Before Jesus, people went to Hades which was divided into 2 realms, one was a place of comfort for believers (hades - place of the dead) and the other was a place of torment for non-believers (gehenna - place of eternal torment)
hades or sheol is temporary, but gehenna is permanent
some do think that Jesus went down into hades after His death and after His resurrection the believers that were in hades were taken up, those left in hades will be judged at the final judgement

edit: i really dont kno much on this topic, but this is what i was able to find out, pm me if u want a reliable sorce for any questions you may have Madstrike

This post was edited by JonnyDangerouz on Dec 29 2010 06:03pm

yup

Problems in this world are necessary to strengthen our faith (Gods intention).

When you call upon the name of the Lord in times of trial, you show faith.

It's what connects us to God, and when He's willing, miracles start happening (physical healing, salvation etc..).

These testimonies are what help us live the faithful life. People wouldn't believe in God if there were no miracles right