Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched: an exposition on Christ's words in Mark 9:44

LESSON 4

WHERE THEIR WORM DIETH NOT, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED: AN EXPOSITION ON CHRIST'S WORDS IN MARK 9:44

You are welcome to another edition of Insights from God's Word, a Bible study programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.

In this edition, we continue with our series on The Truth About Hell. In this study, I want us to consider the topic: "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched": an exposition on Christ's words in Mark 9:44.

In our previous study, we discovered that the Bible does not teach that the wicked will be tortured in the fires of hell forever and ever without ever dying. In as much as that study was exhaustive and captured several important points, we did not consider key hell - related phrases such as 'where their worm dieth not', 'the fire that never shall be quenched' and 'unquenchable fire'. The explanation of these hell - related phrases will form the content of this study.

1) SOME BIBLE PASSAGES THAT SEEM TO FURTHER THE TEACHING OF ETERNAL BURNING IN HELL

Many of God's children who further the teaching that the wicked will be tortured on and on in a fire that never goes out do that on the basis of some of the following Bible passages: A) "9:43 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:

9:44 WHERE THEIR WORM DIETH NOT, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.

9:45 And 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, INTO THE FIRE THAT NEVER SHALL BE QUENCHED:

9:46 WHERE THEIR WORM DIETH NOT, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED.

9:47 And 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 FIRE:

9:48 WHERE THEIR WORM DIETH NOT, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED."

(Mark 9:43-48; Capital Emphasis Added) B) "11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; BUT HE WILL BURN THE CHAFF WITH UNQUENCHABLE FIRE" (Matthew 3:11-12; NKJV, Capital Emphasis Added). Friends, a literal application of the immediate passages above has led many of God's people to firmly believe in the popular, yet unbiblical teaching that the wicked will be tortured on and on in an eternally burning hell. Now, for us to have the right understanding of the scriptural passages above, we will have to do the following:

i) Consider the background of the key phrases in the passages under consideration;

ii) Compare the texts in question with other similar texts on the subject of hell.

Beloved, when we apply these two important approaches of hermeneutics to the seemingly confusing texts in this study, we come away with an entirely different interpretation from the popular view of hellfire.

2) THE VALLEY OF THE SON OF HINNOM - AN IMPORTANT BACKGROUND

The words 'hell' and 'hell fire' as used in the passage of Mark 9:43-48 is derived from the Greek word ‘Gehenna’ which means 'a place of burning'. The Hebrew equivalent of ‘Gehenna’ is ‘Hinnom’. It is important to note that ‘Hinnom is actually the name of a valley near Jerusalem (see Joshua 15:8; Joshua 18:16).

After the death of Joshua and the elders who outlived him, the Israelites began to worship the gods of the surrounding nations around them (Judges 2). Some of the key Canaanite gods that the people of Israel worshipped in a direct contradiction to God's commandment were Baal and Molech. In the worship of Molech by the people of ancient Israel, the Bible records very terrible things that took place at the valley of Hinnom. For instance, it was the place where some of the idolatrous kings of Israel and their followers burnt up their own children as a sacrifice to the pagan god Molech (see 2 Chronicles 28:3; 2 Chronicles 33:6; 1 Kings 11:7-8; 2 Kings 16:3; Jeremiah 32:35). The location where these abominable sacrifices took place at the valley of Hinnom was referred to as Tophet (see Isaiah 30:33; Jeremiah 7:31; Jeremiah 19:2-6; Jeremiah 19:11-14).

3) DESECRATION OF THE SHRINE OF MOLECH AT HINNOM

When Josiah became the king of Judah, he led the people to seek after the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Josiah brought true revival and reformation in Judah (2 Kings 23:1-25). One of the reforms that he undertook as king was the destruction of the shrine of Molech or Tophet (see 2 Kings 23:10). After destroying this place of idol worship, the new king probably defiled the place by making it a depository of filth so that the idolatrous practices at Tophet will forever cease. Now, following in Josiah's footsteps, the people of Israel made the valley of Hinnom, the depository of all manner of filth. In fact, the valley of Hinnom became the dumping place of the carcasses of animals, malefactors and other foul impurities.

