Some claim that Jesus spoke of hell more than he spoke of heaven. Is this really true?
When Jesus spoke of hell, the few times that he actually did, he was speaking of a specific place that was well known to those that were listening. In the gospels Jesus is speaking primarily to a specific people, the lost house, or sheep, of Israel. There are many places we can go to understand this.

In Matthew 15:24 Jesus said that, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

Jesus instructed his disciples in Matthew 10:6 to "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

​The gospels are more properly associated with the Old Testament as Israel is still the key that God is using for the salvation of the world. We see the need to become a Jewish proselyte well into the book of Acts to be able to enter the kingdom. This does not really change until the final rejections of the Messiah by the Jews through the Acts period and finally in Acts 28 where the apostle Paul states with final authority that he will go to the gentiles. Why is this so important to understand? We need to know who is being spoken to if we want to understand a particular passage. This is very important regarding "hell" as Jesus used the word.

Using the KJV, we find Jesus mentions hell 17 times and, incidentally, he used the word heaven 168 times. So, Jesus did speak of heaven far more frequently. Of the 17 mentions of hell Jesus used two specific words; Gehenna and Hades. Two words for hell and both are completely different places. If both are two separate places then why translate them as one word? Earlier we saw that Sheol, a Hebrew word for the grave or unseen place, is also translated as hell frequently but not always. There is even a fourth word that has been translated as hell in the Bible but it will not be discussed today.

Let's focus on Gehenna as it is the word used with slightly more frequency by Jesus, 11 times out of 17 in the KJV. It is also notable that I mention the KJV specifically; in its various forms of the 1611, the KJV3, and the modern KJV, hell appears in differing numbers. Really? Yes! Do some research on this one. If you continue to search you will find some translations actually use the word Gehenna and do not even have the word hell in their entirety. Two notable and popular translations are the "literal" Young's and Rotherham Bibles- no hell to be found.

Matthew 5:22 is the first occurrence of Jesus using the word hell. If you have a concordance look up the word hell and find its index number which is g1067. Look to the index of Greek words and you will find the word Gehenna is associated with g1067. What exactly is Gehenna?

According to Jeremiah 7:31 Gehenna is called the valley of the son of Hinnom. God says, "And they go on building the high place of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire--which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind." The children of Israel were following a sacrificial custom of the gentiles which burned their children alive in the hands of the god Molech (Jeremiah 32:35), or Topeth. Also see 2 Kings 23:10.

Where was Gehenna, or this valley of the son of Hinnom? In Jeremiah 19:2 God commands the prophet to go somewhere and speak; "and go out to the valley of the son of Hinnom at the entry of the Potsherd Gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you." The Potsherd gate is one of the gates of Jerusalem. The valley is south of the city. Later in verse 16 God changes the name of this horrid valley to "the valley of Slaughter".

We now have a word, Gehenna, which is an actual place that has historical meaning for the Jews. It was a place that God was disgusted with due to its use and God was also disgusted with His people for doing such an abomination. It was a place of burning children. The god was represented by a very large statue of metal that was also a furnace. This furnace was kept continually burning. The fire went up the interior heating outstretched hands where the children were laid bound.

Some claim that the valley eventually became the city dump where trash was burned continually and that the bodies of the unlawful who were not fit for burial were burned there as well. Others claim that there is no evidence of this. Either way, the valley was known by the Jews as a place where people were bound and laid on hands of fire for sacrificial reason to a god of pagans, a ritual the Jews copied and performed outside of there own city. This knowledge becomes very important to us as we read the passages where Jesus makes reference to Gehenna. It will become apparent that Jesus is not making reference to an place of eternal torment!

Disciples in danger!

Matthew 5:21-22 KJV
(21) Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
(22) But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Matthew 5:1 tells who Jesus was talking to, it was not the masses but his disciples. The masses followed Jesus and he escaped them by going up the mountain where hos disciples found him. The following verses are spoken to the disciples. It appears at first glance Jesus is giving them a stern warning about some of the reasons one might end up in hell. I often wonder why Adam was not given such a talking to. Interesting as well that Cain, the first murderer, was banished from his homeland but never threatened with hell.

