The Higher Powers/Worms That Die Not
table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." What a stupendous promise. Thus we can see that faithfulness in partaking of the Lord's table now will entitle us to feast with him in the kingdom, which means that we shall share in all the blessings and work of the kingdom. All other tables are described by the Prophet Isaiah
(chapter 28, verse 8), as follows: "All tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean" The vomit and filthiness on the Devil's table consists of false and slanderous doctrines, blasphemies against Jehovah God and denials of the inspiration and accuracy of his Word.
In Mark 9:47 we read: "If thine eye offend thee pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be east into hell fire; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Jesus spoke these words to his disciples, and not to the multitude. They are a warning to those who have entered into a covenant with the Lord, that there is a danger of their missing the kingdom of God. To understand these words it is quite necessary that we grasp the thought that the Bible was not written to or for sinners, but was written for the consecrated child of God, the true church. The Apostle Paul calls attention to this fact, saying, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable...that the man of God may be perfect." (2 Tim. 3:16,17) When Jesus spoke in the presence of multitude he always spoke in parables, and it is written that "without a parable spake he not unto them". (Matt. 13:34) The disciples asked Jesus why he spoke unto the multitudes in parables. His answer was. "Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." - Matt. 13:10,11. Because there is danger of missing the kingdom of heaven and of being east into a hell-fire which will never be quenched, and were worms will never die, those who love the Lord and are trying to do his will should be anxious to know the meaning of this text. Those people who believe in eternal torment have misunderstood this text to apply to a literal lake of fire and brimstone where wicked people are tormented for ever. Indeed it is often used as one of the texts to prove eternal torment to be true. It is strange how a false doctrine will become so rooted in the mind that one will cling to it tenaciously no matter how unreasonable it is. For instance, it never seems to occur to believers in eternal torment that if this were a real lake of fire and brimstone, worms could not live for a single moment in it. Likewise, it never seems to occur to them that if there were literal worms which could never die, then these worms would be immortal, for immortality means that which can not die, that which is deathproof.
It is impossible for any one to have a sensible understanding of this text as long as he believes in eternal torment. Another thing that helps to hide the real meaning of the text is the mistranslation of one word, namely, the Greek word translated "hell fire". The word does not mean hell-fire, and should never have been so translated. In the Greek the word is gehenna, which, correctly translated, means "the valley of the son of Hinnom". The Hebrew word sheol, in the Old Testament, and the Greek word hades, in the New Testament, are properly translated "hell", because the word "hell" means "the grave". But this word gehenna is not found in the Old Testament at all, and is found only eleven times in the New Testament. It is wrongly translated "hell" and "hell fire". The translators believed in eternal torment, and were desirous of finding something to support their unscriptural theory, and so made this mistranslation, probably hoping that people would never find cut the fact that they had been duped. There is no excuse for the mistranslation, for every commentator on earth who understands the Greek knows full well that gehenna means "the valley of the son of Einnom". This means that a man by the name of Mr. Hinnom lived in or near Jerusalem and owned a valley just outside of the walls of the city. Mr. Hinnom had a son whose name is not known. Mr. Hinnom died and left an estate to this son, and the estate included this valley. Thereafter the valley was called "the valley of the son of Hinnom". It is impossible for any one, by any hook or crook, to make gehenna mean eternal torment, or lake of fire and brimstone, or suffering or anguish, or anything akin to these. Now let us read the verse in its correct translation. "It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into the valley of the son of Hinnom; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." To grasp the thought which Jesus had in mind when he uttered these words, it is necessary to know what this valley was used for. History records that it was used for the purpose of burning up or destroying all the offal and rubbish of
To destroy this rubbish and these carcasses, a fire was always kept burning there. Many cities in the United States have just such places for the destruction of the rubbish of the city at the present time. The speaker has seen several of them, and each one has always been a valley or some depression. The dead carcasses and other waste matter thrown into these valleys would breed pestilence, and so it was customary to sprinkle brimstone over these, which not only served as a disinfectant but also hastened the complete destruction of the carcasses, since brimstone will burn more destructively than any other known substance. This fire was not permitted to be quenched. To quench a fire means to forcibly put it out. When a fire burns up everything and goes out for the reason that there is nothing more to burn, that fire is not a quenched fire. Let it be noted, then, that when Jesus spoke of 'the fire that is never quenched', he did not mean that the fire would never go out, but he did mean that nobody would be permitted to put it out, to quench it. Thus, we can see that this fire pictures the complete destruction of that which was put into the fire, and thus becomes the best possible picture of the "everlasting destruction" of all those wilful sinners who are to be destroyed in the second death. This fire that is never quenched is identically the same thing as the lake of fire and brimstone mentioned several times in Revelation. And in most positive language the lake of fire and brimstone is declared to be "the second death". - Rev. 20:14; 21:8. Now note the fact that sheol, of the Old Testament, and hades, of the New Testament, both correctly translated "hell" and "grave", refer to the Adamic death, while gehenna, of the New Testament, is a picture or illustration of the second death, which means everlasting destruction or annihilation. What is the particular difference between Adamic and second death? The answer is that Adamic death is temporary destruction, likened to sleep, because a sleeping person generally awakens. Many texts speak of the Adamic death as sleep. The seeond death is never called sleep, for the reason that there is no awakening from the second death, and not even a
