nicer sounding word that people don’t understand. That forceful warning word, “hell,” is found in the King James Bible.
I hope this has helped you understand the King James Bible a little more, and why it is the preserved words of God in English.
May God bless you as you read and understand His words.
Footnotes
- Specifically, the Roman Catholic Latin Vulgate (400s AD), Young’s Literal Translation (1862 & 1898) and the Roman Catholic New American Bible (1970-1991)
- This list includes the 1380 Wycliffe, the 1534 & 1535 Tyndale, the Cranmer (Great) Bible of 1539 & 1540, the Geneva Bibles of 1557, 1560 and 1599, the Bishop’s Bible of 1568 & 1602, even the Jesuit Rheims New Testament of 1582, and almost all Bibles from 1881 to the present. Except for Young’s Literal and the New American Bible, they all say “hell” (spelled “hel,” “helle” or “hell”), not “Gehenna”.
Is Hell Forever or Temporal? | More on Hell here
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Abiding
The Joy of God’s Word [podcast]

“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” Jeremiah 15:16
“Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me.” Psalms 119:89
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11
PRAYER: Heavenly Father please match and exceed every trial You allow me to go through with Your joy! For You said that the joy of the LORD is my strength! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Current Events and the Name of Jesus Christ [podcast]

“And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14
IF we are praying God’s WORD in the name of JESUS CHRIST…. in His bless-ed humility, God is answering!
I don’t think we begin to realize the power that is in the name of Jesus Christ – and available exclusively to those who are HIS.
Memorize the word of our LORD Jesus recorded in John 14:13-14.
“I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.” Luke 13:3
One commentator notes: “The universal fascination with knowing what is going on in the world has ancient roots. Knowing that Jesus is a well-known rabbi, some ask for his take on the hot news of the day. “There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices” (Luke 13:1). Pilate, the governor, has executed some Jews while they were in the act of offering their sacrifices, mingling their blood with the animal blood. Jewish sentiment is likely strongly against Pilate, although some seem to be critical of the people who have suffered. Maybe they deserved it.”
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Articles
The Golden Rule Life: What’s that Really Mean? [podcast]

Thinking, Knowing, Applying, and Doing the Golden Rule of Jesus
Golden Rule living is the only way to live in glorification of our Maker. Spread this word. God calls you, yes you – to love Him supremely and to love your neighbor as you wish to be loved, treated (Matthew 7:12; 22:37-40; Philippians 2:3-5).
We must teach ourselves, our children and those around us the Golden Rule. “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Jesus is coming.
“Golden Rule, precept in the Gospel of Matthew (7:12): ‘In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. . . .’ This rule of conduct is a summary of the Christian’s duty to his neighbour and states a fundamental ethical principle.” Unknown
Taken from the teachings of Jesus, the Golden Rule is summed up as ”treating others how you want to be treated” or, ”doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
WELCOME TO THE LAST DAYS! The self-worshiping false gospel being taught by the enemies of the cross of Christ is epidemic these days as was foretold (Philippians 3:18-19; 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-8; 4:2-5, etc.). Beware of the self-love they are teaching. It’s the “What’s in it for me” gospel of self-love. THIS CAUSES THEIR PREY TO WALK IN SELF-SERVING HATRED, MALICE, STRIFE, ETC., NOT GOD’S LOVE.
SOBERING! DO WE REALLY GET IT? Are you omitting love, charitable acts? How are you treating Christ’s body and servants? Ready to meet Jesus today? The way you are treating His body is the exact way you are treating Jesus (Matthew 25:40-41, 46).
The way we are treating others is the exact way we are treating Jesus – who created, died for, and rose again from the dead to save those people! If our relationship with Christ isn’t translating into the love of God filling us for others, we’re departed from Him and in need of swift repentance. Matt 7:12; 22:37-39
“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40
“The way we treat others sets the standard of how we will be treated by God. And this includes receiving God’s gifts! Amen.” C.
