Call Forth Yog-Sothoth
For Yog-Sothoth is the Gate.
He knoweth where the Old Ones
came forth in times past and where
They came forth again when
the cycle returneth
When thou would call forth Yog-Sothoth thou must waite until the Sun is in the Fifth House with Saturn in trine. Then enter within the stones and draw about thee the Circle of evocation tracing the figurines with the mystic scimitar of Barzai.
Circumambulate thrice widdershins and turning thy face to the South intone the conjuration that openeth the Gate:
Ye Conjuration
O Thou that dwelleth in the darkness of the Outer Void, come forth unto the Earth once more I entreat thee.
O Thou who abideth beyond the Spheres of Time, hear my supplication.
(Make the sign of Caput Draconis)
O Thou who art the Gate and the Way come forth come forth Thy servant calleth Thee.
(Make the Sign of Kish)
BENATIR! CARARKAU! DEDOS! YOG-SOTHOTH! come forth! come forth! I speak the words, I Break Thy bonds, the seal is cast aside, pass through the Gate and enter the World I maketh Thy mighty Sign!
(Make the Sign of the Voor)
Trace the pentagram of Fire and say the incantation that causeth the Great One to manifest before the Gate:
Ye Incantation
Zyweso, wecato, keoso, Xunewe-rurom Xeverator. Menhatoy, Zywethorosto zuy, Zururogos Yog-Sothoth! Orary Ysgewot, homor athanatos nywe zumquros, Ysechyroroseth Xoneozebethoos Azathoth! Xono, Zuwezet, Quyhet kesos ysgeboth Nyarlathotep!; zuy rumoy quano duzy Xeuerator, YSHETO, THYYM, quaowe xeuerator phoe nagoo, Hastur! Hagathowos yachyros Gaba Sub-Niggurath! meweth, xosoy Vzewoth!
(Make the sign of Cauda Draconis)
TALUBSI! ADULA! ULU! BAACHUR!
Come forth Yog-Sothoth! come forth!
* * *
And then he will come unto thee and bring His Globes and He will give true answer to all you desire to know. And He shall reveal unto you the secret of His seal by which you may gain favour in the sight of the Old Ones when They once more walk the Earth.
* * *
And when His hour be past the curse of the Elder Lords shall be upon Him and draw Him forth beyond the Gate where He shall abide until He be summoned.
{Editor's Note: Included on this page are a number of sigils and a magic circle. These illustrations are not in the Manuscript but were referenced from other texts, including, but not limited to; Key of Solomon (see Additional Ms. 36,674, British Museum Library) and Three Books of Occult Philosophy- Cornelius Agrippa. They are therefor not included in this version.}
To Conjure of Ye Globes
Know ye that the Globes of Yog-Sothoth be thirteen in number, and they be the powers of the Parasite-hoard which are His servitors and doeth His bidding in ye world.
Call them forth whenever thou shall have need of anything and they shall grant their powers unto ye when ye shall call them with the incantations and make their sign.
His Globes have diverse names and appeareth in many forms.
The first is GOMORY, who appeareth like a camel with a crown of gold upon his head. He commandeth twenty-six legions of infernal spirits and giveth the knowledge of all magical jewels and talismans.
The second splrit is ZAGAN, who appeareth like a great bull, or a King terrible in aspect. Thirty-three legions bow before him and he teacheth the mysteries of the sea.
The Third is called SYTRY, who taketh the form of a great Prince. He hath sixty legions and telleth the secrets of time yet to come.
ELIGOR is the fourth spirit; he appeareth like a red man with a crown of iron upon his head. He commandeth likewise sixty legions and giveth the knowledge of victory in war, and telleth of strife to come.
The fifth spirit is called DURSON and hath with him twenty-two familiar demons and appeareth like a raven. He can reveal all occult secrets and tell of past times.
The sixth is VUAL his form is of a dark cloud and he teacheth all manner of ancient tongues.
The seventh is SCOR, who appeareth like a white snake, he bringeth money at your command.
ALGOR is the eighth spirit, he appeareth in the likeness of a fly. He can tell of all secret things and granteth the favours of great Princes and Kings.
The ninth is SEFON. He appeareth like a man with a green face and hath the power to show where treasure is hidden.
Tenth is PARTAS, He hath the form of a great vulture, and can tell ye the vertues of herbs, stones, make ye invisible and restore sight which is lost.
The eleventh spirit is GAMOR, and when he appeareth like a man can marvellously enform ye of how to win favours of great persons and can drive away any spirit that guardeth over treasure.
Twelfth is UMBRA, He appeareth like a giant; he can convey money from place to place if thou bid him and bestow the love of any woman that thou desirest.
The thirteenth spirit is ANABOTH who taketh the form of a yellow toad. He hath the power to make thee marvellous cunning in nigromancy, he can drive away any devil that would hinder ye and tell of strange and hidden things.
When thou wouldst call up ye Globes thou must first make upon the earth this sign:
And evoke of them thus:
EZPHARES, OLYARAM, IRION-ESYTION,
ERYONA, OREA, ORASYM, MOZIM!
By these words and in the name of YOG-SOTHOTH who is thy master, I do most powerfulIy summon and call ye up
O . . . . N . . . .
That thou mayest aid me in my hour of need.
Come forth I command ye by the sign of Power!
(Make the sign of Voor)
And then the spirit shall appear unto thee and grant thy requests.
But if he remaineth invisible to thine eye, blow the dust of Ibn Ghazi and he will immediately take his proper form.
When thou wouldst banish what ye have called up eraze thou their sign with the scimitar of Barzai and utter the words:
CALDULECH ! DALMALEY ! CADAT !
(and seal with the sign of Koth).
Nota: If on their appearance the spirits obstinately refuse to speak cleave the air thrice with the scimitar and say: ADRICANOROM DUMASO! And their tongue shall be loosened and they will be compelled to give true answer.
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Ritual for opening the Gate Next page
Ritual for summoning Yog-Sothoth and opening the Gate
Banishing:
(could be replaced with other banishings. Uses Salt, water and incence.)
Zazii, Zamaii, Puidmon the Powerful,
Sedon the Strong, El, Yod, He, Vau, He,
Iah, Agla, protect me and help me when I summon the Gate!
(light incense and candles)
No evil may approach from the North!
No evil may approach from the East!
No evil may approach from the South!
No evil may approach from the West!
No evil may approach from Zenith!
No evil may approach from Nadir!
(bow towards the directions)
The Flaming Circle locks everything in!
Draba, draba, kalta, kalta, entemoss!
The Flaming Circle locks everything out!
Draba, draba, kalta, kalta, entemoss!
Accar, Zour and Maroud! Lock the circle and let no evil pass through!
Draba, draba, kalta, kalta, entemoss!
(participants walk round the circle. Salt, water and incense is sprinkled)
The Summoning:
Per Adonai Elohim, Adonai Jehova
Adonai Sabaoth, Metraton Ou Agla Methon,
Verbum Pythonicum, Mysterium Salamandrae
Cenventus Sylvorum, Antra Gnomorum
Demonia Coeli God, Almonsin Gibor
Jehoshua Evam Zariathnatmik, Veni, Veni, Veni!
(Put your hands above your head, with the thumbs and index fingers
together so they create a equilateral triangle. Turn the right hand
so its halve of the triangle points down, creating a paralellogram.
Turn the left hand, creating a downwards pointing triangle. Move it
down to your forehead, turning it upwards, so the final result is a
triangle on your forehead.)
