Contrary to the teachings of some Christians, the Bible gives us every reason to believe that hell is a physical place that affects our physical bodies, in addition to its mental and spiritual torments. Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

It’s become somewhat fashionable to say that hell is a state of mind rather than a physical location. Far more people in modern America will proclaim their belief in heaven than admit hell exists. Even so, they must both exist in relation to one another, and scripture assures us they both do. Hell is terrible beyond words precisely because it is not heaven.

So what kind of place is hell?

A Very Specific Place

The Bible uses several different words to refer to the eternal destination of the wicked. The Old Testament refers most often to Sheol, the underworld or abode of the dead. It is a place of judgment for the wicked, but the righteous are saved from it. (Ezekiel 32:27, Psalm 30:3) This concept was alive and well in the Judaism of Jesus’ day, yet in his story of the rich man and Lazarus, he clearly differentiated between two different places: Abraham’s bosom and Hades. (Luke 16:19-21) Hades was the Greek term for the underworld that was adopted by the Jewish translators of the Septuagint.

The word “hell” is most closely associated with the Hebrew term Gehenna, which was subsequently brought into Greek. The name is derived from the Valley of Hinnom just outside Jerusalem, where refuse (including the dead bodies of those thought to be cursed) was continually burned. The word Gehenna therefore evokes images of death and continual destruction by fire, in addition to the symbolism of being cast outside the gates of the holy city.

The book of Revelation speaks of a “lake of fire” into which not only the souls of damned humans, but also the devil will be thrown at the end of the age. (Revelation 20:10, 14-15) My own personal sense is that this place of everlasting punishment is not one and the same with the place to which those who die separated from Christ are immediately sent in the here and now, but there is room for debate on this point. I rest my case partly on the fact that Hades itself is said to be thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:14) I believe the word “Sheol” is also not the best description of hell proper, as it refers more to the state of being dead than a specific punishment for the wicked.

Both Physical and Spiritual

Contrary to the teachings of some Christians, the Bible gives us every reason to believe that hell is a physical place that affects our physical bodies, in addition to its mental and spiritual torments. Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) He also taught, “If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.” (Mark 9:47-48) The frequent mention of fire in relation to hell suggests something very physical indeed.

Pronounced by Legal Sentence

The Bible consistently teaches that those who go to hell are sent there by the sentence or judgment of God. Thus, Jesus warned the ungodly Pharisees, “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?” (Matthew 23:33) Elsewhere, he used courtroom imagery in relation to hell. “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.” (Matthew 5:22) The apostle John was also clear about this matter in Revelation.

“And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds…And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:12, 15)

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