Now that we have a clear understanding of the resurrection to come, we can understand the meaning of Gehenna and the concept of "hellfire" that derives from it. Gehenna, the lake of fire, and the second death are all symbols of the same thing. Christ told the pharisees that they were condemned to Gehenna, and others in human history have also been condemned to Gehenna; although the vast majority of the human population die and go, not to Gehenna, but to Hades. So what is Gehenna?
The Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) was outside the walls of Jerusalem. In the first century, it was used as an incinerator for the filth of Jerusalem. Dead animals and the bodies of executed criminals considered undeserving of a proper burial were thrown into the valley and consumed with fire, and to which sulfur (brimstone) was added to assist with the burning. When bodies were thrown into the valley, those that did not fall all the way into the pit to be consumed by fire, but instead landed on a ledge, their putrefying flesh became infested with the every-present worms and maggots. Living people were not thrown into the valley, so it was not a place of conscious torment.
Matthew 10:28 states, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell [Gehenna]" (KJV). There is no mention here of torment in Gehenna. Jesus, by referring to destroying the body and soul separately, is emphasizing to be in fear of that which not only kills the body (normal death in this life) but also destroys the soul, completely, meaning that which destroys also the prospect of resurrection back to life. Fire has been used throughout history as a symbol for absolute destruction. If you tear up a piece of paper, for example, you can always reassemble the pieces back together. If you burn up the paper, however, there is no way to reconstruct it, the information that was recorded on it is lost forever (provided it wasn't memorized or recorded elsewhere). This is the real reason for the imagery of hellfire.
Like the information on the piece of paper that was burnt up, the people who are sent to Gehenna are erased from Jehovah's memory, and Jehovah will not recall them during the time of the resurrection. A few select people throughout history have been sent to Gehenna, meaning they died without the prospect of a resurrection--this is what the second death is. The second death basically applies to anyone who dies as a direct result of God's judgment. Because of this, there are not many in human history to whom this applies. This is mainly because Jehovah has set a specific time for the judgment day during which he will judge those still living. (The purpose of Judgment Day and why people will receive the mark of the beast will be covered a bit later in this blog.)
An example of those in history who have died prior to judgment day as a direction result of God's judgments may be many of the people who lived during the time of Noah's flood. Another example is the pharisees whom Jesus condemned to Gehenna. He did this because the pharisees, as supposed leaders in God's temple, were supposed to know and understand God's laws; however, they were hypocritical in their application. Those to whom much is given, much is required--in other words, if you are in the truth, and you know the truth, than you have a responsibility to the truth.
Anyone who has committed the "unforgivable sin," namely, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will be sent to Gehenna. This terminology isn't literal. As mentioned before, the Holy Spirit is also called the Finger of God; it's the force Jehovah uses to affect his will. The idea of blaspheming against the holy spirit is to reject the working of God's Holy Spirit in one's life. This is not an ordinary thing; since the vast majority of humans do not get condemned to Gehenna upon death, it is not simply a case of human weakness or imperfection, it's a willful rejection of God's Holy Spirit.
With this understanding of hell, we can make sense of Rev. 20:14, which states, "And death and hell [hades] were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." (KJV) This would not make sense if both Hades and the lake of fire referred to the same literal place. After humanity is restored to perfection, people will no longer be under the penalty of death, so death and Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire, which is to say, they will be completely annihilated "and there shall be no more death" (Rev. 21:4, KJV).
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