The Horrific Reality of Maggots In Hell

I know this one aspect of hell is not pleasant to talk about, but I believe it is necessary in order to shock us with the reality of the world of the dead.

One thing that would repulse any normal person would be to see maggots feeding on a dead body and also experience the terrible stench from it.

Well, the question is: Are there literal maggots in hell, or is it allegorical language? Many scholars say it is allegorical.

However, Jesus, Job, and Isaiah used the word “maggot,” and with each verse it is clear the context is to be taken literally.

In Mark 9:44, 46, and 48, Jesus said, “Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” The word “worm” is the Greek word “Skolex,” which means “a worm which preys on dead bodies.”

When Jesus referenced hell, he used the word “Gehenna” eleven times. “Gehenna” represents the future hell, or the “lake of fire.”

He also used the word “maggot” along with the word “Gehenna” because he knew the people of his day would relate to and understand hell’s severity. Gehenna was just outside the city gates.

Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, pages 556 and 568:

“Hell also translates Gehenna, the Greek form of the Hebrew phrase that means ‘The Valley of Hinnom.’… In the time of Jesus the Valley of Hinnom was used as the garbage dump of Jerusalem. Into it were thrown all the filth and garbage of the city, including the dead bodies of animals and executed criminals. To consume all this, fires burned constantly. Maggots worked in filth. When the wind blew from that direction over the city, its awfulness was quite evident. At night, wild dogs howled as they fought over the garbage. Jesus used this awful scene as a symbol of hell. In effect He said, ‘Do you want to know what hell is like? Look at Gehenna.’…”

This was a vivid picture of hell, including the actual maggots.

In the Old Testament, there are three verses regarding maggots that are in reference to hell.

Isaiah 14:11: “Your pomp is brought down to Sheol… The maggot is spread under you, and worms cover you.”

The word “worm” is the Hebrew word “Rimmah,” Strong’s number 7415, meaning “worm, maggot.”

How can the word “maggot” be simply tormenting thoughts, as some say, when the maggot is underneath them and on top of them? The language describes the placement of the maggots and is not representative of thoughts.

Job 24:19–20: “As drought and heat consume the snow waters, so Sheol consumes those who have sinned. The womb should forget him. The worm should feed sweetly on him.”

The word “worm” is also the word “Rimmah,” or “maggot.”

The context here is referring to hell and mentions maggots feeding on a person. How can that be taken to mean anything other than actual maggots?

Isaiah 66:24: “And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”

The word “worm” is the Hebrew word “Tola,” meaning “maggot.”

The corpses have maggots. This clearly refers to a dead, rotting body.

Dr. Robert A. Peterson, in the book Hell on Trial, page 32, said:

“For exposed corpses to be eaten by worms or burned was a disgrace. Here was the ultimate disgrace. In all other cases the maggots would die when they had finished their foul work, and the fire would go out once its fuel was consumed. But in the prophet’s picture of God’s judgment of those who rebel, the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. The punishment and shame of the wicked have no end; their fate is eternal.”

Why would Job, Isaiah, and Jesus use the word “maggot” if they really did not mean it to be literal?

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown’s Commentary, pages 525 and 595:

“worm, that is bred in putridity… over thee shall be worms. Instead of the gorgeous couch; under thee maggots.”

John MacArthur, in his teaching Hell—The Furnace of Fire, says:

“When a body is put into a grave, worms begin to consume it. Once the body is consumed, the worms die. But in hell, the worms that consume the bodies will never die because the bodies will never be totally consumed. In other words, the Lord was saying that the unrelieved torment of the body will go on forever in hell.”

Why do so many scholars soften the words of Jesus and the Bible, just as they soften the fires of hell? They state that it is not literal fire but burning thoughts or unfulfilled desires. This, of course, is to lessen the severity of hell’s punishment.

If we cannot take the Bible literally, then how can we know anything for certain?

Just as we know that heaven has gates of pearl, streets of gold, and walls of precious stones, so hell has gates, bars, real fire, and maggots.