What does the Bible say about hell?

Short answer

The Bible teaches that hell is real: the final state of separation from God for those who reject Him, described as eternal punishment. At the same time it shows that God does not want anyone to perish and patiently calls everyone to repent.

Hell is one of the hardest subjects in the Bible, and many people would rather avoid it. But Jesus Himself spoke about it more than once, and it is part of what the Bible says about how serious sin is and how great God’s rescue is. It is worth reading what Scripture actually says, calmly and honestly.

Jesus spoke about eternal punishment

At the end of His teaching on the last judgment, Jesus separates people into two groups.

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Matt 25:46 · King James Version (1769)

John MacArthur points out that the same Greek word describes both the punishment and the life. The punishment of the wicked is as unending as the blessedness of the righteous, and he adds that they are not annihilated and are given no second chance. John Wesley draws the same logical conclusion: “Either therefore the punishment is strictly eternal, or the reward is not.” Adam Clarke notes that some Christians hope that the punishment will end and others think the wicked will be annihilated, but he argues that the word means never-ending and that those who suffer must still exist.

Jesus also says that this fire was prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).

What the story of the rich man shows

The story of the rich man and Lazarus gives a rare look at the state of the dead.

And in hell he lifted 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 (1769)

MacArthur explains that “Hades” in Greek meant the place of the dead, and that Christ describes it here as a place where torment has already begun: fire, a conscience tormented by memories of a wasted chance, and a fixed separation from God and everything good. William MacDonald distinguishes between Hades, a waiting state for the unsaved dead, and the final hell, which comes after judgment. Albert Barnes cautions that the language reflects the pictures common in Jesus’ day, and we are not to suppose that every detail is literal. Matthew Henry notes that this man’s sin was providing only for himself, and the point is that a person may have all the wealth of this world and still perish.

The final judgment

The Bible places the last judgment at the end of history.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Rev 20:14–15 · King James Version (1769)

MacDonald explains that the decisive question is whether a person’s name is written in the book of life. The New Geneva Study Bible sees in this passage God judging all creation with perfect power. Clarke describes the second death as the separation of body and soul from God forever, in contrast to the first death, which is only a temporary separation of soul and body. Notice what the final question is. It is not whether we were good enough, but whether we belong to Christ (John 3:36).

God does not want anyone to perish

The Bible never presents hell as something God enjoys. On the contrary:

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

2 Pet 3:9 · King James Version (1769)

MacDonald notes that Christ’s apparent delay is God’s patience: He deliberately lengthens the time of grace so that people can be saved. MacArthur adds that God endures endless insults against His name before He judges. Wesley understands the words to mean that God is unwilling that any soul He has made should perish. Elsewhere God Himself says He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11).

What this means for us

The Bible does not speak about hell to frighten us for the sake of it, but to warn us and to show how much the cross cost. Jesus bore the penalty so that we would not have to (Romans 6:23). If this subject troubles you, the answer the Bible gives is not to look for a way around it, but to turn to Christ: How can I be saved?