What is hell like, and is it real?
Matthew 25:41-46
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
New International Version (NIV)
The answer
Yes—hell is real. Scripture describes it as conscious, eternal punishment under God’s righteous judgment, not merely a metaphor, a state of mind, or temporary suffering. Jesus says that the eternal fire was prepared for the devil and his angels, and that the condemned go away into “eternal punishment,” while the righteous enter “eternal life” (Matthew 25:41; Matthew 25:46).
What hell is like
- Real anguish and unquenchable fire: In Luke 16:23-24, the rich man in Hades is conscious, “being in torment,” and cries, “I am in anguish in this flame.” Jesus warns of Gehenna, “where their worm doesn’t die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48).
- Exclusion from God’s blessing and glory: Paul calls it “eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). This destruction is not annihilation: Jesus calls it eternal punishment, and Revelation 14:11 says of the condemned, “They have no rest day and night.”
- A fixed and final judgment: In Luke 16:26, “a great gulf” is fixed between the rich man and Lazarus, with no crossing between them. At the final judgment, Death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire, which is “the second death,” and those whose names are not written in the book of life are cast into it (Revelation 20:14-15).
- Eternal, just punishment for sin: Jesus uses “eternal” for both punishment and life in Matthew 25:46. Hell lasts forever; it is not a temporary suffering followed by nonexistence. This judgment is righteous, not arbitrary cruelty: “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and God has appointed a day when He will judge the world in righteousness through Jesus Christ (Acts 17:31).
The only refuge is Jesus Christ
Hell is real, but so is the salvation God gives through His Son. John 3:16 declares that God gave His only Son so that “whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Christ Himself bore sins in His body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24). God now commands all people everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30); those who believe in the Son are not judged, while those who do not believe stand judged already (John 3:18).
Eternal life is God’s free gift in Christ Jesus, not wages earned by human goodness (Romans 6:23). The response God commands is repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, who was crucified for sinners and raised from the dead.
Answered from Scripture · reviewed November 11, 2026
Scripture speaks with unyielding clarity about the reality of hell, presenting it not as a metaphor or myth, but as an actual, eternal destination of conscious punishment. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke more about hell than anyone else in the Bible, warning humanity with solemn urgency of its terrors and calling all people to repentance. Understanding what God's Word reveals about hell underscores the gravity of sin, the holiness of divine justice, and the boundless grace of the gospel.
The Words of Christ
Jesus Urgently Warned of Real, Eternal Damnation
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
Matthew 25:46 (NIV)
Jesus sets the duration of eternal punishment in direct, parallel equivalence to eternal life, establishing that hell has no end.
In Matthew 25:46, Jesus establishes the duration of hell with absolute grammatical symmetry: the punishment of the wicked is as unending as the life of the redeemed. Our Lord did not treat damnation as an abstract concept or a rhetorical flourish, but as an awful, impending reality awaiting unrepentant rebels. In the Sermon on the Mount, He warned that even unchecked anger and contempt make a man answerable to the fiery judgment of Gehenna (Matthew 5:22). Because the eternal stakes are so absolute, Christ commanded radical surgery against personal sin, urging that it is far better to lose a physical member than to have the whole body cast into hell (Matthew 5:29-30; Matthew 18:8-9). He cautioned that many religious hypocrites who claim His name will hear the terrifying words, "Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness" (Matthew 7:23).
Christ repeatedly instructed His followers to direct their holy fear toward God alone, who has the sovereign authority to cast both soul and body into hell (Matthew 10:28; Luke 12:4-5). In His parables, He revealed that the angelic reapers will gather all lawbreakers out of His kingdom and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:41-42, 49-50). At His glorious return, the King will pronounce the final curse over the unrighteous: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41). Their neglect of mercy reveals their unregenerate hearts (Matthew 25:42-45). Unquenchable fire and the undying worm await those who refuse His grace (Mark 9:43-48). He directly confronted the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, demanding how they could hope to escape the damnation of hell (Matthew 23:33), and promised that on the last day, all who have done evil will come forth in a bodily resurrection of condemnation (John 5:28-29).
