Christians, Jews, Muslims and others that believe in HELL...?

Question

If you believe in hell may I ask honestly what you believe happens to the spirit or soul after a person dies?

Do you believe that a soul goes directly to heaven or hell after death?

Do you believe there is some holding place that spirits go until judgment day?

Do you believe that spirits hang around to guide loved ones and protect them? Or what?

Please elaborate on your answers.

Oh and will you please if possible share scripture or verse so that I may look these up?

Answer 1

Our souls will go to paradise(purgatory) until judgement day and then we will be judged according to our works. Paradise is not heaven. Jesus was in Paradise. And did not ascend to heaven until after the resurrection. Jesus walked the earth for 40 more days after His resurrection. He walked and talked and ate and drank and was observed not only by the Apostles but more then 500 other people.

After Jesus "was put to death in the flesh" (1st Peter 3:18), he "descended into the lower parts of the earth [sheol]" (Ephesians 4:10) to "preach to the spirits in prison" (1st Peter 3:19), namely the righteous men whose knees "bow...under the earth" (Phillipians 2:10) such that the "gospel was preached even to the dead" (1st Peter 4:6). Fulfilling the promise "the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God...all who are in the tombs will hear" (John 5:25.28). Afterword, regarding these righteous men of sheol, "when [Jesus] ascended on high he led a host of captives" (Ephesians 4:8) immediately making Jesus the "firstborn of the dead." (Collosians 1:17).

But what happened to sheol after this? Some say it disappeared. But what does Scripture say? Jesus says "I hold the keys to death and the netherworld [sheol]" (Revelations 1:18 - sheol in Greek is hades). Jesus is not holding the keys to something that no longer exists, but to something that still exists. But if it still exists, what is it for? Do any souls still go to sheol even after Jesus' resurrection? If so, are any of these souls righteous?

In Revelation 20:4, we see the superlatively righteous as coming to life during the first resurrection: "the souls of those who had been beheaded...they came to life and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years." We are also told that "The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were over." These remaining people are said to come from sheol: "then Death and Hades [sheol] gave up the dead in them" (Revelation 20:13). This then answers a previous question; there are indeed souls that still go to sheol even after Jesus' resurrection.

Now, some might claim that this "hades" or "sheol" of Revelation 20:13 is actually hell itself. However, Revelation 20:14 states "Then Death and Hades were thrown in the lake of fire [Hell]." This proves that this sheol is not the same thing as hell itself. If it were, then Revelation 20:14 would be indicating that Hell was being thrown into Hell; a proposition which makes no sense. However, some say that absolutely all the souls of this second resurrection from sheol go to Hell. But what does Scripture say of these people? "If any one's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire" (Rev 20:15). Now, (Ephesians 4:9) in saying "if any one," what does it mean but that some names were indeed found in the book of life.

What does it mean to say "if any one" if not to say that there are some whose name's were indeed in the book of life? When Paul says "If any one refuses to obey
what we say in this letter, note that man, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed.

Thus, those whose names were in the book of life did not go to Hell! These remaining people were among the saved! It thus holds ipso facto that there is a place, neither heaven nor hell, which does indeed detain some number of righteous souls before entrance into heaven. For the remainder of this discussion, this detainment will be called by its common Christian name "Purgatory" rather than sheol.

It must be emphasized, at this point, that no indication is given that these souls in Purgatory have received some kind of "second chance." The souls were evidently righteous before physical death. But why would any righteous souls be detained in Purgatory? This question is answered by inspecting the nature of the detainment. Thus it is now asked: what is this the nature of the detainment?

