Before we have a meaningful discussion of what the bible says hell is we have to know the original word 'Hell' is the noun form of the old Anglo-Saxon verb 'hele' which meant to hide, conceal, or bury something.
The bible most commonly translates SHEOL and HADEES as hell which is appropriate since these words mean the place of the death or the state of being dead or the grave.
Pepper said:
Other than these, there aren't any:
(1) Everyone will exist eternally either in heaven or hell (Daniel 12:2,3; Matthew 25:46; John 5:28; Revelation 20:14,15).
2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
First of all I see no mention of the words heaven or hell. I see everlasting life and shame and everlasting contempt.
Contempt - The feeling or attitude of regarding someone or something as inferior, base, or worthless; scorn.
The state of being despised or dishonored; disgrace.
Open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority of a court of law or legislative body.
I see support that there is punishment, dishonored, disgrace but no mention of pain or hell fire.
Pepper said:
(2) Everyone has only one life in which to determine their destiny (Hebrews 9:27).
Hebrews 9:27 - Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Again no mention of hell, pain or fire... just judgement
Pepper said:
(3) Heaven or hell is determined by whether a person believes (puts their trust) in Christ alone to save them (John 3:16, 36, etc.).
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[f] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Again no mention of heaven or hell... just eternal life or perishing. Perish does not equal fire, pain
Pepper said:
Key Passages About Hell
(1) Hell was designed originally for Satan and his demons (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).
Finally something a little meatier...
Matthew 25:41 - "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
You will notice that the word hell doesn't appear here and the eternal fire is prepared for the devil and his angels - not people. The eternal fire here is the same one that is mentioned in your other quote -
Rev 20:10 - And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever
(no mention of people being tormented at all here - just the devil)
and
Rev 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
You will notice here the lake of fire was prepared for the devil and his demons. Also death and Hades (hell) gave up their dead to be judged... wait a second, all the dead are in hell already - before being judged? Of course because hell is just the state of being dead. Then they are brought back to life, judged and then what happens death and Hades (hell) are thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is not hell, otherwise how could hell be thrown into it? The lake of fire was prepared for satan and his demons and then hell, death, satan and non-believers are thrown into the lake of fire and destroyed in the second death. There is no mention of them suffering forever.
Pepper said:
(2) Hell will also punish the sin of those who reject Christ (Matthew 13:41,50; Revelation 20:11-15; 21:8).
Matt 13:41 - 50 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Sure they are thrown into the fiery furnace to be destroyed along with death and hell. And there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth as they are being judged and thrown in but it doesn't say that the pain is eternal. In fact the penalty of sin is death. It was for Adam and Eve and it was for everyone else in the bible. It doesn't say the penalty for sin is eternal torture.
Rom 6:23 "???the wages of sin is death???."
Rom 5:12 "???sin entered into the world and death by sin???."
Jas 1:15 "??? and sin when it is finished brings forth death???."
Jer 31:30 "But every one shall die for his own sin???."
This is why when Jesus died on the cross it could pay for sin. If the punishment for sin was eternal pain, then Jesus would have to have paid that but he didn't he died.
Pepper said:
(3) Hell is conscious torment.
- Matthew 13:50 ???furnace of fire???weeping and gnashing of teeth???
again furnace of fire and not hell... already addressed.
Pepper said:
[*]Mark 9:48 ???where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched???
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48where " 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'
Yay, finally one that uses the word hell and fire in the same passage and ties them together. If you look at the word that was translated to be hell here though it was GEHENNA. GEHENNA was a real place on Earth. They kept fires burning there eternally and it was a place of destruction and death. Corpses were burnt there to destroy them and there were even child sacrifices. This was a place to destroy bodies... not to torture them. Jesus was using GEHENNA as a reference because his disciples understood what GEHENNA was... and it has since been lost in the translation.
Pepper said:
[*]Revelation 14:10 ???he will be tormented with fire and brimstone???
- Revelation 14:11 ???the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever and they have no rest day and night???
- Revelation 20:14 ???This is the second death, the lake of fire???
- Revelation 20:15 ???If anyone???s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire???
more references to the lake of fire and not hell
Jesus went to hell when he died
Acts 2: 27: "Thou wilt not leave my soul in Hell: neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption." Verse 31: "His soul was not left in Hell, neither his flesh did see corruption,"
Job prayed to go to hell to escape the punishment he was faced with on Earth.
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
"the grave" here was Sheol in Hebrew... this same word is translated elsewhere as "hell"
Everyone goes there