If you aren’t respecting someone, you aren’t walking in God’s love toward them. Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12). Didn’t the LORD command us to treat others BETTER than ourselves (Philippians 2:3-5)? Would you like to be treated the way you are treating that person? Others?
“Treat others the way you want to be treated.” V.
Would you like to be treated the way you’re treating others? Golden Rule! Live it! Would you like to be neglected or inflicted as others have done to you?
Are you elevating other people ABOVE – “BETTER than” – yourself? This is the very “mind of Christ.”
“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” Philippians 2:3-5
THINKING, Applying, and Doing the Golden Rule of Jesus
Don’t want something done to you? Then don’t do it to someone else. Don’t want something thought about you? Then why think such about another person, especially if it’s not proven? Read Exodus 23:1-2. Don’t want something said about you (slander)? Then why believe the sowing of discord among the brethren which is an “abomination” to the LORD and the work of Satan himself, the accuser of Christ’s brethren (Proverbs 6:16-19; Revelation 12:10) …. MEASURE THIS!
Do you truly care for people or do you only care about what they can do for you?
This must be examined in each of our hearts.
If we care only about what others can do for us, we are Christ-less and should immediately seek Him in repentance and confession of our sins. He came and died for you and me with no guarantee we’d receive Him or with any other motive but to love us by paying the full price to redeem us from our sins in which we were otherwise hopelessly cemented.
“And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.” Romans 5:6-8
Instead of asking: “What’s in it for me,” we should always ask: “What’s in it for Jesus and others?”
Contrary to what we have been led to believe, we get NO “points” from God for “going to church” or for having a good record of “church attendance.” If this is true – and it sure is – why are we wasting precious time doing things God never told us to do while we leave the things He commanded us to do undone? How long shall we live outside of His will and yet still claim to be following Jesus – who gave all (John 15:13)? How long shall we allow the hirelings to exploit us with their weekly program that has never produced an ounce of discipleship in us? The divine command to “LOVE one another” appears 12 times in the New Testament. Do we truly LOVE our neighbor as ourselves? If so, then, like the earliest of Christ’s disciples, we do not consider that what we have in our possession is our own. Read, follow, and do Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35. Why should I have two coats when my brother or sister has none? …… Selah!
The ultimate expression of the Golden Rule was performed by the One who gave that Golden Rule.
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13
He who owed no debt to us, chose to pay the debt He did not owe – the debt we owed and could not pay. Sinners can’t redeem (pay the price) for sinners – only a perfect Savior could do that (Isaiah 53)! No man on earth was found qualified to redeem mankind but God sent His prophesied Savior, the very Son of God (Genesis 3:15; Ezekiel 22:30; John 3:16). | Redemption Through Sacrifice
Jesus Christ, the eternal God, came to the earth in fulfillment of over 300 Jewish prophecies, born of a virgin, to show us His Father’s love and to die the death that would redeem mankind. That is, the price for our sins was fully paid and whosoever will, can “Come and take of the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). The LORD still saves all who repent and receive Him as LORD and Savior (John 1:12; Romans 10:9-13). Read John 1 today.
THE GOLDEN RULE is Simple: Think about This – Do you want something believed or said or done to you that you are tempted to do to someone else? If not, then drop it and do not think it or do it toward another. Stop and pray for that person. This is exactly what Jesus told us to do and the disposition He desires us to have as of Him and His Father – love (Matthew 5:44-48).
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” Matthew 5:44
- “Love your enemies”
- “bless them that curse you”
- “do good to them that hate you”
- “pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you”
Read Matthew 5:44-48 prayerfully, asking the LORD to make it manifest in your heart, thinking, and life.
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12
So, according to the One who gave us “The Golden Rule” (as we call it), what is the Golden Rule? Read and begin to memorize and incorporate the above verse of truth into your everyday thinking.
“The golden rule always should apply to every life! TREAT OTHERS THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED! This world would be a much better place to live!” K.
EVER been used? EVER been exploited by someone? WHAT did Jesus instruct, command us to do when we are used?