| Passage | What it says |
|---|---|
| Matthew 5:22 | Jesus warns that unrighteous anger and contempt place a person in danger of the fire of hell (Gehenna). |
| Matthew 5:29-30 | Jesus commands radical dealing with personal sin, warning that losing a member is better than the whole body entering hell. |
| Matthew 7:23 | Christ tells hypocritical workers of lawlessness to depart from Him into final rejection because He never knew them. |
| Matthew 10:28 | Jesus commands believers to fear God alone, who possesses the authority to destroy both soul and body in hell. |
| Matthew 13:41-42 | Angels will gather lawbreakers and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. |
| Matthew 13:49-50 | At the close of the age, the wicked are severed from the just and cast into the furnace of fire. |
| Matthew 25:41 | The King curses the wicked and sentences them into eternal fire prepared originally for the devil and his angels. |
| Matthew 25:42-45 | Jesus convicts the unrighteous of failing to minister to His brethren, exposing their complete absence of genuine faith. |
| Matthew 25:46 | The unrighteous depart into conscious eternal punishment, while the righteous enter into eternal life. |
| Mark 9:43-48 | Jesus describes hell as unquenchable fire where their worm does not die and the flame is not extinguished. |
| Matthew 18:8-9 | Jesus warns it is better to enter life maimed than be cast into everlasting fire and hell fire. |
| Matthew 23:33 | Jesus confronts unrepentant religious leaders, asking how they can escape the condemnation of hell. |
| Luke 12:4-5 | Jesus commands fearing God, who after killing has authority to cast into hell. |
| John 5:28-29 | Jesus declares that all in the graves will hear His voice and come forth, those doing evil to resurrection of condemnation. |
Conscious Torment and Separation
Hell Involves Undeniable Torment, Memory, and Fixed Separation
So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
Luke 16:24 (NIV)
The rich man's plea demonstrates acute bodily agony, unceasing thirst, and total consciousness within Hades.
In Luke 16:24, the rich man cries out from the flame, begging for a single drop of water to cool his tongue, proving that hell is a state of conscious, agonizing thirst, undiminished memory, and unbroken awareness. His account in Luke 16:22-23 reveals that immediately upon death, the unrepentant soul wakes in torment, possessing sight, feeling, and full cognition. Abraham's solemn answer in Luke 16:25 strips away every illusion of relief: earthly comforts are gone, replaced by inescapable sorrow. Furthermore, Luke 16:26 declares the finality of divine justice: an impassable chasm is permanently fixed by God, preventing any soul from crossing from torment into paradise or from paradise into hell.
The rich man's plea for his brothers (Luke 16:27-31) demonstrates that the damned retain their earthly memories and intellectual understanding, yet Scripture alone is God's appointed means of repentance. The Apostle Paul underscores this dreadful fate in 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, writing that those who reject God and disobey the gospel will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, forever barred from the favorable presence of the Lord and the glory of His power. Paul warns in Romans 2:5-9 that the hard and impenitent heart stores up wrath against itself for the day of righteous judgment, resulting in tribulation and anguish upon every soul doing evil. The author of Hebrews leaves no room for soft sentiment, warning of a terrifying expectation of judgment and fiery indignation that devours the adversaries, for it is indeed a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:26-31).
| Passage | What it says |
|---|---|
| Luke 16:22-23 | The rich man dies, is buried, and immediately lifts up his eyes in torment within Hades. |
| Luke 16:24 | In anguish from the flame, the rich man begs for Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool his tongue. |
| Luke 16:25 | Abraham reminds the rich man of his earthly pleasures and confirms that he is now in unyielding anguish. |
| Luke 16:26 | A great, permanent chasm is fixed so that no soul can ever pass between paradise and torment. |
| Luke 16:27-31 | The rich man retains his memory and pleads for his brothers, but is told they must hear Scripture. |
| 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 | Those who disobey the gospel will suffer eternal destruction away from the presence and glory of the Lord. |
| Romans 2:5-9 | Paul warns of God's righteous judgment storing up wrath, bringing indignation, tribulation, and anguish upon every unrepentant soul. |
| Hebrews 10:26-31 | Describes a terrifying expectation of judgment and fiery indignation that will devour adversaries, falling into the living God's hands. |
Darkness and Chains
Rebellious Beings Are Kept Under Sovereign Darkness
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;
2 Peter 2:4 (NIV)
The sovereign confinement of rebellious angels proves that God will not spare unrepentant sinners from final retribution.
In 2 Peter 2:4, Scripture reveals that God did not spare even sinning angels, but committed them to chains of gloomy darkness until the judgment. The consistent testimony of the apostles is that God's holy retribution is certain, total, and without partiality. Peter draws comfort for the righteous from this solemn truth, noting that the Lord knows how to rescue the godly while holding the unrighteous under sovereign confinement and punishment for the final day (2 Peter 2:9). Jude 1:6 mirrors this account, stating that the celestial rebels who abandoned their proper domain are kept in everlasting bonds under utter darkness for the judgment of the great day. God's historical acts of wrath—such as the annihilation of Sodom and Gomorrah—stand as visible warnings of the punishment of eternal fire that awaits the impenitent (Jude 1:7).
