These Bible verses for heaven and hell are for anyone wrestling with what happens after death, whether for themselves or for someone they love. They hold out God’s invitation to eternal life, his promise to keep those who trust him, and comfort about the joy of his presence. Many are also helpful when sharing the gospel with a friend.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16 (KJV)
God so loved the world that he gave his Son, so whoever believes should not perish but have everlasting life.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23 (KJV)
The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
1 John 5:11-13 (KJV)
John wrote so that those who believe may know they have eternal life, because that life is in the Son.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
John 10:27-29 (KJV)
Jesus says his sheep receive eternal life and no one can pluck them out of his hand.
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
John 11:25-26 (KJV)
Jesus, the resurrection and the life, promises that whoever lives and believes in him shall never die.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:9-10 (KJV)
Confessing Jesus as Lord and believing God raised him from the dead brings salvation.
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)
The Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
Ezekiel 33:11 (KJV)
God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and pleads with people to turn and live.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Psalms 23:6 (KJV)
David rests in the hope of dwelling in the house of the Lord for ever.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Revelation 7:16-17 (KJV)
The redeemed will hunger and thirst no more, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Psalms 16:11 (KJV)
In God’s presence is fulness of joy, and at his right hand are pleasures for evermore.
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:12 (KJV)
Peter declares there is salvation in no other name under heaven given among men.
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Colossians 1:13-14 (KJV)
God has delivered us from the power of darkness into the kingdom of his dear Son, with forgiveness of sins.
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
2 Corinthians 5:1 (KJV)
If this earthly body is dissolved, believers have a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Romans 5:8-9 (KJV)
While we were sinners Christ died for us, and through him we are saved from wrath.
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Hebrews 2:14-15 (KJV)
Christ through death destroyed the devil’s power and freed those held by the fear of death.
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55:6-7 (KJV)
Seek the Lord while he may be found, for he will abundantly pardon those who return to him.
If you are unsure where you stand with God, begin with John 3:16, Romans 6:23 and Romans 10:9-10. Together they explain the problem of sin, God’s gift in Christ and the simple response of faith. 1 John 5:13 shows that God wants his children to know they have eternal life, not merely hope so.
For a grieving heart, Psalms 23:6, John 11:25-26 and Revelation 7:16-17 speak of the joy and rest awaiting believers in God’s presence. These are good passages to read at a bedside or funeral, or to write in a sympathy card. Hebrews 2:14-15 is a quiet comfort for anyone troubled by the fear of death.
When talking with others about eternity, let your tone match God’s heart. Ezekiel 33:11 and 2 Peter 3:9 show a God who takes no pleasure in anyone perishing and patiently calls people to return. Share these verses gently, pray for friends by name, and point them to Acts 4:12, where salvation is found in Jesus alone.
John 3:16 is so familiar that people recite it on autopilot, and they forget the room it was spoken in. A respected Pharisee named Nicodemus came to Jesus after dark, probably to avoid being seen, with questions he could not ask in daylight. Jesus told him he must be born again, and then spoke the verse we know: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The next verse is the one people skip. God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:17). Anyone searching Bible Verses For Heaven And Hell should read both verses together. The aim of the whole mission was rescue. A man who came by night, half afraid of what his friends would think, was met with an invitation, not a scolding.
Paul’s image in Romans 6:23 comes straight from the marketplace. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Wages are what you collect on payday because you worked for them. A gift is something you could never pay for, handed over freely. Paul sets the two side by side so there is no mistaking which one he is offering.
That one verse has a quiet honesty to it. It does not pretend sin is small, and it does not pretend we can fix it with a longer list of good deeds. Think of a person standing at a counter with an unpayable bill, only to hear that someone else has already settled it. The right response is not to bargain. It is to say thank you and then to live like someone who has been spared a debt.
Some believers lie awake wondering whether they will hold on to faith to the very end. Jesus speaks to that worry in John 10:27-29: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. The sheep image is not flattering, since sheep are not clever. They survive because someone watches them closely, and he does not lose count.
Verse 29 widens the picture: My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. Two hands are in view, the Son’s and the Father’s, with the believer held inside both. If you have been afraid that one bad month could cancel everything, read this slowly. Your grip on God may be shaky, but his grip on you is the part that matters, and it does not depend on your mood.
Romans 10:9-10 is wonderfully short. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. In the first century, saying Jesus is Lord was a risky sentence, because the empire expected everyone to say Caesar is lord. These were not casual words.
So the confession is not a magic phrase. It is a public loyalty backed by a private trust. The heart and the mouth work as a pair, which is why many churches invite a new believer to say it aloud before friends. If you have never done it, you can pray it quietly tonight, then tell a believer you trust. Peter and Philip gave the same kind of simple, direct welcome to an Ethiopian official on a desert road (Acts 8:35-38).