promise or any hope of a resurrection for those who go into it. They are completely and for ever destroyed, and the apostle speaks of this as everlasting destruction. On the other hand, all who die the Adamic death, and go into sheol or hades, will be awakened. I want to prove this last statement. In Psalm 49:15 we read that "God will ransom my soul from the power of the grave". The word translated "grave" is sheol, and the margin translates it "hell". Here, then, is a plain statement that people in hell are to be ransomed from hell. When Jesus died he was for three days in hell, and Peter tells us that God left not his soul in hell, but raised him from the dead. (Acts 2:31,32) Again, in Revelation 20:13 we read: "Death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them." In all these cases the word "hell" is sheol or hades, and not gehenna. Now let us see what is meant by the words of our text. "If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: for it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire." In 1 John 2:16 we read: "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." As here used, the word "world" means the Devil's organization; and hence the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life originate with the Devil and are not pleasing to the Father. The lust of the eyes refers to those things that we see with our eyes and lust for, or desire, which, if obtained, would not be pleasing to God and would hinder us from obtaining the kingdom. Let us examine some of the uses of this word "lust" as given to us in God's Word. The children of Israel fell a lusting for flesh while wandering in the wilderness, and God gave them quails to eat. (Num. 11:4) Jesus warned his followers against looking on a woman to lust after her. (Matt. 5:28) Again, in James 4:5 we read: "The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy." Thus we see that envy is lust. Also in 1 Timothy 6:9 are these words: "They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, ... for the love of money is the root of all [forms of] evil." And still again, in 2 Timothy 4:3 we read: "The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching cars." Now what does this mean? It means that the time will come when men will stubbornly resist the truth, will not listen to it, and will lust after or desire teachers who will preach just what they want to hear, teachers whose ears are itching to know just what their audiences want them to preach, and who will not preach otherwise for fear of losing their salaries.
Now we have an excellent idea of what the word
"lust" means. It means to desire something in a selfish way, and "the lust of the eyes" means a desire for those things which we see that seem to be desirable and yet are forbidden. Now we are prepared to understand what is meant by the statement, "If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out." It means that if we see something that we desire and crave and yet it is forbidden, or that we can not possess except by selfish or wicked means, then we are to deny ourselves this particular thing. Why should we deny ourselves thus? The answer is, Because to obtain it, or to obtain it in illegal or unjust ways, is selfishness and will surely lose us the kingdom. Hence, in symbolic language we speak of the eye as offending us. It becomes an offense to us because it looks upon something with a selfish desire to possess it. It is far better for us to cut off these selfish desires and to deny ourselves their gratification than to lose the kingdom, and so the Lord said: 'It is better for thee to thus deny thyself than to be cast into eternal destruction, where their worm dieth not and their fire is not quenched.' Just as the literal fire in this valley of the son of Hinnom completely destroyed everything that was cast into it, so every person who selfishly lives for his own personal gratification will eventually be completely destroyed in the second death. No person in heaven or in earth will be allowed to quench this fire or stop it in any way: it must accomplish its purpose. But how about the other part of the text, namely, "where their worm dieth not"? Any one ought to be able to see that if eternal torment is true, and a literal lake of fire, worms could not live a single moment in it. It is entirely unreasonable to connect these worms with eternal torment or with fire. But what does it mean? There must be some proper and reasonable explanation. Since we have found the "fire" to be a picture or illustration, it is but reasonable to think that the "worm" is also an illustration. If so, what does it illustrate? Referring to the refuse cast into the valley, history records that no live thing was ever cast into it, thus contradicting the eternal torment theory. History further records that the carcasses of animals, and also the bodies of the worst of criminals, after execution, were denied a burial and were cast into this valley and destroyed as so much rubbish. Some of these carcasses would catch on the rocks or on the trees and never reach the fire, and the worms would completely devour them, thus picturing the same thing as the fire, namely, destruction. The worms destroyed what the fire did not. But what about the worms' not dying? The thought is exactly the same as that of the fire's not being quenched. Just as long as there was any of the carcass left to feed upon, the worms would not die.
