1. Unlike Israel, her neighbor to the north, Judah had several good kings. The last good king of Judah was Josiah. The prophet Jeremiah began his ministry during the reign of King Josiah.
2. King Josiah knew the LORD, and enacted many reforms. He had the temple repaired and remodeled. During this renovation project, "the book of the law" was discovered. During the short reign of Josiah’s wicked father King Amon, and during the long reign of his wicked grandfather King Manasseh, God’s law had been neglected.
3. King Josiah proclaimed the Word of God to the people of Judah; "he put down the idolatrous priests" (II Kings 23:5); he destroyed all the idols; and he got rid of the sodomites.
4. Another one of his reforms is mentioned in II Kings 23:10 – "And he defiled Tophet, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom…"
5. Today, I would like for us to take a look at this horrible place called Tophet which was in the valley of the children of Hinnom.

1. THE HISTORY OF HINNOM

1. The name, valley of "the children of Hinnom" or "the son of Hinnom" indicates that perhaps it was originally named after a certain family who lived there.
2. It was located just south of the city of Jerusalem and was a well-known place to people in Bible times.
3. No one is quite certain where the name "Tophet" came from or what it means (cf. Jer.19:6; cf. II Kings 23:10).
4. Many Bible teachers believe that the name comes from the Hebrew word toph, which means "drum." When the idol-worshippers were sacrificing their little babies to Baal or to Molech, they would put them in the fire and the little babies would scream (II Kings 23:10; cf. Jer.19:5).
5. As the babies started screaming they would beat on the drums in order to drown out the cries of the screaming children. Therefore, toph or "drum" became "Tophet." By the way, these same horrible drum beats are used today in rock music.
6. Milton refers to these drums in Paradise Lost:

"Of human sacrifice, and parents’ tears,
Though for the noise of Drums and Timbrels loud
Their children’s cries unheard, that past through fire."

7. Milton correctly saw Tophet as a picture of hell itself, for he goes on to say:

"The pleasant Valley of Hinnom, Tophet thence
And black Gehenna called, the Type of Hell."

8. Some scholars believe the word "Tophet" is derived from the Hebrew word for "stove" or "oven."
9. But whatever its origin, the Bible describes it as a horrible place where demon-possessed Canaanites worshipped Baal and other idols. Later it became the center of Baal worship by apostate Jews (cf. Jer.7:31-33; 32:35).
10. The prophet Isaiah referred to Tophet as a picture of hell itself (cf. Isa.30:33; 66:24). Keep this in mind when we get to the N.T. later.
11. One of the worst kings of Judah was King Ahaz. He actually sacrificed his children to Baal in the valley of Hinnom, and so did wicked King Manasseh (II Chron.28:1-4; 33:1-6).
12. As we saw a few minutes ago, King Josiah "defiled Topheth" (II Kings 23:10). What this means is he turned it into a cesspool and garbage dump. It became the receptacle for waste matter and all sorts of putrefying filth from the city of Jerusalem.
13. The dead bodies of criminals and animals were thrown there to be eaten by dogs. When the dogs were through with them they were put in the fires that were kept burning to consume all of the rubbish from the city.
14. This horrible place forms the background to the prophet Jeremiah’s message in Jeremiah 19 (cf. 19:1,2) and brings us to my next point.

2. THE JUDGMENT UPON HINNOM

1. The LORD told Jeremiah to "Go and get a potter’s earthen bottle" (19:1). Next, the LORD told him to "go forth unto the valley of the son of Hinnom" (19:2).
2. This wretched place would serve as an appropriate background for Jeremiah’s message of judgment.
3. Nearly 100 years before, the LORD spoke by His servants the prophets and pronounced judgment upon Jerusalem and Judah because of the abominations of wicked King Manasseh.
4. The LORD said, "Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle" (II Kings 21:12).
5. Now the LORD repeats the same message again (Jer.19:3). The reasons for the impending calamity were gross idolatry, immorality, and sacrificing their babies in the fires of Tophet (Jer.19:4,5).
6. God’s judgment was imminent and would include:

