What Does the Bible Say about Hell

There are a few important questions about what happens when we die that we will address in this study. Specifically: What happens when we die? What is Hell? Where is Hell?

In future studies, we will talk more about end times and the resurrection of the dead. For now, let me just say that there is a certain day appointed in the future when the dead will be judged. This brings us to our first question: What happens to the dead between now and then?

In our legal system, there is a process for criminal judgment. First, we are placed under arrest. At this point, the judge either lets us out on bail until our court date or keeps us in custody.

If we are kept in custody, we are placed in jail and held there until it is time to see the judge for court. Then we are brought before the judge and found either innocent or guilty. The innocent are set free, and the guilty are punished.

This is very similar to how the Bible describes judgment. Before we make it to the day of judgment, we are “under arrest.”

We see in these verses what happens when we die. These men have died and are awaiting judgment, but something different happens to each of them. Lazarus is carried by the angels to a different place than the rich man.

The Bible shows us that when we die, we end up in one of two places. Either we are “set free on bail,” so to speak, or we are held in prison until the day of judgment. Those “set free on bail” are comforted and among the saints. This is commonly called Heaven or Paradise.

Those not “set free on bail” are tormented in Hell.

Hell in the Original Languages

While you don’t need to understand Hebrew and Greek to grasp the concept of Hell, it can be helpful to have some background.

The word “Hell” in the Bible is translated from several terms in the original languages:

• Sheol (Hebrew): Refers to “the bottomless pit,” “the grave,” or “the place of the dead.”
• Hades (Greek): The equivalent of Sheol, meaning “the place of the dead.”

Both words can describe the physical grave or the realm where the wicked await judgment.

• Gehenna (Greek): A term used to describe a place of fiery punishment.
• Limnē (Greek): Meaning “lake,” used in combination with Gehenna to describe the Lake of Fire in Revelation 20:14-15.

Context is crucial when interpreting “Hell” in Scripture. It may refer to:

• The grave where the body decays.
• The spiritual place of torment.
• The Lake of Fire, an eternal place of punishment.

This is why the Bible occasionally mentions that those in Hell (speaking of the grave) know nothing while also mentioning that they are aware—it is referring to the decayed physical body, which has returned to dust. The soul, however, is a different story.

For this study, we will use “Hell” specifically to refer to the place of torment.

What Is Hell

The Bible tells us that Hell was created to hold the angels who sinned, keeping them in captivity until the day of judgment.

This same place where the angels are held in captivity is also where the souls of the wicked are held, awaiting the day of judgment.

Luke 16:22-24 tells us a few important things. First, while the dead body feels nothing and is unconscious in the grave, the soul remains very much awake. It is aware during the time it waits for judgment. The soul of the saint is comforted, while the soul of the wicked is in torment.

The Bible describes hell in these verses as eternal, a place of unquenchable fire, bondage, darkness, and pain—both physical and mental.

Take a moment to let that sink in.

How Can Hell Be Fire and Darkness

An obvious question arises: How can hell be both a place of fire and darkness at the same time? Since fire gives off light, this might seem contradictory.

However, this can be understood by looking at a concept taught in Genesis. Before God created the stars, sun, and moon, He created light and darkness.

Through our own experience, we understand that fire produces light. But Genesis teaches us that God is the source of all things, including light. He created light before He created the sun and then gave the sun authority over the light.

This means light’s existence does not depend on fire or celestial bodies—it depends on God, who is the ultimate source of all things.

Consider this: What we see depends on light bouncing off objects. In a dark void, if you hold up a flame, the only things you will see are the flame and yourself. All around you would still be darkness.

Think of space. Light exists everywhere, yet space appears pitch black. You only see light when it reflects off something. Hell is a place where light does not reflect. It could be compared to a black hole—light cannot escape for you to see anything. Hell may have a burning center, but it remains in complete darkness.

Can the Soul Feel Pain

If the body has turned to dust and only the soul is in hell, how can it feel pain? Isn’t pain just signals sent from nerves in the body? This is an excellent question.

Humans are made up of three parts: the body (physical), the soul (the life-giving essence), and the mind (the conscious self). While the body may return to dust, the soul and mind remain.

