Is Hell Real? What the Bible Says About Hell

Jesus speaks of a real hell. In Matthew 25:46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.Matthew 25:46 · King James Version he sets “everlasting punishment” beside “life eternal.” Churches that confess the Trinity have not all said the same thing about the fate of the wicked, and Jehovah’s Witnesses deny a place of torment.

Key points

• Matthew 25:41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:Matthew 25:41 · King James Version has Jesus say, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.”
• Matthew 25:46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.Matthew 25:46 · King James Version says the others “shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
• Mark 9:43And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:Mark 9:43 · King James Version speaks of “hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched.”
• The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1035, says the Church “affirms the existence of hell and its eternity.”
• The LCMS FAQ says those who do not repent and believe “will suffer eternal punishment in hell.”
• Jehovah’s Witnesses, who are not Trinitarian, say on jw.org that the dead “are in a state of nonexistence.” Does the Bible support slavery? is the other hard passage on this shelf.

What the Bible says

Matthew 25:41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:Matthew 25:41 · King James Version (King James Version) records Jesus’ words:

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

Matthew 25:41 · King James Version

Matthew 25:46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.Matthew 25:46 · King James Version (King James Version) says:

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Matthew 25:46 · King James Version

Mark 9:43And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:Mark 9:43 · King James Version (King James Version) says:

And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Mark 9:43 · King James Version

Luke 16:23–24^16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. ^16:24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.Luke 16:23–24 · King James Version (King James Version) tells of the rich man:

And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

Luke 16:23–24 · King James Version

Revelation 20:10And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.Revelation 20:10 · King James Version says the devil “shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Revelation 20:14–15^20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. ^20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.Revelation 20:14–15 · King James Version says death and hell were cast into the lake of fire, “the second death,” and that anyone not written in the book of life was cast in. Revelation 21:8But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.Revelation 21:8 · King James Version says the same lake “is the second death.” John 3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.John 3:16 · King James Version is the other side of the same preaching: whoever believes in the Son “should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Where churches stand

A Gospel Topics page on hell did not include the entry’s text in the fetch, so The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not quoted here. Presbyterian, Methodist, ELCA, and Southern Baptist pages fetched for this project did not print a hell paragraph, so they are not quoted on this point.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1033, says:

To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God’s merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called “hell.”

Paragraph 1035 says:

The teaching of the Church affirms the existence of hell and its eternity. Immediately after death the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, “eternal fire.” The chief punishment of hell is eternal separation from God, in whom alone man can possess the life and happiness for which he was created and for which he longs.

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod FAQ, a synod answer page rather than a new confession, says that if people do not repent and believe and trust in Jesus they “will suffer eternal punishment in hell.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses are not a Trinitarian church. Their page Is hell a real place of torment? says:

No. The original words translated as “hell” in some older Bible translations (Hebrew, “Sheol”; Greek, “Hades”) basically refer to “the Grave,” that is, the common grave of mankind. The Bible shows that people in “the Grave” are in a state of nonexistence. The dead are unconscious and so cannot feel pain.

Is hell a real place of torment?

The same page says, “God has set death, not torment in a fiery hell, as the penalty for sin,” and it quotes Ecclesiastes 9:10 from the Douay-Rheims Version.

I can’t become a Christian because of hell

Some people hear everlasting punishment as a reason to refuse Jesus. The same chapter that names the punishment names the alternative in Jesus’ mouth: life eternal (Matthew 25:46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.Matthew 25:46 · King James Version). John 3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.John 3:16 · King James Version says God gave his Son so that whoever believes should not perish. Christians confess that Jesus is God and that he rose. That confession is the deity of Christ and the resurrection.

Frequently asked questions

Did Jesus speak about hell?

Yes. Matthew 25:41Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:Matthew 25:41 · King James Version and Matthew 25:46And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.Matthew 25:46 · King James Version are his words, and so is Mark 9:43And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:Mark 9:43 · King James Version.

Do all churches teach eternal torment?

They do not. The Catholic catechism and the LCMS FAQ quoted above affirm eternal punishment. Jehovah’s Witnesses, quoted above, teach that the dead are unconscious and that the penalty for sin is death.

Does the Bible also speak of mercy?

John 3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.John 3:16 · King James Version says God loved the world and gave his Son so that believers would have everlasting life. John 5:28–29^5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, ^5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.John 5:28–29 · King James Version says the dead will come out, some to the resurrection of life and some to the resurrection of damnation.