Valley Of Hinnom

Do you believe in hell? You know, that terrible place of fire that burns for eternity. I would remind you that eternity is a really long time. The Christian faith believes that non-believers will be cast into the "lake of fire" which is not a lake but a pit.

In ancient times just outside the city of Jerusalem, was the Valley of Hinnon. It was a trash dump that burned continuously. Historically the Valley had been used to sacrifice children to ancient gods by burning them to death. This was not a nice place. While it did serve a place for trash to burn and be consumed by maggots, it was also used to burn the bodies of those that could not afford a funeral or those that committed certain crimes.

In the Bible the word Gehenna literally means, Valley of Hinnom. But, it is often used to refer to as hell, which is not correct. Gehenna is the symbol for hell’s eternal destruction, that was used to explain what hell would be like in terms that the people at the time would understand.

In the small town where I grew we had a trash dump just outside town. It was where all the trash was placed to decay and be covered up from time to time. But, it also was burned as a means to reduce the piles of trash and garbage. When the wind was out of that direction, everyone stayed inside during the burns because of the horrid stench, that could last for several days. I determined that I would never have a need to go out to the trash dump.

Hades from the Greek and the Hebrew word Sheol are often used to refer to hell or the eternal place for the dead. All three words have been translated in English to the word hell. But whatever you call it, it is not a place one would want to be.

Whether you believe in hell or not is up to you, just like believing in God. If there is no God, heaven or hell, then why would we not all just do what we want to?

Some people say, "there is no hell." Others say, "the hell there ain’t." What happens if what you believe is wrong? If there is not hell, then what have you got to lose by living a righteous life? But what if there is a hell?

When you're dead, it will be too late to say, "Oops."

PMO
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