There seems to be an awful lot of muddle in the posts here.
The word 'hell' in English translates two entirely different words and concepts. 'Hades' from the Greek is simply the place of the dead. Note 'place' may be metaphorical. In other words it refers to simply being physically dead.
'Gehenna' is a Hebrew word and referred in its literal meaning to a rubbish dump outside the city in Jerusalem. It constantly burned. This is where the metaphor has different intepretations. Cults like 'Jehovah''s Witnesses' etc. say that as things are burnt away to nothing, this implies ultimate destruction but clearly the fire carried on and on. Other scripture beyond just the word 'gehenna' itself suggests something eternal (such as the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man). Clearly the concept of 'fire', 'lake of fire' and 'gehenna' itself are very florid language and may or may not be meant to be taken literally.
In so far as people before Jesus are concerned. We have to distinguish between the physically existing Jesus Christ on earth who appeared in a specific timeframe and was killed as an atoning sacrifice once at a specific time from the eternal existing person of God, The Son, completely outside of time.
Jesus is recorded as saying "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." in John 14. It is clear in this passage that Jesus is not just talking about his physical self on earth at this time but is referring to his eternal existence with God, the Father. In this sense people could have known and acknowledged God the Son long before the physical appearance of Jesus Christ, in fact right back to Adam.
Note that 'paradise' as used by Jesus to one of the crucified thieves is simply the anglicised version of the Greek for 'garden' - no more - no less.
Also worth noting that after physical death of his physical body, Christ was able to be his true Godself and could therefore be omnipresent and could therefore visit 'spirits in the world of the dead' (whatever that precisely means) and be with the thief in 'Paradise' at the same time. Note that after his resurrection he could simply appear at any place by will, but not before (he had to walk across the lake).
So what can we deduce without placing what may be unreasonable reliance on the literalness of the words used.
First it is likely that there is consciousness immediately after physical death (although there are counter arguments and there are many christians who believe in 'soul-sleep'). Either way during this time no on who has died has any sort of body.
It is likely that those who have placed their faith and hope in God (Father/Son effectively the same according to John 14) will have an existence within His presence.
It is worth noting here that Jesus did not mention religion. He did not say you had to be a Jew or act in accordance with any specific religious codes, but rather, 'If you love me (God), you will obey what I command'. We know the encapsulation of this command from other scripture, it is to love God and love your neighbour as yourself. So throughout human history, this has been what has been required. This is not subscribe to a specific religion and get your 'passport to paradise' rubber stamped. Only God will decide who has carried out these commandments.
The existence within his presence we know little about it but it will be as pleasant in some way as being in a 'garden'. Those who have cut themselves off from God of their own valition and action will get in death what they chose in life, no access to Him, although without the earthly material and transient pleasures of Earth. ('Hell is a prison locked from the inside', - C.S. Lewis). Ultimately at the end of time, people will be judged for eternity and new forms of spiritual bodies issued. Again we do not have enough details to be hard and fast as to what occurs thereafter in any literal sense but again those who chose an existence separate from God will now certainly have that for eternity. Maybe this will produce in them a form of regret and spiritual torture which earthly captives confirm is often worse than the physical torture they have had to endure. This is just conjecture on my part.
Note that It is not God who is punishing people for not following 'His chosen religion'. People do have a natural bent towards believing in an almighy being. Atheism as a mass belief is relatively new (and is still not a majority viewpoint across the entire world even now). This basic belief in God can be blamed on primitivism or backwardness or superstition or whatever atheists may choose to call it but basically people make thier own choice of atheism over theism. They also choose their own actions in this life in regard to their fellow people. For whatever (what they may consider good reason) they may choose to not have anything to do with God. That is a choice made in life which seems to follow into death.
If God is all that is good, then a total absence of God in a future existence would be 'hell' by any definition as it would imply no love, no fellowship, no joy etc.. By contrast there would be total mistrust, hatred, and general nastiness. In fact it would be like a whole world inhabited by some people we can all recognise who base their whole lives on their own personal materialistic power and wealth and become miserable lonely misanthropists, as a consequence. Some atheists would I am sure say that there are some like that who call themselves 'christians' and I would not disagree.
Only God decides a person's eternal destiny and He is just. Non of us mortals down here on earth have the knowledge or right to make that judgment.
kind regards,
Gordon.
