What Do We Know About Heaven and Hell?

Ten Questions for Bible Study on Heaven and Hell (answers provided)

Ten Key Points

1. The Bible describes three heavens: the first is Earth’s atmosphere, the second is outer space and the spiritual realm, and the third is the dwelling place of God, referred to as the “heaven of heavens.”
2. God’s throne is located in the third heaven, where Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father, and where the souls of the righteous go after death.
3. Before Jesus’s crucifixion, the underworld (Sheol) had two main compartments: Abraham’s bosom (a place of comfort for the faithful) and a place of torment for the unrighteous, separated by a great gulf.
4. The English word “hell” translates two different Greek words: Hades (the general abode of the dead) and Gehenna (the final place of punishment, also referred to as the Lake of Fire), which are distinct in the original texts.
5. Tartarus is a special place in the underworld where fallen angels are held in chains until judgment, while Gehenna (the Lake of Fire) is the final destination for the wicked after the last judgment.
6. After his death, Jesus descended into Sheol, specifically to Abraham’s bosom (paradise), to fulfill prophecy and comfort the righteous dead.
7. When Jesus ascended to heaven, he emptied Abraham’s bosom, taking the souls of the righteous with him. Since then, believers go directly to heaven upon death, while unbelievers remain in the place of torment awaiting final judgment.
8. Unbelievers who die now go to the place of torment (Hades), where they await the great white throne judgment, after which they will be cast into Gehenna, the Lake of Fire, for eternity.
9. Key end-times events include the rapture of the church, the tribulation, Christ’s return, the binding and eventual eternal punishment of Satan, and the final judgment of the unrighteous, who are cast into Gehenna.
10. After the final judgment, God will create a new heaven and a new earth. The righteous will dwell with God in the New Jerusalem, where there is no more curse, night, or suffering, and God’s presence will be with humanity forever.