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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

  1. Specifically, the Roman Catholic Latin Vulgate (400s AD), Young’s Literal Translation (1862 & 1898) and the Roman Catholic New American Bible (1970-1991)
  2. 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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Is Hell Forever or Temporal? [podcast]

SHOULD “GEHENNA” BE TRANSLATED “HELL”?

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“Come unto Me, all Ye that Labour and are Heavy Laden, and I will Give You Rest” [podcast


God is “Holy, holy, holy” and “God is love.” (Isaiah 6:3; 1 John 4:8, 16; Revelation 4:8)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18

Jesus came and died to save us “while we were yet sinners.”

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8

The Proof of God’s Love for all Men

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10

“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:17

“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.  7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” Revelation 21:4-8

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please do Your ever-deepening work in my heart and life. Please imbue my innermost being with your holiness, holy fear, and love. Bless this vessel to be purified, cleansed of all iniquity and falsity, made authentic by You dear LORD. In Jesus’ name, amen.

For a daily dose and feeding of God’s Word, as a component of your study of the LORD, of His Word, the Moments with Our Master 365 daily devotional is available. | STORE

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Jesus Christ is God [podcast]


The Divinity of Jesus Christ

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS CONCERNING JESUS CHRIST AS GOD ALMIGHTY: (Note: this is not an exhaustive look at the divinity of Jesus Christ. Also, note that some of the particular words that announce His divinity are underlined).

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (means God with us).” Isaiah 7:14

Jesus says “if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” (John 8:24) You cannot be saved if you do not believe that Jesus Christ is God Almighty because that’s who the Bible foretold that the Messiah would be. … “the mighty God.” (Isaiah 9:6) Jesus Christ is God “Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). …. “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (means God with us).” Isaiah 7:14 ,,, Jesus Christ was “GOD with us.”

Jesus Christ came to the earth exactly how and when the “more sure word of prophecy”, the Scriptures, foretold that He would come and to fulfill the Messianic prophecies of Himself to the exact detail (2 Peter 1:19-21).

“Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, 8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” Psalms 40:7-8

“From cover to cover of the OT it was foretold not only that Christ would come into the world but that He would come with an eager, ready spirit to do the will of God. The will of God was not just in His head—it was inscribed in His very heart.” Believer’s Bible Commentary

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given (He already existed as God-with no beginning or end): and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.” Isaiah 9:6,7

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting (Jesus, born as a man in Bethlehem, is God, and existed from eternity past). Micah 5:2

“In the beginning was the Word (Jesus Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God …All things were made by him (Creator); and without him was not any thing made that was made…He was in the world, and the world was made by him…And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…” John 1:1,2,10,14

CONTRARY TO WHAT FALSE RELIGIONS TEACH, JESUS CHRIST WAS NOT A MAN BECOMING GOD OR JUST A GOD AMONG OTHER “GODS.” NO, HE IS THE ONE TRUE GOD, the only God, “the Almighty,” WHO BECAME MAN – TO REDEEM MAN! (JOHN 1; Revelation 1:8, etc.)

“And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” John 3:13

Of Christ distinctly, Colossians 1 reveals that Jesus Christ is the Creator and divine Sustainer of all that exists:

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16-17

Jesus Christ made Himself “equal with God” because He is God!

“Therefore the Jews sought to kill him because he…said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.” John 5:18

“Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58

Before Abraham, Jesus Christ existed because He is eternal so He has no beginning nor ending. He dwelt with the Father from eternity past.

“How many generations after Abraham was Jesus?”

“In Matthew’s Gospel there are 41 generations from Abraham to Jesus. Matthew demonstrated that there were 14 generations (see Matthew 1:17): from Abraham to David; from David to Josiah; from Josiah to Jesus.” unknown

“How many years from Adam until Jesus?”

