Hell has a spirit and a body. Why does the soul suffer on earth?

What awaits us after death? This question has preoccupied people throughout the ages. Thousands of people who have experienced clinical death and touched eternity testify: “After our heart stops and physical death occurs, we do not cease to exist.” Our journey into eternity is only just beginning.

Of course, no one is happy about the idea of hell. We would all like to go to a better place after death—a place where there is no suffering, no pain, no wars, no problems, no betrayal, and no violence. That’s why you hear so many teachings claiming that hell doesn’t exist, and that at worst, you’ll simply fall asleep forever or cease to exist—after all, God is loving, and He wouldn’t condemn anyone to eternal torment. But let’s figure out if that’s really the case. In this video, we’ll explore the 5 most important questions about hell.

Who can give us a DEFINITIVE answer to the question of whether hell really exists and what happens there? An EYEWITNESS—someone who has been there. Therefore, when speaking of hell, we will rely first and foremost on the words of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus was in hell; He holds the keys to hell and death. And He knows exactly what happens there.

Is it simply a grave where souls sleep in anticipation of the final judgment, or is it a real place of torment and suffering?

Very often, false teachers replace the word “hell” in the Bible with the Hebrew “Sheol” and the Greek “Hades” from the original biblical texts. And they say, “These words do not refer to a place of torment, but simply to the common grave of humanity.” But this point of view has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE WORD OF GOD. WHY do false teachers do this, substituting words in Scripture? Because to the average person, the word HELL is very clear and evokes fear. No one wants to end up there. But the words “Sheol” or “Hades” are incomprehensible to anyone, and therefore these words can be manipulated however one pleases. But think about it: which of these quoters of ancient Hebrew or ancient Greek, who reject hell, knows these languages perfectly? And which of them, on top of that, is thoroughly versed in theology, serves Jesus Christ, preaches the unadulterated Gospel, and bears the corresponding fruit? There are none! But there is the Apostle Peter, who spoke well of false teachers in his Epistle to the CHURCH: “There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will introduce destructive heresies and, by rejecting the Lord who redeemed them, bring swift destruction upon themselves. And many will follow their depravity, and through them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will ensnare you with flattering words; their judgment has long been ready, and their destruction is not sleeping.”

These are people who try to lead others to the tree of knowledge by discussing various translations and playing with words. But as we know, the tree of knowledge brought death, not life, to the first humans, Adam and Eve. Life is found on the Tree of Life, the tree of REVELATION. And the REVELATION about HELL is found in Jesus Christ and the holy Apostles.

Those who deny the existence of hell also like to cite certain passages from the Old Testament that speak of the dead “SLEEPING in the dust of the earth” (Daniel), or that in the grave there is no thinking and nothing at all (Ecclesiastes), or that in hell all will be silent (Psalm 30). But, as the Apostle Paul wrote, the Old Testament prophets saw everything dimly, as through a glass darkly. They did not see everything in its fullness; much was hidden from them and incomprehensible. People who quote only the Old Testament but disregard the New are making a BIG MISTAKE. When God came to earth in the flesh, He clearly revealed the spiritual world and ended many of His parables by speaking of what awaits a person after death.

Let’s look at the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Some people say it’s just a parable, but that’s not true. Show me where Jesus said it was a parable. He never said that. Instead, He said that anyone who adds anything to God’s word will be struck by God with plagues. Furthermore, in this story, He uses a person’s real name—Lazarus—which is unusual for parables, where everything is generally kept as general as possible. Jesus shows what awaits sinners after death. It is written: “The rich man also died and was buried. And in HELL, BEING IN TORMENT…” Then the rich man calls out to Abraham: “…have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I AM TORMENTED IN THIS FLAME.” Tell me, where have you seen people suffering in the grave? This is a question that false teachers, who distort the Scriptures by saying that there is no hell, cannot answer.

One of Jesus’ closest disciples, the Apostle Peter, describes what happened to Jesus between his crucifixion and resurrection:
“Christ, in order to bring us to God, once suffered for our sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, having been put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, through whom He also went and preached to the spirits in prison, to those who were once disobedient, waiting for God’s long-suffering, in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved from the water.”
So, after His death on the cross, Jesus descended into the prison—hell—where He PREACHED. He would have had no one to preach to there if everyone were asleep, as various false teachers claim. But this is precisely why Jesus descended into hell—to preach to those who had been there since the Flood, and also to take the keys from hell and death, and to rise again!
David wrote about this as well, prophesying about Christ: “For You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You let Your Holy One see corruption.”

