What is hell like? Is hell a pit of fire?
Hell is not a comfortable subject. But Jesus talked about it more than anyone else in the Bible, not to scare people for fun, but because He didn’t want anyone to go there. So here it is, plainly.
Hell is real, conscious and forever. It is not fire as we know it. At its core, hell is total separation from God, and because every good thing comes from God, it means being cut off from every good thing, forever (2 Thessalonians 1:9; James 1:17). No light, no rest, no love, no relief, no end. Scripture uses the strongest pictures people know, fire and darkness, to describe something worse than both.
Ready, or close? We’ll walk with you. Take the first step →
A rich man who woke up in torment
Jesus told of a rich man who lived in luxury while a poor, sick man named Lazarus lay at his gate. Both died. Lazarus was carried to Abraham’s side. The rich man found himself in torment, able to see, remember and speak, and he cried out, “I am in agony in this fire” (Luke 16:19–24). He begged for one drop of water, and for someone to warn his brothers. He wasn’t sent there for being rich; he was there because he lived his whole life without God.
Hell in plain words
Think about the worst feeling you have ever had. The worst night, the worst loss, the deepest fear, the loneliest moment. Now imagine that feeling never leaves. Not for a day, not for a year. Forever.
On your worst day here, the sun still comes up. You can still eat a good meal, drive with the windows down, hear a song you love, hug someone, fall asleep. Those are all gifts from God, even to people who ignore Him (Matthew 5:45). In hell, all of it is gone. No sunshine: complete darkness. No friend, no comfort, no music, no rest, no hope that tomorrow will be better. Just you, fully awake and fully aware, with everything that has ever been hell in your life, every day, with no end.
People on earth have been through fires: house fires, building fires, burns. Terrible, but they end. Hell is worse than catching fire, because what burns is not just the body; it is being shut out from God Himself, forever.
Why it is not fire as we know it
It gives no light. Every fire on earth makes light, yet Jesus also called hell “outer darkness” (Matthew 25:30). Fire with no light is not earthly fire.
It never burns out. Earthly fire consumes its fuel and goes out. This fire “is not quenched” (Mark 9:48). In plain words: it never ends, never eases and never runs out.
It was made for spirits. It was “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41), who are spirit beings. Earthly fire can’t touch a spirit.
So when Scripture says fire, it means torment worse than any fire we know, not a campfire and not “just an expression.” It is real.
What the Bible’s words mean
“Their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48). In plain words: the pain inside and the punishment outside never stop.
“Weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30). In plain words: unbearable grief and helpless rage. Crying that doesn’t heal, anger that changes nothing.
“Separated from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). In plain words: God, the source of every good thing, is gone from your life forever, and so is every good thing He gives.
The words Jesus used
Gehenna (Greek γέεννα): Jesus’ most common word for hell. It comes from the Hebrew Ge-Hinnom, the Valley of Hinnom just outside Jerusalem, where children had once been burned in sacrifice to the idol Molech (2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31). Jesus took a real place known for fire and horror and used it for the final judgment.
Pyr (Greek πῦρ): fire, the root of our word “pyro.” Jesus spoke of “the fire of hell” (Matthew 5:22), “the fiery furnace” (Matthew 13:42), and “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).
Outer darkness (skotos exōteron): shut out from all light (Matthew 8:12).
The lake of fire (limnē tou pyros): the final destination of Satan, his angels and all who reject God (Revelation 20:10, 14–15).
Why God tells us
Hell was not made for people; it was made for the devil and his angels. God “is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus went to the cross so that no one has to go there.
What the Bible says
- 01
Separated from His presence.
“They will suffer the penalty of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and the glory of His might,”
2 Thessalonians 1:9 - 02
The fire is not quenched.
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire. If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ‘their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.’”
Mark 9:43–48 - 03
Prepared for the devil and his angels.
“Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Matthew 25:41 - 04
Outer darkness.
“And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Matthew 25:30 - 05
The lake of fire.
“Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Revelation 20:14–15 - 06
Not wanting anyone to perish.
“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.
If you are not sure where you stand with God, don’t wait. Pray today: “Jesus, I believe You died for me and rose again. Save me. I’m Yours.”
Common questions
Is hell forever?
Yes. Jesus used the same word, aiōnios, for both: “they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46).
Is hell literally fire?
Not fire as we know it. It gives no light, never goes out, and torments spirits. Scripture calls it fire because fire is the most painful thing people know, and hell is worse.
Is God cruel to send people to hell?
God is perfectly just, and sin against a holy God is serious. But He paid for sin Himself, at the cross, and offers forgiveness to everyone. No one goes to hell without having refused that offer.
Take your first step with us.
If you prayed today, or you’re close, Become will walk with you: your first days with Jesus, step by step, with people praying for you.