Does Hell Burn Forever According to the Bible?

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily match my own. - Dr. Bart D. Ehrman

For many Christians, hell is one of the scariest doctrines in the Bible: a place of unrelenting fire where sinful people suffer forever in unrelenting flames. This image has shaped centuries of preaching, art, and popular culture, leading many people to assume that the Bible speaks with one clear voice about the fate of the damned. But does hell burn forever? What influenced this question and other beliefs about it?

In this article, I’ll show you the historical origins of the biblical idea of hell and explore the ancient Jewish and Greek influences that shaped it. I’ll also explain three differing views of hell according to Bible verses. Also, since Christians throughout history have asked whether hell burns forever and wanted the answer in a Biblical context, I’ll outline some of the opinions of ancient authors on this topic. Let’s start where the notion of hell becomes most prominent: apocalyptic literature.

The Origins of Apocalypticism

The English word “apocalypse” comes from the Greek word apokalypsis, the verbal form which is apokalyptein, meaning "to reveal, uncover, or disclose."

This is why, for example, the book of Revelation was known in Greek as Apokalypsis Ioannou, or The Revelation of John. That entire book is about God uncovering a spiritual reality human beings can only see through divinely granted visions. It turns out, though, that Revelation was one of many apocalypses written in the ancient Jewish and Christian world.

In fact, apocalypses became an important and influential literary genre in late Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity. While each apocalyptic literary work has unique features, there are common traits shared by most of them. In The Oxford Handbook of Apocalyptic Literature, for example, Hindy Najman writes that “Typically, apocalypse includes revelation that is mediated. Angels, heavenly visions, and other worldly journeys often play a role in the narrative.”

Some apocalyptic literature has shaped people’s opinions in heaven vs. hell debates. In The Apocalyptic Imagination: An Introduction to Jewish Apocalyptic Literature, John Collins describes two axes of heavenly reality included in most apocalyptic literature, spatial and temporal. The spatial axis discloses the divine reality from which God rules our physical world, while the temporal axis discusses the end of time, when justice will finally be done and God’s rule, or as Jesus put it, “The Kingdom of God,” will become tangible.

One of the main purposes of apocalyptic literature, then, was to explain the discrepancy between a righteous God and the suffering of his faithful followers on Earth. Apocalyptic authors thus described the history of human beings, the cause or causes of evil, and the final culmination of all creation. They furthermore wrote that blameless people would ultimately achieve the heavenly rewards they deserved, either in a Messianic kingdom on earth or in a heavenly realm after death. The wicked, however, would be punished for their evil deeds.

This is where the idea of hell comes in.

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What Is Hell?

Interestingly, despite the diversity of religious ideas about divine rewards and punishments in the world, the notion of a transcendent punishment for evil acts is found in many different ancient religious traditions, often featuring post-death scenarios.

In his book The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity,  Jeffrey Burton Russell notes that one of the oldest Buddhist writings, the Kathāvatthu, which was written between 250–100 BCE, says hell is the result of a bad action, although this was not the action of a creator god. There were, in fact, various hells in Buddhist thought, all of which were seen as temporary.

Russell also says that in the ancient Persian religion known as Zoroastrianism, hell was said to be the home of the chief of all devils, Angra Manyu. According to this Persian version of the afterlife, the dead chose heaven or hell by their actions in life, actions which reflected the ethics of either the supreme god, Ahura Mazda or the ethics of the devil, Angra Manyu.

Furthermore, Zoroastrians believed hell was at the center of the earth with a bridge crossing over it. As the dead crossed this bridge, those who had done evil in life would fall from the bridge into hell, where they would be tortured. However, this stay in hell was not considered permanent in Zoroastrianism. Eventually, Ahura Mazda would conquer Angra Manyu, thus freeing the souls in hell.

Having seen some ancient ideas of hell outside of Judaism and Christianity, let’s look at how the Bible speaks about hell.

What Happens in Hell?

There are several Hebrew and Greek words which are frequently translated as "hell" in most English translations of the Bible. Let’s look at them and what they meant in their original historical contexts.

The first of these, the one found most frequently in the Hebrew Bible, is "Sheol." James Tabor writes that unlike hell, which was reserved only for the wicked, Sheol was considered to be the place everyone went after death, regardless of their deeds:

The King James Version of the Bible translates this term in different ways, sometimes as “hell,” sometimes as “grave,” and sometimes as “pit.” More modern translations, however, generally don’t translate the word as “hell.” The NIV translates it as either “grave” or “pit,” while the NRSV translates it as either “netherworld” or “abyss.”

In the New Testament, there are several words often translated into English as “hell.” One of them, "Gehenna," is represented most often in the Gospels (Matt. 5:22, Mk 9:43) but is also seen in James 3:6. However, in his book Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife, Bart Ehrman notes that translating Gehenna as hell is an unfortunate and inaccurate choice, given modern ideas about what hell means:

The second most common New Testament term often translated as “hell” is Hades. In Greek myths, we often see the belief that at the moment of death, the soul is separated from the body and taken to Hades under the earth. In classic Greek mythology such as in Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, all dead souls, regardless of their ethical behavior in life, were taken to Hades. In this underworld, the souls of the dead do not live a torturous existence, but it is certainly a dull one, deprived of light and anything new forever. In this sense, Hades corresponds roughly to the Hebrew idea of Sheol.