Hear me!
King of Infinite Space!
Planetmover!
The Foundation of Fastness!
Ruler of Earthquakes!
The Vanquisher of Terror!
The Creator of Panic!
Destroyer!
The Shining Victor!
Son of Chaos and the Void!
The Guardian of the Abyss!
God of the Outermost Darkness!
Lord of Dimensions!
Riddle-knower!
Guardian of The Secrets!
Lord of the Labyrinth!
Master of the Angles!
God of the Whiporwills!
Omegapoint!
Lord of the Gate!
Opener of the Way!
The Oldest!
All-in-One!
The One by Life Prolonged!
Umr At-Tawil!
Iak-Sathath!
YOG-SOTHOTH NAFL'FTHAGN!!!
Your servant call upon you!
(Take the staff and turn it first so it points Right-Left, then Up-Down,
then Forward-Back. Then twist it, and visualize how it is turned to
point into the fourth dimension, perpendicular to the other directions.
It will show the eightrayed star of Chaos.)
Opening of the Gate:
(The staff is held horizontally.)
Yog-Sothoth knows the Gate.
Yog-Sothoth is the Gate.
Yog-Sothoth is the key and guardian of the Gate.
Past, Present and Future, all is one in Yog-Sothoth.
By that which is not to be named,
By Azathoth,
By Nyarlathotep,
By Shub-Niggurath,
By the two snakes,
By that which created the Voids,
By Kadath in the Cold Waste,
By the Plateu of Leng,
By Yuggoth,
By the moon-lens,
By the inprisoned,
By the free,
By Samas, Gibil and Nusuku,
By the High Name of Ea,
By the Seven Demons,
Guardian, let the Gate be opened!
By Chaos,
By the Void,
By the Light,
By the Darkness,
By the Air,
By the Fire,
By the Water,
By the Earth,
Key, open the Gate!
By my sacred oath,
Let those who want to leave come out!
Let those who want to enter come in!
Let us see intp the Hiding Light!
Let us see into the Blinding Darkness!
Rend the Veil!
Crush the Mirror!
Reveal the Illusion!
See, the Gate opens!
(slowly turn the staff from horizontal to vertical, and make the sign
of the Rending of the Veil.)
See, the Nodes are filled with Power!
See, the Lines are filled with Power!
See, the Angles twist and open!
Notes:
I have performed this ritual in front of a lovecraftesque monument and on a empty hilltop. I prefer to have it done on a starlit night, preferably a Sabbath. It is also nice if it is cold, suggesting the emptyness of the Void (I have noticed a fall of temperature both times I have performed the ritual properly).
As incense I used jars filled with a mix of sugar, salpeter and incense, which I ignited, creating red-violet fire and lots of irritating smoke.
I also used the following seals drawn in the snow or around the circle
Yog-Sothoth Nyarlathotep Shub-Niggurath Azathoth
Power
In the summoning, I visualized a cloud of darkness slowly forming behind reality, gathering into a vortex. Inside the vortex Yog-Sothoth manifests from the higher dimensions. Its shape is highly highly variable. Think of the movies of three-dimensional cross-sections of fourdimensional objects, especially the pictures of julia sets in the quaternions. It rotates, twists, splits up and reform itself constantly.
In the Gate opening, I visualize a Gate in front of me, a place where reality gets thinner and thinner, until it reveals the Outside. A bit like a picture where the image fades to reveal the wall behind. Also helpful is meditation about the Schwartzhid metric in General Relativity.
Ritual for Opening the Gate
Call to the Render of the Veils
Summon Shub-Niggurath Ye Black
Where the stones have been set up thou shalt call out to Shub- Niggurath, and unto he that knoweth the signs and uttereth the words all earthly pleasures shall be granted.
When the sun entereth the Sign of the Ram and the time of night is upon ye turn thy face to the North wind and read the verse aloud:
Iah ! SHUB-NIGGURATH !
Great Black Goat of the.Woods,
I Call Thee forth !
(Kneel)
Answer the cry of thy servant
who knoweth the words of power!
(make the Voorish sign)
Rise up I say from thy slumbers
and come forth with a thousand more!
(make the sign of Kish)
I make the signs, I speak the words
that openeth the door!
Come forth I say, I turn the Key,
Now ! walk the Earth once more !
Cast the perfumes upon the coals, trace the sigil of Blaesu and pronounce the words of power:
ZARIATNATMIX, JANNA, ETITNAMUS,
HAYRAS, FABELLERON, FUBENTRONTY,
BRAZO, TABRASOL, NISA,
VARF-SHUB-NIGGURATH ! GABOTS MEMBROT !
And then the Black one shall come forth unto thee and the thousand Horned Ones who howl shall rise up from the Earth. And thou shalt hold before them the talisman of Yhe upon which they shall bow to thy power and answer thy demands.
When thou would banish those that you have called forth intone the words: IMAS, WEGHAYMNKO, QUAHERS, XEWEFARAM
Which closeth the Gate, and seal with the sign of Koth.
Previous pageAdjuration of Great Cthulh
Call Forth Yog-Sothoth Next page
Adjuration of Great Cthulhu
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh Wgah'nagl fhtan.
A supplication to great Cthulhu for those who would have power over his minions.
In the day and hour of the moon with sun in scorpio prepare thou a waxen tablet and enscribe thereon the seals of Cthulhu and Dagon; suffumigate with the incense of Zkauba and set aside.
On Hallowmas eve thou must travel to some lonely place where high ground overlooks the ocean. Take up the tablet in thy right hand and make of the sign of Kish with thy left. Recite the incantation thrice and when the final word of the third utterance dieth in the air cast thou the tablet into the waves saying:
'In His House at R'lyeh Dead Cthulhu waits dreaming,
yet He shall rise and His kingdom shall cover the Earth.'
And He shall come unto you in sleep and show His sign with which ye shall unlock the secrets of the deep.
Ye Incantation
O Thou that lieth dead but ever dreameth,
Hear, Thy servant calleth Thee.
Hear me O mighty Cthulhu!
' Hear me Lord of Dreams !
In Thy tower at R'lyeh They have sealed ye,
but Dagon shall break Thy accursed bonds,
and Thy Kingdom shall rise once more.
The Deep Ones knoweth Thy secret Name,
The Hydra knoweth Thy lair;
Give forth Thy sign that I may know
Thy will upon the Earth.
When death dies, Thy time shall be,
and Thou shalt sleep no more;
Grant me the power to still the waves,
that I may hear Thy Call.
(At ye third repeating of ye incantation cast forth the Tablet into ye waves saying):
In His House at R'lyeh Dead Cthulhu waits dreaming, yet He shall rise and His kingdom shall cover the Earth.
Previous pageRaise up Ye Stones
Summon Shub-Niggurath Ye Black Next page
Raise up Ye Stones
To form ye Gate through which They from ye Outer Void might manifest thou must set up ye stones in ye elevenfold configuration.
First thou shalt raise up ye four cardinal stones and these shall mark ye direction of ye four winds as they howleth through their seasons.
