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Hell

The Bible's name for the final state of those who refuse God — separation from him, with imagery of fire and outer darkness. Jesus spoke of it often.

Jesus' word for the final state of the lost is gehenna, drawn from the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem — a place of burning.

Hell is described as conscious, just, and final — the outcome of refusing God's reign. The cross is the depth of God's effort to keep people from it.

Christians have offered different pictures (eternal conscious punishment, conditional immortality), but all hold that there is real and final judgment apart from Christ.

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Original BibleDawn entry. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.