“Many believe that Jesus was born somewhere around 2 BCE. If we deduce the number, we got 4002 years between the creation of Adam and the birth of Jesus Christ. If others have a different number it would be alright, but basically the span in between would still be around 4000 years.” unknown

“The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man makest thyself God.” John 10:33

The divinity of Jesus Christ is an essential cornerstone doctrine of the Christian faith – without which no man can be saved.

The rebellious Jews were actually attempting to stone Jesus for identifying Himself as God Almighty – the “Christ,” “the Son of God” (John 10:24-25,36). Read John 10:22-42. The Jews knew from the OT Scriptures that the Messiah would be divine, yet were in unbelief that this Jesus from Nazareth was their long awaited Messiah.

ANY person who denies the divinity of and limits Jesus Christ as being “the Son of God” (and that He is)…. needs to be saved. “The spirit of antichrist” is upon any person who has denied Christ (1 John 4:3). Such a person is a lost soul. Jesus being the Son of God in no way negates that He is God “Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). See 1 John 2:22-23.

If you don’t believe the RECORD of Scripture that Jesus Christ is IMMANUEL, GOD with us, you are an antichrist. Repent. Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7; Matthew 1:23; John 8:24; 1 Timothy 3:16; John 1:1-18; Colossians 1:16-18, etc. We are told that the Christ would be born of a virgin in Bethlehem and would be Immanuel, GOD with us (Micah 5:2).

“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.” 1 John 2:22

Those who seek to reduce Jesus Christ to a mere man, to over humanize the Son of God, do so in order to justify themselves and deny His holy judgment and standard they will come under. And yet the Bible promises us that “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:27-28).

“The deity of Christ is being stripped out of the hearts of modern day Christians. They are beginning to humanize Him and make Him more like us! He has become like a pal who laughs off sin. One who is non offensive, loves us unconditionally with no expectation of change. This view takes the fear of God right out of people’s hearts. They no longer see Him as having the power to send them to hell. Because He is now this sweet, non judgmental man who would never judge them. He has been taken off the throne of heaven and they have put themselves there in God’s place. And the whole purpose is so they can live as they please with no threat of being judged by a holy, righteous, all powerful God. ‘It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.’ Hebrews 10:31” Karen Cochran

“I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.” John 16:28

“And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” John 17:5

“And Thomas answered and said unto him (Jesus), My Lord and my God.” John 20:28

“…Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” Philippians 2:5,6  (Jesus Christ is “equal with God”on the same level – God Almighty, divine.)

“…God was manifest in the flesh…believed on in the world, received up into glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: these three are one (there are three distinct, divine Persons in the Godhead and they are ‘one’ in substance and unity).” 1 John 5:7

“…Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20,21

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

GOD CAME TO THE EARTH TO RESCUE MANKIND FROM CERTAIN DESTRUCTION:

“And the Word (Jesus Christ) was made flesh, and dwelt (pitched His tent) among us.” John 1:14

At the Father’s appointed time in history, Jesus Christ laid aside His divine form and “took upon him the form of a servant.” See Philippians 2:5-8. The eternal Word “took part” of human flesh by being born of a virgin in an earthly body like we now live in, so that He could pay the price for our sins (Hebrews 2:14, 15). Jesus became a man to redeem mankind. One of Jesus’ titles, Son of man, means God’s man to redeem man. You must closely study Hebrews 2:14, 15 for clear understanding.

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins… and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, GOD with us.” Matthew 1:21-23

IF YOU DENY THAT JESUS CHRIST IS GOD “ALMIGHTY” (Revelation 1:8), you have called God a liar, are not saved, and are an antichrist. Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God, is “Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:23

Anyone who rejects the “record that God gave of his Son,” of Jesus Christ, given us in the Bible, is an antichrist (1 John 5:10).

“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah)? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.” 1 John 2:22-23

And the Messiah, the Son of God, was foretold to be “The Mighty GOD” and “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6,7; Matthew 1:23).

If you truly desire to know more about how to really know the LORD, go here okay:  Born Again: What is It?

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