{Alter Design}
To ye North set ye the stone of Great Coldness that shall form ye Gate of ye winter-wind engraving thereupon the sigil of the Earth-Bull thus:{Taurus sigil}
In ye South (at a space of five paces from ye stone of ye North), thou shalt raise a stone of fierce-heat, through which ye summer winds bloweth and make upon ye stone ye mark of ye Lion-serpent thus:{Leo Sigil}
Ye stone of whirling-air shall be set in ye East where ye first equinox riseth and shall be graven with ye sign of he that beareth ye waters, thus:{Aquarius Sigil}
Ye Gate of Rushing Torrents thou cause to beat the west most inner point (at a space of five paces from ye stone of ye East) where ye sun dieth in ye evening and ye cycle of night returns. Blazon ye stone with ye character of ye Scorpion whose tail reacheth unto the stars:{Scorpio Sigil}
Set thou the seven stones of Those that wander ye heavens, without ye inner four and through their diverse influences shall ye focus of power be established.
In ye North beyond the stone of Great Coldness set ye first ye stone of Saturn at a space of three paces. This being done proceed thou widdershins placing at like distances apart ye stones of Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, Venus, Sul and Luna marking each with their rightful sign.
{Seal of Yog-Sothoth}
At ye center of the so completed configuration set ye the Alter of ye Great Old Ones and seal it with ye symbol of Yog-Sothoth and ye mighty Names of Azathoth, Cthulhu, Hastur, Shub-Niggurath and Nyarlathotep.
And ye stones shall be ye Gates through which thou shalt call Them forth from Outside man's time and space.
Entreat ye of ye stones by night and when the Moon decreasetth in her light, turning thy face to ye direction of Their coming, speaking ye words and making ye gestures that bringeth forth ye Old Ones and causeth Them to walk once more ye Earth.
Previous pageYe Times and Ye Seasons..
Adjuration of Great Cthulhu Next page
Ye Times and Ye Seasons to be Observed
Whenever thou would'st call forth Those from Outside, thou must mark well the seasons and times in which the spheres do intersect and the influences flow from the Void
Thou must observe the cycle of the Moon, the movements of the planets, the Sun's course through the Zodiac and the rising of the constellations.
Ye Ultimate Rites shall be performed only in the seasons proper to them, these be: at Candlemas (on the second day of the second month), at Beltane (on the Eve of May), at Lammas (on the first day of the eighth month), at Roodmas (on the fourteenth day of the ninth month), and at Hallowmas (on November Eve).
Call out to dread Azathoth when the Sun is in the sign of the Ram, the Lion, or the Archer; the Moon decreasing and Mars and Saturn conjoin.
Mighty Yog-sothoth shall rise to ye incantations when Sol has entered the fiery house of Leo and the hour of Lammas be upon ye.
Evoke ye terrible Hastur on Candlemas Night, when Sol is in Aquarius and Mercury in trine.
Supplicate Great Cthulhu only at Hallowmas Eve when the Sun abides within the House of the Scorpion and Orion riseth. When All Hallows falls within the cycle of the new Moon the power shall be the strongest.
Conjure Shub-Niggurath when the Beltane fires glow upon the hills and the Sun is in the Second House, repeating the Rites of Roodmas when ye Black One appeareth.
Previous pageBook of Summonning
To Raise up Ye Stones Next page
Summonning
Ye adventurous Reader has to remember always Who he will expose himself to when trying to summon One of Them. For it is a highly hazardeous thing to trouble the Dream of The Old Ones.
There are times, places and rules to respect. The patient and clever Reader will learn of Ye Times and Ye Seasons to be Observed and to Raise up Ye Stones before starting to practice.
Keep in mind They can rarely be banished easily. Their wills are strange and strange is Their logic.
With care and devotion, the Reader may use ye Adjuration of Great Cthulhu or learn to Summon Shub-Niggurath Ye Black
To be thaught about strange times or travel without moving, the Reader may want to Call Forth Yog-Sothoth. There is a different Ritual for summoning Yog-Sothoth and opening the Gate for troubled times.
Other Higher Beings may teach the Reader about past or future events. This is the procedure for the invocation of He Who Lies Beyond the Veil and Who Shall Tear It Asunder at the time of the Great Dying. The Render may impart the the happenings of the past and future with greater accuracy than even that Cathay volume of good repute.
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Book of Materials Next page
I'd like to meet:
Mars, the god of war, was the son of Jupiter and Juno. Second in importance only to Jupiter among the Roman gods, Mars was the god of war. Believed to be the father of Romulus, the legendary founder of Rome, Mars was worshiped with great honor. In early times he was a god of nature and fertility as well as of war. March, the month when winter ended when farmers could plant their crops and soldiers return to the battlefield was named for him. The Romans identified their god of war with the Greek god Ares. The Greeks, however, looked on Ares as a quarrelsome god who sent war and pestilence and delighted in destruction. Ares was not widely worshiped by the Greeks, though the Areopagus, the sacred hill of Athens, was named for him. The fourth planet from the sun, next after the Earth, was named for Mars because its reddish color made people think of anger or blood. Is Revelation 14:9-11 really describing the ‘souls’ of those who received the Mark of the Beast burning in the Lake of fire? What does the bible really say?
Revelation 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand. (10) The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation: and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: (11) And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
The place where children were sacrificed to the god Moloch was originally in the "valley of the son of Hinnom," to the south of Jerusalem (Josh. xv. 8, passim; II Kings xxiii. 10; Jer. ii. 23; vii. 31-32; xix. 6, 13-14). For this reason the valley was deemed to be accursed, and "Gehenna" therefore soon became a figurative equivalent for "hell." Hell, like paradise, was created by God (So?ah 22a); according to Gen. R. ix. 9, the words "very good" in Gen. i. 31 refer to hell; hence the latter must have been created on the sixth day. Yet opinions on this point vary. According to some sources, it was created on the second day; according to others, even before the world, only its fire being created on the second day (Gen. R. iv., end; Pes. 54a). The "fiery furnace" that Abraham saw (Gen. xv. 17, Hebr.) was Gehenna (Mek. xx. 18b, 71b; comp. Enoch, xcviii. 3, ciii. 8; Matt. xiii. 42, 50; 'Er. 19a, where the "fiery furnace" is also identified with the gate of Gehenna). Opinions also vary as to the situation, extent, and nature of hell. The statement that Gehenna is situated in the valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem, in the "accursed valley" (Enoch, xxvii. 1 et seq.), means simply that it has a gate there. It was in Zion, and had a gate in Jerusalem (Isa. xxxi. 9). It had three gates, one in the wilderness, one in the sea, and one in Jerusalem ('Er. 19a). The gate lies between two palm-trees in the valley of Hinnom, from which smoke is continually rising (ib.). The mouth is narrow, impeding the smoke, but below Gehenna extends indefinitely (Men. 99b). According to one opinion, it is above the firmament, and according to another, behind the dark mountains (Ta'an. 32b). An Arabian pointed out to a scholar the spot in the wilderness where the earth swallowed the sons of Korah (Num. xvi. 31-32), who descended into Gehenna (Sanh. 110b). It is situated deep down in the earth, and is immeasurably large. "The earth is one-sixtieth of the garden, the garden one-sixtieth of Eden [paradise], Eden one-sixtieth of Gehenna; hence the whole world is like a lid for Gehenna. Some say that Gehenna can not be measured" (Pes. 94a). It is divided into seven compartments (So?ah 10b); a similar view was held by the Babylonians (Jeremias, "Hölle und Paradies bei den Babyloniern," pp. 16 et seq., Leipsic, 1901; Guthe, "Kurzes Bibel-wörterb." p. 272, Tübingen and Leipsic, 1903).
Because of the extent of Gehenna the sun, on setting in the evening, passes by it, and receives from it its own fire (evening glow; B. B. 84a). A fiery stream ("dinur") falls upon the head of the sinner in Gehenna (?ag. 13b). This is "the fire of the West, which every setting sun receives. I came to a fiery river, whose fire flows like water, and which empties into a large sea in the West" (Enoch, xvii. 4-6). Hell here is described exactly as in the Talmud. The Persians believed that glowing molten metal flowed under the feet of sinners (Schwally, "Das Leben nach dem Tode," p. 145, Giessen, 1892). The waters of the warm springs of Tiberias are heated while flowing past Gehenna (Shab. 39a). The fire of Gehenna never goes out (Tosef., Ber. 6, 7; Mark ix. 43 et seq.; Matt. xviii. 8, xxv. 41; comp. Schwally, l.c. p. 176); there is always plenty of wood there (Men. 100a). This fire is sixty times as hot as any earthly fire (Ber. 57b). There is a smell of sulfur in Gehenna (Enoch, lxvii. 6). This agrees with the Greek idea of hell (Lucian, ????e?? ?st???a?, i. 29, in Dietrich, "Abraxas," p. 36). The sulfurous smell of the Tiberian medicinal springs was ascribed to their connection with Gehenna. In Isa. lxvi. 16, 24 it is said that God judges by means of fire. Gehenna is dark in spite of the immense masses of fire; it is like night (Yeb. 109b; comp. Job x. 22). The same idea also occurs in Enoch, x. 4, lxxxii. 2; Matt. viii. 12, xxii. 13, xxv. 30 (comp. Schwally, l.c. p. 176).
It is assumed that there is an angel-prince in charge of Gehenna. He says to God: "Put everything into my sea; nourish me with the seed of Seth; I am hungry." But God refuses his request, telling him to take the heathen peoples (Shab. 104). God says to the angel-prince: "I punish the slanderers from above, and I also punish them from below with glowing coals" ('Ar. 15b). The souls of the sons of Korah were burned, and the angel-prince gnashed his teeth at them on account of their flattery of Korah (Sanh. 52a). Gehenna cries: "Give me the heretics and the sinful [Roman] power" ('Ab. Zarah 17a).
Judgment.
It is assumed in general that sinners go to hell immediately after their death. The famous teacher Johanan b. Zakkai wept before his death because he did not know whether he would go to paradise or to hell (Ber. 28b). The pious go to paradise, and sinners to hell (B. M. 83b). To every individual is apportioned two shares, one in hell and one in paradise. At death, however, the righteous man's portion in hell is exchanged, so that he has two in heaven, while the reverse is true in the case of sinners (?ag. 15a). Hence it would have been better for the latter not to have lived at all (Yeb. 63b). They are cast into Gehenna to a depth commensurate with their sinfulness. They say: "Lord of the world, Thou hast done well; Paradise for the pious, Gehenna for the wicked" ('Er. 19a).
There are three categories of men; the wholly pious and the arch-sinners are not purified, but only those between these two classes (Ab. R. N. 41). A similar view is expressed in the Babylonian Talmud, which adds that those who have sinned themselves but have not led others into sin remain for twelve months in Gehenna; "after twelve months their bodies are destroyed, their souls are burned, and the wind strews the ashes under the feet of the pious. But as regards the heretics, etc., and Jeroboam, Nebat's son, hell shall pass away, but they shall not pass away" (R. H. 17a; comp. Shab. 33b). All that descend into Gehenna shall come up again, with the exception of three classes of men: those who have committed adultery, or shamed their neighbors, or vilified them (B. M. 58b). The felicity of the pious in paradise excites the wrath of the sinners who behold it when they come from hell (Lev. R. xxxii.). The Book of Enoch (xxvii. 3, xlviii. 9, lxii. 12) paraphrases this thought by saying that the pious rejoice in the pains of hell suffered by the sinners. Abraham takes the damned to his bosom ('Er. 19a; comp. Luke xvi. 19-31). The fire of Gehenna does not touch the Jewish sinners because they confess their sins before the gates of hell and return to God ('Er. 19a). As mentioned above, heretics and the Roman oppressors go to Gehenna, and the same fate awaits the Persians, the oppressors of the Babylonian Jews (Ber. 8b). When Nebuchadnezzar descended into hell, all its inhabitants were afraid that he was coming to rule over them (Shab. 149a; comp. Isa. xiv. 9-10). The Book of Enoch also says that it is chiefly the heathen who are to be cast into the fiery pool on the Day of Judgment (x. 6, xci. 9, et al.). "The Lord, the Almighty, will punish them on the Day of Judgment by putting fire and worms into their flesh, so that they cry out with pain unto all eternity" (Judith xvi. 17).
(see image) Valley of Ge-Hinnom.(From a photograph by Bonfils.)The sinners in Gehenna will be filled with pain when God puts back the souls into the dead bodies on the Day of Judgment, according to Isa. xxxiii. 11 (Sanh. 108b). Enoch also holds (xlviii. 9) that the sinners will disappear like chaff before the faces of the elect. There will be no Gehenna in the future world, however, for God will take the sun out of its case, and it will heal the pious with its rays and will punish the sinners (Ned. 8b).
Sin and Merit.
It is frequently said that certain sins will lead man into Gehenna. The name "Gehenna" itself is explained to mean that unchastity will lead to Gehenna (; 'Er. 19a); so also will adultery, idolatry, pride, mockery, hypocrisy, anger, etc. (So?ah 4b, 41b; Ta'an. 5a; B. B. 10b, 78b; 'Ab. Zarah 18b; Ned. 22a). Hell awaits one who indulges in unseemly speech (Shab. 33a; Enoch, xxvii.); who always follows the advice of his wife (B. M. 59a); who instructs an unworthy pupil (?ul. 133b); who turns away from the Torah (B. B. 79a; comp. Yoma 72b). For further details see 'Er. 18b, 101a; Sanh. 109b; ?id. 81a; Ned. 39b; B. M. 19a.
On the other hand, there are merits that preserve man from going to hell; e.g., philanthropy, fasting, visiting the sick, reading the Shema' and Hallel, and eating the three meals on the Sabbath (Gi?. 7a; B. B. 10a; B. M. 85a; Ned. 40a; Ber. 15b; Pes. 118a; Shab. 118a). Israelites in general are less endangered (Ber. 10a) than heretics, or, according to B. B. 10a, than the heathen. Scholars (?ag. 27a; comp. Men. 99b and Yoma 87a), the poor, and the pious (Yeb. 102b) are especially protected. Three classes of men do not see the face of hell: those that live in penury, those suffering with intestinal catarrh, and those that are pressed by their creditors ('Er. 41b). It would seem that the expressions "doomed to hell" and "to be saved from hell" must be interpreted hyperbolically. A bad woman is compared to Gehenna in Yeb. 63b. On the names of Gehenna see 'Er. 19a; B. B. 79a; Sanh. 111b; et al.
Bibliography: Winer, B. R. i. 491;
Hamburger, R. B. T. i. 527-530;
Hastings, Dict. Bible, ii. 343-346;
H. Guthe, Kurzes Bibelwörterb. pp. 271-274, Tübingen and Leipsic, 1903;
G. Brecher, Das Transcendentale, etc. pp. 69-73, Vienna, 1850;
A. Hilgenfeld, Jüdische Apocalyptik, Index, Jena, 1857;
F. Weber, Jüdische Theologie, pp. 336 et seq.;
E. Stave, Der Einfluss des Parsismus auf das Judenthum, pp. 153-192 et seq., Haarlem, 1898;
James, Traditional Aspects of Hell, London, 1903.K. L. B.
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GEHENNA
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The place where children were sacrificed to the god Moloch was originally in the "valley of the son of Hinnom," to the south of Jerusalem (Josh. xv. 8, passim; II Kings xxiii. 10; Jer. ii. 23; vii. 31-32; xix. 6, 13-14). For this reason the valley was deemed to be accursed, and "Gehenna" therefore soon became a figurative equivalent for "hell." Hell, like paradise, was created by God (So?ah 22a); according to Gen. R. ix. 9, the words "very good" in Gen. i. 31 refer to hell; hence the latter must have been created on the sixth day. Yet opinions on this point vary. According to some sources, it was created on the second day; according to others, even before the world, only its fire being created on the second day (Gen. R. iv., end; Pes. 54a). The "fiery furnace" that Abraham saw (Gen. xv. 17, Hebr.) was Gehenna (Mek. xx. 18b, 71b; comp. Enoch, xcviii. 3, ciii. 8; Matt. xiii. 42, 50; 'Er. 19a, where the "fiery furnace" is also identified with the gate of Gehenna). Opinions also vary as to the situation, extent, and nature of hell. The statement that Gehenna is situated in the valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem, in the "accursed valley" (Enoch, xxvii. 1 et seq.), means simply that it has a gate there. It was in Zion, and had a gate in Jerusalem (Isa. xxxi. 9). It had three gates, one in the wilderness, one in the sea, and one in Jerusalem ('Er. 19a). The gate lies between two palm-trees in the valley of Hinnom, from which smoke is continually rising (ib.). The mouth is narrow, impeding the smoke, but below Gehenna extends indefinitely (Men. 99b). According to one opinion, it is above the firmament, and according to another, behind the dark mountains (Ta'an. 32b). An Arabian pointed out to a scholar the spot in the wilderness where the earth swallowed the sons of Korah (Num. xvi. 31-32), who descended into Gehenna (Sanh. 110b). It is situated deep down in the earth, and is immeasurably large. "The earth is one-sixtieth of the garden, the garden one-sixtieth of Eden [paradise], Eden one-sixtieth of Gehenna; hence the whole world is like a lid for Gehenna. Some say that Gehenna can not be measured" (Pes. 94a). It is divided into seven compartments (So?ah 10b); a similar view was held by the Babylonians (Jeremias, "Hölle und Paradies bei den Babyloniern," pp. 16 et seq., Leipsic, 1901; Guthe, "Kurzes Bibel-wörterb." p. 272, Tübingen and Leipsic, 1903).
Because of the extent of Gehenna the sun, on setting in the evening, passes by it, and receives from it its own fire (evening glow; B. B. 84a). A fiery stream ("dinur") falls upon the head of the sinner in Gehenna (?ag. 13b). This is "the fire of the West, which every setting sun receives. I came to a fiery river, whose fire flows like water, and which empties into a large sea in the West" (Enoch, xvii. 4-6). Hell here is described exactly as in the Talmud. The Persians believed that glowing molten metal flowed under the feet of sinners (Schwally, "Das Leben nach dem Tode," p. 145, Giessen, 1892). The waters of the warm springs of Tiberias are heated while flowing past Gehenna (Shab. 39a). The fire of Gehenna never goes out (Tosef., Ber. 6, 7; Mark ix. 43 et seq.; Matt. xviii. 8, xxv. 41; comp. Schwally, l.c. p. 176); there is always plenty of wood there (Men. 100a). This fire is sixty times as hot as any earthly fire (Ber. 57b). There is a smell of sulfur in Gehenna (Enoch, lxvii. 6). This agrees with the Greek idea of hell (Lucian, ????e?? ?st???a?, i. 29, in Dietrich, "Abraxas," p. 36). The sulfurous smell of the Tiberian medicinal springs was ascribed to their connection with Gehenna. In Isa. lxvi. 16, 24 it is said that God judges by means of fire. Gehenna is
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The reader automatically receives the impression that this is describing the lake of fire, the second death. And many that believe that man has an ‘immortal’ soul will use this verse to that advantage; but we must remember that the lake of fire is the place of the eternal judgment, and this passage is dealing with the Wrath of God.
Revelation 14:10 “ The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignationâ€
Concerning the Wrath we see in Revelation 16:1 that the Angels are commanded to “Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the EARTHâ€. Where as the Day of Judgement is seen as just that, judgement of mankind, after the heaven and earth have fled away (Revelation 20:11-15). We also know the wrath, that is mentioned in Chapter fourteen, is associated with the Great City Babylon. Revelation 14:8 “And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she is made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.â€
TORMENTED DAY AND NIGHT
You may ask where else can people face ‘fire and brimstone’ and TORMENT both day and night; besides the lake of fire?
Revelations 9:5-6 And to them it was given that they should NOT KILL them, but that they should be TORMENTED five months (150 days and nights): and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. (6) And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. Revelation 9:17 “And out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstoneâ€.
“And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and the there fell a NOISOME and GRIEVOUS sore upon the men which had received the mark of the beast†(Revelations 16:2). “And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast (Babylon); and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain (anguish, torment). (11) And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deedsâ€.
PSALMS 11:6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. (Also see Ezekiel 38:22) --LUKE 17:29-30 But the same day that Lot went out to Sodom it rained FIRE and BRIMSTONE from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is REVEALED.
The statement: “and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and IN the PRESENCE of the Lambâ€; proves that this is describing the wrath of God, not the second death. Notice in Revelation 6:16 it states: “And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the FACE of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the WRATH of the LAMBâ€. The word face is used to show the PRESENCE of the Lamb. {Presence (enopion)-in the FACE of}.
The lake of fire has just the opposite affect. “In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be PUNISHED with EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION FROM THE PRESENCE of the Lord, and FROM the glory of his power.†2nd Thessalonians 1:9.
The lake of fire eternally removes you from his presence.
SMOKE ASCENDS FOR EVER
Now will you say that this is speaking of eternal torment because it says “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever:� But again what does this really tell us? Simply that the SMOKE ascended up forever. This is where the seat of the beast, Babylon the Great City comes into the equation. Revelation chapter 18 gives us a description of this city, and it tells of her destruction.
“Therefore shall her plagues, come in ONE DAY, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with FIRE: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her†(Revelation 18:8). We clearly see that Babylon is utterly burned with fire, it didn’t take eternity to destroy her, but ONE DAY. Now what does the bible say about her smoke? “And again they said, Alleluia, And her smoke rose up forever and ever.â€
The bible has many instances where the smoke ascending up is attributed to the destruction of a city, it is NEVER attributed to the lake of fire. “And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace†Genesis 19:28
“And when the men of A’I looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ASCENDED UP TO HEAVEN, and they had no power to flee this way or that way†Joshua 8:20 (also see Judges 20:40)
The following is a prophecy concerning the destruction of Idumea (Edom); we can easily see the same fate awaits Babylon.
