Biblical Teaching on the Identity of Those in Hell

Scripture identifies the inhabitants of hell through both categorical descriptions and specific moral characteristics, grounding its teaching in both Old and New Testament revelation.

The Unrepentant and Disobedient

The New Testament consistently identifies hell's inhabitants as those who reject God and refuse obedience to the gospel. Paul writes of "those not knowing God, and to those not obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" who will face "flaming fire giving full vengeance" ^[3]. This dual category encompasses both those who remain ignorant of God through willful rejection and those who, having heard the gospel, refuse to submit to it. The language of "not knowing" God does not suggest innocent ignorance but rather the culpable rejection described throughout Scripture as suppressing the truth.

The same epistle describes this judgment as "destruction from the presence of God," characterized as "everlasting punishment" ^{[1, 2]}. The Greek terms used for eternal duration (aion, aionios, aidios) apply equally to God's own existence, Christ's existence, the Holy Spirit's nature, and the duration of the lost's sufferings ^[2]. This linguistic parallel establishes that the punishment's endlessness matches the endlessness of divine life itself.

Specific Categories of Sin

Revelation provides the most detailed catalog of those whose "part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur": "the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars" ^{[6, 7]}. This list begins not with dramatic crimes but with cowardice—the failure to confess Christ under pressure—and unbelief, the fundamental rejection of God's revelation. The progression moves through categories of moral corruption (abominable acts, murder, sexual immorality), occult practices (sorcery), false worship (idolatry), and concludes with deception ("all liars"), suggesting that dishonesty in any form aligns one with the father of lies.

The "lake of fire" represents the final state of punishment, distinct from intermediate states. This "fiery lake of burning sulfur provides a picture of eternal punishment" into which God's enemies are cast: first the beast and false prophet, then the dragon, then death itself, and finally unsaved humans ^[8]. The imagery draws from Isaiah 66:24 and Jesus's own teaching about unquenchable fire ^[8].

Terminology and Theological Development

The biblical vocabulary for hell's inhabitants requires careful distinction. The Old Testament term Sheol, appearing sixty-five times, means "the place of the dead, the unseen world," without initially specifying whether it denotes misery or happiness ^{[4, 5]}. In many passages Sheol simply means "the grave" ^{[4, 5]}, though in others it involves punishment ^[4]. The New Testament introduces sharper distinctions: Hades corresponds to Sheol as the abode of the dead ^{[9, 10]}, while Gehenna—named for the valley outside Jerusalem where idolatrous kings performed human sacrifice by fire ^[11]—designates the place of eternal punishment ^[10]. Tartarus appears once (2 Peter 2:4) to describe where sinning angels are held in "gloomy pits of darkness" awaiting judgment ^[13].

The Universality of Judgment

The resurrection preceding final judgment demonstrates that "the sea and grave give up their dead," establishing "the essential identity of the dying and risen body" ^[12]. The body that sinned will be the body that suffers in "righteous retribution" ^[12]. This physical continuity underscores that hell's inhabitants are not abstract souls but embodied persons who rejected God in their earthly existence and face judgment in reconstituted bodies. The scope is comprehensive: every region where the dead reside yields its inhabitants for judgment ^[12], and the criteria remain consistent—those whose names are not written in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire.