To ensure that the filth in the valley of Hinnom did not lead to the outbreak of an epidemic, a fire was constantly maintained there to ensure that the various impurities were burned up. The constant fire at the valley of Hinnom was later borrowed by the Jews to figuratively denote the punishment of the wicked at the end of the age. Here are some two Old Testament passages that lend credence to this point:

i) "For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: THE PILE THEREOF IS FIRE AND MUCH WOOD; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it" (Isaiah 30:33).

ii) And they shall go forth, and look upon the CARCASSES of the men that have transgressed against me: FOR THEIR WORM SHALL NOT DIE, NEITHER SHALL THEIR FIRE BE QUENCHED; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh" (Isaiah 66:24; Capital Emphasis Added).

Friends, it is from the imagery of the constant fires at the valley of Hinnom that the prophet Isaiah borrowed the words; "FOR THEIR WORM SHALL NOT DIE, NEITHER SHALL THEIR FIRE BE QUENCHED" (Isaiah 66:24; Capital Emphasis Added).

4) A NEW TESTAMENT APPLICATION OF THE VALLEY OF HINNOM

Beloved, it is from the same imagery of the constant fires at the valley of Hinnom that the forerunner of Christ made the following prophetic statement: "11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; BUT HE WILL BURN THE CHAFF WITH UNQUENCHABLE FIRE" (Matthew 3:11-12; NKJV, Capital Emphasis Added).

Later on in the New Testament, Christ borrowed this same imagery to describe the fate that awaits the wicked at the end of the world. From Mark 9:43-44, we read the following from Christ in relation to the wicked: "43 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: 44 WHERE THEIR WORM DIETH NOT, AND THE FIRE IS NOT QUENCHED"

(Mark 9:43-44; Capital Emphasis Added).

Thus friends, the phrase "the fire that never shall be quenched" as used in reference to hell (Gehenna) does not mean that the wicked will burn on and on in the fires of hell without ever dying. It is important to note that just like the 'perpetual fires' that was maintained at the valley of Hinnom to destroy the various impurities that were dumped there, the fires of hell is also described as an 'unquenchable fire'; not because it will not go out, but because its power is so strong that no fire fighters can prevent it from carrying out its work of complete destruction.

5) AN INTERESTING OLD TESTAMENT PARALLELISM ON THE FATE OF THE WICKED

From the prophet Isaiah, we read about the fate of the righteous as well as the wicked at the end of time: "66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.

66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.

66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the CARCASSES of the men that have transgressed against me: FOR THEIR WORM SHALL NOT DIE, NEITHER SHALL THEIR FIRE BE QUENCHED; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh."

(Isaiah 66:22-24; Capital Emphasis Added) Beloved, from the first part of Isaiah 66:24, we learn that the righteous shall go forth and look upon the CARCASSES of the wicked who transgressed against the commandments of God.

Question: What is a carcass?

Answer: A carcass is basically a dead body.

Now, from the second part of the same text in Isaiah 66:24, we encounter the phrase 'their worm shall not die'. Friends, it is important to note that the phrase 'their worm shall not die' in the second part of Isaiah 66:24 is made in a direct reference to the carcasses of the wicked not living people. It is important to note that this phrase was utilized by the prophet Isaiah in relation to the usual case that the carcasses of dead bodies, whether animals or humans are usually filled with living worms; a portrayal of the exact picture of what took place at the valley of Hinnom. Thus beloved, it is clear from this reasoning that this text in Isaiah 66:24 which was later repeated by Christ in the passage of Mark 9:43-48 is basically an imagery that was borrowed from the Hebrew understanding of Gehenna (Hinnom) to describe the fate of the wicked at the end of the age.

Besides the prophet Isaiah, the prophet Malachi also provides a similar insight in relation to the fate of the righteous as well as the wicked. From Malachi 4:1-3, we read the following: "4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, SHALL BE STUBBLE: and the day that cometh SHALL BURN THEM UP, saith the LORD of hosts, that IT SHALL LEAVE THEM NEITHER ROOT NOR BRANCH.