Isaiah 34:8 “For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, and the year of recompense for the controversy of Zion. (9) And the STREAMS thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust into brimstone, and the Land (of Idumea) thereof shall become burning pitch. (10) It shall NOT BE QUENCHED night nor day; the SMOKE thereof shall go up FOR EVER: from Generation to Generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it FOR EVER and EVER.â€
DOESN’T THIS PROVE THAT HELL IS A PLACE OF ETERNAL TORTURE? “Matthew 25:46,, And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternalâ€
Some will look at this verse and say ‘Everlasting Punishment’ is eternal torture; but what does Punishment really mean? PunishMENT, is a penal infliction, or a judicial sentence (kolasis in greek). Here ‘punishment’ is speaking of an Eternal Sentence. It does NOT tell us what the guilty will be PUNISHED with; only that their sentence can never be changed.
This also is the case when Christ tells us. “But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath NEVER FORGIVENESS, but is in danger of ETERNAL DAMNATION “ Mark 3:29
What does Damnation mean? It is to be sentenced or to be judged (krisis). So damnation is an eternal judgement that cannot be reprieved. This is easily established with the following scripture. Hebrews 6:2 “Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of the resurrection of dead, and of ETERNAL JUDGEMENTâ€. (For an example we can explain it this way. A mother tells her child who has misbehaved, “This is your PUNISHMENTâ€, but she doesn’t finish the sentence, the child knows that she has passed judgment but he doesn’t know the penalty yet.)
Now every one knows that ‘Punishment’ (judgement) comes with a ‘penalty’, the scripture also establishes this. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust onto the day of judgement to be punished†2nd Peter 2:9
But what is the ‘penalty’, what will they be punished with? In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be PUNISHED with EVERLASTING DESTRUCTION from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.†2nd Thessalonians 1:9. The scripture clearly states that the ungodly will be destroyed, thus eternally removed from the presence of the Lord.
Will you say this is impossible, the soul is immortal and cannot be destroyed? But what does the scripture say?
“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). {Destroy (apollumi) to destroy fully, to Perish.}
What does the bible say the penalty for sin is? “The soul that sinneth is shall DIE†Ezekiel 18:4.
“For the wages of sin is DEATH; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord†Romans 6:23.
(also see Revelation 16:3 and James 5:20)
The most quoted verse of the entire bible explains this perfectly, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not PERISH, but have everlasting life†(John 3:16). {Perish (apollumi) to destroy fully}. Jesus taught this over and over again.
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to DESTRUCTION, and many there be which go in there at: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto LIFE, and few there be that find it.†(Matthew 7:13-14).
What does Paul say the ‘end’ of them who is an enemy of the cross is? “Whose end is destruction†Phillippians 3:19.
The bible NEVER describes the soul of man as being ‘immortal’. The only way the soul of man can become ‘immortal’ is if Christ changes (glorifies) it at his coming. 1st Corinthians 15:51“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, (52) In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and THIS MORTAL must put on IMMORTALITY.â€
This is the exact same thing Jesus taught his disciples. “But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; (36) Neither can they DIE any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection†Luke 20:35-36.
In Revelation chapter 20 we read that on judgement day, the grave (hell) delivers up the dead who had no part in the first resurrection. These ‘mortals’ are JUDGED according to their works; then death, hell, and all those who was not found in the book of life, was cast into the lake of fire. What is the lake of fire for the mortals who are cast in? “This is the second DEATHâ€.
Psalms 37:20 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.
How did Jesus describe the ‘Second Death’?
To understand the Truth concerning the lake of Fire, we must first realize that the word ‘hell’ is used to translate two very distinct words. One word, which is translated into ‘hell’, is Hades. Hades is the realm of the dead or the grave.
The other place called hell, is Gehenna. Gehenna is the name that Christ gave to the lake of fire. The reader who doesn’t have a concordance can usually tell the difference by remembering that if ‘unquenchable fire’ or ‘worm’ is mentioned then it is referring to Gehenna. In Revelation Chapter 20 we can actually read that hell (Hades-the grave) will be cast into the lake of fire (Gehenna) on judgement day, thus rebuking the notion that Hades and Gehenna are one and the same. {*Note: The ‘hell’ mentioned in the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus is Hades. The parable is used to rebuke the false Pharisee doctrine that the poor are in disfavor with God, and the sick have sinned. Christ shows that the wealthy and healthy rich man was actually the one in disfavor, while the sore covered beggar was in his good grace.}
To understand WHY Christ called the lake of fire ‘Gehenna’, we must first understand the definition. Gehenna was originally the valley of Hinnom (gay-hinnom in Hebrew), south of Jerusalem, where the filth and dead animals of the city were cast out and burned; a fit symbol of the wicked and their future destruction.
The valley of Hinnom, was originally used as a place where pagans practiced their satanic rituals. God then cursed the valley and made it a valley of slaughter.
Jeremiah 7:31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart. (32) Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it is 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. (33) 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. (also see Jeremaiah 19:6-7)
With the understanding of what ‘gehenna’ was used for during the time of Christ, we can better understand what Christ meant when he applied the name to the lake of fire.
Mark 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, then having two hands to go into hell (Gehenna), into the fire that never shall be quenched: (46) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Some will look at this verse, and conclude that the ‘worm’ is the soul, and it is eternally tortured in the flames. But what does the bible really say? Let’s look at the scripture Jesus was quoting from when he said “the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenchedâ€.
Isaiah 66:24 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.
Notice that it is speaking of dead men, who have been given to the flames and the flesh-eating worms. This verse says nothing about eternal torture. Remember Christ was comparing the lake of fire to Gehenna, where the dead was eaten by beasts and consumed by fire. Job, Isaiah and Christ all made references to flesh eating worms.
Job 24:19 Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned. (20) The womb shall forget him; the WORM shall feed sweetly on him: he shall be no more remembered: and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.
Isaiah 14:11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols; the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.
The Greek word Christ used for worm (Mark 9) is ‘Skolex’. . {Skolex a worm, spec. that kind which preys upon dead bodies}. This is the same type of worm that ate King Herod (Acts 12:23). These verses make it clear that Christ was not describing Gehenna to be a place of eternal torment, but rather it is where the ungodly is consumed, thus fully destroyed from the presence of God.
Now some may say the flames of hell are unquenchable and eternal (Matthew 18:8), thus man must burn forever; but what is the biblical Truth? Unquenchable simply means that it will not be put out. The TRUTH concerning ‘Eternal fire’ actually proves the doctrine of annihilation.
Jude 6+7 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the JUDGEMENT of the GREAT DAY. (7) Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, ARE SET FORTH FOR AN EXAMPLE, suffering the vengeance of ETERNAL FIRE. We see here that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha suffered ETERNAL FIRE.
2nd Peter 2:6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ASHES condemned them with an overthrow, making them AN ENSAMPLE unto those who that after should live ungodly.
What was the effect of the ETERNAL FIRE? It burned them up, there wasn’t anything but ashes left! And notice both Jude and Peter said this was an example to all them who live ungodly. Can it be made any clearer than this?
Malachi 4:1 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. (2) 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. (3) 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.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE PARABLE OF ‘THE WHEAT AND THE CHAFF’?
And before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the Goats. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. (Matthew 25:32-33)
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (Matthew 25:34).
Then shall he say also unto the them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. (Matthew 25:41)
These verses allude to the fact that there is coming a time of separation, when God will receive His chosen into the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world; as the wicked are cast into the lake of fire. The following is a specific look at the comparison that is made between this event and the purging of the wheat from the chaff.
Matthew 21:44 is the first verse I’d like to look at in this comparison.
And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind them to powder.
