The concept of Hell is a construct of confused translation.
The Bible uses the term Sheol as the abode of the dead, and based on context, sometimes refers to place where the body undergoes decay, i.e. a grave, and sometimes a place where our disembodied spirits go following physical death.
The concept of Death includes a whole range of meanings, from the place of the dead, to the cause of death (sin) and sometimes the whole range is personified, such as O Death, where is thou sting.
Hades falls under Death, like a companion, the abode of those suffering from the plagues of death, including torment. Thus Hades follows close behind Death, and when Death is destroyed, Hades no longer has any purpose and is likewise destroyed.
The Abyss is just another metaphorical reference to Hades, a temporary holding place for spirit beings. Likewise, the outer darkness is like the deepest pit in Hades, a location in Hades of suffering isolated from the light of God. Hence, when we enter the Eternal Kingdom, lighted by God Himself, we leave those outside in outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
If you want to grow in your understanding of Hades and Gehenna, put a G or a H next to every usage of the word Hell in your translation. You will be surprised how the temporary place, Hades and the Final destination Gehenna are clearly described in scripture. Note that Gehenna, a place of destruction of the dead, has fires that burn with unquenchable fire, or in other words appears to be the location the lake of fire.
Luke 12:5, But I will warn you whom to fear, fear the One who after He has killed has the authority to cast into hell (Gehenna).
Mark 9:45, And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than having two feet, to be cast into hell (Gehenna).
Mark 9:47-48, And if your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, be cast into Hell (Gehenna) where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
Matthew 3:12, His winnowing fork is in His hand and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Matthew 13:30, ... In the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, first gather up the tares and bind them (in Hades??) to burn them up (in Gehenna??) but gather the wheat into My barn (the Kingdom??).
Matthew 13:39, ... the harvest is at the end of the age, and the reapers are angels, so just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks and those who practice lawlessness and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Is the furnace of fire the place of torment in Hades??).
Matthew 8:12, but the sons of the kingdom (Jews who reject Christ) will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place (Hades??) there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Clearly the "furnace of fire" and the "outer darkness" share the idea of torment and regret, just like in Hades.)
In Luke 16:19-31 we see that angels carried the guy to the place of comfort and so although not mentioned, we can infer that the reapers also carried the rich man to the place of torment, in effect binding him to be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). Flame is mentioned in Hades, Luke 16:24, and torment is mentioned to occur in Hades Luke 16:23.
Understanding the Abyss. The abyss is a figurative reference to Hades, and literally refers to a deep place. When the Greek word for abyss is coupled with the Greek word for well or shaft or pit, the idea is a narrow opening on the surface that extends down to the much larger cavern of the abyss. So rather than bottomless pit as the KJV renders the coupling, it should be abyss shaft. You will note that verses that use this construction (abyss shaft) make reference to entering or exiting or sealing the abyss.
Lets look at a few verses:
Luke 8:31 has demons whose collective name is legion, asking not to be consigned to the abyss.
Romans 10:7 refers to the abyss as the place of the dead.
Revelation 9:1 refers to the angel who has the key to the abyss shaft, or in other words is able to open it up.
In Revelation 9:2, we see that the shaft was opened and smoke came out as from a furnace (the same furnace of fire perhaps mentioned in Matthew 13:39) and so the underground shaft acted like a chimney.
Out of this opening shaft of the abyss came locusts and in Revelation 9:11 we learn the Hebrew and Greek name for the king of the locusts, referred to as the king of the abyss, with both names meaning destruction or destroyer.
In Revelation 11:7, the beast ascends out of the abyss.
Revelation 17:8, The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those that dwell on the earth, whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come." Here we see that the beast comes from the abyss (Hades) and goes to destruction, the lake of fire as described in Revelation 19:20.
In Revelation 20:1 we see again that the abyss is opened and Satan is placed inside and in verse three, the abyss is sealed to confine Satan for the thousand-year reign of Christ.
In Revelation 20:7-10, we see that Satan, the Beast, and the False Prophet are thrown into the lake of fire where they (those three) are tormented day and night forever and ever.
Luke 16:19-31 shows that mercy is not available after we die in Adam. No verse has been offered to support salvation from Hades. But to the contrary, verses have been presented which say the folks in Hades are judged and tossed into the Lake of Fire. So we have what is said, and we have folks who make an argument from silence based on an invention of man.
