If God would set up more than 1 ultimate destination for people, why only 2 places (Heaven and Hell)?

Question

Considering how different everybody is, with widely varying degrees of virtue, why just 2 destinations that are so extreme? Why just eternal bliss or eternal torture and not any middle ground?

Please note this question asks WHY it would be set up this way, not WHO would set this up . . thanks!

Answer 1

By gods own ward the choices are life and death what other choices would you lick.

Answer 2

I have seen some curious explanations here: Hell a/k/a Two-Part Hades – the place of Hell and Paradise, a/k/a the common grave of mankind divided into parts: the air conditioned part a/k/a the bosom of Abraham a/k/a paradise a/k/a the first level of hell, and the painful part a/k/a the dead part, a/k/a the part where Satan is holding onto some keys. Some people deny that Jesus went to hell despite the scripture plainly saying so in Acts. Others say he did but only because of prophecy; still others say he had to go in order to get the keys. Some people say hell is a place of protection, yet Satan was there with some keys. Others say Jesus was sort of busy collecting some keys (these keys are fascinating) and some souls; yet Acts says Jesus was resurrected. Resurrection is for dead people, not living people. And Ecclesiastes 9:5 says dead people are conscious of absolutely nothing. Since that is so, I am a little confused as to how you can dart around collecting keys and souls without being conscious or alive. And if Jesus went there to collect some keys (these keys still fascinate me) from Satan, does that mean Satan was in the air conditioned side? Or was Satan on the painful side and Jesus caught a cab? And when he caught the cab, did Jesus leave the souls on the air conditioned side or did they ride with him? How much easier it is to simply accept the Bible’s teaching on such matters rather than reduce simplicity to these convoluted and tortuous explanations that defy logic, reason and God himself. Hades is the word that is so often translated as Hell. It conjures up Dante's Inferno but scripturally, Hades is the same as the Hebrew Sheol: it is the common grave of mankind. It is where all humans go upon death. It is a place of inactivity. Since dead people are there, it is why one can be resurrected. That is why Revelation 21 says that hell (hades) gives up those DEAD - because people who are there get a resurrection. Hannah J Paul

Answer 3

If Adam would not have sinned, there would have been no need of a place for the dead.

Yet, Adam sinned, selling the souls of all mankind unto the devil.

God loved us so much, he already had a plan of salvation which he had established even before the creation of the heavens and earth. So God know the devil would cause man to fall.

Yet, note that there was not just two places as you have written, but three.

For before Jesus defeated death, all of mankind were being held in death, in the place known as death and hell.

The unrighteous were held in the lower part of hell where they remain even to this day awaiting the day of judgment.

The righteous dead were held in the upper part of hell better known as the bosom of Abraham were they resided until Jesus defeated death. Which at that time they were then set free and taken to the kingdom of God.

Now, I don't believe any go to the place known as the bosom of Abraham, for when a man who believes today and dies, his soul is not dead and does not go to the place of the dead, but his soul is alive, being born anew, being born again by that quickening spirit, Christ Jesus, and goes to the place of the living, the kingdom of God.


Now, this is not the end as of yet. For those who are in hell upon the day of judgment will be judged and then tossed into the lake of fire and brimstone.

So now we are speaking of not two, not three, but four destinations. Yet, only to are eternal. Heaven and the lake of fire and brimstone.

Answer 4

You are gradating virtue and sin but it is not so with God. God does not see sin as a "little sin" and "greater sin" kinda thing. For God, sin is sin. Sin is to practice what is not lawful, it is to be separated from God. Some people think that murder is a more serious sin, while lying is not as important. But the liar is a friend to the murderer before God. Likewise, concerning virtue, you either do the will of God or you don't.

Heaven is the place for those who obeyed God. Hell will be the place for those who don't.

Answer 5

He didnt. I am mormon and we believe there are levels of glory. Noone in going to burn and be tortured for eternity. That would be too cruel even for the worst sinners out there. Eternity is a long long time.

We will be granted knowledge and progression based on our degrees of virtue, as you called it.

The after life is more a rewards system than a punishment one.

Answer 6

With God, there simply is no middle ground. It's "either-or". As for people being so dissimilar in their virtues, I guess diversity of thought and belief actually turns out to be a bad thing afterall. Maybe if more people were unified and coherent in their beliefs, these strange contrasts would not become issues to begin with.

Answer 7

Because two is all that is required; either one dies in friendship with God and want to be with him or hates him. God made us to know Him and to love Him, there is no greater joy then to be with God, and once one stands before him and sees him face to face, one wants to be united to him, even more so then newly weds want to unite with each other. And that is heaven.

And the alternative? As God is the very definition of joy, good, love and life; with out Him there can’t any of that. For those who die in hatred of God, they couldn’t go to heaven so they do in fact choose the eternal agony of death that is hell. This isn’t some state of unconsciousness or non- existence, those in hell are aware of their painful eternal separation from God. To annihilate them (as groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses Watchtower says) would be contrary to God’s justice, love and mercy. (These people actually have what the want and hate themselves and God for it, but are too proud of themselves to have it any other way, because that means giving in to what they hate (God.)

PS Mormons are wrong too, they accept the King James version of the bible where Jesus often spoke of the eternal punishment of hell.

Answer 8

Lowers the number of wrong answers you can have...it's a proven fact that given too many choices people tend to choose the middle ground...not the extremes...and it doesn't matter how many choices you are given...you're only allowed to make one choice...God does not want you to choose the middle ground or the easy route...

Think about it...does your boss pay you to do nothing at all or do you have to earn your salary??? Only 2 choices...earn it or don't get paid...

Answer 9

If a person repents of their sins, then they are sinless.
If a person doe not repent of their sins, then they are still sinners.

There are only 2 groups of people, and so only the need for 2 destinations.

Answer 10

Ultimate destination is heaven: "higher than the heavens".
It's "above" both law vs law (loser vs loser) blame games.

Heaven: higher than the heavens: throne of grace
Heavens on high: highminded left vs right theories
Earth: the place of twice fallen baby-lon

Pst: twice fallen requires twice risen for "reconciled"

Be ye reconciled (through Jesus-->Christ)-->to God.

Answer 11

In my Fathers house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you.

There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: