4261 — THE UNDYING WORM AND THE UNQUENCHABLE FIRE
In Mark 9:43-48 the Master refers to this illustration found in Isa. 66:24. He speaks of people being cast “into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.” “Hell” in this passage in Mark is translated from the Greek word Gehenna, and literally means the Valley of Hinnom, which was situated to the southwest of Jerusalem. During some of the idolatrous backslidings of Israel, the horrible worship of Moloch was conducted in this valley. Josiah overthrew these altars of worship on which human beings were sacrificed; and for the purpose of preventing the recurrence of the heathen rites, the valley was defiled by being reserved thereafter as a “place for the burning of the refuse of the city, along with dead animals and the bodies of criminals.” It was perfectly natural, therefore, that this burning should become the symbol for the destruction of the wicked. The dead bodies that were cast into this valley were burned up; and if perchance any portions escaped the fire, the worms preyed upon them until they were completely destroyed. The fires were not quenched, or put out, but were permitted to burn as long as there was anything for the flames to feed upon. Also the worms remained as agents of destruction while there was anything for them to devour. An unquenchable fire does not necessarily signify an everlasting fire. Passages like Jer. 7:17-20 tell of the warnings of unquenchable fire that God pronounced upon Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, because of their idolatries. These fires were to be sent as judgments from God, and therefore no man would be able to quench them; but when the material upon which the flames fed should be devoured, the fires would go out of themselves—they would not be quenched. And thus this passage in Isaiah is shown to harmonize with the other scriptures which so plainly teach the complete destruction of the wicked in the second death, which is the wages of sin.