Hell
Final, lasting separation from God, described in the Bible with serious, sobering imagery.
A little more
The Bible uses strong imagery for hell — fire, darkness, destruction — to describe the seriousness of finally and lastingly rejecting God. Christians take this seriously without claiming to know every literal detail of what it involves.
Christians differ on some specifics: some understand hell as everlasting conscious separation from God, others as a final ending of existence for those who reject him, and others land on the imagery being primarily symbolic of a real but not-fully-specified reality. All agree it isn’t something to be casual about, and none teach that God delights in it.
Read it for yourself
- Matthew 25:31-46Jesus’ teaching on final judgment, including language of eternal punishment.