Jesus spoke often of this terrible exclusion, declaring that those who presume upon outward heritage while lacking genuine faith will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12). The guest without the wedding garment is bound hand and foot and cast into that same exterior gloom (Matthew 22:13). The hypocritical and unprofitable servants who squandered their master's trust are severed and consigned to the place of bitter lamentation and regret (Matthew 24:51; Matthew 25:30). Both Peter and Jude describe ungodly deceivers as waterless wells and wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever (2 Peter 2:17; Jude 1:13). Confinement in this cosmic prison reflects the absolute exclusion of the unregenerate from God's glorious light.
| Passage | What it says |
|---|---|
| Matthew 8:12 | Sons of the kingdom who lack faith are cast into outer darkness, where there is weeping and teeth-gnashing. |
| Matthew 22:13 | The man without the wedding garment is bound hand and foot and cast into outer darkness. |
| 2 Peter 2:4 | God spared not the angels who sinned, but cast them into Tartarus, binding them in chains of darkness for judgment. |
| 2 Peter 2:9 | The Lord knows how to deliver the godly and hold the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment. |
| Jude 1:6 | Angels who left their proper domain are held in everlasting chains under dark gloom until the great day. |
| Jude 1:7 | Sodom and Gomorrah serve as an earthly example by undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. |
| Jude 1:13 | Apostates and false teachers are described as wandering stars for whom the blackest darkness is reserved forever. |
| Matthew 24:51 | The unfaithful servant is cut in two and appointed his portion with hypocrites, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. |
| Matthew 25:30 | The unprofitable servant is cast into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. |
| 2 Peter 2:17 | Deceivers and false teachers are described as wells without water, for whom the blackness of darkness is reserved forever. |
The Lake of Fire
The Final Verdict of the Lake of Fire
Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:15 (NIV)
This verse presents the absolute, non-negotiable criterion of salvation: anyone whose name is absent from the Book of Life is cast into the fire.
In Revelation 20:15, the final verdict of the universe is rendered: anyone whose name is not found written in the book of life is thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire represents the culmination of God's eternal wrath against cosmic and human rebellion. Centuries earlier, Daniel prophesied that the dust of the earth would yield its dead, some to everlasting life and others to shame and everlasting contempt (Daniel 12:2). This final state is prefigured by Isaiah 66:24, where transgressors are observed in perpetual destruction, their worm never dying and their fire never being quenched.
In the Apocalypse, John beholds the terrifying destiny of those who worship the beast: they will drink the unmixed wine of God's wrath and be tormented with fire and sulfur, the smoke of their torment ascending forever and ever with no rest day or night (Revelation 14:9-11). The beast and the false prophet are cast alive into this burning lake (Revelation 19:20), followed by the devil himself, who will be tormented day and night forever (Revelation 20:10). Then the great white throne is established, before which the earth and sky flee away, and all the dead are judged according to what was recorded in the books (Revelation 20:11-13). Death and Hades are themselves cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death (Revelation 20:14). Revelation 21:8 catalogues the unrepentant—the cowardly, faithless, murderers, and practicing idolaters—warning that their portion is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. Outside the gates of the holy city, excluded forever from life with God, remain all who love and practice falsehood (Revelation 22:14-15).
