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What is HELL like?
By Pastor Joel – Open Heaven Christian Church – Fisher, Arkansas
Some today do not believe that hell is a literal real geographical location. In this bible study we will only look at what the King James Version (KJV) passages of the bible that explicitly mention “Hell” or describe its nature and learn that hell is not only a real geographical location where people are sent, but also a literal place of punishment for anyone who rejects Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
📖 Key KJV Verses about Hell
Deuteronomy 32:22
“For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.”
This passage describes hell as God’s anger that burns to the lowest of hell signifying that there may be different levels of hell. It also describes hell as setting the foundations of mountains on fire, this perhaps may be the volcanoes that exist on earth today and waiting to erupt and burn the earth on the day of judgment. – The Great Day of the Lord
Malachi 4:1 “1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.”
Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Matthew 24:35 “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”
2 Samuel 22:6
“The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;”
This verse describes hell having “snares” or traps of cords that “prevented me” meaning snares of death confronted me.
KJV: be ensnared, gin, (is) snare(-d), trap
NASB: snare, snares, trap, ensnared, bait, barbs
Word Origin: [from H3369 (יָקוֹשׁ – snared)]
1. (literally or figuratively) a noose (for catching animals)
2. (by implication) a hook (for the nose)
Job 26:6
“Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.”
The book of Job describes hell as naked before God, and destruction has no covering by God.
Psalm 9:17
“The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”
This verse is a stark warning for anyone (including professing Christians) that live a wicked life – (those who do evil deeds) and think it is okay to do wicked deeds to others and anyone who reject Jesus Christ will find their selves in hell according to the scriptures.
Ezekiel 18: “21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?”
Revelation 21: “8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whore-mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”
Psalm 16:10
“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”
This verse is a prophecy referencing Jesus that died for all of our sins and went into the lower parts of hell and defeated Satan and all of the fallen angels and demons. When Adam fell Satan held the keys that held all of mankind in their graves without any hope of ever living again, but Jesus descended into the “lower parts” of hell and striped Satan of the keys that help all because of sin in prison until Christ died for our sins!
Revelation 1:18 “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
When Jesus died for all of our sins, Jesus literally walked into hell where all were held as a prisoner by Satan and Jesus took the keys of hell and death away from Satan.
1 Peter 3:18-22
“18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. 21 The like figure where-unto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: 22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.”
Ephesians 4: “8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)”
Jesus is the only one that escaped hell because God did not leave Jesus in hell because Jesus never sinned, Jesus went to hell to open the prison doors for those held captive in hell because of sin. Because all have sinned and fell short of ever going to heaven, Jesus paid the price or “ransomed us” from hell, this is why all must be born-again and accept Jesus as their savior. God sent Jesus to pay for all of our sins because all were destined to hell because of sin.
1 Timothy 2: “5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
Psalm 139:8
“If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.”
This verse clearly describes the omnipresence of our God. There is no place that God cannot be because of His omnipresent nature.
Proverbs 5:5
“Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.”
This verse describes a persons as having “steps” in hell which indicates people who are in hell suffering can walk with a literal body part. This body is not a fleshly body par, but a spiritual body part.
1 Corinthians 15: “40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.”
This is a spiritual or celestial body which is the real person having an entire body like angelic spirits who also have a celestial body. Look at what Jesus said about people who have died.
Mark 12: “23 In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife. 24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? 25 For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. ”
Angels are spirits and do not have physical flesh as humans do. The book of Hebrews tells us that angels are “spirits”.
Hebrews 1:14 “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
Proverbs 7:27
“Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.”
Here the scriptures describe an entire household is on it’s way to hell. It also describes “chambers” of death. Chambers are “large rooms” or large areas indicating that hell has different rooms or areas where people go.
Proverbs 9:18
“But he knoweth not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell.”
