“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, NASB).
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Contents:
1) The Hinnom Valley and Jesus’ Teaching on Final Punishment (Kyle Pope)
2) No Room for Jesus (Heath Rogers)
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The Hinnom Valley and Jesus’ Teaching on Final Punishment
Kyle Pope
To the south of the ancient city of Jerusalem a valley curved to the west that was first identified in Scripture as “the valley of the Son of Hinnom” (Josh. 15:8; 18:16). It is first mentioned as a landmark setting the boundaries of the territories of Judah and Benjamin. As time went on this valley would be associated with some of the most horrible acts of wickedness and serve as a figure and a name for eternal punishment itself.
Child Sacrifice in Topheth
In the days of kings of Judah the Hinnom Valley was the site of pagan idolatry where children were burned in sacrifice to idols (2 Chron. 28:3; 33:6; Jer. 32:35). During the reign of Josiah he put this practice to an end when “he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech” (2 Kings 23:10, NKJV). Part of this defilement probably involved spreading the burned bones of pagan priests there (2 Chron. 34:1-7). From this point on the Hinnom Valley became an unclean place which Jeremiah 31:40 calls “the valley of the dead bodies and of the ashes.” The name Topheth (or Tophet) was frequently associated with the valley (Jer. 7:31-32; 19:6, 11-14). This name signified either a place of pagan worship that was in the valley (Jer. 7:31), or an alternative name for the valley itself (Jer. 19:6). The Hebrew word Topheth means “place of burning” (Brown, Drivers, and Briggs’ Lexicon of the Hebrew Old Testament). This association with uncleanness and burning eventually led to a connection between this place of sin and God’s final punishment. Isaiah declared, “For Tophet was established of old, yes, for the king it is prepared. He has made it deep and large; its pyre is fire with much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, kindles it” (Isa. 30:33). Jeremiah uses a similar sense in prophesying the time when God’s punishment would lead it to be called the “Valley of Slaughter” (Jer. 7:32; 19:6).
“The Gehenna of Fire”
From the Old to the New Testament the Hinnom Valley came to stand even more as a figure of final punishment in unquenchable fire. When Jesus spoke of eternal punishment, He used the term gehenna as the name of this place (Matt. 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5). Gehenna is the Greek transliteration of the name for the Hinnom Valley. The prefix ge- means “valley” and henna means “of Hinnom.” The New Testament teaches this as a place that one will be “cast into” (Matt. 5:29-30; 18:9; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5). There both body and soul will be destroyed (Matt. 10:28) not in the sense of annihilation but destruction of any desirable state (cf. Matt. 9:17; Mark 2:22). It is literally “the gehenna of fire” (Matt. 5:22; 18:9; Mark 9:47), a place of “unquenchable fire” (Mark 9:43, 45). The wicked are “sons of gehenna” (Matt. 23:15) who will receive the “condemnation of gehenna” (Matt. 23:33). James, in speaking of the danger of the tongue described it as “set on fire by hell (gehenna)” (James 3:6).
The Name and the Valley
The name gehenna is not only a reference to the place of final punishment but a figure drawn from the valley outside the gates of Jerusalem. In modern times the Hinnom Valley holds the ruins of ancient tombs and some of it is filled with run-down older homes. It is clear that in New Testament times this was a place of fire, ashes, uncleanness, and (at times) dead bodies. It sat outside the gate known as “the dung gate” (Neh. 3:13-14; 12:31). The Old City gate fortified by Suleiman in 1538 that stands near the same location still bears this name. Commentators have probably gone too far in painting a picture of the valley as a virtual burning “landfill.” While that picture cannot be documented, it is clear that this was a place of fire and refuse.
The Jewish teachers that wrote after the New Testament spoke of gehenna in much the same way that is seen in the New Testament. They used it for the name of the place of final punishment, but also for the valley outside of Jerusalem itself. While rabbinical writers held some fanciful beliefs about gehenna, they claimed that (even in their time) there were two palm trees in the Hinnom Valley and that smoke continually rose up from between them (Erubim 19a). Archaeologists Ronny Reich and Eli Shukron have discovered (and documented from other excavations) in the area outside of the first century walls a layer of debris from 6-10 meters thick in the area where the Kidron and the Hinnom come together (“The Jerusalem City-Dump in the Late Second Temple Period” ZDPV 119 (2003) 12-18). The association between an actual place and the state of eternal punishment in fire only makes sense if the two bore some similarities. In our time, if we compared something to Death Valley (located in eastern California) we would hardly understand this as a figure of paradise. Jesus’ use of this valley as a reference to final punishment offers a clear inference confirming that in His own day the Hinnom Valley was a place of filth and fire. This is what allowed it in the first century and beyond to serve as a suitable figure of eternal punishment in fire.
