What Is Hell?
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Matthew 10:28
Many people hear the word hell and immediately picture endless torture. That picture has produced real fear—sometimes for years. This ministry’s aim is not to minimize judgment, but to let Scripture speak with clarity and steadiness.
In Scripture, hell is presented as God’s final judgment against unrepentant evil—a judgment that results in destruction (the loss of life), not God sustaining someone forever in pain. Judgment is real. God is holy. But God is not cruel.
If this topic has been used to frighten or control you, you are not alone. Jesus does not teach judgment to manipulate people—He teaches truth to bring people into life.
What does the Bible mean by “hell”?
In the New Testament, “hell” often translates the word Gehenna—a term Jesus used for a place associated with burning and destruction. The point is not a travel-guide description of the afterlife, but a sober warning: rejecting God’s life leads to real ruin.
Notice Jesus’ language in Matthew 10:28: God can destroy both body and soul in hell. “Destroy” is not the same as “preserve forever in torment.” Jesus presents final judgment as the opposite of life, not another kind of life.
Anchor passages that shape this understanding
Scripture teaches two contrasting outcomes: eternal life for those who belong to Christ, and death/destruction for those who finally refuse Him.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
John 3:16 is often remembered for “eternal life,” but don’t miss the contrast: the alternative is to perish. The gospel invitation is rescue into life, not a threat to force compliance.
“And do not fear those who kill the body… rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Matthew 10:28
Here again, Jesus names hell as destruction. This fits the wider New Testament pattern: “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and God alone has immortality (1 Timothy 6:16). Eternal life is a gift, not an automatic human possession.
“These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 25:46
Some readers hear “eternal punishment” and assume “eternal punishing.” But the text contrasts two lasting outcomes: eternal life, and an eternal punishment. If the punishment is death (the final loss of life), then it is eternal in its result.
What about “unquenchable fire” and “where their worm does not die”?
Jesus’ imagery (for example, Mark 9:43–48) is strong and memorable—because the warning is serious. But “unquenchable” does not mean “never-ending burning”; it means a fire that cannot be stopped until it has finished its work. In the Old Testament, similar language describes judgments that fully consume (see Isaiah 66:24 for the “worm” imagery Jesus echoes).
The Bible often uses fire as a picture of consuming judgment—what evil cannot survive in the presence of God’s holiness. The aim of the image is not to satisfy curiosity; it is to call us away from sin and toward life.
Is this “soft” on sin or judgment?
No. Scripture’s warnings are weighty. Jesus speaks plainly about judgment. But Scripture also shows God’s heart: He is “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God’s justice is real, and His patience is real.
The point of judgment teaching is not to keep tender consciences in panic. It is to tell the truth about where sin leads, and to magnify the mercy offered in Christ.
What if Christians disagree about this?
Faithful Christians have held different views about hell. Some teach eternal conscious torment; others teach conditional immortality (destruction), as presented here. If you have been taught the former, it may take time to read these texts with fresh eyes. You do not need to rush, and you do not need to be afraid while you study.
A steady starting point is this: Jesus invites you into life. If you are in Him, you are not being held over a fire. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
So what is hell, in one sentence?
Hell is God’s final judgment that results in the destruction of the wicked—real accountability, but not eternal torture.
If this topic has stirred fear, you may simply take one next step: read John 3 slowly, and notice the heart of God—love that gives, invites, and rescues.