What actually happened then to these tragically murdered innocents? They died. They perished. When one perishes they are no more. What a sad situation Israel found themselves in.

So, Jesus tells his disciples, not the masses, that if their eye or hand offends, pluck it out or cut it off and throw it away. The implication is made that by doing so they can avoid being tossed into an eternal burning hell. If they call their brother a moron or idiot, they may suffer hell as well. What does Jesus say happens to one who is thrown into hell fire? They perish, they die. And what kind of death is one suffered in hell fire? A worthless death. Consider the word that Jesus used when he spoke "hell"; he actually was saying Gehenna. The "Gehenna of fire" or "Gehenna fire" would have been the phrase. It is now interesting to note that some translations actually use the word Gehenna. How much does this make sense! It really does because sometimes Jesus used the word Hades instead which gives an entirely different meaning.

Matthew 5:22 EWB-Companion Bible
(22) But I say unto you, That every one that is angry with his brother without a cause shall be liable to the council of three in the local synagogue:and every one that shall say to his brother, You ! , shall be liable to the Sanhedrin: but every one that shall say, Thou wicked reprobate, shall be liable unto the Gehenna of fire.

What happened to those thrown onto the hands of Gehenna fire? They died a worthless death. Bullinger's Companion Bible is the KJV with some revisions. The point is that the use of the proper name gives all of the meaning we need to understand, and it is NOT about burning forever in hell.

Gehenna as a place used from the result of Judgement

Jeremiah chapter 7 is a warning of what might come upon Israel should they not repent. The warning is tied to Gehenna, the Valley of the son of Hinnom, or the valley of Topeth. The nation of the north will come through and utterly devastate Jerusalem. The death toll will be such that the bodies will be buried in this valley, so many that they will run out of room. The bodies will be so many that they will not be buried and will be food for birds and wild animals. As others pass by Jerusalem and see this they will be appalled! Read Jeremiah 7:31 and 32.

Jeremiah 19:8 NRSV
And I will make this city a horror, a thing to be hissed at; everyone who passes by it will be horrified and will hiss because of all its disasters.

Isaiah 66:24 similarly mentioned a fire that is unquenchable, a fire that is burning dead bodies. These are the bodies that are dead and tossed in the valleys surrounding Jerusalem due to the judgement of God. This actually happened! The disciples would know of this. Mark 9:43-48 draws from Isaiah regarding the unquenchable fire. The danger in Matthew 5 is not of eternal burning in a mythical hell which was invented by Jewish sages during the time between the Testaments, but of the results of judgement. Jesus is simply stating, get right, walk right, it is better to do so then to face judgement.

Josephus in his Wars of the Jews book 5, chapter 12, verse 3, states that during the Roman siege of Jerusalem the Jews were no longer able to bury the dead in the city. These unfortunate dead were thrown over the walls into the valleys surrounding the city where they rotted.

So, we can connect Gehenna fire with human sacrifice and a valley in which the bodies of Jerusalem will be thrown due to the lack of burial space after God removes His hand, or hides His face from them, so they will face judgement. One action they will face judgement for is burning their sons and daughters alive. These are the visions that fill the disciples minds when Jesus speaks of Gehenna fire, not an eternally burning fire. We can also say that this example involves Jews only, not gentiles. Finally, we can see that not only was this a historic fact that the Jews could relate to, it was something that happened again to which Jesus himself prophesied (think the narrow and wide gates).

There is much more to this topic that can be looked at another time!

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1 Corinthians 3:15 NRSV
(15)  If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.

All builders will build on foundations of various materials. 1 Corinthians 3 uses silver, gold, wood, precious stones, hay, and straw as examples. Verse 11 states the Jesus Christ is the foundation; silver, gold, precious stones. Anything built on other than Christ is wood, hay, or straw, flimsy and corruptible. "The builder will be saved, but only as through fire". This was written by Paul to believers who were still young in the Spirit yet older in the flesh. Focus please on the saving fire. If we were to have a brick of gold full of impurities what can be done to see the true value or to make the gold usable? Refine the gold, the impurities are separated, the gold is saved as pure. A refiners fire.

