MEANING TO MEDITATE TO CONFORM | ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS: “GOD’S JUDGMENT” 

This series of blogs on “MEANING TO MEDITATE TO CONFORM” is our invitation to you to come along and slowly think through these words so that we conform to the nature and character of God.  We will present a word each week to meditate on and conform our hearts. 

GOD’S JUDGEMENT 

In the Bible, we move from examples to words to metaphors to symbols when it comes to judgment as it relates to God the Father.  All of the meaning is brought forward and culminates and combines into a heavy theological symbol in the Bible. 

EXAMPLES 

In the Bible, judgment comes upon Sodom and Gomorrah because of their sinfulness.  The city is destroyed by fire from God.  He judged them as sinful.  The two cities (in Jude in the New Testament) is said to have been destroyed with eternal fire.  Abram saw the smoke of these places rising like a furnace. 

We then move to the national level with Edom.  ‘Edom’ is from the same Hebrew root as ‘Adam’ and should be noted that Amos which James follows is interpreted as ‘humanity.’  Humanity is judged and it relates to both those that were destroyed by God in the Old Testament and those who are gathered in from the nations. 

WORDS 

‘Hades’/’Sheol’: Place of after life and/or the underworld. The grave.

‘Bosom of Abraham’ / ‘with the fathers’: This is the ‘Paradise‘ that Jesus speaks of on the cross. This is the good side of Sheol or the grave. On the other side would be under world where unclean spirits are and also await judgment. 

‘Gehenna’: A place of evil sacrifice, even child sacrifice, using fire and worship of idols. We learn about the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) as a geographical place near Jerusalem. It is spoken of in Jeremiah 7:31 and 19:2-6 and is not the same as ‘Sheol’ or ‘Hades.’

God was angered about the evil practices that turned the place called the Valley of Hinnom into an evil place. That place, Gehenna also call Topheth, was where innocent blood was literally offered apart from God’s will. It was called the Valley of Slaughter because they who practiced this evil would kill and bury their children in this place (Jeremiah 7:32).  

METAPHOR

During His ministry, Jesus gives a warning pointing back to history of the Valley of Hinnom. He says that those that turn from God will be judged in the same way as those who kill and bury in the Valley of Gehenna. The word ‘Gehenna’ had become a catchphrase for the judgment of God to befall the wicked. God would judge like those of the past He pledged to destroy because of their sin.

God sent His Own Son to reverse the sacrifices in the Valley of Slaughter. Those that sought to worship idols and self would, in the past, be judged like Edom and other faithless nations. They would be separated out from God’s presence. Jesus is at the same time the judgment of God against such people and also the way out of the valley. His judgment is final in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Some extra thoughts on ‘judgment.’

This series of blogs on “MEANING TO MEDITATE TO CONFORM” is our invitation to you to come along and slowly think through these words so that we conform to the nature and character of God.  We will present a word each week to meditate on and conform our hearts.