Where do we go when we die? Didn't Messiah go down to Hell for three days? Where is Abraham's bosom? Purgatory?
All great questions! The simplicity of what scripture actually says, when understood in fullness, will bring great peace.
I think most Christians have been taught that if you 'believe' in God then when you die you get into heaven. Heaven a place of everlasting joy and beauty beyond description. But I always struggled to reconcile this idea with the scripture that says "You believe that Elohim is one. You do well. The demons also believe – and shudder! But do you wish to know, O foolish man, that the belief without the works is dead?" (James 2:19-20). And we know that the demons won't be in heaven!
Here we see that belief in and of itself is not what gets you into heaven, and also belief without works is dead.
Most Christians have probably also been taught to do away with the works/commands/instructions of God under the guise of legalism.
Though the works themselves don't "save" you, they are an outworking of your belief. If you truly have belief then you would act as if it were so.
But where does the link that this will get you into Heaven come from? Conspicuous by its absence! And to what degree do outworkings have to manifest? The doctrine of Heaven doesn't seem to cover these questions.
I have had many conversations with 'non-believers' who make the point that God created them as a sinner, then demands them be sorry for this, then jump through a bunch of religious hoops, all so they can live forever with a Manipulating and Controlling God. Unfortunately I see their point!
Did you choose to be born?
Did you choose to be born a sinner?
Did you choose the punishment for your sin?
Do you choose to die?
Scripture actually teaches that when we die we all go to hell! Everyone! Hidden behind the work hell {in English} is three Greek words. Some bibles reference this in their preface. The three Greek words mean quite different things, and in their context draw much different conclusions. In Revelation 20:14, how can hell be thrown into hell?
Hades - Grave {11x} (abode of the dead - likened to sleeping)
Tartarus- Place of dead {1x}(figurate/concept)
Gehenna - Lake of Fire {12x} (a local tip, refuse station near Jerusalem)
If you do further research into these words you may also conclude that the Greek definitions don't quite fit a biblical perspective as their origin are from Greek Gods. Being more aligned to the Hebrew mindset in the Old Testament hell is translated from the Hebrew word Sheol - Grave {65x} grave).
An interesting parallel concept is Thanatos - Death {119x} (the absence of life).