Daily Struggle with Lust and Fear of Hell

The experience of an internal struggle, marked by sorrow and a sense of being overwhelmed, is reflected in ancient biblical texts. The psalmist laments, "How long must I wrestle in my soul, with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate me?" ^[1]. Similarly, Job describes a profound inner turmoil, stating, "I am churning within and cannot rest; days of affliction confront me" ^[2]. This internal distress can manifest as fear and trembling, with horror overwhelming the individual ^[4].

The concept of "hell" in biblical literature carries various nuances, often distinguished by the Greek terms Hades and Gehenna. Hades generally refers to the place of the dead, corresponding to the Hebrew Sheol ^[9]. For instance, when Jesus speaks of Capernaum being brought down to "hell" in Luke 10:15, Adam Clarke notes that this refers to Hades ^[8]. The King James Version of Psalm 116:3 translates "the pains of hell" as having taken hold, alongside "the sorrows of death" ^[5]. The Latin Vulgate of Psalm 114:3 similarly speaks of "pericula inferni" (dangers of hell) and "dolores mortis" (sorrows of death) ^[3].

In contrast, Gehenna denotes a place of eternal punishment ^[10]. This term originated from a valley outside Jerusalem where idolatry and human sacrifice by fire once occurred, a site later destroyed by King Josiah [13, 2 Kings 23:10]. Jesus uses the imagery of Gehenna when calling for radical separation from sin, even using graphic metaphors like gouging out an eye or cutting off a hand to avoid being cast into "hell" ^[13]. This imagery emphasizes the severity of eternal consequences for unrighteousness.

The New Testament further develops the concept of eternal punishment, often using the metaphor of a "fiery lake of burning sulfur" ^[7]. This lake is depicted as the destination for God's enemies, including the beast, the false prophet, the dragon, death, and unsaved humans ^[7]. The smoke of their torment is described as ascending "for ever and ever," signifying the unending nature of their suffering ^[17]. John Gill, in his commentary on Revelation 14:11, explains that this signifies the eternal duration of their torment, referring to it as "everlasting fire, everlasting punishment, and everlasting destruction" ^[17]. The imagery of smoke is used by Jewish writers to convey the uncomfortable state of the wicked, sometimes referred to as "the smoke of hell" ^[17].

The struggle with sin, including lust, is presented as a powerful and deceptive force. The apostle James describes the tongue as a "whole world of wickedness," acting as an agent of the unrighteous world opposed to God, with "hell itself" (Gehenna) as the ultimate source of evil speech, alluding to the devil ^[10]. The author of Hebrews warns against the "deceptive and hardening power of sin," urging believers to encourage one another daily ^[16]. This daily struggle against sin is a constant battle, and even radical measures like self-mutilation cannot stop a lustful mind; instead, Jesus calls for a "surpassing righteousness" that only he can provide ^[13].

The fear of divine judgment and its consequences is a recurring theme. Images of "deepest darkness and wildfire" are associated with God's presence and especially with his judgment ^[12]. The consequences of unfaithfulness and disobedience could be severe, even leading to extreme suffering such as cannibalism during sieges, as described in Deuteronomy and Lamentations ^[14]. The prophet Jeremiah warned that a place like Shiloh, once a sacred site, could be destroyed and become a "curse" due to unfaithfulness ^[11]. The remembrance of past troubles can bring horror and distress ^[6]. Rashi, commenting on Job 30:16, interprets "days of affliction" as seizing and coercing one to pour out their soul ^[15].

Sources

Psalms “Psalms 13:2 (BSB) — How long must I wrestle in my soul, with sorrow in my heart each day? How long will my enemy dominate me?”
Job “Job 30:27 (BSB) — I am churning within and cannot rest; days of affliction confront me.”
Psalms “Circumdederunt me dolores mortis ; et pericula inferni invenerunt me. Tribulationem et dolorem inveni, -- Psalms 114:3”
Psalms “Psalms 55:5 (LEB) — Fear and trembling come on me, and horror overwhelms me.”
Psalms “Psalms 116:3 (KJV) — The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.”
Job “When I remember, I am troubled. Horror takes hold of my flesh. -- Job 21:6”
Revelation (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Revelation 19:20: 19:20 beast . . . false prophet See 13:1-10. • The fiery lake of burning sulfur provides a picture of eternal punishment (see 20:10, 14-15; 21:8; see also Isa 66:24; Matt 13:41, 49-50; Mark 9:43, 48). • God’s enemies are thrown into the fiery lake. The two beasts (Rev 19:20) are followed by the dragon (20:10) and then by death (20:14) and unsaved humans (20:15).”
Luke (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Luke 10:15: To hell - To hades. See this explained, Mat 11:23 (note).”
Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 11:23: 11:23 the place of the dead: Greek Hades, which corresponds to the Hebrew term Sheol (see study note on Ps 6:5).”
James (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on James 3:6: 3:6 It is a whole world of wickedness: The tongue acts as an agent of the whole unrighteous world opposed to God (1:27; 4:4). • hell itself: Greek Gehenna, the place of eternal punishment (Matt 5:22, 30; 23:15), in contrast to Hades, the abode of the dead (Luke 16:23; Acts 2:31). The reference to hell is an allusion to the devil (Jas 4:7; Matt 5:22; John 8:44) as the ultimate source of evil speech.”
Jeremiah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Jeremiah 26:6: like Shiloh--(see on Jer 7:12; Jer 7:14; Sa1 4:10-12; Psa 78:60). curse-- (Jer 24:9; Isa 65:15).”
Job (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Job 20:26: 20:26 Images such as deepest darkness and wildfire are often associated with God’s presence (Deut 4:11; 5:22-23; Heb 12:18) and especially with his judgment (Exod 9:23-24; 10:21-29).”
Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 5:29: 5:29-30 good eye . . . gouge it out . . . stronger hand . . . cut it off: These graphic images call for radical separation from sin. But even self-mutilation, radical as it would be, cannot stop a lustful mind. Jesus is calling for the surpassing righteousness that only he can bring. 5:29 hell (Greek Gehenna): Gehenna originally referred to a valley outside Jerusalem where some of the kings of Judah worshiped idols and performed human sacrifice by fire (2 Chr 28:3; 33:6; Jer 7:31; 32:35). The site was eventually destroyed by Josiah (2 Kgs 23:10). In the New Testa”
2 Kings (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 2 Kings 6:26: 6:26-29 Cannibalism under severe conditions was part of God’s curse for unfaithfulness and disobedience (Deut 28:53, 57). It also occurred during the siege that brought about the fall of Jerusalem (Lam 4:9-10).”
Sefaria (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) on Job 30:16: days of affliction in which I am [now] seize me and coerce me to pour out my soul.”
Hebrews (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Hebrews 3:13: 3:13 Using the word “today” from Ps 95:7, the author challenges his hearers to warn each other every day against the deceptive and hardening power of sin.”
Revelation (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Revelation 14:11: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever,.... That is, the smoke of that fire which torments them will for ever arise; or, in other words, there will be no end of their torment; hence their misery is called everlasting fire, everlasting punishment, and everlasting destruction, Mat 25:41 and smoke being very troublesome and distressing, is mentioned to set forth the very uncomfortable state of the wicked; and so it is used by Jewish writers: hence we read of , "the smoke of hell" (r), with which the eyes of the wicked will be filled in the wor”

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