The Christian Afterlife

 Whenever Christianity is discussed its only a matter of time until someone says something along the lines of  "torturing everyone who does not blindly believe for ever is just not fair" in an effort to claim that God is unjust or even evil. However this is a pop-culture understanding of the issue and not at all what is told in the scripture. 

The confusion arises with the translation as there are 2 different things translated as "Hell" in many translations. One is the Hades/Sheol. Here are some references of descriptions we find in the Bible 

Sheol (OT)

-Below the earth (Genesis 37:35, G
enesis 42:38Deep and down below (Deuteronomy 32:22, 1Samuel 2:6, (1 Kings 2:6+9, Amos 9:2, Job 7:9, Job 11:8, Job 17:16, Proverbs 15:24)
-Place of the dead (Genesis 37:35, Genesis 42:38
-Can be entered alive (Numbers 16:30-33, Psalm 55:15)
-Has entangeling cords (2Samuel 22:6, Psalm 18:5)
-Not able to return from (Job 7:9)
-Has Gates (Job 17:16
-Possibly connected to Abbadon and the bottomless pit in revelation (Job 26:6, Provers 27:20)
-No mention of God in it, and noone can praise him from there (Psalm 6:5)
-Has anguish (Psalm 116:3)
-Never satisfied (Proverbs 27:20, Proverbs 30:16)
-Barren (Proverbs 30:16)
-Consuming fire (Proverbs 30:16)
-Something one wants to avoid (Psalm 30:3)
-Large appetite (Habakkuk 2:5)
-Can be avoided (Proverbs 15:24)
-Is unrelenting (Songs 8:6)
-"Steals the sinners" (Job 24:19)
-The wicked and the nations that forget God return to Sheol (Psalm 9:17)
-Faithfuls soul will not be abbandoned to Sheol (Psalm 16:10)
-Eager to meet wicked, great equalizer, a bed of worms and maggots (Isaiah 14:9-11)

Hades (NT)

-Down below (Matthew 11:23, Luke 10:15)
-Has Gates (Matthew 16:18)
-Place of the dead (Luke 16:22-23)
-Rightous get send elsewhere upon death (Or are put in a seperate area from the unrighthous and unfaithfull one) (Luke 16:22-23)
-Other (dead souls) cant traverse into or out of Hades (or region of Hades) (Luke 16:22-26)
-Faithfuls soul will not be abbandoned to Hades (Acts 2:27 [referencing Psalm 16:10 relating it to Sheol])
-Jesus holds the keys to Hades (Revelation 1:18)
-Follows Death (the Horseman) (Revelation 6:8)
-Releases the dead at the end to be judged (Revelation 20:13)
-Gets thrown into the lake of fire together with Death (Revelation 20:14)

 

These two thus appear to be the same, and while some of these seem to be rather poetical descriptions it is very much like the classical pagan underworld where all dead went to. Further descriptions we hear in the story of the rich man and the begger in Luke 16

19Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. 20And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores 21and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.d And the rich man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.

24So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’

25But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. 26And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’

We are learning two things here, that our place in Hades is dependent on our earthly life, and that there are different areas in it noone can cross seperated by the chasm. This paints a picture very much like in Dantes Inferno with multiple areas in which you are put depending on your life. This notion is supported by the Book of the secrets of Enoch/2 Enoch (if you want to consider it legitimate) where Enoch is led through multiple realms dedicated to different spirits and people. 

 

Either way we can conclude that this, the Hades/Sheol is the place of all the dead (save for in Example Enoch and Elijah, though you could argue they did not die, point is they did not get send to Hades) we find in many mythologies and this is where the dead await judgement day which happens 1000 years after the first resurrection of the faithful (Revelation 20)

5The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years
and a bit later
14Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death—the lake of fire. 15And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

or Revelation 2

11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who overcomes will not be harmed by the second death

and Jesus tells us in Matthew 10

 28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Hell is here “Gehenna", the place judgment day is held, the second thing that is translated as Hell, causing the confusion. This is where the unbelievers get judged, and either thrown into the eternal flames and have their soul (that is themselves) be destroyed, or allowed to live under the faithful who will be reigning as Priests in the new kingdom, as we hear in Revelations 5

“Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign uponb the earth.”

and Revelation 20

5The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were complete. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with Him for a thousand years. 

Now I can hear some of you asking "Then where did the eternal torture claim come from?" For this we need to go again into Revelation 20

10And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

And revelation 19 

19Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies assembled to wage war against the One seated on the horse, and against His army. 20But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21And the rest were killed with the sword that proceeded from the mouth of the One seated on the horse.

As such the eternal torment is reserved only for Satan, the false prophet, the beast and those that worshipped the beast and took its mark.  

Now some things left to adress:
Christ does imply that the stay in Hades is just sleep in Matthew 9 in example

24“Go away,” He told them. “The girl is not dead, but asleep.” And they laughed at Him.

This would imply either a black out state until judgement day, or a dream state giving credence to the often held believe that one makes his own hell. Either way the descriptions of Hades and Sheol, as well as the story Christ told us about the story with Lazarus indicates a concious experience that isnt all too comfortable.  

There is also apocrypha stating how Jesus upon His death and before His resurrection preached the gospel in the Hades to those that died before Him, bringing salvation to them and even closing down the Hades (traditionalized under the term "Harrowing of Hell").

At least after His death it can be implied that (some) people directly enter Gods kingdom, like the thief on the cross was promised in Luke 23 to meet Christ in Paradise 

42Then he said, “Jesus, remember mej when You come into Your kingdom!” 43And Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

And as such there is the claim to be made that believers upon death skip right into paradise/the first resurrection. 

Another thing to adress, as I can hear people claim already "But just destroying people wholly still is pretty evil"

For this you should consider that all that exist does so within and through God and all He requires of us to be saved is to accept Him, in the form of truth, love and life. The people that become destroyed reject these concepts, as a result reject God and thus their own existence, choosing their own destruction as they are unwilling to accept their errors and repent of them, a task God has given us literally all the time in the world for

8Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.c 9The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.

Every single moment He waits with His return and vanquishing of evil is another moment He gives us time to repent, or help others, our loved ones, to repent that they may live, and beyond that God, as He has given us our lives, had the right to not give us our lives and thus has also the right to take it from us again whenever He desires so with no justification or reasoning needed other than His desire.