At first glance this verse doesn’t seem to state anything about the wheat and chaff, but with a closer examination we will find that this is exactly what the passage is speaking of. First we need to establish that this is dealing with the separation. Those who fall on the stone (Jesus) will be broken; To be saved you must realize that you are a sinner, and then come to Christ as an empty handed beggar. If you fall before him with a broken and contrite spirit, Christ has promised to heal the broken hearted, and save the lost soul.
On the same token, those who refuse the offering of Christ will be ‘ground to powder’. Let us now see what Christ meant when he said this. When we look up ‘grind to powder’ we find that it refers to ‘winnowing’. Winnowing means to ‘thresh’, it is the process where the grains of wheat (or barely) are separated from the stalks.
Ruth 3:2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred, with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he WINNOWETH barely to night in the THRESHINGFLOOR.
The stalks are threshed (winnowed) with a threshing instrument or with a stone, the remains that are left of the stalks after the grain has been gathered is called chaff. The chaff is often beaten so finely that it is compared to dust.
Isaiah 29:5 Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like DUST, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as CHAFF that passeth away: yea it shall be at an instant suddenly.
2nd Kings 13:7 Neither did he leave of the people of Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen: for the king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the DUST by threshing.
With this we can fully understand the parable given in Matthew chapter three concerning the wheat and the chaff.
Matthew 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
The word ‘fan’ in this verse is referring to a ‘winnowing fork’ or a ‘threshing instrument’. Notice the wheat is gathered, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the worldâ€. And the chaff is burned with UNQUENCHABLE FIRE, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angelsâ€. Now I would like to point out the effect the unquenchable fire has upon the chaff. It clearly states that it is ‘Burned Up’. {Burn up-Katakaio- to consume wholly}
The word ‘Katakaio’ is also used in Hebrews 13:11 where it states: “For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned (Katakaio) without the campâ€. This is in reference to Exodus 29:14-15, where the priests are commanded to burn the ‘useless remains’ of the sacrifice outside of the camp. “But the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt thou burn with fire without the camp: it is a sin offering.†This makes perfect sense when we remember that the ‘chaff’ is considered waste (useless remains) material. This also shines light into why Christ called the lake of fire, ‘Gehenna’.
Mark 9:43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, then having two hands to go into hell (Gehenna), into the fire that never shall be quenched: (46) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Gehenna was originally the valley of Hinnom (gay-hinnom in Hebrew), south of Jerusalem, where the filth and dead animals of the city were cast out (Jeremiah 7:31-33). The carcasses were fully consumed by fire and maggots; which is a fit symbol of the wicked and their future destruction in the lake of fire. Isaiah 66:24 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. Psalms 37:20 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.
BUT HOW ABOUT THE ‘BEAST’ AND THE ‘FALSE PROPHET’? Does this prove Eternal Torture for immortal souls?
Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Now some may look at these verses and say, “this proves that the lost soul will inherit eternal ‘torture’, because the ‘beast’ and the false prophet are both still in the lake of fire, even after a thousand years!†But what does this really prove? In the previous studies, we have established that the soul of man is ‘mortal’, and thus it can die. Immortality only comes with the glorification of the body, which Christ gives at the first resurrection. We have also established that those who stand before God at judgment, whose names are not written in the Book of Life, will be eternally destroyed.
Satan is NOT a MORTAL SOUL but a fallen angel. He is a SPIRIT that was created before the foundation of the world. He is the father of sin and rebellion. It is he who led the human race down the path of destruction; which explains why the bible so pointedly describes his punishment.
Now we can turn our attention to the question of why the ‘Beast’ and ‘False Prophet’ doesn’t seem to be destroyed. First I want you to notice that the word ‘ARE’ is in italics in Revelation 20:10. The King James translators did this so that we’d know the word was not in the original text; they could have just as easily used the word ‘were’. The bible on the other hand clearly teaches that the Anti-Christ beast will be destroyed. “And when that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall CONSUME with the spirit of his mouth, and shall DESTROY with the brightness of his coming†(2nd Thessalonians 2:8). In Revelation 20:10 the lake of fire that the beast and false prophet are ‘cast into’ is the same ‘Eternal Fire’ that destroys Satan and all the wicked.
Now let me prove that the ‘False Prophet’ and the ‘Beast’ are not human SOULS. Revelation 16:13 And I saw THREE unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the DRAGON, and out of the mouth of the BEAST, and out of the mouth of the FALSE PROPHET. (14) For they are the SPIRITS OF DEVILS, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
With these verses we see that the beast and the false prophet are both ‘fallen Angels’, just like Satan. We also can prove this by noting that there is no difference between the Dragon and the False Prophet or the Beast (besides rank and authority). All three are ‘unclean spirits’; but who is the Dragon you may ask? Revelation 12:9 And the great DRAGON was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his ANGELS were cast out with him.
BACK HOME
The place where children were sacrificed to the god Moloch was originally in the "valley of the son of Hinnom," to the south of Jerusalem (Josh. xv. 8, passim; II Kings xxiii. 10; Jer. ii. 23; vii. 31-32; xix. 6, 13-14). For this reason the valley was deemed to be accursed, and "Gehenna" therefore soon became a figurative equivalent for "hell." Hell, like paradise, was created by God (So?ah 22a); according to Gen. R. ix. 9, the words "very good" in Gen. i. 31 refer to hell; hence the latter must have been created on the sixth day. Yet opinions on this point vary. According to some sources, it was created on the second day; according to others, even before the world, only its fire being created on the second day (Gen. R. iv., end; Pes. 54a). The "fiery furnace" that Abraham saw (Gen. xv. 17, Hebr.) was Gehenna (Mek. xx. 18b, 71b; comp. Enoch, xcviii. 3, ciii. 8; Matt. xiii. 42, 50; 'Er. 19a, where the "fiery furnace" is also identified with the gate of Gehenna). Opinions also vary as to the situation, extent, and nature of hell. The statement that Gehenna is situated in the valley of Hinnom near Jerusalem, in the "accursed valley" (Enoch, xxvii. 1 et seq.), means simply that it has a gate there. It was in Zion, and had a gate in Jerusalem (Isa. xxxi. 9). It had three gates, one in the wilderness, one in the sea, and one in Jerusalem ('Er. 19a). The gate lies between two palm-trees in the valley of Hinnom, from which smoke is continually rising (ib.). The mouth is narrow, impeding the smoke, but below Gehenna extends indefinitely (Men. 99b). According to one opinion, it is above the firmament, and according to another, behind the dark mountains (Ta'an. 32b). An Arabian pointed out to a scholar the spot in the wilderness where the earth swallowed the sons of Korah (Num. xvi. 31-32), who descended into Gehenna (Sanh. 110b). It is situated deep down in the earth, and is immeasurably large. "The earth is one-sixtieth of the garden, the garden one-sixtieth of Eden [paradise], Eden one-sixtieth of Gehenna; hence the whole world is like a lid for Gehenna. Some say that Gehenna can not be measured" (Pes. 94a). It is divided into seven compartments (So?ah 10b); a similar view was held by the Babylonians (Jeremias, "Hölle und Paradies bei den Babyloniern," pp. 16 et seq., Leipsic, 1901; Guthe, "Kurzes Bibel-wörterb." p. 272, Tübingen and Leipsic, 1903).