Medically, when someone loses a limb, such as an arm or leg, they can still experience pain in that limb even though it is no longer there. This phenomenon is called “phantom pain.”

Some scientists attribute phantom pain to nerve activity at the site of amputation, but even when these nerves are absent, pain can still be experienced. This is sometimes referred to as “psychogenic pain.”

WebMD lists the following symptoms of phantom pain:

• Burning
• Shooting
• Pins and needles
• Twisting
• Crushing
• Electric shocks

Other sensations include:

• Movement
• Temperature
• Pressure
• Vibration
• Itching

Now, apply this concept to death. When the soul and mind are removed from the body, it’s not just a single limb missing—it’s the entire body. The mind interprets this absence much like it does with an amputated limb.

Although the physical brain has turned to dust, the soul retains the “mind”—the conscious self. Without the soul, the brain would have no power. Thus, the soul, with its consciousness, can experience sensations similar to phantom pain.

The soul in hell will feel sensations such as:

• Tingling, like thousands of pricks from needles
• Shooting pain, like lightning
• Cramping muscles
• Deformity and immobility
• Itching that cannot be scratched
• Burning flames that are never extinguished
• The cold chill of outer darkness

Hell is a place of profound darkness, unrelenting pain, and suffering. Since the soul does not turn to dust, it will continue to experience these torments forever. Death is not annihilation; it is destruction.

Physicists often say that nothing in the universe is ever truly created or destroyed—it only changes form. This means that nothing simply vanishes from existence. The same principle applies to the soul.

The word they should use rather than “destroy” is “annihilated.” For example, you can destroy a wall, but not annihilate the dust from the broken bricks. Our body doesn’t vanish; it turns into dust.

Death is not annihilation. Death is destruction. The death of the body is to decay into dust. The death of the soul is to decay into madness and despair. We discussed this in the last study.

Where Is Hell

Hell is an actual place. We see this because these demons requested that they not be sent there. They referred to this place as “the deep.” The word “deep” here is another term for “abyss,” meaning an unfathomable depth. This speaks of a place that is bottomless. These demons were asking Jesus not to send them to the bottomless pit (hell).

It should be abundantly clear that there is a very real, physical location called hell, also known as the bottomless pit. This is a place used as a jail to hold the wicked until the day of judgment. So, where is it?

Hell is below us, within the earth. I cannot say this for certain, but I personally believe it to be the core of the earth or close to it. It is below us. It is bottomless because when you fall to the center, all directions are up.

This is where the soul of the rich man resides. He is in the place known as the bottomless pit, inside the earth. As his body went down into the dust of the ground, his soul also descended, but further.

The Day of Judgment

When criminals are brought out of jail to see the judge, they are sometimes sentenced to prison. A jail and a prison are similar in many ways, but jail is temporary, while prison is long-term.

This is also what we see happening on the day of judgment. The dead are judged and cast into a permanent lake of fire.

What Is the Lake of Fire

I cannot say for certain that the Lake of Fire and the place called hell are two different places. The scriptures are not entirely clear on this matter.

Revelation 20:14 tells us that hell will be cast into the lake of fire. This would be a good reason to assume they are different places. However, considering it also says “death” is cast into it, we need to acknowledge that the context may indicate the word “hell” is being used in the abstract.

As a side note it is important to know that death is not an angel. The Bible doesn’t teach that. It is the name for what happens to us when our bodies stop working.

It is because of the context that I cannot say definitively that hell and the Lake of Fire are different. However, there is strong reason to believe they are.

Revelation 19 ends with the beast and the false prophet being cast into a lake of fire. Then, in Revelation 20, we see the Devil being chained up in the bottomless pit. Notice that it changes the description of the places.

In these verses, it seems to make a distinction between the lake of fire and the bottomless pit. So, it would appear they are two different places. However, I would not be willing to die on that hill.

The bottom line is that whether they are the same place or not, they are very similar. Both (if they are different) are places of fire and eternal torment.

There are still many misconceptions about hell that need to be addressed. Is it a place void of God? Is it just a metaphor? How can a loving God send someone there? These are questions we will answer in our next studies.

Continue To Unit 2:10 – Is Hell Real or Metaphorical OR

Return To Christianity 101 Unit 2 – Sin and Eternal Judgment