I believe that when one dies, his/her soul goes to HADES, and hades is divided into "torments" where the souls of those who die in sin go, and "paradise", where the souls of the righteous go, where JESUS went at His death at Calvary.
I've had several recent discussions with folx who believe that the soul does directly to heaven or hell at death, but I believe SCRIPTURE sez differently. I believe hell is gehenna, the lake of fire, created for Satan and his angels, and is now uninhabited. According to Scripture, it appears the antichrist and his false prophet will be its first occupants, followed later by Satan, then his angels and the souls of the damned. I believe the righteous will inhabit a reconstituted earth, with the "New Jerusalem" as its centerpiece, where GOD HIMSELF will come to live, with our having free access to actual heaven, where JESUS went to prepare "mansions" for us.
But right now, all who have died, except Jesus, are in hades, either in torments or paradise. We have JESUS' parable about the rich man & the beggar Lazarus confirming this, as well as Jesus telling the repentant thief on the cross that he would be with Jesus in PARADISE that very day.
I believe a misconception about hades has arisen because of several Bible translations rendering it as "hell". (No, I'm NOT trying to start a discussion about Bible versions; merely stating a FACT.) If anyone believes I am incorrect, may we have an enlightening discussion about it?
I've had several recent discussions with folx who believe that the soul does directly to heaven or hell at death, but I believe SCRIPTURE sez differently. I believe hell is gehenna, the lake of fire, created for Satan and his angels, and is now uninhabited. According to Scripture, it appears the antichrist and his false prophet will be its first occupants, followed later by Satan, then his angels and the souls of the damned. I believe the righteous will inhabit a reconstituted earth, with the "New Jerusalem" as its centerpiece, where GOD HIMSELF will come to live, with our having free access to actual heaven, where JESUS went to prepare "mansions" for us.
But right now, all who have died, except Jesus, are in hades, either in torments or paradise. We have JESUS' parable about the rich man & the beggar Lazarus confirming this, as well as Jesus telling the repentant thief on the cross that he would be with Jesus in PARADISE that very day.
I believe a misconception about hades has arisen because of several Bible translations rendering it as "hell". (No, I'm NOT trying to start a discussion about Bible versions; merely stating a FACT.) If anyone believes I am incorrect, may we have an enlightening discussion about it?
