Mark 9:48 AV
Where their worm dieth not,
and the fire is not quenched.
Other translations
Where their worm [which preys on the inhabitants and is a symbol of the wounds inflicted on the man himself by his sins] does not die, and the fire is not put out. [AMP] where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. [ESV, MSB, NIV, NKJV] Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. [KJV] where the worm never dies and the fire never goes out. [NLT]
Some further information
Where their worm dieth not,
The awfully vivid idea of an undying worm, everlastingly consuming an unconsumable body, is taken from the closing words of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 66:24), which seem to have furnished the later Jewish Church with its current phraseology on the subject of future punishment.
This is a further description of gehenna (hell) as a place of eternal torment (‘where their worm does not cease and the fire does not die out’ (Mark 9: 44,46,48). It is taken from Isaiah 66:24 (the closing verse of the book).
Worms are also associated with death and death elsewhere in the Old Testament decomposing (Job 17:14; Isaiah 51:8; Jonah 4:7).
Decomposing (the worm) and burning, incinerating (the fire) both lead to a total destruction, and therefore make any hope of revival disappear for good.
The special thing here is, that the worm ‘does not stop (eating, or even living)’ and the fire continues to burn, so that the end of the decomposition process is never in sight.
The worm and the fire, therefore, together are a metaphor of the everlasting destruction that will afflict apostates and those who have caused apostasy.
Now let us reflect on this
What always strikes me, is that people do believe in heaven, but don’t believe in hell.
We don’t find this only with people who never come to church, but also in the most faithful church visitors (I call them “church visitors” intentionally). They say that they live so righteously and so neatly, that they would consider it the greatest injustice to be sentenced to go to hell.
However, the Bible clearly tells us “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10 NKJV; also see: Psalms 14:1-3, 53:1-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20), and the Bible speaks very clearly of a place where the worm does not die, and the fire is not put out.
We should pay close attention to how often the Lord Jesus Himself warns that one ends up in that place when one does not believe in Him.
We therefore seriously want to put this word of Jesus Himself before you and emphasize again that a great miracle must happen with each of us, if we want to enter into His Kingdom. We need a complete renewal, we need to be born again!
And this is most important, as well as it is urgent!
As it concerns your time and eternity!
Nothing is taken up into heaven unless it is washed in the all-cleansing blood of Christ. That is why I urge you again and again to seek cover in that blood.
It is still possible.
We are still in the time of grace.
Don’t wait till it one day be too late for you!
Hurry for your life’s sake!
Twitter: @SchoemakerHarry
Website 1: https://devotionals.harryschoemaker.nl
Website 2: http://bijbelplaatjes.nl
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