When you die, do you go straight to either Heaven or Hell? If not, where do you go, and what do you do there?

Question

If there is a pergatory, what do you do there?

Do you believe in a pergatory?

And what - if any - is the scriptural basis for this?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Yes you immediately go to one or the other.

Luke 16:23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

The rich man was in Hell and Lazarus was in Paradise.

Answer 2

Yes, I believe in purgatory.

No, the word itself is not in the Bible. This is true, and yet it does not disprove the existence of purgatory or the fact that belief in it has always been part of Church teaching. The words Trinity and Incarnation aren’t in Scripture either, yet those doctrines are clearly taught in it. Likewise, Scripture teaches that purgatory exists, even if it doesn’t use that word and even if 1 Peter 3:19 refers to a place other than purgatory.

Christ refers to the sinner who "will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come" (Matt. 12:32), suggesting that one can be freed after death of the consequences of one’s sins. Similarly, Paul tells us that, when we are judged, each man’s work will be tried. And what happens if a righteous man’s work fails the test? "He will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire" (1 Cor 3:15). Now this loss, this penalty, can’t refer to consignment to hell, since no one is saved there; and heaven can’t be meant, since there is no suffering ("fire") there. The Catholic doctrine of purgatory alone explains this passage.

Then, of course, there is the Bible’s approval of prayers for the dead: "In doing this he acted in a very excellent and noble way, inasmuch as he had the resurrection of the dead in view; for if he were not expecting the dead to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from this sin" (2 Macc. 12:43–45). Prayers are not needed by those in heaven, and no one can help those in hell. That means some people must be in a third condition, at least temporarily. This verse so clearly illustrates the existence of purgatory that, at the time of the Reformation, Protestants had to cut the books of the Maccabees out of their Bibles in order to avoid accepting the doctrine.

Prayers for the dead and the consequent doctrine of purgatory have been part of the true religion since before the time of Christ. Not only can we show it was practiced by the Jews of the time of the Maccabees, but it has even been retained by Orthodox Jews today, who recite a prayer known as the Mourner’s Kaddish for eleven months after the death of a loved one so that the loved one may be purified. It was not the Catholic Church that added the doctrine of purgatory. Rather, any change in the original teaching has taken place in the Protestant churches, which rejected a doctrine that had always been believed by Jews and Christians.

Our suffering in sanctification does not take away from the cross. Rather, the cross produces our sanctification, which results in our suffering, because "[f]or the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness" (Heb. 12:11).

Answer 3

I don't believe in pergatory. I do believe that we are in God's care when we die, neither in Heaven nor Hell, until the great day of judgment. After that day we will reach our final destination. Those whose names are written in the book of life will enter Heaven. Those whose names are not found in the book of life will be thrown into the bottomless pit prepared for Satan and his demons.

Answer 4

That's not an easy question to answer, but it's also not that hard if you are willing to stretch your perceptions.

Heaven, to me, is being in the true, direct, ultimate and eternal presense of God. That won't truly happen for any of us until the fulfillment of the coming of the Kingdom of God. (aka, Second Coming, Rapture, apocalypse, Kingom of Heaven.) So no matter what you do or believe, I don't think anyone dies and goes directly to heanven.

Hell, on the other hand, it being a state of complete and utter separation from God. That can only happen if one chooses that for ones' self and dies in that state. So it is possible, in my mind, to die and "go" directly to hell.

So what's left? Once we die, we are freed from the the constraints of three dimensional space and time. So I honestly can't say WHAT happens because, for all I know, heaven might be a breath away once you take away "time" and, since with God all things are possible, hell might not be eternal.

Answer 5

Mine is not scriptural based, mine was an experience I had when my body shut down for a bit. My experience was you go straight to your destination, first you are asked to acknowledge who you follow, which mine is Jesus, then you are taken to a door with bright, peaceful light. I was allowed to come back upon request because I had two little children to raise. If I had not come back then I would have gone through the door into the bright light. If it had not been for my two children I would have gone right through the door because the peace and tranquility was so awesome.

Answer 6

An intermediate place
Scriptural or not, I like the idea of a kind of Limbo for some people; a way for them to see what they did, or a way for them to say to someone they are sorry in some form ( by psychic or whatever)... its just an idea, whether a literary form, or metaphorical, I don't care what you call it.
The idea that Some have a Half way house to either see the wrongs, say their apologies, kind of a nice literary device

Answer 7

After the death of the body... every soul atman tries to manifest another body if matching parents are available on Mother Earth. All depends upon the residual balance of karma. As is the balance... so shall be the next manifestation! If the residual balance of karma demands we be born in the house of a cobbler... nothing in the cosmic system can make one manifest the form of a Princess.

Everything in the cosmic system is governed by the doctrine of karma from one manifestation to another. As we sow so shall we reap... nothing less or more! In the system of God nothing is disordered at any stage as has been mentioned by Stephen Hawking in his book, "a brief history of time". Spirituality is beyond the comprehension of science.

For any reason if matching parents are not available... the soul gets a seat either in heaven or hell... in heaven if the residual balance of karma is positive and hell if negative! Heaven exists in the core of the sun where temperatures exceed millions of degrees centigrade. Hell exists in the periphery of the sun where temperatures are considerably less.

Devoid of a body... the soul atman glorifies itself in the temperatures that exist in the core of the sun. At lower temperatures in hell... the soul atman suffers. Sooner the matching parents are available on Mother Earth... the soul atman immediately manifests a body. The journey to the kingdom of God can never be made by soul atman directly from Heaven or hell.

The manifest stage of a human being is the highest in the cosmic life cycle. It is only as a human being the soul atman within finally liberates itself from the cycle of birth and death. It is only as a human being one reaches the stage of enlightenment (kaivalya jnana) and salvation (moksha). Thereafter it is a straight journey to the kingdom of God (aka Baikuntha in Hinduism).

Nothing of the sort of purgatory exists in the cosmic system. If at all it exists... it exists on Mother Earth. It is only as a human being that we sufferer for our sins and reap rewards for following the path of Punya Karma (leading a pious life). Every human being atones for ones sins on Mother Earth only. Every form of karma can only be worked out when the soul atman within manifests a body. In absence of the body... the soul atman simply hibernates in heaven or hell. More on Heaven or Hell - http://www.godrealized.org/swarga_naraka_and_dharti.html

Answer 8

you go straight to either. You don't meet St. Peter to discuss whether you get in or not, you don't meet with the devil to see what level you get. You just end up.

these phenomenons aren't mentioned in the Bible. Jesus spoke of the different roads, the different gates, but no guards.

the devil doesn't own or control Hell btw.

Answer 9

When you die you either go to paradise or to Hades. When the time of judgment comes, Death and Hades will give up the dead and all will be judged. Those judged to be righteous go to the newly created heaven, and those judged to be unrighteous will be cast into hell.

Answer 10

hell is the grave biblically...then judgment or resurrection to immortality for Christians
purgatory verse catholics use i Oh dear i dont have the book written sorry maybe someone will have the whole thing
for paradise verse see this one
Luke 23:43