Worms and Fire

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: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 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: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 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: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:43-48.)

Mark 9:43-48 is often cited by many in an effort to try and prove eternal hellfire. But, is that what it really teaches? No, it doesn’t. When we compare all the Scriptures in the Bible on this topic, it becomes extremely clear that nobody goes to Heaven or Hellfire at death, and hellfire doesn’t even exist yet. So, what does this passage mean? Let’s study and find out.

The word for hell in verses 43, 45, and 47 is the Greek word, Gehenna. It was a valley where things such as trash and dead (not living) bodies were burned. It was originally the Valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem. Anything filthy or dead (not living) could be thrown here and burned, turning into ashes.

It’s never referred to as a place of eternal fire where those who are still alive are burned. Notice how Jeremiah puts it:

And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away. (Jeremiah 7:31-33.)

Jeremiah is describing a place where death reigns, not a place where living people are tortured, or where disembodied spirits are tortured in unending fire. It is described here as a place idolatry and destruction, where everything wicked will come to an eternal end. It also states that the scavengers here will feed on the dead bodies there.

And therein comes the symbol of the worm that Jesus used when He said, “the worm dieth not…) But as I often say, Jesus OFTEN quoted from the Old Testament, and this instance is no different. Let’s take a look at what Isaiah says:

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. 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. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases 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.)

Notice how Isaiah here is describing things. The fire and worms here are mentioned, just as in Mark 9, but this time in direct context of the promise of the Earth being made new. Where else do we see this in the Bible? Read:

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 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. (Revelation 21:1-4.)

It is important here to note that Revelation 21 is a continuation of Revelation 20. Revelation 20 describes the end of sin and sinners, how the wicked will be burned up and become ashes as Malachi 4:1-3 and Isaiah 47:14 say.

Notice how Revelation 21 says there will be no more pain and suffering. There’s no qualifier here that says this applies only to the righteous, and not to the wicked. The righteous certainly won’t suffer anymore, but neither will the wicked. Sinners will be consumed to ashes, never to exist again.

But notice how Isaiah is describing things. He is speaking of dead bodies, just as Jesus is in Mark 9. What do worms feed on? Living flesh? No. They feed on dead or dying flesh. And what happens when their food source runs out? Same thing that happens when a fuel source runs out. The worms either move on to another food source, or die of starvation. The fire, once the fuel is gone, goes out.

But what about where Jesus and Isaiah both say unquenchable fire? Doesn’t that refer to eternal torment of the wicked? Nope. Not even a little.

In the Greek, this word unquenchable is two words. One word is the word for quenched, and the other is a negative participle. Put them together and you have unquenchable.

But the word behind quenched simply means extinguished. Let me ask you, have you ever seen a house fire, or a forest fire? What about a crop fire? How long did those fires burn? Only until the fuel source runs out.

Farmers, when their fields catch fire, will sometimes cut large swathes of the non-burnt field in an effort to curb the fire. Why? They are trying to deprive the fire of its fuel source, so that they can save the rest of their unburned product.

It’s the same principle that the Bible teaches happens to the wicked. God cuts off the existence of the wicked, so that the rest of the universe doesn’t become contaminated, and so that the righteous can have a truly blissful eternity. He also destroys the wicked because they would not enjoy and eternity where sin isn’t allowed. It would be a worse hell for them than burning in the lake of fire. It’s as much love for the wicked as it is for the righteous.

Notice these few texts that directly address this topic. They are too clear to misunderstand.

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. 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. 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.)

Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it. (Isaiah 47:14.)

For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be : yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be…But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the Lord shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away. (Psalm 37:10,20.)

Now, I’ve heard some bring up Matthew 10:28 in this discussion, so let’s address that real quick.

Many claim that this passage refers to an immortal soul. Let us look at it.

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.)

In this chapter, the context of this Scripture is Jesus explaining how the world will treat His followers. Jesus told His disciples not to be afraid of those who can take their life, but not their salvation. Fear not those who cannot eternally affect you. Jesus is not differentiating between flesh and immaterial souls. He is simply stating that man can only temporarily take your life.

Only God can completely destroy the wicked, from which there will never be a resurrection. However, what is fascinating is that the word for soul used in that verse is the same Greek word for soul in the Greek Septuagint of Genesis 2:7. Therefore, Jesus isn't saying body and soul are destroyed in Hell, He's saying body and breath, just as Genesis 2:7 says.

Notice what Paul says:

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23.)

Notice that Paul here does not say that the wages of sin is eternal torment in unending flame. He says death. For more information on what Paul taught on this subject, see my recent blog called, What Paul Taught about Death and Hell. Paul also says in 1 Timothy 6:16 that only God has immortality. We do not.

John 3:16 also teaches the same thing: perish for the wicked, eternal life for the righteous. There is no mention anywhere in the Bible that the wicked will suffer in the fires of unending flame.

And notice what Ecclesiastes defines death as:

Our bodies will return to the dust of the earth, and the breath of life will go back to God, who gave it to us. (Ecclesiastes 12:7, GNB.)

This false doctrine of eternal fiery torment is an injustice to the character and reputation of God. It blasphemes His character and portrays Him as a cruel tyrant, when nothing could be further from the Truth.

It also contradicts the Gospel, teaching and claiming things that the Bible simply does not support. It has also caused many people to reject God because they simply cannot believe that He would burn the wicked for eternity. Truly, it is a cruel belief, but the good news is that the Bible doesn’t teach it.

And it also undermines the finality of the judgment. The Bible teaches that the judgment is going on now, and it does not happen at death. The Bible also teaches that Jesus is bringing His rewards for us when He returns the second time. Therefore, nobody can go to Heaven or Hellfire when they haven’t even been judged yet.

So you see, Mark 9 does not teach eternal torment. Rightly understood, it teaches quite the opposite.