David wrote Psalm 16:11 with the grave in plain view just a few lines earlier, and still he said: Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. He was not guessing. He was settled on one point, that being with God was the best thing there is, and that death did not put an end to it.
Psalm 23:6 closes the shepherd psalm on the same note: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. A shepherd boy wrote that, a man who had slept outdoors and known danger. Read the Bible Verses For Heaven And Hell with that picture in mind, and heaven starts to sound less like an escape and more like arriving home after a long day, where the lamp is on and someone has saved your seat.
Many people carry a quiet dread of death that they would never mention at a dinner table. Hebrews 2:14-15 speaks into that fear. Christ took on flesh and blood that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. The word bondage is strong. Fear can run a person’s life without anyone seeing the chains.
The remedy the writer gives is not a technique. It is a person who walked into death ahead of us and came out the other side. If the fear still sits heavy, especially in sleepless nights or in panic that comes without warning, take it to your doctor or a counselor as well as to God. Needing that help does not say anything against your faith. Many believers have found that prayer and good care work side by side.
Isaiah 55:6-7 carries a gentle urgency: Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Notice the verbs, seek, call, forsake, return. They sound like a person turning around on a road and heading back the way he came.
The last line is the one to underline: he will abundantly pardon. Think of the father in Jesus’s story who runs down the road to meet his wayward son (Luke 15:20). He does not wait on the porch with folded arms. If you have been putting off this decision because you feel too far gone, these verses are speaking to you. Today is a good day to start walking, however short the step feels.
Paul gives two verbs in Colossians 1:13-14 that picture a rescue and a relocation. God hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. The word translated was used of moving a whole population from one country to another, the way a conquering king might resettle a people.
That tells us the change is not only a future event. A believer has already been moved. The old authority has lost its claim, and a new king now holds the papers. This does not make daily life easy, since the old habits still call. But it does give you a place to stand while you fight them. You are not trying to earn a new citizenship. You are learning the customs of the country you already belong to.
Revelation 7 shows a crowd from every nation standing before the throne, and the elder explains who they are. They had come out of great tribulation. Verses 16 and 17 describe what they have now: They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Read that as a person who has gone without, whether food, safety, health or a home. The promise is not abstract. Hunger is answered with feeding, thirst with fountains, scorching heat with shade, and grief with God’s own hand on a wet cheek. These words were first read aloud in churches under pressure, where people knew what suffering cost. They still belong to anyone who is weary today, and they say that the story does not end in the dry place.
Romans 5:8-9 explains why a believer can face eternity without a trembling stomach. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Paul reasons from the harder thing to the easier. If Christ died for people who were still ignoring him, he will certainly not abandon those who now trust him.
Acts 4:12 adds the single-door claim: Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. That sounds narrow, and it is meant to. Yet a narrow door that is wide open to everyone who comes is a kindness, not a barrier. A lifeboat is narrow too. Nobody complains about it when the ship is sinking.
Sooner or later a coworker or cousin will ask you quietly what you think happens after we die. Resist the urge to deliver a speech. Ask what made them wonder. Often a funeral, a diagnosis, or a sleepless week sits behind the question. Listen first. Then, when it feels natural, share one or two of these Bible Verses For Heaven And Hell, such as John 3:16 or Romans 6:23, in your own words and in a kind voice.
You do not need to win. Your friend may go home and think for a month, and God can work in that month. Offer to read a Gospel together, starting with John, and keep the invitation open without pressure. And say what you honestly do not know. Admitting that some questions stay hard builds more trust than pretending to have every answer, and trust is what makes a second conversation possible.
Other collections you may find useful: Bible Verses For Family Relationships, Bible Verses About Children's Protection, Bible Verses For Comfort, Bible Verses About Comfort in Grief, Bible Verses For Strength in Difficult Times, Bible Verses For Work, Bible Verses For Children's Protection, Bible Verses For Gratitude and Thankfulness, Bible Verses About Family Love, Bible Verses For Success and Bible Verses About God Giving Strength.
For deeper study, Blue Letter Bible, Bible Gateway, Bible Hub and Bible Study Tools are all free to use.
If you are unsure where you stand with God, begin with John 3:16, Romans 6:23 and Romans 10:9-10. Together they explain the problem of sin, God's gift in Christ and the simple response of faith.
This page brings together 11 King James Version references about heaven And Hell, drawn from 9 different books of the Bible.
These heaven And Hell verses are drawn from books including John, Romans, 1 John, Psalms, Revelation, among others.
Yes. The verses about heaven And Hell gathered here include passages from both the Old Testament and the New Testament, such as Psalms 23:6 and John 3:16.
John 3:16 is one of the verses about heaven And Hell referenced in this collection, alongside Romans 6:23.
