Hell - Is it a real place? Is it forever?

Do I believe it really exists? Would God really do that to anyone?
Does Scripture really say it is eternal punishment. Why would God hurt someone forever?

ABYSS', n. [Gr. bottomless, from a priv. and bottom, Ion. See Bottom.] 
 A bottomless gulf; used also for a deep mass of waters, supposed by some to have encompassed the earth before the flood.
Darkness was upon the face of the deep, or abyss, as it is in the Septuagint. Gen 1:2.
The word is also used for an immense cavern in the earth, in which God is supposed to have collected all the waters on the third day of the creation. It is used also for hell, Erebus.

# 1374  GEHEN'NA,n. [Heb. ge-hinom, the valley of Hinom, in which was Tophet, where the Israelites sacrificed their children to Moloch. 2 Ki 23:10.]
This word has been used by the Jews as equivalent to hell, place of fire or torment and punishment, and the Greek word is rendered by our translators by hell and hell-fire. Mat 18:9. 23.15.
	Also Thompson chain # 1558  Hades    # 1559 Sheol  also 1368-1375

HELL  - Naves Topical
-(In the A. V. this word occurs in O. T. Scriptures, cited below, and is the translation of the
Hebrew word "sheol," which signifies the unseen state)
-In the R. V. of O. T. it appears only in
#Isa 5:14 14:9,15 28:15,18 57:9 Eze 31:16,17 32:21,27 Am 9:2 Jon 2:2 Hab 2:5
-In the R. V., "sheol" is translated "lowest pit"
#De 32:22 Ps 86:13
-And it is translated "pit" in
#Ps 55:15
-In the R. V. the word "Sheol" itself occurs in the following scriptures
#2Sa 22:6 Job 11:8 26:6 Ps 9:17 16:10 18:5 116:3 139:8 Pr 5:5 7:27 9:18 15:11,24 23:14 27:20
-"Sheol" is translated "grave" in A. V. in
#Ge 37:35 42:38 44:29,31 1Sa 2:6 1Ki 2:6 9:1 ... Job 7:9 14:13 17:13 21:13 24:19 Ps 6:5 30:3
31:17 49:14,15 88:3 89:48 141:7 Pr 1:12 30:16 Ec 9:10 So 8:6 Ho 13:14
-In the R. V. the Greek word "gehenna" is translated "hell" in the following scriptures
#Mt 5:22,29,30 10:28 18:9 23:15,33 Mr 9:43,45,47 Lu 12:5 Jas 3:6
-The R. V. has introduced "Hades," the word found in the Greek text, which signifies the unseen
world, in the following scriptures
#Mt 11:23 16:18 Lu 10:15 16:23 Ac 2:27,31 Re 1:18 6:8 20:13,14
-THE FUTURE HOME OF THE WICKED
#Ps 9:17 Pr 5:5 9:13,15-18 15:24 23:13,14 Isa 30:33 33:14 Mt 3:12 5:29,30 7:13,14 8:11,12
10:28 13:30,38-42,49,50 16:18 18:8,9,34,35 22:13 25:28-30,41,46 Mr 9:43-48 Lu 3:17
16:23-26,28 Ac 1:25 2Th 1:9 2Pe 2:4 Jude 1:6-23 Re 2:11 9:1,2 11:7 14:10,11 19:20 20:10,15 21:8

Deu 32:22  For a fire is kindled in mine anger, And burneth unto the lowest Sheol, And devoureth the earth with its increase, And setteth on fire the foundations of the mountains.   (Lava, liquid fire?)

Mal 4:1  For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith Jehovah of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

Mat 5:22  … whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the hell of fire.

Mat 5:29  … for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell.    Note: Both body and soul are cast into hell		Also Matt 18:9  and  Mark 9:43

Mat 10:28  And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Mat 23:33  Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell?

Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels:

Mar 9:44 & 46  hell …  where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

MK 12:38 As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law.  …. Such men will be punished most severely."

Luk 3:17  whose fan is in his hand, thoroughly to cleanse his threshing-floor, and to gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.

Luk 16:22  And it came to pass, that (Lazarus) the beggar died, and that he was carried away by the angels into Abraham's bosom: and the rich man also died, and was buried. 23 In hell, where he was in torment, …  because I am in agony in this fire.'

LK 12:47 "That servant who knows his master's will and does not get ready or does not do what his master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
	Is this strictly earthly wisdom? Does it apply to hell?

John 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice,  29  and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment.

2Th 1:9  who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

Heb 2:2  For if the word spoken through angels proved stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; 
Heb 2:3  how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard;

2Pe 2:4  For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 
2Pe 2:5  and spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 
2Pe 2:6  and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, having made them an example unto those that should live ungodly; 
2Pe 2:7  and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked 
2Pe 2:8  (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds): 
2Pe 2:9  the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment;

2Pe 3:7  but the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Jud 1:13  Wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved forever.

Rev 14:11  and the smoke of their torment goeth up for ever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, they that worship the beast and his image, and whoso receiveth the mark of his name.

Rev 16:10  And the fifth poured out his bowl upon the throne of the beast; and his kingdom was darkened; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 
Rev 16:11  and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they repented not of their works.

Rev 18:10  standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Woe, woe, the great city, Babylon, the strong city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

Rev 20:10  And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where are also the beast and the false prophet; and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. 
Rev 20:11  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 
Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. 
Rev 20:13  And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 
Rev 20:14  And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, even the lake of fire. 
Rev 20:15  And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.

Rev 21:8  But for the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, their part shall be in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.