Atheist, Mark D, stated: “Christians all want to go to heaven, but not one of them can tell you what they will be doing for an eternity. On the other hand, Christians claim to know a great deal about what happens when you go to hell. They say that you will be tossed into a lake of fire where you will be tormented forever. Screams and gnashing of teeth will take up most of time. Why the discrepancy? Because it is easier to sell paradise without details and a horror show with details. Christian authorities have always wanted to sell heaven and hell to believers as a way to control them. In order to make the sale, they leave heaven pretty much to one’s imagination and hell to fictionalized, detailed descriptions and potent imagery that are intended to frighten even the most hardened among us. Thoughts?”

Christian response to Mark D…

1) Concerning the faithful in Jesus Christ in Eternity…

The Holy Spirit, in His written Covenant of Grace (the Holy Bible) with mankind, does articulate the responsibilities of the redeemed in Jesus Christ when they enter the Kingdom of God subsequent to death of the body. At the point of death of the body constrained by Time, the faithful in Jesus Christ are instantaneously translated into the presence of God the Father/Jesus Christ in a disembodied spiritual state awaiting the day of the resurrection where they will receive a body fashioned like the resurrected body of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:8).

Concerning the resurrected body of the redeemed as per the Holy Spirit…

“Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” Philippians 3:21 (KJV)

In their disembodied state, the faithful are more cognitively acute, aware, than when constrained by the sinful, corrupted body in Time. The disembodied spirit of the redeemed will not be subject to the physical laws and limitations of Time and the redeemed will see God face-to-face (1 John 3:2); there will no longer be any pain, suffering, disease, death, tears, because the old things of this Earth have passed away with the death of the body of corruption in Time (Revelation 21:4).

The overarching purpose for our life constrained by Time is to prepare for service to our God in Eternity. Eternity will be a place of responsibility and servitude to our God in accordance with our spiritual gifts and what we have done with those gifts while in our body upon this Earth; some will be judges of righteousness, others will be direct servants of the Lord, others will have the responsibilities of Kings and Priests before our Lord and we will all praise and honor our God as King, Redeemer, Lord…as it is written…

“…and he made us to be a kingdom, to be priests unto his God and Father; to him be the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:6 (NASB)

“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” Revelation 5:10 (NASB)

“Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?” 1 Corinthians 6:3 (NASB)

…but just as it is written, “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NASB)

Gotquestions.org writes: In Luke 23:43, Jesus declared, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise.” The word Jesus used for “paradise” is paradeisos which means “a park, that is, (specifically) an Eden (place of future happiness, paradise)”. Paradeisos is the Greek word taken from the Hebrew word pardes which means “a park: – forest, orchard” (Strong’s). Jesus said, “Today you shall be with me “en paradeisos,” not “en nephele” which is Greek for “in clouds.” The point is that Jesus picked and used the word for “a park.” Not just any park but “the paradise of God” or park of God (Revelation 2:7) which for us will be a place of future happiness. Does this sound like a boring place? When you think of a park, do you think of boredom?

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2) Concerning the death and punishment of the Atheist/those who reject Jesus Christ as Lord for the mediation of sin while in the Age of Grace upon this Earth and those who died rejecting God before the Covenant of Grace…

Every Atheist/unbeliever who rejects the pardon from death in sin and Hell freely offered by faith in Jesus Christ as Lord, these unfaithful at the point of death of the body will be instantaneously translated in their disembodied spirit to the region Jesus Christ/the Holy Spirit refer to as Hades-Sheol/Torments; the unfaithful dead are fully cognizant, cognitively aware and interactive with the Spiritual World around them (Luke 16:19-31).

The unfaithful dead interned in Hades-Sheol/torments are apparently in agony and suffer during this period of incarceration while they await the Great White Throne Judgment that will manifest subsequent to the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ (Revelation 20:11-15; Hebrews 9:27).

NOTE: Hades-Sheol/torments is NOT Hell (The Lake of Fire).

Prior to the Great White Throne Judgment, the unfaithful will be brought out of Hades-Sheol/torments and receive a corrupt/defiled resurrected body in order to stand in the Judgment before Jesus Christ. Jesus warned about this Judgment and the destruction of the body and the soul…

Jesus said…

“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28 (NASB)

Controversy over the “second death” in Hell…

There is much controversy concerning the status of those who are condemned at the Great White Throne Judgment and subsequently relegated to the Lake of Fire (Hell) for Eternity. Some believe the “second death” in Hell is instantaneous while other theologians believe there is a period of suffering equivalent to the deeds done in the body in Time then a “second death” death of finality manifests. Others believe the condemned Atheist/unbeliever suffer eternally.

Having studied the subject of Hell, I believe the only beings that are tormented in Hell forever are Satan, the Beast, the False Prophet and perhaps the demons/angels that followed Satan-Lucifer in his attempted coup d’état taut in the Kingdom (Revelation 20:10). I believe the Scriptures teach that the condemned will die a death of finality in Hell (a second death), the Lake of Fire, but whether or not punishment for sin is graduated according to the depth of sin done in the body before this second death in Hell, I do not know (Revelation 20:14).

I do know that death in Hell is essential because our Creator will NOT permit the destructiveness of sin to enter His Eternal Kingdom; after all, it is because of sin introduced by Lucifer in the Kingdom that our Creator initiated the creation of Time, the Universe, mankind, Hell, in order that God could deal with the sin of Lucifer apart from the Eternal Kingdom.

“the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8 (NASB)