So, let’s draw a conclusion. Hell is a real place of torment and suffering, as Jesus Christ Himself and the holy Apostles repeatedly taught. Those who teach that hell is merely a grave distort Christ’s teaching; their end is destruction, as the Apostle Peter said.

Let us reiterate that we are relying on the words of an EYEWITNESS TO HELL, Jesus Christ, who KNOWS FOR CERTAIN WHETHER HELL EXISTS AND WHERE IT IS LOCATED.

Jesus Christ said, “For just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.”

The Apostle Paul also wrote about Christ, saying that He descended into the lower regions of the earth.

So, WHERE IS HELL? Right at the center of the earth.

It’s very simple. Right now, your soul is inside your body. The body is made of matter. And if your body is sick or in pain, your soul reacts—it suffers. Now imagine if your soul were placed at the center of the earth, in hell, where the temperature reaches 6,000 (six thousand) degrees? If the soul feels uncomfortable in your body—and one could say, in paradise, because God originally made the earth a paradise—then what would it be like for it in the fiery depths of hell?

It is God who determines where the soul will be. And just as He has now determined that your soul should be in your body, so He can determine that your soul should be in heaven or in hell. That is why Jesus taught: “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.”

Some proud people say, “I serve the devil, so in hell I won’t suffer—I’ll enjoy myself. I’ll work things out with Satan.” Wrong. Satan, too, will suffer for eternity, and hell is not the final destination.

The Bible contains the book of REVELATION. And although it was written by the Apostle John, it is a revelation from Jesus Christ Himself. In other words, God Himself conveyed this REVELATION to the church. There we read: “Then the sea gave up the dead who were in it, and DEATH AND HELL gave up the dead who were in them; and each person was judged according to their deeds. And DEATH AND HELL were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Thus, the spiritual entity known as DEATH, the spiritual entity known as HELL, as well as the devil, the Antichrist, and the false prophet—all of whom are also mentioned in the Book of Revelation—and all sinners will be cast into the LAKE OF FIRE for all eternity.

Jesus is God incarnate. And He knew exactly what He was talking about. While still on earth, as He described the scene of the Last Judgment, He said of the sinners: “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” On another occasion, speaking of the fiery Gehenna, God repeats three times: “Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.”

So, here is the answer to the fourth question. Hell is a real place where the souls of the dead reside TEMPORARILY. It is like a prison where a person awaits trial. And after the trial, the person is sent to a place where they serve their sentence. In the same way, in hell, souls await eternal judgment, and their fate is eternity in the lake of fire.

Answer: Both.

The Apostle John writes: “Then I looked, and there before me was a pale horse, and its rider’s name was Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine, and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.” Thus, Death and Hades are real spiritual entities.

Just as you have a SPIRIT and a BODY, so too does hell have a SPIRIT and a PHYSICAL BODY. Hell’s BODY is the center of the earth, and hell’s spirit roams the earth, and can torment people even while they are alive, as David wrote: “Deadly diseases have overtaken me; the TORMENTS OF HELL have overtaken me; I have encountered distress and sorrow.”

So, we’ve covered the five key questions about hell. Let’s summarize.
First. Hell is not a grave.
Second. Hell is located at the center of the earth.
Third. Souls do suffer in hell.
Fourth. Hell is a temporary place of confinement. Where the soul will spend eternity will be decided at the Last Judgment.
Fifth. Hell is a spiritual entity that can torment people even while they are alive.

And listen, there’s good news. The power over hell and death is in the hands of Jesus Christ. He has conquered hell and death. The keys to hell and death are in His hands. And that means that no one will go to hell without Christ Himself knowing it! This is why Christ came to earth—so that every person might have the opportunity to receive eternal life. Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full!”
To be free from the torments of hell while you live and to avoid going to hell after death, you need God! Jesus Christ came to earth so that every person could be united with God through His Church, which is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and where the cornerstone is Jesus Christ Himself. Therefore, if you do not have a church, or are unable to attend church, join us. Every day you can join us for online fellowship, prayer, breaking bread, and being part of God’s family. May God bless you!