Hell – the Lake of Fire – is real.
True believers will spend eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ.
All non-believers will burn in hell forever and ever.
A false teaching in some churches today states that you can change your mind once you’re been in hell awhile, and be forgiven. That is a lie. The Bible – the infallible word of God – does not state that – in fact, quite the contrary.
Below are Scripture verses on hell.
Wrath of God
“He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” – John 3:36
“But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.” – Romans 2:5
Hell Exists
Oxford Dictionary defines Hades as: the underworld; the land of the spirits of the dead.
In the New Testament, Hades is mentioned numerous times:
“ ‘You will be brought down to Hades!” ” – Luke 10:15
“ ‘…In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.” But Abraham said, “Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.” And he said, “Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house – for I have five brothers – in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.” But Abraham said, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.” But he said, “No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!” But he said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.” ’ ” – Luke 16:23-31
“… he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay.” – Acts 2:31
“ ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.’ ” – Revelation 1:18
“I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him.” – Revelation 6:8
“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:13-15
“ ‘… upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.’ ” – Matthew 16:18
In the Old Testament, it is called Sheol:
“ ‘… have been brought down to Sheol; maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you and worms are your covering.’ ” – Isaiah 14:11
“ ‘You will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.’ ” – Isaiah 14:15
“Naked is Sheol before Him, and Abaddon has no covering.” – Job 26:6
“Let death come deceitfully upon them; let them go down alive to Sheol, for evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.” – Psalm 55:15
“Her feet go down to death, her steps take hold of Sheol.” – Proverbs 5:5
“But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.” – Proverbs 9:18
“The path of life leads upward for the wise that he may keep away from Sheol below.” – Proverbs 15:24
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.” – Ecclesiastes 9:10
“ … who went down to Sheol … ” – Ezekiel 32:27
Sheol/Hades is like the county jail – a temporary holding facility.
It is also described as “pit…abyss…dungeon…prison…Abaddon…hold…cage…Tartarus”:
“For Christ also died for sins once for all … in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison …” – 1 Peter 3:18-19
“… that He was cut off out of the land of the living …” – Isaiah 53:8
“ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” – Romans 10:7
“Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.” – Isaiah 14:15
“They will be gathered together like prisoners in the dungeon, and will be confined in prison; and after many days they will be punished.” – Isaiah 24:22
“To bring out prisoners from the dungeon and those who dwell in darkness from the prison.” – Isaiah 42:7
“Do not let … the pit close its mouth over me.” – Psalm 69:15
“ … but You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.” – Jonah 2:6
“Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord …” – Proverbs 15:11
“Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, even whole, as those who go down to the pit.” – Proverbs 1:12
“Abaddon and Death say, ‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’ ” – Job 28:22
“… when I bring up the deep over you and the great waters cover you, then I will bring you down with those who go down to the pit … and I will make you dwell in the lower parts of the earth … with those who go down to the pit … I will bring terrors on you” – Ezekiel 26:19-21
“they will bring you down to the pit” – Ezekiel 28:8
“They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss.” – Luke 8:31
“the Lord knows how … to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.” – 2 Peter 2:9
“Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him. He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.” – Revelation 9:1-2
“They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.” – Revelation 9:11
“… the beast that comes up out of the abyss …” – Revelation 11:7
“The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction.” – Revelation 17:8
“She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit.” – Revelation 18:2 – NASB
“…become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.” – Revelation 18:2 – KJV
“… her dust into burning sulphur; her land will become blazing pitch!It will not be quenched night and day; its smoke will rise for ever.From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no-one will ever pass through it again.The desert owl and screech owl will possess it; the great owl and the raven will nest there.” – Isaiah 34:9-11 *** compare Revelation 18:2 – “ ‘Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great!She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.’ ” *** In Leviticus 11:13-19 – “ ‘These, moreover, you shall detest among the birds; they are abhorrent, not to be eaten: …every raven in its kind…the owl…and the bat.”
“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.” – Revelation 20:1-3
“When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison.” – Revelation 20:7
Sheol/Hades might be a holding area until the final Great White Throne Judgment, but the torment is already real:
“For a fire is kindled in My anger, and burns to the lowest part of Sheol.” – Deuteronomy 32:22
“For it would be fire that consumes to Abaddon.” – Job 31:12
“May burning coals fall upon them; may they be cast into the fire, into deep pits from which they cannot rise.” – Psalm 140:10
Tartarus – the holding area for the fallen angels (demons):
“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment …” – 2 Peter 2:4
“And angels who did not keep their own domain … He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.” – Jude 1:6
The Lord Christ Jesus spoke about hell:
“ ‘If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.’ ” – Matthew 5:29
“ ‘If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.’ ” – Matthew 18:8-9
“ ‘… whoever says, “You fool,” shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.’ ” – Matthew 5:22
“ ‘You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?’ ” – Matthew 23:33
Hell – the lake of fire – is after the Great White Throne Judgment.
Hell, the final place of torment is described as “the furnace of fire…the lake of fire”:
“ ‘So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ” – Matthew 13:40-42
“ ‘So it will be at the end of the age; then angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ” – Matthew 13:49-50
“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:13-15
“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” – Psalm 9:17
Place of Torment:
“He will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”- Revelation 14:10-11
“ ‘There is no peace for the wicked,’ says the Lord.” – Isaiah 48:22
Eternal Fire and Punishment:
Eternal means just that – forever and ever. The moment you die, it is over. It is too late to repent and seek forgiveness for your sins.
“Sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling has seized the godless. Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with continual burning?” – Isaiah 33:14
“ ‘Then He will also say to those on His left, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” ’ ” – Matthew 25:41
“ ‘These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’ ” – Matthew 25:46
“ ‘If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it from you. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, than to have two eyes and be cast into the fiery hell.’ ” – Matthew 18:8-9
Eternal Destruction:
“These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.” – 2 Thessalonians 1:9
Eternal Sin:
“ ‘… but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.’ ” – Mark 3:29
Outer Darkness:
“ ‘… but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ” – Matthew 8:12
“Blackest darkness is reserved for them.” – 2 Peter 2:17
“…for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.” – Jude 1:13
Unquenchable Fire:
“He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” – Matthew 3:12
“ ‘… to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire’ ” – Mark 9:43
“ ‘… where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ” – Mark 9:44
“ ’… to be cast into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched’ “ – Mark 9:45-46
“ ‘… to be cast into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ ” – Mark 9:47-48
“It will not be quenched night or day; its smoke will go up forever.” – Isaiah 34:10
Lake of Fire and Brimstone:
The beast and the false prophet: “And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone.” – Revelation 19:20
The devil: “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” – Revelation 20:10
All unbelievers: “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” – Revelation 21:8
Second Death:
“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:13-15
“ ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death.’ ” – Revelation 2:11
“Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power.” – Revelation 20:6
Fear the Lord:
“ ‘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
“ But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!’ ” – Luke 12:5
Final Scripture:
“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9
click here for article: God is a Consuming Fire
click here for article:Salvation Call – God’s Love