The Bible uses the term Sheol as the abode of the dead, and based on context, sometimes refers to place where the body undergoes decay, i.e. a grave, and sometimes a place where our disembodied spirits go following physical death.
The concept of Death includes a whole range of meanings, from the place of the dead, to the cause of death (sin) and sometimes the whole range is personified, such as O Death, where is thou sting.
Hades falls under Death, like a companion, the abode of those suffering from the plagues of death, including torment. Thus Hades follows close behind Death, and when Death is destroyed, Hades no longer has any purpose and is likewise destroyed.
The Abyss is just another metaphorical reference to Hades, a temporary holding place for spirit beings. Likewise, the outer darkness is like the deepest pit in Hades, a location in Hades of suffering isolated from the light of God. Hence, when we enter the Eternal Kingdom, lighted by God Himself, we leave those outside in outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
If you want to grow in your understanding of Hades and Gehenna, put a G or a H next to every usage of the word Hell in your translation. You will be surprised how the temporary place, Hades and the Final destination Gehenna are clearly described in scripture. Note that Gehenna, a place of destruction of the dead, has fires that burn with unquenchable fire, or in other words appears to be the location the lake of fire.
Luke 12:5, But I will warn you whom to fear, fear the One who after He has killed has the authority to cast into hell (Gehenna).
Mark 9:45, And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than having two feet, to be cast into hell (Gehenna).
Mark 9:47-48, And if your eye causes you to stumble, cast it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes, be cast into Hell (Gehenna) where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.
Matthew 3:12, His winnowing fork is in His hand and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Matthew 13:30, ... In the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, first gather up the tares and bind them (in Hades??) to burn them up (in Gehenna??) but gather the wheat into My barn (the Kingdom??).
Matthew 13:39, ... the harvest is at the end of the age, and the reapers are angels, so just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks and those who practice lawlessness and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Is the furnace of fire the place of torment in Hades??).
Matthew 8:12, but the sons of the kingdom (Jews who reject Christ) will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place (Hades??) there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Clearly the "furnace of fire" and the "outer darkness" share the idea of torment and regret, just like in Hades.)
In Luke 16:19-31 we see that angels carried the guy to the place of comfort and so although not mentioned, we can infer that the reapers also carried the rich man to the place of torment, in effect binding him to be cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). Flame is mentioned in Hades, Luke 16:24, and torment is mentioned to occur in Hades Luke 16:23.
Understanding the Abyss. The abyss is a figurative reference to Hades, and literally refers to a deep place. When the Greek word for abyss is coupled with the Greek word for well or shaft or pit, the idea is a narrow opening on the surface that extends down to the much larger cavern of the abyss. So rather than bottomless pit as the KJV renders the coupling, it should be abyss shaft. You will note that verses that use this construction (abyss shaft) make reference to entering or exiting or sealing the abyss.
Lets look at a few verses:
Luke 8:31 has demons whose collective name is legion, asking not to be consigned to the abyss.
Romans 10:7 refers to the abyss as the place of the dead.
Revelation 9:1 refers to the angel who has the key to the abyss shaft, or in other words is able to open it up.
In Revelation 9:2, we see that the shaft was opened and smoke came out as from a furnace (the same furnace of fire perhaps mentioned in Matthew 13:39) and so the underground shaft acted like a chimney.
Out of this opening shaft of the abyss came locusts and in Revelation 9:11 we learn the Hebrew and Greek name for the king of the locusts, referred to as the king of the abyss, with both names meaning destruction or destroyer.
In Revelation 11:7, the beast ascends out of the abyss.
Revelation 17:8, The beast that you saw was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those that dwell on the earth, whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come." Here we see that the beast comes from the abyss (Hades) and goes to destruction, the lake of fire as described in Revelation 19:20.
In Revelation 20:1 we see again that the abyss is opened and Satan is placed inside and in verse three, the abyss is sealed to confine Satan for the thousand-year reign of Christ.
In Revelation 20:7-10, we see that Satan, the Beast, and the False Prophet are thrown into the lake of fire where they (those three) are tormented day and night forever and ever.
Luke 16:19-31 shows that mercy is not available after we die in Adam. No verse has been offered to support salvation from Hades. But to the contrary, verses have been presented which say the folks in Hades are judged and tossed into the Lake of Fire. So we have what is said, and we have folks who make an argument from silence based on an invention of man.