| Passage | What it says |
|---|---|
| Daniel 12:2 | The bodily resurrection will bring some to everlasting life and others to shame and everlasting contempt. |
| Revelation 14:9-11 | Those who worship the beast will be tormented with fire and sulfur, their smoke ascending forever without rest. |
| Revelation 19:20 | The beast and false prophet are captured and thrown alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur. |
| Revelation 20:10 | The devil is thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever and ever. |
| Revelation 20:11-13 | All the dead are summoned before the great white throne to be judged according to their deeds. |
| Revelation 20:14 | Death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire, which is the second death. |
| Revelation 20:15 | Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. |
| Revelation 21:8 | The cowardly, faithless, murderers, and unrepentant sinners have their portion in the fiery lake of sulfur, the second death. |
| Isaiah 66:24 | The prophet beholds the corpses of transgressors where their worm does not die and their fire is not quenched. |
| Revelation 22:14-15 | Outside the celestial city are the unrepentant, practicing evil, excluded forever from the tree of life. |
Where in the Bible
| Book | Passages |
|---|---|
| Isaiah | 1 · Isaiah 66:24 |
| Daniel | 1 · Daniel 12:2 |
| Matthew | 15 · Matthew 5:22, Matthew 5:29-30, Matthew 7:23, Matthew 10:28, Matthew 13:41-42, Matthew 13:49-50, Matthew 25:41, Matthew 25:42-45, Matthew 25:46, Matthew 18:8-9, Matthew 23:33, Matthew 8:12, Matthew 22:13, Matthew 24:51, Matthew 25:30 |
| Mark | 1 · Mark 9:43-48 |
| Luke | 6 · Luke 12:4-5, Luke 16:22-23, Luke 16:24, Luke 16:25, Luke 16:26, Luke 16:27-31 |
| John | 1 · John 5:28-29 |
| Romans | 1 · Romans 2:5-9 |
| 2 Thessalonians | 1 · 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 |
| Hebrews | 1 · Hebrews 10:26-31 |
| 2 Peter | 3 · 2 Peter 2:4, 2 Peter 2:9, 2 Peter 2:17 |
| Jude | 3 · Jude 1:6, Jude 1:7, Jude 1:13 |
| Revelation | 8 · Revelation 14:9-11, Revelation 19:20, Revelation 20:10, Revelation 20:11-13, Revelation 20:14, Revelation 20:15, Revelation 21:8, Revelation 22:14-15 |
The story in order
- Angels cast into Tartarus (c. Before the Flood) · 2 Peter 2:4 · God holds rebellious angels in chains of darkness for judgment.
- Sodom and Gomorrah judgment (c. 2000 BC) · Jude 1:7 · These cities serve as an example of eternal fire punishment.
- Isaiah's vision of judgment (c. 700 BC) · Isaiah 66:24 · Describes the unquenchable fire and undying worm for transgressors.
- Jesus' warnings about hell (AD 28-30) · Matthew 5:22 · Jesus spoke more about hell than anyone, warning of Gehenna.
- Parable of the Rich Man (AD 29-30) · Luke 16:22-23 · Depicts conscious torment, memory, and separation in Hades.
- Jesus predicts judgment (AD 30) · Matthew 13:41-42 · Angels will gather wicked and throw them into a fiery furnace.
- Jesus' final judgment discourse (AD 30) · Matthew 25:41 · The King sentences the wicked to eternal fire prepared for the devil.
- Resurrection of condemnation (AD 30) · John 5:28-29 · All will be resurrected; the wicked to condemnation.
- Apostolic warnings of judgment (AD 50s) · Romans 2:5-9 · God stores up wrath for unrepentant souls, bringing anguish.
- Paul's warning on disobedience (AD 50s) · 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 · Disobedient will suffer eternal destruction away from God's presence.
- Hebrews warning of judgment (AD 60s) · Hebrews 10:26-31 · Terrifying expectation of fiery indignation for those who reject Christ.
- Daniel's prophecy of resurrection (c. 500 BC) · Daniel 12:2 · Resurrection brings everlasting life or everlasting contempt.
- John's vision of the lake of fire (c. AD 95) · Revelation 19:20 · The beast and false prophet are thrown alive into the lake of fire.
- Final judgment and the lake of fire (c. AD 95) · Revelation 20:14-15 · Death and Hades are cast into the lake of fire, the second death.
Key words
- Hell (Gehenna (Greek))
- A place or state of eternal punishment and conscious torment for the wicked. · Matthew 5:22
- Hades (Hades (Greek))
- The realm of the dead, often depicted as a place of suffering before the final judgment. · Luke 16:23
- Lake of Fire (Limne tou pyros (Greek))
- The final place of eternal punishment for the devil, his angels, the beast, the false prophet, and the unrepentant. · Revelation 19:20
- Eternal Punishment (Aionios kolasis (Greek))
- Punishment that lasts forever, without end. · Matthew 25:46
- Second Death (Deuteron thanaton (Greek))
- The final, eternal death experienced by those whose names are not in the book of life. · Revelation 20:14
Hell stands as an unvarnished testament to the catastrophic reality of human rebellion against a holy God. Yet the very clarity of Christ's warnings is born of His mercy, directing sinners away from eternal wrath and into His gracious salvation. For all who turn to Jesus in faith, the dread of eternal judgment is replaced by the sure promise of everlasting life.
42 passages, each cited once.
Scripture cited
- 2 Thessalonians 1:9
- Luke 16:19-31
- Revelation 20:10-15
- Mark 9:43-48
- John 3:16-21
- Romans 6:23
- Revelation 14:9-11
- Acts 17:30-31
- 1 Peter 2:24
- 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10