Hell is expecting “guest” – The dead are the ones who have never received Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior to have their debt of sin paid for. Death in the scripture is defined as “sin” that carries a debt or wage that must be paid but was never paid because on God through what Jesus did can forgive our debt of sin when we receive Jesus Christ. No one could ever justify their sins before God and go to heaven unless they come to Jesus who offers eternal life to anyone who will ask God to forgive them of all their sins.
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Romans 3
“23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
The word “propitiation” is the act of gaining or regaining the favor or goodwill of someone or something : the act of propitiating : appeasement
Jesus stood in our place before God the Father and paid for all of our sin debt, if anyone rejects the only one that God sent to die and pay for their sins, they are sent to hell because they are rejecting the only hope that God offers all of mankind. There is no other way to God the Father or heaven, all must enter through Jesus Christ or end up in hell.
Matthew 10:33 “But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”
New Testament References Describing Hell and Afterlife Punishment
Matthew 5:29‑30
“And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”
This verse clearly describes the possibility of people with “eyes and a whole body” being cast into hell. This one verse in scripture debunks the idea of hell not being a “literal” place where people perish for an eternity. God the Father sent his only begotten Son to die and pay our debt of sin so we do not perish for an eternity.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Matthew 10:28
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Again we find more verses in scripture where Jesus speaks of “bodies and soul” being destroyed in a literal place called hell.
Matthew 13:50
“And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 25:41
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”
This fire that Jesus describes is hell. The fire is described as “everlasting” signifying that it will never be extinguished. Jesus send the “cursed ones” to everlasting fire.
Matthew 25:46
“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
Hell is also described as a place where people will go into an “everlasting punishment”.
Mark 9:43‑48
“And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”
Again we clearly see Jesus speaking about literal “hands” which are part of a body in a hell fire that is never quenched and where worms never die.
Luke 12:5
“But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”
This verse is teaching that it is God who has the power to cast people into hell and Jesus warns us that we shall fear – GOD.
Luke 16:23‑24 (Rich man & Lazarus parable)
“And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off… for I am tormented in this flame.”
Many today including many who call their selves Christian claim that hell is not a real and literal place because they read the “parable” that Jesus taught and only view it as a parable and not a literal place but as we’ve already learned, hell is a literal and real place that God cast people into.
You can look this verse and Jesus speaks of the rich man in hell lifting his “eyes” in torment, implying that people in hell are fully aware of where they are because they can see their surroundings in hell.
Acts 2:27
“Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”
This verse is not teaching that people can escape hell, rather it is a prophecy about “The Holy One” Jesus who went to hell and three days later Jesus is resurrected so His body never saw corruption meaning that the body of Jesus never reached the decomposer stage after His death.
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Death is eternal separation from God. Sin causes death.
2 Thessalonians 1:9
“Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;”
The greatest punishment of people in hell is the punishment of never able to speak, hear, or be with God ever again. – “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord”
This separation alone in a dark burning place is the torment and hopelessness that people in hell experience throughout all eternity. They have no hope of ever being with God again.
Revelation 14:11
“And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast…”
We are warned in scripture that anyone who worships the beast will suffer torment without any rest and their agony ascends up forever and ever.
Revelation 20:10
“And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone… and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
Revelation 20:14‑15
“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Death is the eternal separation from God and death is also an enemy of God that will one day be destroyed from a true believers life.
1 Corinthians 15
“50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Summary and Themes 📌
The KJV portrays Hell with these key characteristics:
- Fire & Brimstone: Often called a lake of fire (Revelation), furnace of fire (Matthew), unquenchable fire (Mark).
- Eternal Punishment: Described as everlasting punishment or destruction (Matthew 25:46; 2 Thess 1:9).
- Second Death: Hell and death being cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14‑15).
- Torment & Restlessness: Depicted as ongoing agony, with no rest day or night (Revelation 14:11; 20:10).
- Divine Judgment: A place where God can cast both soul and body (Matthew 10:28; Luke 12:5).
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