In Mark 9:42-48, Jesus quotes this phrase from the last line of Isaiah 66:24 three separate times. He did so to hammer home the necessity of abandoning all manner of sinful behavior. His point was that there is nothing of earthen pleasures worthy of forfeiting one’s soul to the fires of hell. The Greek term translated “hell” here is Gehenna. This is the term for the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, often mentioned in the Old Testament. It was the place where idolaters had burned their children as sacrifices to the pagan god, Molech (2 Kgs. 23:10; Jer. 7:30-32; 32:35). It was located outside the city of Jerusalem, and it was used as the garbage dump for the city. The fires smoldered constantly as they burned the refuse of the city. It is with this location in mind that God spoke the warning through the prophet Isaiah concerning the plight of the rebellious.
In Jeremiah 7:32-33, the Lord promised punishment on the evil doers of Judah who had practiced human sacrifice in this valley saying, “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “when it will no more be called Tophet, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Tophet until there is no room. The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth. And no one will frighten them away.” The image is graphic and disgusting. If you have ever smelled the stench of rotting flesh, you can almost make yourself sick just thinking of this place. This reference from the Lord is intended to produce shock and awe in our minds. We have, as a culture and sadly even in the church, taken too soft a view of sin and its consequences. For this, we have become weak in our efforts to correct ourselves or our fellow Christians when we are guilty of sin. This image used by Jesus ought to have a sobering effect on our conscience.
Truly God is gracious and merciful (Ex. 34:6; Psa. 111:4; Rom. 2:4; Eph. 2:4). Nonetheless, He is also just and holy (Ex. 34:7; Rom. 2:4-9; Rev. 20:15; 21:8). For this, we owe it to ourselves and our Lord to closely consider the meaning of the phrases under consideration. If you have ever walked up on a rotting animal corpse (or worse yet a human one), you may have seen worms eating away at the rotting flesh. This is indeed unpleasant to consider, but that is precisely why Jesus used the image. If we persist in sin, spiritual decay is what will follow. The image of the fire which is never quenched refers to the burning refuse in Hinnom. The undeniable reality is, nothing which defiles may enter the heavenly realm (Rev. 21:27). Therefore, it is thrown out and burned like refuse (cf. Jn. 15:6).
The point I want to make here is the truth Jesus taught that this terrible reality will never end. The notion that their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched points to the unending nature of this state. The worm never ceases to be fed, and the fire of the burning corpses is never extinguished. This points to an endless existence full of decay and burning torment. Unlike the trash which will eventually burn out, the souls of the unforgiven will experience this terrible reality for eternity. There is only one way to respond. As Jesus said, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched…” Whatever the sin in your life may be, cut it off and throw it away. Heaven will surely be worth it all, and whatever it is, it is certainly not worthy of going where the worm never dies, and the fire is not quenched.
In Jeremiah 7:32-33, the Lord promised punishment on the evil doers of Judah who had practiced human sacrifice in this valley saying, “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “when it will no more be called Tophet, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Tophet until there is no room. The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth. And no one will frighten them away.” The image is graphic and disgusting. If you have ever smelled the stench of rotting flesh, you can almost make yourself sick just thinking of this place. This reference from the Lord is intended to produce shock and awe in our minds. We have, as a culture and sadly even in the church, taken too soft a view of sin and its consequences. For this, we have become weak in our efforts to correct ourselves or our fellow Christians when we are guilty of sin. This image used by Jesus ought to have a sobering effect on our conscience.
Truly God is gracious and merciful (Ex. 34:6; Psa. 111:4; Rom. 2:4; Eph. 2:4). Nonetheless, He is also just and holy (Ex. 34:7; Rom. 2:4-9; Rev. 20:15; 21:8). For this, we owe it to ourselves and our Lord to closely consider the meaning of the phrases under consideration. If you have ever walked up on a rotting animal corpse (or worse yet a human one), you may have seen worms eating away at the rotting flesh. This is indeed unpleasant to consider, but that is precisely why Jesus used the image. If we persist in sin, spiritual decay is what will follow. The image of the fire which is never quenched refers to the burning refuse in Hinnom. The undeniable reality is, nothing which defiles may enter the heavenly realm (Rev. 21:27). Therefore, it is thrown out and burned like refuse (cf. Jn. 15:6).
The point I want to make here is the truth Jesus taught that this terrible reality will never end. The notion that their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched points to the unending nature of this state. The worm never ceases to be fed, and the fire of the burning corpses is never extinguished. This points to an endless existence full of decay and burning torment. Unlike the trash which will eventually burn out, the souls of the unforgiven will experience this terrible reality for eternity. There is only one way to respond. As Jesus said, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched…” Whatever the sin in your life may be, cut it off and throw it away. Heaven will surely be worth it all, and whatever it is, it is certainly not worthy of going where the worm never dies, and the fire is not quenched.