Malachi also speaks of the refiners fire, the messenger is like a refiners fire. Malachi speaks of purifying the tribe of Levi, the priests that have become impure. The LORD does not seek the destruction, total, of the priestly tribe but rather wants to refine them for His future purposes. A purifier of silver removing the dross to reveal pure silver. This passage is very particular in its audience however it speaks to the purpose of the fire. A refiners fire is consuming yet the end goal is not total destruction. 

A less familiar metaphor is the use of fullers soap. Near Jerusalem there was a fullers field as told of in Isaiah 36:2. A fuller cleaned linens. Circular vats were filled with water and fullers soap, linens were then trampled on by foot. The soap was very strong and able to whiten fabrics. A field away from the city was necessary as the smell of the process was not desirable. The linens were roughly treated with a purifying result. So, this passage of Malachi  presents two important metaphors regarding the purifying nature of our Lord. 

Both are a means of purification and are extreme. One is of fire hot enough to melt a precious metal to it's liquid state in order to remove impurities, the other is a rough trampling meant to pound out the ground-in debris and discoloration of linens. If one is to imagine being a brick of impure silver, of a heavily soiled linen, the thought of being melted in such heat or trampled on would be frightful. This is the intent, to melt, to purify.

Ezekiel 22:17-21 NRSV
(17)  The word of the LORD came to me:
(18)  Mortal, the house of Israel has become dross to me; all of them, silver, bronze, tin, iron, and lead. In the smelter they have become dross.
(19)  Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.
(20)  As one gathers silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into a smelter, to blow the fire upon them in order to melt them; so I will gather you in my anger and in my wrath, and I will put you in and melt you.
(21)  I will gather you and blow upon you with the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted within it.

Fire that proceeds forth from the mouth of God, "the fire of my wrath", is the purifier. God IS the source of the fire. Wrath has a purpose, to purify. Zechariah speaks of a number  of God's people from Israel that will be put through the fire for refinement. 

Zechariah 13:9 NRSV
(9)  And I will put this third into the fire, refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, "They are my people"; and they will say, "The LORD is our God."

Israel, as a nation, grew in Egypt. God refers to this growing period as a furnace. The people were raised up in a land that became hostile toward them. The nation of God's chosen grew into maturity in the furnace of adversity. The furnace had a reason, to refine until the product was prepared to enter the world. 

Jeremiah 11:1-5 NRSV
(1)  The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD:
(2)  Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
(3)  You shall say to them, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Cursed be anyone who does not heed the words of this covenant,
(4)  which I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron-smelter, saying, Listen to my voice, and do all that I command you. So shall you be my people, and I will be your God,
(5)  that I may perform the oath that I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as at this day. Then I answered, "So be it, LORD."
 
The words of God as spoken through the prophet Jeremiah in verse 4 describe Egypt as an "iron-smelter". The furnace was not a place of destruction, it was not the end, it was not a place of eternal torment but it was the beginning for Israel. It was a time of strengthening and preparation. A time to display the mighty works of God. Israel was to grow in faith and trust of their God. The world was to learn of God. 

And what of eternal punishment for the lost in a lake of fire? Was this ever God's intention? The valley to the east and south of Jerusalem was a place of abomination. Israel followed the idol worship of other nations by offering their children to Molech. In several places of the Old Testament God speaks of disgust with Israel for this act of heathen worship where children were made to pass through the fire of Molech, to their death. It is said that the idol was a very high statue of metal, hollow, hands outstretched with palms facing upward. The fires were constantly kept burning within the idol heating the hands to unbearable temperatures. The hands held the children as they burned alive. What was God's statement on this cruel practice?