1. Their sacred shrine for Baal would no longer be called Tophet nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, "but the valley of slaughter" (19:6).
2. They would "fall by the sword before their enemies…" (19:7).
3. The city of Jerusalem would become desolate. God would send them horrible plagues (19:8).
4. For sacrificing their children to Baal and Molech, they would be reduced to starvation and cannibalism (19:9; cf. Lam. 4:9,10). (The Lamentations of Jeremiah were written after the fall of Jerusalem, and the prophecies of chapter 19 were fulfilled.)

7. Right now America is very prosperous. Polls tell us that most Americans could not care less about widespread immorality, homosexuals adopting children, "gay marriages," etc.
8. As long as the economy is good and they are bringing home a nice paycheck, most Americans would apparently vote for the devil himself!
9. What these poor, sin-loving dupes do not realize is that the devil is a deceiver (cf. Rev.12:9; 13:4,13-18).
10. The peace and prosperity Americans are enjoying now cannot last forever (cf. Rev.6:3-8).
11. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and America today is worse than Sodom and Gomorrah! They did not have the light we have had (cf. Matt.10:14,15; 11:20-24).
12. I once heard a preacher say that if God doesn’t judge America He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. I realize he was only trying to make a point but –

1. God never has to apologize.
2. God is definitely going to judge America.

13. After delivering his message, Jeremiah was to "break the bottle" (19:10) and say to them: "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter’s vessel…" (Jer.19:11; cf. Rev.2:26,27).
14. Once God broke that vessel, it could never be put together again. Judah’s stubbornness and obstinacy had hardened them beyond repair (19:11,15).

3. THE N.T. TEACHING CONCERNING HINNOM

1. In the N.T. Hebrew Hinnom is called by the Greek name Gehenna, and is translated in our English Bible as "hell." The word is used 12 times in the N.T. and it always refers to eternal punishment in the fires of hell.
2. 11 out of the 12 references to Gehenna come from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt.5:22,29,30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15,33; Mark 9:43,45,47; Luke 12:5). The other reference is James 3:6.
3. When our Lord referred to Gehenna as a picture of hell, his listeners knew exactly what He meant. That our Lord was referring to literal torment is obvious if we take the Bible literally (cf. Mark 9:44,46,48). The worms (maggots) in the valley of Hinnom died and the fires eventually were quenched. In fact, no one is even sure today of the precise location of the valley of Hinnom.
4. But the "worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" in hell. Unsaved friend, are you prepared to go there?
5. Do you realize the unspeakable horror that awaits you if you die in your sins? Unless you repent and turn to Christ you will be damned forever in the pit of hell – a place infinitely more terrible than Tophet.

1. A few years ago, a bad fire broke out in the London subway system. Commuters could smell the smoke and notified some of the subway workers but their warnings were ignored.
2. It didn’t take long before the fire was raging and scores of terrified riders were trapped. 30 people died and many more were seriously injured.
3. It was bad enough that the subway workers ignored the warnings of concerned commuters, but to make things worse, other station workers were actually directing people right down the escalator into the fire!
4. There is a lesson here: Many people ignore God’s warnings about judgment and hell. They go their merry way avoiding the Bible, avoiding church, even avoiding their own conscience. Then judgment day arrives and they are cast into hell! Oh – what weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth as these poor deluded souls are thrown into the oven of God’s righteous wrath!
5. Then, on the other hand, liberals, cults, and other false religions actually direct their confused followers right down into the fires of hell.
6. One preacher said that there are 260 chapters in the N.T., with about 234 references to either hell or judgment. He went on to say: "If we were on a highway 260 miles long and on that highway there were 234 signs warning of danger, surely we would be smart enough to seek out another road!"
7. Maybe there is someone here who is on the wrong road. There is still time to turn around!