Because of the extent of Gehenna the sun, on setting in the evening, passes by it, and receives from it its own fire (evening glow; B. B. 84a). A fiery stream ("dinur") falls upon the head of the sinner in Gehenna (?ag. 13b). This is "the fire of the West, which every setting sun receives. I came to a fiery river, whose fire flows like water, and which empties into a large sea in the West" (Enoch, xvii. 4-6). Hell here is described exactly as in the Talmud. The Persians believed that glowing molten metal flowed under the feet of sinners (Schwally, "Das Leben nach dem Tode," p. 145, Giessen, 1892). The waters of the warm springs of Tiberias are heated while flowing past Gehenna (Shab. 39a). The fire of Gehenna never goes out (Tosef., Ber. 6, 7; Mark ix. 43 et seq.; Matt. xviii. 8, xxv. 41; comp. Schwally, l.c. p. 176); there is always plenty of wood there (Men. 100a). This fire is sixty times as hot as any earthly fire (Ber. 57b). There is a smell of sulfur in Gehenna (Enoch, lxvii. 6). This agrees with the Greek idea of hell (Lucian, ????e?? ?st???a?, i. 29, in Dietrich, "Abraxas," p. 36). The sulfurous smell of the Tiberian medicinal springs was ascribed to their connection with Gehenna. In Isa. lxvi. 16, 24 it is said that God judges by means of fire. Gehenna is dark in spite of the immense masses of fire; it is like night (Yeb. 109b; comp. Job x. 22). The same idea also occurs in Enoch, x. 4, lxxxii. 2; Matt. viii. 12, xxii. 13, xxv. 30 (comp. Schwally, l.c. p. 176).
It is assumed that there is an angel-prince in charge of Gehenna. He says to God: "Put everything into my sea; nourish me with the seed of Seth; I am hungry." But God refuses his request, telling him to take the heathen peoples (Shab. 104). God says to the angel-prince: "I punish the slanderers from above, and I also punish them from below with glowing coals" ('Ar. 15b). The souls of the sons of Korah were burned, and the angel-prince gnashed his teeth at them on account of their flattery of Korah (Sanh. 52a). Gehenna cries: "Give me the heretics and the sinful [Roman] power" ('Ab. Zarah 17a).
Judgment.
It is assumed in general that sinners go to hell immediately after their death. The famous teacher Johanan b. Zakkai wept before his death because he did not know whether he would go to paradise or to hell (Ber. 28b). The pious go to paradise, and sinners to hell (B. M. 83b). To every individual is apportioned two shares, one in hell and one in paradise. At death, however, the righteous man's portion in hell is exchanged, so that he has two in heaven, while the reverse is true in the case of sinners (?ag. 15a). Hence it would have been better for the latter not to have lived at all (Yeb. 63b). They are cast into Gehenna to a depth commensurate with their sinfulness. They say: "Lord of the world, Thou hast done well; Paradise for the pious, Gehenna for the wicked" ('Er. 19a).
There are three categories of men; the wholly pious and the arch-sinners are not purified, but only those between these two classes (Ab. R. N. 41). A similar view is expressed in the Babylonian Talmud, which adds that those who have sinned themselves but have not led others into sin remain for twelve months in Gehenna; "after twelve months their bodies are destroyed, their souls are burned, and the wind strews the ashes under the feet of the pious. But as regards the heretics, etc., and Jeroboam, Nebat's son, hell shall pass away, but they shall not pass away" (R. H. 17a; comp. Shab. 33b). All that descend into Gehenna shall come up again, with the exception of three classes of men: those who have committed adultery, or shamed their neighbors, or vilified them (B. M. 58b). The felicity of the pious in paradise excites the wrath of the sinners who behold it when they come from hell (Lev. R. xxxii.). The Book of Enoch (xxvii. 3, xlviii. 9, lxii. 12) paraphrases this thought by saying that the pious rejoice in the pains of hell suffered by the sinners. Abraham takes the damned to his bosom ('Er. 19a; comp. Luke xvi. 19-31). The fire of Gehenna does not touch the Jewish sinners because they confess their sins before the gates of hell and return to God ('Er. 19a). As mentioned above, heretics and the Roman oppressors go to Gehenna, and the same fate awaits the Persians, the oppressors of the Babylonian Jews (Ber. 8b). When Nebuchadnezzar descended into hell, all its inhabitants were afraid that he was coming to rule over them (Shab. 149a; comp. Isa. xiv. 9-10). The Book of Enoch also says that it is chiefly the heathen who are to be cast into the fiery pool on the Day of Judgment (x. 6, xci. 9, et al.). "The Lord, the Almighty, will punish them on the Day of Judgment by putting fire and worms into their flesh, so that they cry out with pain unto all eternity" (Judith xvi. 17).
(see image) Valley of Ge-Hinnom.(From a photograph by Bonfils.)The sinners in Gehenna will be filled with pain when God puts back the souls into the dead bodies on the Day of Judgment, according to Isa. xxxiii. 11 (Sanh. 108b). Enoch also holds (xlviii. 9) that the sinners will disappear like chaff before the faces of the elect. There will be no Gehenna in the future world, however, for God will take the sun out of its case, and it will heal the pious with its rays and will punish the sinners (Ned. 8b).
Sin and Merit.
It is frequently said that certain sins will lead man into Gehenna. The name "Gehenna" itself is explained to mean that unchastity will lead to Gehenna (; 'Er. 19a); so also will adultery, idolatry, pride, mockery, hypocrisy, anger, etc. (So?ah 4b, 41b; Ta'an. 5a; B. B. 10b, 78b; 'Ab. Zarah 18b; Ned. 22a). Hell awaits one who indulges in unseemly speech (Shab. 33a; Enoch, xxvii.); who always follows the advice of his wife (B. M. 59a); who instructs an unworthy pupil (?ul. 133b); who turns away from the Torah (B. B. 79a; comp. Yoma 72b). For further details see 'Er. 18b, 101a; Sanh. 109b; ?id. 81a; Ned. 39b; B. M. 19a.
On the other hand, there are merits that preserve man from going to hell; e.g., philanthropy, fasting, visiting the sick, reading the Shema' and Hallel, and eating the three meals on the Sabbath (Gi?. 7a; B. B. 10a; B. M. 85a; Ned. 40a; Ber. 15b; Pes. 118a; Shab. 118a). Israelites in general are less endangered (Ber. 10a) than heretics, or, according to B. B. 10a, than the heathen. Scholars (?ag. 27a; comp. Men. 99b and Yoma 87a), the poor, and the pious (Yeb. 102b) are especially protected. Three classes of men do not see the face of hell: those that live in penury, those suffering with intestinal catarrh, and those that are pressed by their creditors ('Er. 41b). It would seem that the expressions "doomed to hell" and "to be saved from hell" must be interpreted hyperbolically. A bad woman is compared to Gehenna in Yeb. 63b. On the names of Gehenna see 'Er. 19a; B. B. 79a; Sanh. 111b; et al.
Bibliography: Winer, B. R. i. 491;
Hamburger, R. B. T. i. 527-530;
Hastings, Dict. Bible, ii. 343-346;
H. Guthe, Kurzes Bibelwörterb. pp. 271-274, Tübingen and Leipsic, 1903;
G. Brecher, Das Transcendentale, etc. pp. 69-73, Vienna, 1850;
A. Hilgenfeld, Jüdische Apocalyptik, Index, Jena, 1857;
F. Weber, Jüdische Theologie, pp. 336 et seq.;
E. Stave, Der Einfluss des Parsismus auf das Judenthum, pp. 153-192 et seq., Haarlem, 1898;
James, Traditional Aspects of Hell, London, 1903.K. L. B.
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