What does outer darkness mean in the bible?

Answer 1

The expression "The outer darkness" was used by our Lord, and appears three times in the Gospel of Matthew only (8:12, 22:13 and 25:30) In each instance there is someone, who is rejected being cast into it, and each time it is followed by an expression "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth". In each of three passages where the outer darkness is mentioned the context is the Kingdom of Heaven, which will be established by Jesus Christ's at his second coming, so then, the ones being cast into the outer darkness are those who are not suitable to be a part of the Kingdom. The outer darkness is then clearly areferenceto what is known in The Bible as Hell orHades (Hebrew- Sheol), not to be confused with the Gehenna, (the Lake of Fire). Hell in the Bible is a temporary place for the lost until the final judgement which will take place after the Kingdom age, at the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-15) After the Great White Throne Judgement, the inhabitants of Hell will be cast into the Lake of Fire, which will be their eternal state.