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Good verses, but what are they saying?

Should we maim our bodies to get into heaven? Most would say no. So that isn't meant to be taken literally. What the King James calls hell, was actually the word "geenna" which was a valley were trash was burned.

http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1067&t=KJV

Is that fire still burning today? No. So, again, this is a visual picture for people to get a concept of something bad and nasty.

The message of Jesus seems to be: knowing how terrible hell is, it is worth any sacrifice to avoid. Therefore, we cannot think of the kingdom of God just in the context of reward; we must also think in terms of sacrifice.

One other thing that stands out...those verses say that the fire is not quenched. It still fits that a persons soul could be annihilated in the lake of fire whos fires are never quenched. It doesn't say that the one in hell is burned alive forever and ever and ever and ever....