Paul referred to the building of new church communities as "laying a foundation." He also spoke of those who help such growth as those who "build on the foundation" (Romans 15:20, 1st Corinthians 3:10-15). However, within his discourse of these ideas in 1st Corinthians 3:13-15, Paul describes the results of such labor in terms that are clearly eschatological in nature. In fact, it appears that his language implicitly describes Purgatory by an evident parallel between the first and second resurrection woven into his words:


Each man's work will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it,
because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of
work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the
foundation survives, he will receive a reward [the first resurrection].
If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss [Purgatory], though he
himself will be saved [the second resurrection], but only as through fire
[Purgatory].
Such langauge indicates that Purgatory is a punishment for sin. However, many believe that for the righteous there is no longer any punishment for sin. After all, doesn't Hebrews 10:17 state "I will remember their sins and their misdeeds no more?" This is true regarding God's pattern of repentance and forgiveness, but many forget that God's forgiveness doesn't always obviate the need for punishment:

Hebrews 12:5-6:

And have you forgotten the exhortation which addresses you as sons? -- "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by him. For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives."
Thus punishment for the righteous, whether on earth or in Purgatory, does not contradict proper biblical theology. It also is evident, therefore, that Purgatory cannot be considered a place of horror, but instead a place where punishment issues from God's parental love.

Another apparent reference to Purgatory comes from a parable in Luke 12:35-48 where Jesus teaches of the doctrine of final judgement. Here Jesus speaks of a master leaving his servants and then returning at a later time to exact judgment. Of special note are verses 47-48 where Jesus says "And that servant who knew his master's will, but did not make ready or act according to his will, shall receive a severe beating [Hell]. But he who did not know, and did what deserved a beating shall receive a light beating [Purgatory]." Indeed in Scripture, the "light beating" doesn't correspond to any other final judgment scenerio except the Purgatory already described. It might also be noted that even without the use of 1st Corinthians 3 and Luke 12, it is only logical that any kind of posthumous detainment from entering heaven must be some form of punishment.

Even the thief on the cross went to paradise with Jesus as stated in all the Gospels



Luke 23:39 And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.

40But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

41And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

42And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

43And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Answer 2

Traditional Judaism has quite a lot to say on the subject. I appologize in advance if I am not quite as eloquent as the books I've read.

First, let's start with the definition of "heaven" and "hell". A soul is a completely spiritual entity, so its rewards and punishments are spiritual. Thus, no fire or brimstone.
When a person dies, their soul gains an intense awareness of God and the spiritual world. The person also finds out whether every single action they did in life was the right or wrong thing to do.
Imagine you worked your whole life on a goal, and your entire purpose in life was to reach that goal. Then, after all your hard hard work, you find out you've been doing it all wrong. And everyone in the world knows you failed, and there's no place to hide and you can't forget what you did. You'd feel absolutely crushed and humiliated. This, basically, is Hell. The soul knows it messed up, and it knows that God knows it messed up, and there's nothing for it to do except stand around feeling ashamed.
Heaven is the opposite. Heaven is when the soul realizes that it did do things right, and it accomplished its mission in life. The soul proud of itself, and it knows that God is proud of it. Eternal bliss follows.
Hell is temporary. Most people have done things they're ashamed of, and it takes time to get over it. The maxmium time a soul spends in Hell is one year. (The only exception is for really, really bad people. Serial killers, maybe). After one year, the soul gradually manages to forget its sins. Even so, a year of psychological tomernt isn't pretty.
Punishment in this world can substitute for suffering in the next, and true repentance can get rid of sins altogether.

Yes, souls can help the people they left behind. They have a direct line to God, so to speak. That is the reason behind the custom of praying at the graves of great rabbis- presumably, righteous people like them have God's ear.

Judaism does believe in a great Judement Day at the end of times. What exactly will happen then is up for debate. They say that when there are two Jews, there are three opinions, and when you have 200 rabbis, you get about 600 opinions. Some people say the dead will be judged again, but differently.
(I can only remember one take on Judgement Day and the dead at the moment. This person said that when a person dies, they are judged by how they've affected the world in their lifetime. At the end of days, they will be judged based on how they've affected the entire course of history).

EDIT: I forgot to add- you don't have to be Jewish to get to heaven. A non-Jew who lives a moral life is perfectly eligible.

Answer 3

The question of what happens after death can be confusing. The Bible is not explicitly clear on when a person will reach their final eternal destiny. The Bible tells us that after the moment of death, a person is taken to Heaven or Hell based on whether he or she had received Christ as his or her Savior. For believers, after death is to be "away from the body and at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23). For unbelievers, after death means everlasting punishment in Hell (Luke 16:22-23).



