Many people believe that some people will go to a place called "Hell" after they die. They believe that the ones who will be tormented there are those who did not accept Jesus as their Savior. Many people wonder about this and why God would send anyone somewhere so horrible! I want to show you what the Bible actually says, because many people have been told wrong information on this topic.
I used to believe everything was black and white: God is good; Satan is evil; Christians go to heaven; non-Christians go to hell. It seemed like "If you believe XYZ then you're a Christian," and if you didn't, you were going to hell. But it only took one question for me to start questioning all of those things. (Answer me, if you can, why I'm going to hell.) That question opened my eyes to see a different picture of God than what I was taught.
The problem is we don't realize or understand that no matter how nice we think someone looks, inside we are all evil and filthy. That's why hell does indeed exist, and the reason it exists is because of our sin nature. This sin nature causes us to do evil. The devil doesn’t make us sin (God, who is all-powerful, could stop him anytime He wanted to). We do it all on our own accord. So it is each person’s fault for their individual sins against God.
We read in Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Paul wrote this to prove that God's righteousness is fulfilled by faith to those who believe. God has always had a plan to forgive mankind for his sins and provide a way for believers to escape eternal punishment of the soul, which means separation from God. Every day we are at war with sin in our flesh and Satan and the world. The devil wants nothing more than for humanity to be separated eternally from God. But this is the true and lasting peace that will never fade away: eternal life with God. To gain eternal life is easy, but sadly, many will not enter into life.
John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” As long as you remain obedient to the Lord and follow Him, you will be saved in the end, and it is by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). If we keep following the Savior then we will get to spend our eternity with Him in paradise instead of being sent away forever. For our souls to be eternally punished is the exact opposite of the best possible outcome. Because the punishment we deserve is eternal death, a separation from God, but God provides everlasting life through Jesus. Therefore, in light of Jesus' sacrifice and His promise, John 3:16 says, “For Godd so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
So here is the paradox. Most think that we go to heaven when we die. But there is no scriptural support for that notion, just the contrary. You see, we can die physically, but mankind cannot die spiritually. Jesus said in Matthew 10:28, "fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known." The book of Ecclesiastes tells us about the vanity and transitoriness of life in a world where life changes, death becomes everyone, and there are new generations that come into existence every single day.
What Happens When We Die Physically?
Christians often talk about heaven, but most times they speak out of fear. Often these talks scare people into thinking they have got to join the church to avoid something awful happening to themselves after death. According to the Scriptures, those who reject Jesus will not face torment in flames, burn forever without an end, but they will experience a horrible form of judgment: eternal separation from God in hell!
As far as heaven goes, God says of those who are still alive at the return of Christ, "Truly, I tell you that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth there." Those whose names have been written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Revelation 20:11-15; Revelation 20:4) will find themselves in a place that is described as having streets made of gold, where there is no more crying or pain, and no more death (Rev. 21:27). Death brings the blessed release from the suffering, sorrow, and mourning on earth for the followers of Jesus Christ - but not for those living during the Tribulation before the Second Coming of Christ (Matthew 24:21).
Please do not forget that there are two resurrections in this world: First, you will be raised from your physical body into an incorruptible body (Philippians 3:21), the kind of body that is common today but will last forever because of its incorruptibility; this happens during Jesus’ second coming at the end of time (Daniel 12:2-3). The second resurrection is when all unbelieving individuals who have died over history will go up into the air with those who are still alive when this occurs (first resurrection) without suffering death by fire in Lake of Fire forever because they rejected eternal salvation through believing on Jesus Christ here on Earth during their lifetime (Revelation 20:15). There really isn’t any “hell-fire” mentioned specifically.
Scripture informs us that some people will be saved and go to Heaven, but others will be judged for their rejection of salvation through Jesus Christ during their lifetime and experience divine retribution (Romans 5:16, Rev. 22:11-12, and John 8:24). Some teach eternal conscious torment, also known by various synonyms like eternal condemnation or endless retribution. Yet others argue that hell must have a finite duration since an infinite punishment is deemed harsh even by society's standards. However, this view is equally possible and valid to support the idea of Hell.
Conclusion
Overall, we must remember that Scripture states an interesting phenomenon about the future existence of mankind in the afterlife. Mankind is comprised of two types: those who are true believers and those who are not. The scriptures tell us that when someone has accepted Jesus as their Savior, he or she has truly believed and will not be judged but granted life with Jesus Himself. Sadly though, these other kinds of people, unbelievers, will be judged by God and punished in hell as they reject Christ's offer to save them from eternal destruction.