I am a Jesus pusher!!! This verse is the first time in the New Testament that the idea of “hell fire” is stated. “Hell” is the translation of the Greek word “geena,” and it is of Hebrew origin that signifies the valley of Hinnom. At one time this valley was a pleasant valley near Jerusalem, on the south. Idolatrous Israelites used this valley for the idol of Moloch (2 Kings 16:3; 2 Chronicles 28:3). Moloch was made of brass, adorned with a royal crown, and had the head of a calf. His arms extended as if to embrace someone. The Israelites offered their children to him as they heated the statue in a fire. When it burned hot, they put the child into his arms. So the child’s cries might not be heard, they made a loud noise with drums and other instruments. After the return of the Jews from captivity, they held this valley in abhorrence and made it the place to throw the city’s filth. The valley of Hinnom was the place of public executions. The fires that continually burned there polluted the air.
Jesus attached this imagery to the angry person. This place is the final destruction of the person held in anger. Not only is it the state where they dwell, but it is also their eternal resting place. Where else could they live but in the eternal fire of their own anger? No wonder it is called “hell fire.” Jesus described the Kingdom of God as the opposite. In my weakness, God fills me with His presence and resource. I live in the “rest” of His presence. Anger is never a part of this relaxed living. Jesus is my defense. I am the Kingdom in my world! I am a Jesus pusher!!!