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” Matthew 5:44
What’s going to happen to those who maliciously wrong another? A curse is coming on that person and their household:
“Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.” Proverbs 17:13
According to the divine pronouncement above, rewarding evil to someone who did you nothing but good (never harmed you), brings a curse.
The cardinal fruit of knowing God is love.
“He that loveth not, knoweth not God.” 1 John 4:8
GOD is interested in FRUIT and fruit only comes from a ROOTED abiding relationship with Jesus (Matthew 3:7-10; John 15, etc.)!
Any questions?
If you do not have God’s love manifesting in your thoughts and actions, it’s because you do not know Him. Read 1 Corinthians 13 every day this week and ask the LORD to make every bit of it a reality in your life.
“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:3-8
Golden Rule Living is following Christ – the example He set when He “came NOT to be ministered unto (be served), but to minister (serve), and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). WHOSE interests are you living for? Your own or Christs, and therefore His people? Do you realize that if you neglect those around you in need you are neglecting and affronting Jesus (Matthew 25:40-46)? Do you realize that you and I will be judged according to this exact measure and rule?
Just WHAT does preferring others ABOVE ourselves mean? How does that work itself out in our daily lives?
Are you living according to Christ’s teachings, OR, are you deceived into thinking you are following Him who is the only way to Heaven while setting aside, neglecting, and even shunning what He taught? Check out Mark 8:38; John 14:15, 21; Titus 1:16; 1 John 2:3-6. If I am to love my neighbor “as myself” (equally) and even prefer others “BETTER THAN” myself, why would I keep two houses when I knew another member of Christ’s body was without a home? WHY would I keep earthly investments or items that could be sold and the money given to those in need? I simply wouldn’t. The same goes for other possessions and money. Compare your Christianity to the earliest believers in Christ to see if you are authentic. Read Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35.
The earliest disciples of Jesus were living according to His Word. They were preferring other believers “BETTER THAN themselves” (Golden Rule; Philippians 2:3-5). As true disciples of Jesus, they were naturally doing unto others as they would have them do to themselves if they were in the same need or situation.
Applying the Golden Rule in Your Thoughts and Attitudes Towards Others
“And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.” Zechariah 7:10
Notice: “let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.” When your iniquitous, condemning fleshly mind, or Satan, tempts you to “imagine evil against” your brother or sister in Christ, what should you do? Read the above verse again, write it on an index card, and live by it. This qualifies exactly what Paul meant when he spoke of divine charity and its place in our lives. He stated that when we are walking in God’s love, it “thinketh no evil” inside of us, His vessels and dwelling place (1 Corinthians 13). In other words, love thinks nor concludes “no evil” against any person until it’s actually proven, and then, it shows mercy even as we are so personally and desperately in need of divine mercy – moment to moment (Titus 3:3-7; Jude 21).
“Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude 21
“Imagining evil in your heart sounded foreign until I came to recognize how wretched our sins are. I pray for forgiveness when I am thinking in a wrong way. We are supposed to be forgiving and merciful to others, not having feet that are swift to do mischief.” Dana R.
The Two Great Commandments
“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40
1. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind”
2. “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”
Any person claiming to be a Christian – a follower of Christ – who does not have loving God and loving others as their highest priorities, is completely misled and deceived.
The Greatest of These is What?
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” 1 Corinthians 13:13
GOD PLACES the highest premium and priority on love and if you don’t, you simply do not yet understand Him nor His kingdom. Cry out to Him in confession and repentance to open the eyes of your understanding. Whatever you do, make this the priority of your life – loving God and all others – above yourself. Pouring over Philippians 2:3-5 each morning is a daily kingdom recalibration!
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“That is a wealth of wisdom. Usually I get laughed at for being too gullible. But that’s okay, I’d rather give a person the benefit of the doubt, unless they keep arguing over obvious scriptural passages, then I just pray for their eyes to open! So many who follow these Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing! I never want to be that gullible!” Diana M.
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