Why does God send people to hell?
The Bible says that God created hell for Satan and the wicked angels who rebelled in heaven, but there are people in hell also (Matthew 25:41). Both angelic beings and human beings are in hell for the same reason: sin (Romans 6:23). Because God is completely righteous and morally perfect (Psalm 18:30), He always does…
What does the Bible say about hell?
There is sometimes confusion about use of the term hell as the temporary gathering place of the dead (also known as Sheol or Hades). This article will focus on one common usage of the word hell as being synonymous with the lake of fire, the eternal place of punishment reserved for the lost. If heaven…
When was hell created?
Scripture speaks of two locations as places of torment. Both places are commonly called “hell.” Hades is the current place of departed spirits who are not with the Lord, that is, those who never accepted the forgiveness that God offers in Jesus Christ. The rich man in Luke 16 describes his current location as a…
What does it mean that hell is eternal separation from God?
The Bible is clear that there are two possible destinations for every human soul following physical death: heaven or hell (Matthew 25:34, 41, 46; Luke 16:22–23). Only the righteous inherit eternal life, and the only way to be declared righteous before God is through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (John 3:16–18;…
Where is hell?
Various theories on the location of hell have been put forward. A traditional view is that hell is in the center of the earth. Others propose that hell is located in outer space in a black hole. In the Old Testament, the word translated “hell” is Sheol; in the New Testament, it’s Hades (meaning “unseen”)…
Does hell exist?
Yes, hell exists, according to the Bible. Note: in the remainder of this article, we will use the term hell to mean, broadly, “place of conscious torment after death.” We realize that hell is technically different from the lake of fire, but we will allow our other articles to describe the differences. The Bible speaks…
How is an eternity in hell a just punishment for only a human lifetime of sin?
The Bible says that hell is eternal (Matthew 25:46). Many people struggle with the justice of that. They question how it is just for God to punish a person eternally for sinning only 70, 80, 90, or 100 years—however long they lived. How does a sinner’s finite lifespan merit an infinitely long punishment? There are…
What does hell look like?
We cannot know exactly what hell looks like or how hot it will be. But Scripture does use some descriptive language of hell, and that gives us an idea of what hell will be like. It is sure to be a place of torment, which the Bible often pictures as fiery. For the purposes of…
What kind of bodies will people have in hell?
The Bible indicates that both believers and non-believers will have resurrected bodies on the last day (Daniel 12:1–2). Those going to hell will be eternally separated from God. That’s the “second death”—being cast into the lake of fire to be tormented for eternity, separated from God (Revelation 20:14). One clue that people in hell have…
What does it mean that hell is referred to as a lake of fire?
The lake of fire is a term used in only a few verses near the end in the book of Revelation (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14, 15; 21:8). Jesus refers to Gehenna/hell several times (Matthew 10:28; Mark 9:43; Luke 12:5), as well as an “outer darkness” (Matthew 8:12; 22:13). These all seem to be different references…