We have all seen instances of worms, literally thousands of them, consuming a carcass in a very short time; and then the worms would all disappear, and nobody knows where they went. Now let us read our text again. 'It is better to deny yourself all of these things which we crave, which seem desirable and yet are forbidden, and win the kingdom of God, than to gratify yourself with these things for a few brief years and go into eternal destruction, pictured by a fire, which destroys everything cast into it, and by a worm devouring a carcass.' The thing responsible for the wrong interpretation is the false teaching that wicked people go into a place of torment at the moment of death, and that they are alive and conscious. Believing this lie, because taught it by parents and in the theological schools and seminaries, Bible expositors have seized upon these highly symbolic statements and pictures and distorted them into meaning something that they do not mean and that directly contradicts other plain and non symbolic statements. Let me quote some of the many plain statements of the Scriptures, which in pointblank language deny the theory of eternal torment. Ecclesiastes 9:5 says: "The dead know not any thing." Psalm 145:20 says: "All the wicked will he [God] destroy." Job 36:6 says: "He preserveth not the life of the wicked." In 2 Thessalonians 1:9 we read that the wicked "shall be punished with everlasting destruction"; and in entire harmony with all these statements is the Bible teaching of a "second death". The very fact that there is a second death is an indisputable denial of eternal torment. The fact that there is to be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and of the unjust, is another most emphatic denial of eternal torment. Now let us note other texts containing the word "fire". Many people think every text containing this word is a positive proof of eternal torment. In Matthew 25:41 we read that our Lord says: "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting' fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." This text tells us that it is the Devil and his angels, followers or allies, that are to be cast into the fire. This means that all, angels and men, who eventually choose to follow the Devil instead of the Lord, will be destroyed. In harmony with this, Revelation 20:10 says: "The devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are." Now note what this text says. It plainly states that the Devil will be cast into the lake of fire. The majority of Christian people believe that the Devil is to roast and torment those who are so unfortunate as to get into "the hot place".
But what does this mean? It means simply that the Devil is to be destroyed. In full harmony with
this statement are the words of the apostle, recorded in Hebrews 2:14, "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise partook of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." Here is a plain statement that the Devil is to be destroyed. How easy it is to understand the matter when we see that fire means destruction, and that nowhere in the Bible does it mean consciousness or torment. Another text that has been misunderstood, and that has caused innumerable heartaches, is found in Malachi 4:1. It reads: "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." In this text the proud and all the wicked are likened to stubble in a fire, and everybody knows that stubble could not be tormented in a fire, but would be quickly consumed. The text goes on to say that nothing would be left of the wicked, neither root nor branch. Surely it would take a very strong imagination to make such language mean eternal torment. Now let us notice the third verse of this chapter. It reads, "And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall he ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts." This text is another favorite proof text for the advocates of the eternal torment theory. But it says plainly that the wicked are to become ashes under the soles of the feet of the righteous. God told Adam that he was dust, and when he sinned God told him that he would return to the dust again. Just so, when the wicked are destroyed in the second death, they will have returned to the dust from which they were taken, and will become as ashes under the feet of the righteous. Only a theologian could read eternal torment into this text. Now let us note still other texts which use the words "fire" and "worms", and show clearly that the thought behind them is destruction. Speaking of the time when the Lord's kingdom is established and all flesh shall come and worship before him, the Prophet Isaiah said: "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."(Isa. 66:24)
Note carefully that the text says that they will look upon the carcasses of men. The fact that carcasses are mentioned is proof positive that they are not alive, and nothing that had life was ever cast into the valley of the son of Hinnom. Job tells us that he expected to die, and that his body would be destroyed with worms, and that he expected to come back on the earth again and behold the glory of the Lord in a perfected earth. I quote: "And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." -Job 19:26. Again, in Job 21:23-26 we read: "One dieth in his full strength, being wholly at case and quiet.... And another dieth in the bitterness of his soul, and never eateth with pleasure. They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them." Again, in Job 24:19,20 we read: "Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned.... The worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered." Thus we can see clearly that the fire that is not quenched and the worm that dieth not are simply illustrations used by the inspired writers to picture to the mind the punishment of the wicked, which God has repeatedly told us is everlasting destruction, and not eternal torment. When picturing the death or destruction from which there will be a resurrection, the Old Testament writers use the Hebrew word sheol, and the New Testament writers use the Greek word hades, both of which are correctly translated by the words "hell" and "grave". But when picturing the "second death", which is called "everlasting destruction", the Old and the New Testament writers invariably use the symbolic words "fire", "worms," and "gehenna", and the symbolic phrases "lake of fire" and "lake of fire and brimstone". Thus the Bible pictures to our minds, in symbolic phrase, the complete and everlasting destruction of wicked men, wicked angels, and every wicked and corrupt system of evil now existing all the earth.
After the destruction of every evil person and thing, there will be a clean universe and no more death, no more destruction, and hence no more need for "fire", "worms," or "brimstone". In Revelation 20:10 we are told that eventually the Devil himself is to be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, which means his eternal destruction also.
Heartiest greetings to Sir Rutherford. I have read the booklet Oppression, When Will It End? I bought the booklet from a Bible Student, of Wheeling. I want to tell you that I never heard or read such truths as that booklet contains. It went deep into my heart and I am
expressing my best appreciation to you for it. It reminds me of a story about an old man who had been searching for the truth all his life, with a lighted candle, but in vain. Therefore I thank God for the truth which I have found while I am still young.