Finally, there is one more word often translated as hell in the New Testament: Tartarus. This word is found only in one verse, 2 Peter 2:4. Arguing that false prophets will be punished, the author gives several examples of wicked beings who were punished by God, including angels:

Tartarus as a location (it was also the name of a god) was a deep chasm used as a prison and torture chamber for the wicked. In Plato's dialogue Gorgias, for instance, souls, which are the true identity of each person, are judged after death and, if found to have acted in an evil manner in life, were punished. Note that this conforms quite easily to modern ideas of hell, emphasizing the Greek influence on the idea.

As you can see, it’s difficult to say what a biblically accurate hell would be, since we are mostly given mere intimations of hell’s nature in the Bible rather than detailed descriptions.

Is hell eternal? Now that we’ve addressed some of the original biblical words referring to the afterlife, let’s look into the answer to that question, based on what the Bible says.

Does Hell Burn Forever According to the Bible?

The Bible has different perspectives on the duration of hell. Different passages have been interpreted to support three major theological models I’ll explain here: Eternal Torment, Annihilationism, and Universalism.

The traditional view that the wicked will suffer forever can be called Eternal Torment or Eternal Conscious Torment. There are certainly Bible verses that point to this view. This might be what is indicated, for instance, in the judgment scene in Matthew 25:44-46, in which the wicked are sent to eternal damnation:

In Revelation 20:10, we see again that hell is a place of eternal torment, even for Satan:

Likewise, in Revelation 14:9-11, an angel says

But here, we run into a translation problem: Some scholars note that the Greek word aiōnios can mean "an age" or "for an age," rather than strictly "forever." In her book A Larger Hope?, Volume 1: Universal Salvation from Christian Beginnings to Julian of Norwich, for instance, Ilaria Ramelli notes that “Indeed, aiōn and aiōnas in Scripture never mean “eternity” and “eternal” unless they refer to God.” Instead, these words simply refer to a very long span of time: ages of ages. We’ll talk more about what implications this might have for the idea of hell later on.

The second view of the afterlife is known as annihilationism. This notion argues that hell is a place of total destruction. Instead of being burned in hell forever, in other words, the wicked just stop existing entirely. In Matthew 10:28, Jesus seems to mention this possibility:

The Greek word used for “destroy” in Matthew 10:28, apolesai, can also mean “cease to exist.” It must be noted, though, that the idea of ending the existence of the wicked directly conflicts with other biblical passages like those I mentioned earlier that seem to describe torment without end, posing a clear conflict between the idea of post-mortem annihilation and staying alive in a state of eternal suffering.

The other view presented in the Bible is known as universalism. This view argues that hell is simply an impermanent, purifying punishment, like putting ore in a fire to burn off its impurities without destroying the metal itself. It furthermore emphasizes that God's supreme longing and to save all of humanity will ultimately be accomplished by his power.

We apparently see an example of this idea in Philippians 2:9-11, where Paul says of Jesus that

Similarly, Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

In both these Bible verse examples, Paul indicates that “all” will be saved.

The idea of a temporary hell, though, leading to universal salvation, challenges any biblical passages that emphasize or seem to emphasize “eternal” or “forever" texts. It argues that the ultimate victory of God's love and grace supersedes temporary punishments. It would appear, then, that we have three competing viewpoints within the New Testament about the ultimate post-mortem fate of human beings. Why do these contradictions exist?

What Is the Truth About Hell?: Reasons for Contradictory Ideas

First, as Timothy Beal says in his book The Rise And Fall Of The Bible: The Unexpected History of an Accidental Book, the books of the Bible were written by different people living at different times and in different places. They thus represent differing viewpoints on many issues. Beal notes that it is more accurate, therefore, to call the Bible a library rather than a book. If we had a question about something, would we ask “What does the library say?” No, because we don’t expect every book in the library to agree with every other book. Beal says this is an appropriate attitude to take toward the Bible as well.

Then there is the problem of translation and linguistic ambiguity. If I were to say to a person learning English for the first time that my friend “kicked the bucket,” would he understand that my friend had died? Probably not. Bible translators have the same types of problems. Also, as I pointed out above, the original biblical languages sometimes use words like the Hebrew Sheol and Greek Hades to refer simply to the "grave" or "the realm of the dead" rather than the underworld or a fiery torture chamber. But since some forms of modern Christianity do believe in a real, fiery, eternal hell, translators have often simply projected the modern concept onto ancient words.

Finally, as in any ancient text, we have the difficulty of deciding whether a passage was intended metaphorically or literally. Much of the biblical imagery of the afterlife, including "unquenchable fire" or "undying worms" from Mark 9:48, comes from Old Testament prophetic language (see Isaiah 66:24, for example) describing the physical destruction of bodies in the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna). Did Jesus intend that literal meaning, indicating total annihilation, or use it as a metaphor to imply endless suffering? It’s difficult to know for certain, which is why Christian opinions about hell have differed throughout history.

