Does the Bible say that hell is real

I'll never forget the first time I saw "The Burning Hell" at a sanctified tent crusade on the west side of Chicago, not far from home. In the film, Pastor Estus W. Pirkle preaches about hell; in fact, all non-Christians will suffer eternal torment. Two self-proclaimed "Christians" who don't believe in hell also visit him. I recall being invited to attend by a friend, so I did, and let me tell you, this movie scared the hell out of me; I wasn't the same for weeks, but it was designed to do just that, and I grew up believing that stuff.

So to most Christians, hell is a place where there is no water, no life, almost no air, no sleep, total isolation from other people, total darkness, billions of helpless people screaming insanely for mercy, spiders the size of small cars, snakes the size of freight trains, a stench 1000 times worse than any foul odor on earth, 14-foot hideous demons that break every bone in one's body, demons that tear off people's arms and legs, and all this insane torture takes place at the center of the earth in 12,000-degree fire pits, among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. James 3:6 New Living Translation

And the tongue is like a fire. It is a world of wrong, occupying its place in our bodies and spreading evil through our whole being. It sets on fire the entire course of our existence with the fire that comes to it from hell itself.
James 3:6 Good News Translation

The scriptures are referring to something that is happening within the individual while they are still alive, right now! Not when they die, but right now! Just ask any veteran who served in the military what hell is like. Ask yourself one simple question: Can spirits burn? And, if so, can we see it, and, even better, can they feel it? Hell isn't a place you go to when you die; it's something you go through.

Even if I walk through a valley as dark as the grave, I will not be afraid of any danger, because you (God) are with me. Psalms 23:4 Easy-to-Read Version

Heaven and hell are symbols, not actual places where people can go. Knowing this should be reassuring, but many people still want to believe in them as places. They represent states of consciousness in a mystical sense. Hell is a state of consciousness based on erroneous beliefs about God, man, and the universe. It is not a consciousness created by God, but rather one formed by man through his misuse of thought power. Satan is a dominant consciousness belief that motivates much of our negative behavior. There is only one source of power— and it belongs to God.

Everyone will be redeemed from this "hell" consciousness at some point. It will not be a vicarious redemption because it must be accomplished individually and personally through consciousness transformation.