Deuteronomy 12:29-31 NRSV
(29)  When the LORD your God has cut off before you the nations whom you are about to enter to dispossess them, when you have dispossessed them and live in their land,
(30)  take care that you are not snared into imitating them, after they have been destroyed before you: do not inquire concerning their gods, saying, "How did these nations worship their gods? I also want to do the same."
(31)  You must not do the same for the LORD your God, because every abhorrent thing that the LORD hates they have done for their gods. They would even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.
2 Kings 17:16-18 NRSV
(16)  They rejected all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves cast images of two calves; they made a sacred pole, worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
(17)  They made their sons and their daughters pass through fire; they used divination and augury; and they sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
(18)  Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and removed them out of his sight; none was left but the tribe of Judah alone.
2 Kings 21:6 NRSV
(6)  He made his son pass through fire; he practiced soothsaying and augury, and dealt with mediums and with wizards. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
Ezekiel 20:31 NRSV
(31)  When you offer your gifts and make your children pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be consulted by you, O house of Israel? As I live, says the Lord GOD, I will not be consulted by you.
Jeremiah 7:31-32 NRSV
(31)  And they go on building the high place of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire--which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind.
(32)  Therefore, the days are surely coming, says the LORD, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of Slaughter: for they will bury in Topheth until there is no more room.
Jeremiah 19:4-6 NRSV
(4)  Because the people have forsaken me, and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their ancestors nor the kings of Judah have known, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent,
(5)  and gone on building the high places of Baal to burn their children in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it enter my mind;
(6)  therefore the days are surely coming, says the LORD, when this place shall no more be called Topheth, or the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of Slaughter.

The LORD said of this terror, "which I did not command or decree, nor did it enter my mind;". Burning a person alive never entered the mind of God. God never even thought of this, ever, until the Israel began to burn their own children. Understand, God NEVER thought of this.  God did not foresee that anyone would do such a thing. It NEVER entered God's mind.  Is God a liar? God has never intended to burn anyone alive, for eternity, as a punishment for any reason. This should cause us to wonder about the fire that comes straight from the mouth of God. What are the properties of such a fire. Is the fire literal or metaphoric? Are those who are "destroyed" in the fire of God's wrath gone forever? 

Sometimes I wonder what the "all in all" of 1st Corinthians means to the average christian. Though the message of the salvation of all creation is spreading and many more are accepting this excellent gospel, much of christianity still sees unsaved humanity burning in hell or being annihilated for not accepting Christ in our current vapor-like life.

If God will be all in all does this mean that God will be in hell? Would it mean that God will be annihilated, at least as God resides in those who were annihilated? The scripture certainly leaves no room for error, God will be all in all. 

1 Corinthians 15:27-28 NRSV
(27)  For "God has put all things in subjection under his feet." But when it says, "All things are put in subjection," it is plain that this does not include the one who put all things in subjection under him.
(28)  When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to the one who put all things in subjection under him, so that God may be all in all.

The only exclusion is God! All other things, all of creation, will be in subjection to God. God can not be under subjection to God. The text even goes on to say that Christ will also be placed under God's subjection. Christ IS part of the ALL. This is not something mystical, humanity will not become God. Humanity is not even the only ALL included. We often get stuck on ourselves but there is much more taking place. 

1 Corinthians 15:35 NRSV
(35)  But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?"


Does the ALL include every single person that ever walked the face of the earth? I believe so. Many will counter and say this can only be the dead believers. The Greek word for "dead" is actually "a corpse". No distinction is made here; in fact when we read of "a corpse" in the New Testament, we are reading of a dead person without regard to who they are or who they were, it is just a dead and lifeless body. The point made is that dead bodies will be raised, no distinction is made between believers or nonbelievers. Of course there is much more to be said on this.

Romans 5:15 NRSV
(15)  But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man's trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many.

Who are the many Paul refers to? It is interesting that the KJV eliminated the second "the" for "the many". The many died because of Adam's fateful decision, the many free gift abounds for the same many because of the grace of Christ (Phil 2:7-8). By leaving the second "the " out an implication is made that not all of the many received the grace. Truly, I believe that both of "the many" are the same! All of humanity! ALL.

So, what does "all in all" mean? 

We must define what "all" of God is. If all of God will be in all of humanity what does this look like? Let's start in Colossians.

"The fullness of God"
Colossians 1:19 NRSV
(19)  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

This passage speaks of Christ. It is sandwiched between a group of verses that describes to the believers in Colossae who Christ is against what philosophers and gnostics thought Christ to be. The key is that all the fullness of God dwelled in  Christ; all of the fullness. The Greek word for fullness here is pleroma.  There are two forms of pleroma, the active and passive forms. The active pleroma is in effect when something is currently being filled with the idea that the thing will be completely full at some point. Pleroma in its passive form declares that something is filled completely, there is no more room for anything else. Christ was passively full of God; there is no more room for anything else, including Christ. This is not to say that if someone looked at Jesus they saw God physically but that there was nothing about Jesus Christ that was not of God. There are scriptures which tell us everything Jesus did, every word or deed, was of God.