4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

4:3 AND YE SHALL TREAD DOWN THE WICKED; FOR THEY SHALL BE ASHES UNDER THE SOLES OF YOUR FEET in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts."

(Malachi 4:1-3; Capital Emphasis Added) Friends, we have learnt earlier from the prophet Isaiah that the righteous shall go forth, and look upon the CARCASSES of the wicked (Isaiah 66:24). From the prophet Malachi, we also learn that the righteous shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ASHES under the soles of their feet (Malachi 4:3). From these texts, we gain clear insights that the wicked will not suffer on and on in an eternally burning hell; for the words 'carcasses' as well as 'ashes' are clear depictions of the finality of death (see Revelation 20:6, 14; Revelation 21:8).

Thus beloved, it is clear from the passages we have reviewed so far that Christ's words in Mark 9:43-48 do not teach that the wicked will burn on and on in the fires of hell. However, as we have learnt, the phrase was a borrowed expression from the Jewish culture in reference to the ever burning filth at the valley of Hinnom. This position remains the only valid interpretation of Mark 9:43-48, especially when we learn from Scripture that the wicked, including Satan himself, will be reduced to ashes in the fires of hell (see Malachi 4:3; Revelation 20:9-10; Ezekiel 28:12-18).

6) THE 'UNQUENCHABLE FIRES' OF JERUSALEM

Friends, besides the above clear explanation of hell - related phrases such as 'where their worm dieth not' and 'the fire that never shall be quenched' or 'unquenchable fire', the Scripture provides another clear insight in support of the biblical point we have made above. From the lips of the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord declared unto the people of ancient Israel the following: "But if ye will not hearken unto me to hallow the sabbath day, and not to bear a burden, even entering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, AND IT SHALL NOT BE QUENCHED" (Jeremiah 17:27; Capital Emphasis Added).

Friends, this prophecy of the prophet Jeremiah was literally fulfilled when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem. Here is the scriptural account of what took place when the soldiers of Babylon entered Jerusalem: "36:19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.

36:21 TO FULFIL THE WORD OF THE LORD BY THE MOUTH OF JEREMIAH, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years."

(2 Chronicles 36:19, 21; Capital Emphasis Added) Friends, when we analyze this literal fulfilment of Jeremiah's prophecy in relation to Jerusalem, it becomes clear that the phrase; 'the fire that never shall be quenched' or 'unquenchable fire' does not denote a kind of fire that never go out. This is because the fire that the Babylonians sparked upon the palaces and temple of Jerusalem, went out after it had done its baleful work even though it had been described by the prophet Jeremiah as an unquenchable fire (Jeremiah 17:27). Today, as people walk through the city of Jerusalem, there is nothing like an unquenchable fire that keeps on raging. The fact of the matter is that this fire went out a long time ago.

7. Friends, from the scriptural passages we have reviewed so far, it is clear that the phrases 'the fire that never shall be quenched' or 'unquenchable fire' as used in reference to hell (Gehenna) does not mean that the wicked will burn on and on in the fires of hell without ever dying. The Scripture forcefully points out that even as the 'unquenchable fires' that was set on the temple and palaces of Jerusalem went out after its work of destruction was done, so will the fires of hell also go out after it has reduced the wicked into ashes (see Malachi 4:1-3).

Exhortation: Beloved, it is encouraging to learn that the Bible refers to the final punishment of the wicked in the fires of hell as the strange act of God (Isaiah 28:21). In other words, the Lord does not delight in the destruction of sinners. In fact, from Ezekiel 18:23, we learn that the Lord does not wish anyone to perish (see also Ezekiel 33:11), let alone make people to suffer in the fires of hell for all eternity. It is my prayer that you open your heart to receive this God of love today!

In our next study, we will consider the topic: "for I am tormented in this flame": An exposition on the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16. The Bible Study references for this study are Luke 16:19-31, Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, 10; Psalm 146:3-4, Job 17:13-16, Job 7:9-10, Psalm 89:48, Psalm 30:3, Daniel 12:2, John 5:28-28, Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, Revelation 22:12, and Judges 9:8-15. Please do well to go through these passages before the next study is released.

Stay blessed and keep shining for King Jesus.

Maranatha!

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