Is Hell A Physical Place? - Soul Choice Ministries

Yes, it is a physical place, and it does include literal pain.

Some say that hell is not a physical place and that the pain experienced there is only a state of mind. Some professors at Christian universities and seminaries state that the fires of hell, the maggots, the location, and the torment are all metaphorical or allegorical language. Their reasoning is that hell is described as dark so how can there be real fire if there is no light?

However, Jesus said in Matthew 25:41 that the fire was “prepared.” Since Moses saw the burning bush that was not consumed, could not Almighty God prepare a fire that does not produce light? In Genesis 1, there was no light until God spoke it into existence. When He spoke, light appeared. Could He not also withdraw light so that it disappears? First John 1:5 says that God is light.

The word “prepared” is the same word used in John 14:2, where Jesus says He goes to “prepare” a place for us in heaven. “Prepared” means “to make ready.” He was preparing heaven for us and hell for the devil. He never intended for mankind to go to hell. Jesus said that hell and its fire were prepared.

Here is an example of someone who allegorizes hell. He is considered a great scholar, and I am sure he was. However, we can see that he does not take Scripture about hell literally:

“The chasm is not a geographical one whose width and depth could be measured… It was not because he was in Hades that the rich man was in pain, but because of his past life. Had he made a friend of Lazarus by helping him in his wretchedness, there would not have been the impassable gulf which prevented Lazarus from coming to help him. The impassable gulf, in fact, was of the rich man’s own creating.”

I believe this view is in error for several reasons. He claims there would not have been an impassable gulf if the rich man had befriended Lazarus. However, the verse clearly says that no one can cross this gulf. The gulf is a geographical aspect of hell, not something created by the rich man’s lack of compassion. It exists regardless.

Abraham said, “They which would pass from here to you cannot; neither can they pass to us.” He said “they” and “us,” indicating that this is not referring only to the rich man. Others in hell cannot cross over either.

Additionally, Jesus emphasized that no one can cross over to show that hell is inescapable. If the gulf were merely in the rich man’s mind, then hell would not be inescapable.

The phrase “a great gulf fixed” is defined in Strong’s Concordance as a “chasm.” Vine’s Dictionary describes it as a precipice with a deep pit. Some versions use the phrase “gorge in the earth.” Words such as gorge, precipice, deep pit, chasm, and crossing over all describe geographical realities. Scripture says they are “separated by a great gulf fixed.”

Abraham existed with many other saints in what Jesus called “Abraham’s Bosom,” sometimes referred to as “Paradise.” It was located across from the place of torment in Sheol, or hell. It was not a state of mind, but a real place. In First Samuel 28:13, Samuel is described as ascending out of the earth, indicating he was in this location.

Commentaries support this understanding. “Paradise” and “Abraham’s Bosom,” the abode of the righteous in Old Testament times, are described as being separated by a vast, impassable gulf from hell or Hades. The Old Testament uses the word “Sheol” to describe the abode of the dead, which includes both the righteous and the unrighteous.

Why not take the words of Jesus literally? Where does one gain the authority to allegorize and soften the clear Word of God?

There are many verses that describe the location of hell as beneath the earth. It is described as below, under, or in the lower parts of the earth, or as a place people descend into. This is clearly geographical language.

Here are several examples:

Ezekiel 26:20 describes people descending into the pit, into the low parts of the earth.
Numbers 16:32–33 says the earth opened and swallowed people, and they went down alive into the pit.
Ezekiel 31:16 speaks of the “lower parts of the earth.”
Psalm 55:15 says people go down into hell.
Proverbs 15:24 contrasts life above with hell beneath.
Amos 9:2 says, “Though they dig into hell…”
1 Samuel 28:13 describes a spirit ascending out of the earth.

As these passages show, hell is described as a real, geographical location, not merely a state of mind.

As for the claim that the pain is only metaphorical because the fire is not real, consider these verses:

John 15:6 speaks of branches being cast into the fire and burned.
Mark 9:47–48 describes hell where the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.
Isaiah 33:12–14 speaks of everlasting burnings.
Hebrews 6:8 says the end is to be burned.
Jude 7 refers to the vengeance of eternal fire.
Psalm 11:6 describes fire, brimstone, and a terrible tempest.
Psalm 140:10 mentions burning coals and deep pits.

Commentaries also affirm the literal nature of this suffering, describing fire as a fitting representation of intense physical torment.

Some say the “worms” are metaphorical or represent tormenting thoughts. However, Scripture presents them as literal. Isaiah 14:11 says worms are beneath and covering the individual. This cannot reasonably describe thoughts.

Other commentaries describe these worms as those bred in decay, emphasizing physical reality rather than metaphor.

The concept is that just as worms consume a body in the grave, in hell the process never ends. The body is never fully consumed, and the torment continues.

This implies ongoing physical suffering.

Other passages support the reality of pain:

Luke 12:47–48 speaks of being beaten with many stripes.
Hebrews 10:29 refers to worse punishment.
Deuteronomy 32:22–24 describes fire, destruction, and suffering.
Matthew 25:46 speaks of everlasting punishment.
Matthew 22:13 mentions weeping and gnashing of teeth – an expression of anguish and pain.
Luke 19:27 describes being slain.

All of these point to real suffering, not merely mental distress.

Hell is real. Hell is eternal. Hell is a physical place with literal pain and suffering. It is a place absent from God’s love and goodness. Jesus said it was prepared for the devil and his angels, yet it becomes the eternal destiny of those who reject Him.

Because God is love, He gives us free will to receive Him or reject Him. Jesus Christ endured the punishment for our sins on the cross. He took what we deserve. We cannot trust in our good works or earn our way to heaven.

We must repent of our sins and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior. When we do this sincerely, we receive eternal life. We are then called to grow in biblical truth, spend time with the Lord, and read the Bible. If we reject Him, we will face eternal separation in a literal place called hell. It is not merely a state of mind.

Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Putting your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way to escape an eternity in hell.