John 5:19 NRSV
(19)  Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise.

John 10:30 NRSV
(30)  The Father and I are one."

John 12:50 NRSV
(50)  And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I speak, therefore, I speak just as the Father has told me."

John 14:7 NRSV
(7)  If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."

John 14:9 NRSV
(9)  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

John 14:10 NRSV
(10)  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

There are other references though the book of John holds the record on the word "father" at 131 times (NRSV). Jesus continually makes the point that what he does is of God, not of himself. John 1:16 says we have received grace out of Christ's fullness; according to Christ his "fullness" was God. In verse 18 of John chapter 1 we read that no one has seen God but the Son. When someone looks at my son they do not see me; they may see a physical likeness but my son and I are very different in many respects though there may be some similarities. When someone looked upon the character of Jesus Christ they saw the character of God. I am sure if you asked my son he would tell you he is thankful that he is not full of my character! As people, we all desire to be unique. Christ had no such desire, he only wanted the lost house of Israel to see God. 

If you look at the word pleroma in a concordance such as Thayers you will find the different uses of the word in scriptures.  Mark 2:21 is just one such passage and is one I find particularly interesting.
 Mark 2:21 NRSV
(21)  "No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made.
Even back in Jesus' day a piece of cloth used as a patch to make a garment "pleroma" needed to be pre-shrunk. Otherwise the patch would shrink as the garment was washed and a new and larger tear would result. The fullness of the patch which was meant to restore the fullness of the garment would ultimately destroy the garment again. Other times pleroma is used of time such as Romans 11:25 and Ephesians 1:10 which speak of a coming time when something will move from the active state of becoming pleroma to when it is pleroma.


"Pleased to dwell"
Colossians 1:19 NRSV
(19)  For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

God was pleased to have God's fullness reside in Christ. It brought (and brings) God joy. Paul used the word "pleased" which indicates a thought of blessing, or, a thought of speaking well of Christ to the point that God filled him with all of God's character. No matter what Jesus went through while on this earth, God was happy to be all in all of the Son. There was never a time when God thought of revoking the fullness; Christ was obedient in everything. They were acting together, completely. 

When Paul says that God's fullness dwelled in Christ it is a permanent residence. Today, even as God and the Messiah sit side by side, God is in him. God is all in one. Before God spoke the Word (John 1:1-2) God was alone, and that was enough. The first action God took was to become all in all with the first of all creation. God's goal is to be all in all with everything created through the Word, or, through Christ. 

All in all, the Fullness in ALL
From the passage of Ephesians 3:7-21, read it all at some point but here are the key verses:
Ephesians 3:16-20 NRSV
(16)  I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit,
(17)  and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.
(18)  I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
(19)  and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
(20)  Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,

Paul tells us right here, in verse 19, what all in all is! He starts by stating his prayer for the churches in Asia is that Christ may dwell in their hearts through faith as they grow by the roots to become firmly planted. A plant must be firm in the soil before it grows otherwise it will never reach its full potential. Love is the full potential and we know that God, who is spirit, is Love. Paul desires to know the full measure of Love so that he can be "filled with all the fullness of God"! Who is filled with the fullness of God today? Only Christ; but someday we will all be filled with the same fullness! I say all and I truly believe ALL. It will not happen at once because we are free creatures, in every sense of the word. When God is all in all it will be because ALL have come to understand Ephesians 3:18-19; they will know Love and desire to be with and part of Love. Love will dwell in them permanently! God will dwell in ALL, fully. 

If humanity bows before the Creator and acknowledges God and who God is only to be tossed into an eternal lake of fire, or hell (whatever men call it) then I am confident God will be ALL in them as well. This is what God's word has stated; God will be all in all. Thank God for his unending mercy and love that this will not be the case. God has so much more in store for creation!