— via Faithful Sayings, Volume 25, Issue 50 (December 10, 2023)
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No Room for Jesus
Heath Rogers
Jesus was born in a stable, wrapped in strips of cloth, and laid in a feeding trough, not because Joseph and Mary were poor, but “because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7). Bethlehem was being overrun by Jews traveling to register for a census (vs. 1-3). Jesus being born in a place that had “no room” for Him would become an unfortunate characteristic of His life.
Hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30). The Lord was raised in Nazareth. The people there knew Him and His family well, which became a stumbling block to their faith (v. 22). They were impressed with the “gracious words” of His teaching, but were greatly offended by His application – “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country” (v. 24). They were filled with wrath, thrust Him out of the city, and led Him to a cliff where they intended to throw Him to His death. They had “no room” for Jesus.
The Gentiles of the Gadarenes (Luke 8:26-37). Jesus and His disciples sailed across the Sea of Galilee to the region of the Gadarenes. They encountered a severely demon possessed man. The people of that area had tried to help and restrain this man numerous times, but the demons were too powerful. With a word, Jesus cast the legion of demons out him. Afterward, the people of that region came and “found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid” (v. 35). Instead of rejoicing over the great power and mercy of God, the whole multitude asked Jesus to depart from them (v. 37). They had “no room” for Jesus.
The Samaritans (Luke 9:51-56). The Jews and Samaritans were extremely prejudiced towards one another (John 4:9). The Samaritans in this village didn’t consider Jesus as an individual. They saw Him as a member of a despised race. Because of this, they had “no room” for Jesus and refused to let Him pass through their village.
The Rich Young Ruler (Luke 18:18-23). This young man was sincere in his desire to inherit eternal life. When Jesus told him what he had to do (sell all he had, distribute it to the poor, and follow Him), he became very sorrowful because he was very rich (vs. 22-23). The Lord’s response was unacceptable to him. He walked away because he had “no room” for Jesus.
The Nation of Israel (Luke 23:13-25). Pilate knew Jesus was innocent. He tried three times to release Jesus, but the Jewish leaders “were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified” (v. 23). Jesus did not conform to their preconceived ideas of the Messiah. Instead, He exposed their sins and drew the multitudes to Himself. They had “no room” for Jesus.
Many people today have no room for Jesus. Like the people of Nazareth, they are offended at His teachings. Some are afraid of the changes Jesus will make in their lives while others are prejudiced against Jesus because of preconceived ideas. Some walk away from eternal life because Jesus demands a price they will not pay.
There was “no room” for Jesus in Bethlehem, Nazareth, Jerusalem, the Gadarenes, Samaria, or the heart of the young ruler. However, room was found for Jesus between two thieves (Luke 23:33). Will Jesus find room in your heart? He is knocking at the door (Rev. 3:20).
— Via Articles from the Knollwood church of Christ, March 2025
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation
1) Hear the gospel — for that is how faith comes (Rom. 10:17; John 20:30-31).
2) Believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 8:24; John 3:18).
3) Repent of sins. For every accountable person has sinned (Romans 3:23; Romans 3:10), which causes one to be spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1) and separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2; Romans 6:23). Therefore, repentance of sin is necessary (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30). For whether the sin seems great or small, there will still be the same penalty for either (Matt. 12:36-37; 2 Cor. 5:10) — and even for a lie (Rev. 21:8).
4) Confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water for the remission of sins (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Pet. 3:21). This is the final step that puts one into Christ (Gal. 3:26-27). For from that baptism, one is then raised as a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17), having all sins forgiven and beginning a new life as a Christian (Rom. 6:3-4). For the one being baptized does so “through faith in the working of God” (Col. 2:12). In other words, believing that God will keep His word and forgive after one submits to these necessary steps. And now as a Christian, we then need to…
6) Continue in the faith by living for the Lord; for, if not, salvation can be lost (Matt. 24:13; Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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Tebeau Street
CHURCH OF CHRIST
1402 Tebeau Street, Waycross, GA 31501
Sunday: 9 a.m. Bible Classes and 10 a.m. Worship Service
Wednesday (all but the first): 7 p.m. Bible Classes
First Wednesday of the month: 7 p.m. Congregational Song Service (about 45 minutes of singing, followed by a short talk)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (912) 281-9917
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
https://thomastedwards.com/go/all.htm (This is a link to the older version of the Gospel Observer website, but with bulletins going back to March 4, 1990.)