This is where it can get confusing as to what happens after death. Revelation 20:11-15 describes all those in Hell being cast into the lake of fire. Revelation chapters 21-22 describe a New Heaven and New Earth. Therefore, it seems that until the final resurrection, after death a person resides in a “temporary” Heaven and Hell. A person's eternal destiny will not change, but the precise "location" of a person's eternal destiny will change. At some point after death, believers will be sent to the New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 21:1). At some point after death, unbelievers will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). These are the final, eternal destinations of all people - based entirely on whether a person had trusted Jesus Christ alone for the salvation of their sins.

Answer 4

The Christian who dies today would see his soul go immediately with the Lord in Paradise. As Christ said to the penitent thief on the cross when Christ was crucified "this day I shall see you in Paradise" because of his faith. Paul also said in Romans that it would be better to die now and go to be with the Lord than to keep on living this life. However he said he was called to serve the Lord therefore to get about His work. The non believer when they die go to hell or may be called Sheol, Tartarus, The lowest Hell(see Luke 16:24 Pro.23:14---2Peter 2:4--Deut.32:22--Psalm 86:13) they remain there until the end of the Millennium where they then go to the "Great White Throne Judgment". Here they get to give an account of their lives but having not accepted Christ as their Saviour they get sent to the lake of fire. (See Revelation) There are many many more verses re this topic but the bottom line is if you want to spend eternity with God you need to have your sins forgiven by Christ whom God sent to die for your sins. To reject Christ is to spend eternity in Hell a place of torment and a place where there is no light. If you are serious about making a decision I would recommend reading the New Testament book " John" , Cheers. (Excellent question)

Answer 5

I believe that death is like going to sleep and appearing to last only one night. At the Judgment Day when all souls are awakened, then it is shown to each where their destiny lies - Paradise or Hell. This is when the record of their life's events is given to them by their angel. When placed in their left hand, they are destined for Hell. When placed in their right hand, Paradise. There is no "holding place".

I do not believe that human spirits hang around to "guide" loved ones. I believe this to be a lie of Shaytan (Satan) and it is perpetuated on people wanting to believe in this by the jinn (demons) who do the bidding of Shaytan.

I do not have specific references, but I have read in the Quran that the true believers will enter Paradise immediately. True believers are NOT those committing suicide in the name of Allah as is brain-washed into some by Islamic extremists and fanatics. We are instructed in the Quran not to take our own lives. This is reserved for Allah alone.

Answer 6

I believe that hell as described in the bible is simply the grave. When you die you sleep in the grave until the resurrection and judgment. There will be some believers who will still be alive when Christ returns and will not taste death. Here is a text that clearly describes this event.

1 Corinthians 15:51-54 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

Answer 7

Among the People of the Book are some who believe in God and in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down to them, and who are humble before God. They do not sell God's Signs for a paltry price. Such people will have their reward with their Lord. And God is swift at reckoning. (Qur'an, 3:199) They are not all the same. There is a community among the People of the Book who are upright. They recite God's Signs throughout the night, and they prostrate. They believe in God and the Last Day, enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and compete in doing good. They are among the righteous. You will not be denied the reward for any good thing you do. God knows those who guard against evil. (Qur'an, 3:113-15)

Answer 8

I am a Jew that believes in hell
Daniel 12:2 states it is abhorance from God forever
Revelation 19-22 Jesus describes the horror of hell and the joy of heaven

the soul goes to hell and Jesus says when we see him we will be like him= a body -and all those that reject salvation go to weeping forever and gnashing teeth, you need a body for that

there are deamons on earth-fallen angels that conterfiet humans that have died-necromancers call them up-Jesus says desmons can come as creatures of light

Answer 9

The soul goes directly to Heaven or Hell, because that is what I believe.

Answer 10

The 1800's adopted doctrine of the Roman church we all know today is based on Dante's "The Divine Comedy". The Greek word "gehena" was the translation from the Hebrew word "gueh hin-nom" (Valley of Hinon). It was mistranslated as hell when the truth is that the Hebrew word was used in regard to the trash dump.

Answer 11

You are to be commended for searching for the truth. But, how about I just direct you to some websites that will help you with your questions.

It is better to show you some places to fish than to fish for you, right?