Hell - pt 4

 

1. Mat 10:28  

And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna).

1. Here is the context:

(Jesus is speaking only to His 12 disciples!)

Mat 10:25-26 

25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his teacher, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household! 26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

1. Who called the master of the House beelzebub?

1. Mat 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons.

2. Mar 3:22 And the scribes that came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and, By the prince of the demons casteth he out the demons.

2. Who is the master of the house?

1. Jesus - Mat 10:25; Luk13:25; Luk14:21

2. Every scribe who hath been made a disciple is also a "householder" or "master of the house"

Mat 13:52 And he said unto them, Therefore every scribe who hath been made a disciple to the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, who bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

3. Who does Jesus tell the disciples not to fear? Whoever had called Jesus "Beelzebub".

1. Scribes in Mark 3:22

2. Pharisees in Mat 12:24

2. Vs26 Covered - revealed? Hid - known?

1. Mat 10:26 

Fear them (scribes and Pharisees) not therefore: for there is nothing covered (G2572), that shall not be revealed (G601); and hid (G2927), that shall not be known (G1097).

The assumption is that the scribes and Pharisees cover (G2572) and hide (G2927)?

Ecc 12:14 

For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

1Co 4:5 

Wherefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall each man have his praise from God.

Could be:

1. "Though my gospel is now covered and hid, yet it shall be revealed and made known."

2. "Though your innocency be hid and covered, yet God shall bring forth your judgment as the light, and your righteousness as the noonday."

3. "Though your enemies’ rage and malice be hid, and their vengeance seemeth to sleep, yet it shall be revealed." 

3.  Mat 10:27-28

27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak ye in the light; and what ye hear in the ear, proclaim upon the house-tops. 28 And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

1. Vs27 What does Jesus say in the darkness? Parables

2. Vs27 …speak in the light. Speak plainly the meaning of the parables

3. Vs27 what you hear in the ear? perceiving with the mind, or understanding and knowing

4. Vs27 proclaim on the housetops? So that all will take notice and hear by proclaiming loudly?

5. Vs28 Fear not them…Who are them? Scribes and Pharisees

6. Vs28 And be not afraid of them that kill the body Which body? The natural body…maybe also the spiritual body?

7. Vs28 rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna) Fear God who is able to kill both body and soul in Gehenna. 

1. But again, just like the right eye and the right hand, this is in relation to the wicked scribes and Pharisees who altho can kill the natural body (and possible God's spiritual body on earth), they don't have the ability to cast anyone into Gehenna.

2. Mat 18:8-9 (Jesus speaks this to His disciples)

8 And if thy hand or thy foot causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed or halt, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. 9 And if thine eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire.

1. Context:

Mat 18:3-7 

3 and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me: 6 but whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it is profitable for him that a great millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea. 7 Woe unto the world because of occasions of stumbling! for it must needs be that the occasions come; but woe to that man through whom the occasion cometh!

1. Vs6 whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble

 

1. Who are these little ones or little children? Immature christians

2. Who are the ones that cause immature christians to stumble? Maybe Religious leaders?

2. Vs6 Why should a millstone be hanged about his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depth of the sea? Because this would label him with his true identity.

1. Rev 18:21 

And a strong angel took up a stone as it were a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with a mighty fall shall Babylon, the great city, be cast down, and shall be found no more at all.

2.  Mat 18:8 

And if thy hand or thy foot causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed or halt, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire.

1. Foot? Seems hand and foot may go together

1. Pro 4:26-27 

26 Make level the path of thy feet,  And let all thy ways be established. 27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left:  Remove thy foot from evil.

2. Psa 36:11 

Let not the foot of pride come against me,  And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.

3. 1Ch 20:6 

And there was again war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot; and he also was born unto the giant. Who was this? Goliath

4. Eze 6:11 

Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Smite with thy hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas! because of all the evil abominations of the house of Israel; for they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence.

So hand and foot seems a metaphor for the evil house of Israel

2. Eternal fire?

1. G166 aiōnios - adjective

2. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CE%B1%E1%BC%B0%CF%8E%CE%BD%CE%B9%CE%BF%CF%82

3. From G165 aion - noun meaning age

4. an age, a cycle (of time), especially of the present age as contrasted with the future age, and of one of a series of ages stretching to infinity.

5. Col 1:26 

even the mystery which hath been hid for ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to his saints,

6. Eph 2:7 

that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

3. Mat 18:9 

And if thine eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is good for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the hell of fire.

1. Eye - we already discussed being a metaphor for the wayward leaders of God's people

2. Gehenna (hell) fire is spoken when relating to God's wayward leaders.

3. Mat_23:15 (Jesus is speaking to the multitude and disciples)

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves.

1. We can assume that the multitude includes scribes and Pharisees

2. Gehenna is referred again to in relation to the Scribes and Pharisees. 

3. A proselyte is a newcomer, a stranger, an alien or possible someone who is converted to Judaism. Probably not a Jew.

4. So in relations to the scribes or Pharisees, those that have been made into their image are also sons of hell

4. Mat_23:33  

Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell?

1. Who is Jesus referring to here?

Vs29 "scribes and Pharisees"

2. Gehenna is again spoken in relation to the hypercritical religious order of the scribes and Pharisees. 

5. Mar 9:43  

And if thy hand cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having thy two hands to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.

1. Hand - we already discussed being a metaphor for the wayward leaders of God's people.  

Ps 144:9-11

2. Gehenna (hell) fire is spoken when relating to God's wayward leaders.

6. Mar 9:45  

And if thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life halt, rather than having thy two feet to be cast into hell.

7. Mar 9:47  

And if thine eye cause thee to stumble, cast it out: it is good for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell;

8. Luk_12:5  

But I will warn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, who after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

1. This is spoken in relation to the "leaven of the Pharisees". Don't be afraid of them!

9. Jas_3:6  

And the tongue is a fire: the world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the wheel of nature, and is set on fire by hell.

1. What might this mean?

2. The idea here is, that that which causes the tongue to do so much evil derives its origin from hell. Nothing could better characterize much of that which the tongues does, than to say that it has its origin in hell, and has the spirit which reigns there. The very spirit of that world of fire and wickedness - a spirit of falsehood, and slander, and blasphemy, and pollution - seems to inspire the tongue. The image which seems to have been before the mind of the apostle was that of a torch which enkindles and burns everything as it goes along - a torch itself lighted at the fires of hell. One of the most striking descriptions of the woes and curses which there may be in hell, would be to portray the sorrows caused on the earth by the tongue.