Gehenna Gehenna is the destiny of wicked people. It will be a place of separation from God. It will be a place of unquenchable thirst. It will be a place of unbearable pain.

A Place of Unbearable Pain That is, “intolerable,” “agonizing,” “excruciating”

Gehenna Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

Gehenna Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? (Heb. 10:28-29)

A Place of Unbearable Pain That is, “intolerable,” “agonizing,” “excruciating.” In the physical realm, one loses consciousness when he experiences unbearable pain. As a result, the pain is no longer felt. Thus, unconsciousness is an escape, a relief. In Gehenna, however, there will be no relief. I do not believe that this will be physical pain but spiritual and psychological pain and agony. The anguish and grief of knowing you could have rendered obedience and service unto God and gone to heaven but you would not.

Gehenna "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matt. 25:46)

Gehenna "And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name." (Rev. 14:11)

Gehenna Gehenna the destiny of wicked people. It will be a place of separation from God. It will be a place of unquenchable thirst. It will be a place of unbearable pain. It will be a place of everlasting fire.

A Place of Everlasting Fire God has often used physical fire as a figure for divine retribution.

Gehenna Then the Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, from the Lord out of the heavens. (Gen. 19:24)

Gehenna So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. (Lev. 10:2)

A Place of Everlasting Fire God has often used physical fire as a figure for divine retribution. Gehenna is pictured as: A “furnace of fire”

Gehenna "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth." (Matt. 13:42-43)

A Place of Everlasting Fire God has often used physical fire as a figure for divine retribution. Hell is pictured as: A “furnace of fire” A “lake of fire”

Gehenna Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.

Gehenna And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

Gehenna The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

Gehenna Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (Rev. 20:11-15)

A Place of Everlasting Fire God has often used physical fire as a figure for divine retribution. Hell is pictured as: A “furnace of fire” A “lake of fire” A place of “flaming fire”

Gehenna We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other,

Gehenna so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer;

Gehenna since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,

Gehenna in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thess. 1:3-8)

A Place of Everlasting Fire Gehenna is a place where men are “baptized,” or overwhelmed, in fire.

Gehenna "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." (Matt. 3:11)

A Place of Everlasting Fire Gehenna is a place where men are “baptized,” or overwhelmed, in fire. Fire in Gehenna is said to be: Everlasting

Gehenna "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:" (Matt. 25:41)

A Place of Everlasting Fire Gehenna is a place where men are “baptized,” or overwhelmed, in fire. Fire in Gehenna is said to be: Everlasting Unquenchable

Gehenna "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 up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matt. 3:12)

A Place of Everlasting Fire Gehenna is a place where men are “baptized,” or overwhelmed, in fire. Fire in Gehenna is said to be: Everlasting Unquenchable Fueled with brimstone (or sulfur)

Gehenna "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Rev. 21:8) sulfur

Gehenna I do not want to go to such a place. And I do not want you to go there, either. The rich man who was in torment didn’t want his brothers to join him where he was.

Gehenna "Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'" (Luke 16:27-28)

Gehenna If a dear, sweet relative of yours has died without forming and/or maintaining a proper relationship with God, that dear, sweet relative doesn’t want you to be where he or she is. And those who are in torment now will be in torment forever.

Gehenna I don’t want to find out if the fire of Gehenna is literal or figurative, though I believe it is figurative. And I don’t want you to find out either. Let’s all try to avoid that horrible place by doing the Lord’s will to the best of our ability. Notice that the various figures for eternal separation from God involve the physical senses: darkness – sight; weeping and gnashing of teeth – hearing; the stench of sulfur – smell; the pain of fire – touch; thirst – taste.