How do you know there are a hell and heaven?

Answer 1

Faith is a tricky subject to define. A belief in something unseen is essential; and belief that The Bible is the accurate, inspired word of God. With the invention of the microscope, germs were finally seen with the human eye. You can't see germs, yet they are a scientific fact. I think of God this way. Just because you can't see Him does not mean He doesn't exist. The Creator wants us to believe in Him without physical proof. This is the strongest point of faith.

Answer 2

The existence of a spiritual place or places* in which the souls of the dead are treated in accordance with their behavior when alive (reward or punishment), is a tradition of mankind, which finds expression (in differing details) in various religions. It cannot be conclusively proven as long as we're alive; and that's the whole point: God tests us as to whether we will live in a way that demonstrates that we're aware of His presence, even though His presence is not readily visible.
We hold it to be evident that an infinitely wise Creator, whose wisdom is vastly manifest (for example) in the wonders of our bodies*, would not be so unwise as to neglect unfinished business. If a tyrant "escapes judgment" by swallowing a painless poison, to our mind it is axiomatic that his tribulations have just begun. God is just (Deuteronomy 32:4).*See also the Related Links.

1) The afterlife in Judaism

2) Were we created?

Answer 3

The most that even the most pious believer can say is that he or she believes that heaven and hell exist, or at least that justice and retribution require that they ought to exist.

No matter how much we may believe that heaven and hell exist, and no matter how much we want hell to exist, we can not know this to be true. No religion has ever come up with a convincing case for an afterlife in any form.