August 8
HELL / PART 7
GEHENNA CONTINUED
According to J. Preston Eby:
-"In the New Testament there appears the word "GEHENNA" referring to the "Valley of Hinnom", or "Gehenna", which
was the city dump outside the walls of Jerusalem, a place of constant burning of refuse. It is interesting to note that those
who are pictured as going into "Gehenna" are, without exception, not the sinners of the world, but the SINNERS AMONG GOD'S
PEOPLE. How precise the type! "Gehenna" was the city dump of Jerusalem, the Holy City, where every unclean and unnecessary
thing was burned and consumed. The antitypical "Gehenna" to which our Lord alluded in His teaching is the process of PURIFICATION
by which every unclean and unnecessary thing in the lives of His Holy People is purged and consumed by the fires of His judgment.
"The Lord Whom you seek, shall suddenly come to HIS TEMPLE ... but who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand
when He appears? for He is like a REFINER'S FIRE, and like fuller's soap: and He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver:
and He shall PURIFY the sons of Levi (the Priesthood), and PURGE them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord
an offering in righteousness" (Mal. 3:1-3). "Gehenna" stands as a type of the place or process of the PURIFICATION OF GOD'S
PEOPLE. It is referred to in the Old Testament by the name of "Tophet," located in the "Valley of Hinnom", a place where many
sacrifices were made and dead bodies consumed." ( Hell, J. Preston Eby )
-The idea of God’s people being purified in and through fire is also to be found in the apostle Paul’s
writings. 1st Corinthians 3:12-15 states, … Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious
stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed
by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he has built thereupon,
he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so
as by fire …
-This is obviously speaking of a spiritual fire, of which GOD IS! Remember … GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE (
Hebrews 12:29 ) … Now we can begin to see that Jesus pointed to the literal fire of "Gehenna", which did consume literal
refuse, to teach us about the spiritual fire of God. He used "Gehenna" to typify, symbolize, and portray what
the fire of God was like. HE USED "GEHENNA" AS A METAPHOR!
-The fire of God is His judgment in our lives that consumes the refuse in us, which is WOOD, HAY, AND STUBBLE!
God’s fire is for PURIFICATION, NOT ETERNAL TORTURE! Nothing was tortured in "Gehenna", only consumed and changed
into another form. Can you now begin to see your FIERY TRIALS as the process in which God is consuming your carnality
and CHANGING YOU INTO THE VERY IMAGE OF THE SON OF GOD? As you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you are being consumed by
the Holy Ghost and FIRE, being changed from glory to glory. This is what "Gehenna" represents. It speaks of the ALL-CONSUMING
FIRE OF GOD!
-THANK GOD FOR THE FIRE OF "GEHENNA"!-
