Where Their Worm Dieth Not (Mark 9:44, 46, 48)

2023-09-03

Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. (Mark 9:44, 46, 48)

This verse is reiterated three times for emphasis. To remove two of these verses is to remove this emphasis. People do not want to hear the message of horror that awaits the unsaved.

It comes from Isaiah, the very last verse of the book: “And 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; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh” (Isaiah 66:24). The world will come to worship before the Lord, but they will see those who rejected Him, eternally rotting and burning.

This is the eternality of hell. “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched” (Mark 9:43). The word for hell is the same as the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, or Gehenna. This historical place represents an eternal state for the rejecter of Christ.

This is the worst part of hell; it is forever. Knowing or rejecting Christ in this life sets your eternal state. Whatever causes you to stop trusting in Christ must be removed from your life. The examples given were the hand, foot, and eye, but it could be anything. Let us heed the warning, for hell is sure for the rejecter of Christ.