Sources

Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Hell — The place of disembodied spirits -- Ac 2:31. Which Christ visited. -- Lu 23:43; Ac 2:31; 1Pe 3:19. Contains, a place of rest, Abraham's bosom. -- Lu 16:23. Paradise. -- Lu 23:43. And a place of torment. -- Lu 16:23. The place of future punishment Destruction from the presence of God. -- 2Th 1:9. Described as Everlasting punishment. -- Mt 25:46. Everlasting fire. -- Mt 25:41. Everlasting burnings. -- Isa 33:14. A furnace of fire. -- Mt 13:42,50. A lake of fire. -- Re 20:15. Fire and brimstone. -- Re 14:10. Unquenchable fire. -- Mt 3:12. Devouring fire. -- Isa 3”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Eternal death — The miserable fate of the wicked in hell (Matt. 25:46; Mark 3:29; Heb. 6:2; 2 Thess. 1:9; Matt. 18:8; 25:41; Jude 1:7). The Scripture as clearly teaches the unending duration of the penal sufferings of the lost as the "everlasting life," the "eternal life" of the righteous. The same Greek words in the New Testament (aion, aionios, aidios) are used to express (1) the eternal existence of God (1 Tim. 1:17; Rom. 1:20; 16:26); (2) of Christ (Rev. 1:18); (3) of the Holy Ghost (Heb. 9:14); and (4) the eternal duration of the sufferings of the lost (Matt. 25”
II Thessalonians “II Thessalonians 1:8 (LITV) — in flaming fire giving full vengeance to those not knowing God, and to those not obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, Isa. 66:15; Jer. 10:25”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Hell — In the Old Testament this is the word generally and unfortunately used by our translators to render the Hebrew Sheol . It really means the place of the dead, the unseen world, without deciding whether it be the place of misery or of happiness. It is clear that in many passages of the Old Testament Sheol can only mean "the grave," and is rendered in the Authorized Version; see, for example, (Genesis 37:35; 42:38; 1 Samuel 2:6; Job 14:13) In other passages, however, it seems to Involve a notion of punishment, and is therefore rendered in the Authorized Version by”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Hell — Derived from the Saxon helan, to cover; hence the covered or the invisible place. In Scripture there are three words so rendered: (1.) Sheol, occurring in the Old Testament sixty-five times. This word sheol is derived from a root-word meaning "to ask," "demand;" hence insatiableness (Prov. 30:15, 16). It is rendered "grave" thirty-one times (Gen. 37:35; 42:38; 44:29, 31; 1 Sam. 2:6, etc.). The Revisers have retained this rendering in the historical books with the original word in the margin, while in the poetical books they have reversed this rule. In thirty-o”
Revelation “But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers,idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.” -- Revelation 21:8”
Revelation of John “Revelation of John 21:8 (BSB) — But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.””
Revelation (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Revelation 19:20: 19:20 beast . . . false prophet See 13:1-10. • The fiery lake of burning sulfur provides a picture of eternal punishment (see 20:10, 14-15; 21:8; see also Isa 66:24; Matt 13:41, 49-50; Mark 9:43, 48). • God’s enemies are thrown into the fiery lake. The two beasts (Rev 19:20) are followed by the dragon (20:10) and then by death (20:14) and unsaved humans (20:15).”
Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 11:23: 11:23 the place of the dead: Greek Hades, which corresponds to the Hebrew term Sheol (see study note on Ps 6:5).”
James (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on James 3:6: 3:6 It is a whole world of wickedness: The tongue acts as an agent of the whole unrighteous world opposed to God (1:27; 4:4). • hell itself: Greek Gehenna, the place of eternal punishment (Matt 5:22, 30; 23:15), in contrast to Hades, the abode of the dead (Luke 16:23; Acts 2:31). The reference to hell is an allusion to the devil (Jas 4:7; Matt 5:22; John 8:44) as the ultimate source of evil speech.”
Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 5:29: 5:29-30 good eye . . . gouge it out . . . stronger hand . . . cut it off: These graphic images call for radical separation from sin. But even self-mutilation, radical as it would be, cannot stop a lustful mind. Jesus is calling for the surpassing righteousness that only he can bring. 5:29 hell (Greek Gehenna): Gehenna originally referred to a valley outside Jerusalem where some of the kings of Judah worshiped idols and performed human sacrifice by fire (2 Chr 28:3; 33:6; Jer 7:31; 32:35). The site was eventually destroyed by Josiah (2 Kgs 23:10). In the New Testa”
Revelation (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Revelation 20:13: death and hell--Greek, "Hades." The essential identity of the dying and risen body is hereby shown; for the sea and grave give up their dead. The body that sinned or served God shall, in righteous retribution, be the body also that shall suffer or be rewarded. The "sea" may have a symbolical [CLUVER from AUGUSTINE], besides the literal meaning, as, in Rev 8:8; Rev 12:12; Rev 13:1; Rev 18:17, Rev 18:19; so "death" and "hell" are personifications (compare Rev 21:1). But the literal sense need hardly be departed from: all the different regions wherei”
2 Peter (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 2 Peter 2:4: 2:4-10 Three Old Testament examples of judgment show that God will vindicate those who remain faithful to him and will condemn those who deny him, including the false teachers (see 2:3). 2:4 The first example of judgment is the angels who sinned: The widespread Jewish tradition was that “the sons of God” in Gen 6:1-5 (understood as angels) had intercourse with women and were therefore judged by God at that time (see 1 Enoch 6–10; cp. 1 Pet 3:19-20; Jude 1:6). • in gloomy pits of darkness: This description of the underworld was popular in the ancient world and is p”

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