Dead Bodies - Isaiah 66:24

Seek God Together

If you appreciate this work, consider supporting it - https://www.patreon.com/seekgodtogether Today we will read Isaiah 66:24 which says, “As they leave, they will see the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against Me; for their worm will never die, their fire will never go out, and they will be a horror to all mankind.” This is the very last verse in Isaiah which is itself a lengthy, and mostly dark prophetic book. The narrative had only just taken a turn in a positive direction to describe the new heavens and new earth when the writer suddenly leaves the reader with this grizzly scene. Jesus may have quoted from this passage. I say “may” because the earliest manuscripts do not have it. This indicates that it was added later by an editor. In any event, let’s make a couple observations. First, while this cryptic description is often used as a way to describe Hell as being an eternal torture device, this passage obviously refers to the rebellious as “dead bodies.” They are dead. They are not feeling anything. If this is in fact a precise teaching on the sensation of hell, it seems like the feeling is nothing at all. Second, don’t let this lull you into any comfort though. There is something here that lasts forever - the worm and the fire. These tools of decay and consumption go on perpetually. This is a bad way to end up. And it’s completely avoidable. Don’t be one of the rebels. We claim each day to take scripture seriously so we must deal with what it says, and what it doesn’t. While this passage pushes back on the traditional view of a torturing eternal hell, it also leaves us with a sobering warning against stiff-arming God. We would do well to allow this reality to motivate us forward to God while also taking the warnings of not doing so to heart. “God, I don’t exactly know what to do with passages like these. There’s no way to know the end. But I trust You with it.”