Theological Development on the Timespan of Hell

After the New Testament period, ideas about hell were debated for centuries (and still are, for that matter) by Christian authors trying to discover the truth about hell. Let’s look at a few of their ideas.

The second-century heresiologist Irenaeus of Lyon wrote both to hunt heresies and to expound on theological topics. While he may not have spent a lot of time on the details of hell, he may have believed that all would be saved according to this quotation from his master work Against Heresies.

Note that for Irenaeus, it is Christ’s incarnation, uniting his divine nature with our human nature, that restored the relationship to God “for all.” Moreover, he writes that Christ’s sacrifice defeated death. On the other hand, it may only indicate the possibility of everyone being saved.

Clement of Alexandria, a well-respected theologian and teacher from the 2nd and 3rd centuries, seemed to agree with Irenaeus on the scope of divine salvation.

With its reference to the judgment, this passage appears to say that some sinners will be compelled in the afterlife to repent.

Origen of Alexandria, a 3rd-century theologian and scholar, meanwhile made what seemed to many of his time to be much clearer statements affirming the universalist position, one of several of his teachings that were condemned by later church councils. One of these statements refers to the concept of non-being, the notion, in other words of annihilationism after death.

In other words, how could God, who is all good, take existence away from any person, since the lack of existence is evil? Origen therefore rejects the notion of annihilation entirely:

He furthermore argues for the notion of a temporary hell (without using that word) as a corrective, purifying measure, acknowledging that some will need more correction, and thus more time, than others.

In sum, Origen believed first that since souls were created by God, they could not be destroyed or deprived of their existence. However, he also believed that since evil was not created by God, it was necessarily finite. When evil ended, then, all souls would be saved. Was this a wishful fantasy? Is hell real?

Of course, not everyone agreed with Origen’s idea of a temporary hell. A 2nd and 3rd century author named Tertullian, for example, believed hell to be a literal, physical place of eternal torment. In fact, he looked forward to looking down from heaven and seeing his enemies suffering in hell:

Fast-forwarding to the modern world, we know there are still many Christians who believe that hell will be a physical place of eternal torture. But are there Christian denominations whose views differ from this view? Yes, there are.

Seventh-day Adventists, for instance, have an answer to the question of “Does hell burn forever?” They reject the traditional concept of an eternal, burning hell but their official theology still says that those who reject Christ will not be saved. This leaves only one option for them: annihilationism. Those souls who do not accept Christ as their savior before dying will cease to exist, according to Adventist doctrine.

Jehovah's Witnesses also believe that the souls of the wicked will cease to exist after death and, therefore, that hell merely means a state of non-existence.

Hellfire Belief in Other Religions

In certain forms of Buddhism, there is a concept analogous to hell in the Abrahamic faiths, although there are differences since Buddhists generally believe in reincarnation. In a text known as the "Devaduta Sutta,” the Buddha teaches that there are several domains of rebirth, which can then be further divided into degrees of pain or pleasure. Among these, the hell realms, or Naraka, are the lowest realms of rebirth, reserved for those who have caused repeated harm to others. However, as I mentioned before, even these hell realms are temporary and will be left behind when one accumulates enough good karma.

As you might expect, however, the Islamic concept of hell has many similarities with that of Christianity. In Islam, hell is called Jahannam, a word related to Gehenna. Like heaven, Jahannam is divided into seven levels, each filled with different tortures, such as fire, boiling water, and a variety of other torments.

Additionally, in the Quran, God declares that the Jahannam is prepared for both mankind and jinn, supernatural spirits of Islamic theology. After the Day of Judgment, those who do not believe in God, those who have disobeyed his laws, or those who have rejected his messengers are sent to hell immediately. The prevailing stance in Islam is that hell is eternal for these enemies of God.

Contrary to Christian traditions, however, Iblis, the Islamic name for the Devil, does not fight against God, only against humanity.

Conclusion: Does Hell Burn Forever?

Jewish apocalyptic literature was first written after the Hebrew Bible had been written but before the advent of Christianity. It argued that while evil people had prospered at the expense of the just, God would soon intervene to reverse this fortune, destroying those who were evil and rewarding the good. The notion of punishing the wicked later developed into a place of punishment: hell.

Many ancient religious traditions developed such a notion, but the Bible carries contradictory traditions about what hell is really like and how long it lasts. Biblical texts have been interpreted in significantly different ways, giving rise to three major models of final judgment: Eternal Torment, Annihilationism, and Universalism. While those who believe in eternal torment believe hell to be a place of everlasting suffering and annihilationists believe the wicked will simply cease to exist after death, universalists believe hell to be temporary, ultimately a place of rehabilitation rather than revenge.

These three notions have been debated among Christians for millennia and in some cases are still debated. Eternal Torment seems to have won the day for most modern Christians (at least those who still believe in the existence of hell). But there are also adherents of the other two positions to this day, demonstrating that this remains a thorny issue for religious believers.