Matthew 11:20-24

(20) Then He [Christ] began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: (21) “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. (22) But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. (23) And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. (24) But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”

Here Christ is pronouncing judgment metaphorically upon the inhabitants of various Jewish cities who have refused to repent, i.e., turn from their sin and accept their Messiah, even in light of all His mighty (miraculous) works.

Hades is designated as a place in which the inhabitants of Capernaum will sink.

Matthew 16:13-19

(13) When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" (14) So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." (15) He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" (16) Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (17) Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. (18) And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. (19) And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

The expression “gates of Hades” confers the meaning “power of death” (it was at the gates of each Jewish city where governmental decisions were made); therefore the “power of death” would not prevail against His Church.

Side note:  It was not upon Peter (Gk: petros – stone or fragment of a rock) that Christ would build His Church (first mentioned here in Matthew’s gospel), but upon “this rock” (Gk: petra – a rock or rock-ledge), which referred to Peter’s confession about Christ (see also 1 Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 2:20).  According to Morgan, “the figurative use of the word rock through Hebrew Scripture . . . is never used symbolically of man, but always of God.”  Furthermore and although Peter never spoke of himself as the foundation of the Church, he did use another Greek word for stone (lithos) pertaining to Christ as the “head of the corner;” not the foundation (Acts 4:11, 12; 1 Peter 2:4-8).

Luke 10:13-15

Counterpart to Matthew 11:20-24

Luke 16:19-31

(19) There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. (20) But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, (21) desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. (22) So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. (23) And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. (24) Then he cried and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” (25) But Abraham said, “Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. (26) And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.” (27)  Then he said, “I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, (28) for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.” (29) Abraham said to him, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” (30) And he said, “No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” (31) But he said to him, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.”

This discourse of Christ, although following several parables, appears not to be a parable.  It is in answer to the derision by the Pharisees, “who were lovers of money” (v. 14), to what Christ was teaching.  It expressed God’s view regarding that which He values over what man values; and, the consequences attached to each.  The Pharisees who paid lip service to the moral aspect of the “law and the prophets,” were nevertheless committing adultery by divorcing it and “clinging to” (marrying) wealth (vv. 15-18).  All conduct brings consequences, which was the point of this passage.

Hades is seen as a place containing a compartment of torment, but which, was closely associated with an area of bliss (Abraham’s bosom).  And there was an expanse between the two that could not be crossed.

Acts 2:24-31

(24) [Christ] whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. (25) For David says concerning Him: “I foresaw the LORD always before my face, For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. (26) Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; Moreover my flesh also will rest in hope. (27) For You will not leave my soul in Hades, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption. (28) You have made known to me the ways of life; You will make me full of joy in Your presence.” (29) Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. (30) Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, (31) he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption.

Here Peter, speaking to Jews that had come from every nation to Jerusalem, conveyed prophetic words from David (Psalms 16:8-11) concerning Christ’s death and resurrection.

Hades, the counterpart to Sheol of the Old Testament, was the abode of Christ’s soul after His physical death up to His resurrection, which included both body and soul (His spirit having immediately gone to be with God the Father at Christ’s physical death upon the cross [Luke 23:46]).

1 Corinthians 15:55

O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?

Paul’s reflection of Hosea 13:14 as the verse relates to the future bodily change of the saints (vv.  50-54). In it, Hades is linked with Death.

Revelation 1:18

I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

All four of the uses of Hades in the book of Revelation are linked with Death (Gk: thanatos).

Revelation 6:8

So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

thanatos — a Greek word which has the sense of destruction, perdition, misery, implying both physical death and exclusion from the presence and favor of God in consequence of sin and disobedience, but never as extinction.

Revelation 20:13, 14

 (13) The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. (14) Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

The only verse within the New Testament that reveals the eternal disposition of those who were assigned to “Death and Hades.”

Matthew 5:20-22, 29, 30

(20) For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. (21) You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.” (23) But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, “Raca!” shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, “You fool!” shall be in danger of Gehenna fire. . . . (29) If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna. (30) And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.

The moral laws and principles of the coming kingdom are expressed in chapters 5-7 of the book of Matthew.  This sermon by Christ has nothing to do with eternal (spirit) salvation.  It is directed specifically to His disciples.

In this passage, Christ says that unless one’s “righteousness” (right living) exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees (who were saved in spirit, but not in soul), he would not be permitted entrance into the kingdom, but instead would be judged in Gehenna.  And He makes this emphatic by His metaphorical use of deleting body parts in verses 29 and 30.

Side note:  The word “Raca,” which was an Aramaic term meaning “empty one,” was a word of insult.  On the other hand, to say “You fool, was an indictment of one’s moral character.

Matthew 10:28

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

This verse is part of the instruction Christ gave to His twelve disciples when he sent them out to only the Jewish people (vv. 5, 6).  And the One to fear would be God, not Satan.  Here Gehenna is said to involve the destruction of the body and soul.

Matthew 18:8, 9

(8) If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting [age-lasting] fire. (9) And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into Gehenna fire.

Christ directed these emphatic remarks only to His disciples (v.1), which contextually, were about enticing an innocent child of faith to sin.  Christ emphasized the necessity of becoming like “an innocent child of faith” (i.e., live a life of innocence [righteousness] that emanates from a position of faith) in order to enter the kingdom.

On the other hand, to harm those who were children of this nature were in danger of Gehenna fire.

Matthew 23: 15, 33

(15) Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves. (33) Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of Gehenna?

Christ directed these remarks to His disciples about the scribes and Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day (v. 1, 2).  Their instructions, but not their example, were to be followed.  The reason?  It was because these religious leaders did not follow the path of righteousness that they preached.  Rather, they were hypocrites who exalted themselves, instead of taking a position of humility; and, their pride would only lead them and those that followed their haughty example to Gehenna.

Side note:  Christ certainly preached and exemplified love; but, this position can never exclude “righteous judgment” based on God’s revealed Word.

Mark 9:43-48

(43) If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to Gehenna, into the fire that shall never be quenched — (44) where “Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” (45) And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into Gehenna, into the fire that shall never be quenched — (46) where “Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” (47) And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into Gehenna fire — (48) where “Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”

Here is Mark’s account of Christ’s remarks to His disciples, as was seen in Matthew 18 above.  Mark has the addition of the quote from Isaiah 66:24, the last verse in the book of Isaiah, which reflects the judgment that takes place in Gehenna during the Messianic Era, to wit:  “And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

Luke 12:4, 5

(4) And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. (5) But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into Gehenna; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

See remarks for Matthew 10:28 above.  It is interesting that immediately preceding these two verses, Christ said, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops (vv. 12b-3).

James 3:6

And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by
Gehenna.

This verse falls within a passage (vv. 1-12) that warns Christians of the dangers of being “teachers,” since, as such, “we shall receive a stricter judgment.”  And that which is taught proceeds from the “tongue,” which may result in a course set toward Gehenna.