"How is that, if I go to Heaven, and someone I care about is in Hell, should I be happy in Heaven? "
This was your original question and I would like to offer you an answer and pray that it is helpful.
First, I will give you my answer and then I will expound on it. Please remember to use Scripture WHILE reading to help you understand. Only through the Living Word of God (the Bible) can we be taught. SO hear goes.
"How is that, if I go to Heaven, and someone I care about is in Hell, should I be happy in Heaven? "
You should be happy because the Lord God Almighty is a just and perfect God, exacting perfect and righteous judgements showing forth His Holy Glory. You WILL be happy IF YOU yourself enter into the Kingdom of God EVEN if someone you loved during your earthly life did not.
Now, we will go with a first assumption or basis of prerequisite: that you made it into heaven (the Kingdom of God) and that your earthly loved one has not.
First of all, NOW that you are in the spirit, your flesh is gone and passed away as that you have now been changed into your spiritual (INFINITELY more real body <best way to explain it>). In this body ALL cares, miseries, and hardships are completely disappeared, EVEN your memories of the sinful life you suffered through while in the flesh upon the earth. Your new, spiritual mind will be (or will exist) WITHOUT evil (which is sin). This means that you will be perfectly righteous, without a fault in you.
What does this mean?
It means that your entire will is now PERFECTLY focused around and upon The Lord God Almighty and forever basking in His eternal glory, giving praise to Him who sitteth upon the Throne of Heaven and The Lamb who is forever before Him day and night. Revelations 21 gives a very DETAILED ccount of these things but there are many other examples in the Bible which I urge you to seek.
Because this will be your new and INFINITELY glorious and perfect state of being, you will not even remember the one you loved that did not believe because the only thing that matters will have been given to you.
This concept is very hard to understand and accept as a Christian and, like almost every other concept we must believe in order to enter into the Kingdom of God, I have personally COUNTLESS times debated with the Lord this subject (I urge you to as well). What He has always revealed to me is this below.
Now, let's go back to the flesh, to our time right now. We are at the crossroads. It is our life on this earth. Here on earth, God displays His awesome Mercy and Grace, casting light upon both the righteous AND the wicked. In the flesh, He blesseth both the righteous AND the wicked. He causes both to suffer, to mourn, to rejoice, and to toil. He causes all things because, by His Mighty Hand, He hath made all things and overseeth them as a Master over His house.
Now, how are we to seek the Kingdom of God? The Bible tells us that first, one must be baptised and believe. But that he who is baptised yet does NOT believe will not recieve the Kingdom of God. It is by FAITH in the New Covenant which God Almighty has made with man through the shedding of His Holy Son's innocent Blood that our sins are forgiven us through His vicarious atonement upon the cross of calvary. This was the ULTIMATE and PERFECT sacrifice REQUIRED by the Lord to appease the Law which demands Blood for transgressing said Law(The Law of God, given in the Torah, the first five books of the Bible in the Old Testament.)
Now, through Christ's PERFECT sacrifice, man now has a way to be forgiven His sins and seek unto His Heavenly Father and for His Kingdom. For Jesus tells us that NO MAN may come unto the Father but through me. We go through Jesus to reach the Father by having faith in His Sacrifice AND in His Resurrection AND acknowledging that He is in fact LORD OUR GOD ALMIGHTY! Then, we may come unto the Father to walk unto His statutes because, in His eyes, we are now sanctified and RIGHTEOUS! But DO NOT be decieved! For man MUST be presented blameless before God! This is why satan DELIBERATELY will seek to get the Christian to sin first. This is because the repentant sinner is now justified and pure (righteous). When satan causes him to sin, he is again seperated from God. So that, to come back to the Father, the Christian MUST repent of His sins AND be forgiven. See, each SIN must be acknowledged BY the sinner and brought before Jesus in order for Christ to forgive that sin. That is why we pray for The Lord to forgive ALL our sins, even those which we know not of! SO that we may be washed CONTINUALLY and remain pure in the sight of Our Lord. But, there is MORE to this.
Because, what would be the point to be saved and CONTINUOUSLY sinning EVEN after we have been saved? Because the baptism of Christ causes the old man (carnal spirit) in us to die, we receive the Holy Spirit into ourselves so that NOW we may be TRULY FREE from sin!
You see, the TRUTH is that once you are saved, it is possible to NEVER SIN AGAIN!!! EVER!!!! Many people do not tell you this but they SHOULD!!! You may say, how is this possible??? I'm human!!! It's impossible to NOT sin!!! You are ABSOLUTELY correct.
It is 100 % IMPOSSIBLE for man to NOT sin. Jesus tells us this is so.
But, with God, all things ARE possible.
Now, the likelihood of NEVER sinning again after being saved is very close to nill although NOT impossible to the Holy Spirit.Therefore, NEVER SINNING AGAIN is what we are to STRIVE FOR! When temptations arise, we are to turn to Our Lord, BEG HIM to strengthen us through the Holy Spirit and to REMOVE the temptation as FAR from us as the east is from the west! The more you do this, the more righeous you will become. The Bible tells us RESIST sin, and the devil will flee from you. Why? Because the more Godly (righteous) you become the less satan can approach. As the Holy Armour Of Christ grows within and around you, the less satan can tempt you, so that it may even be possible for the Holy Spirit to lead you into PERFECT righteousness.
Because we are men (human) we must ALWAYS turn to the Holy Spirit to defend us from the devil's attacks. And He will. The problem is that we, being men, do not always do this and will from time to time fall to sin. And that is why Jesus is there. To once again mediate for us, on our behalf through our faith, so that forgiveness is a free gift born of repentance AND faith. Jesus said this was so so that forgiveness was a FREE gift that could NOT be obtained through works, lest any man then be able to boast. This is where we recieve our humility. It is because there is no difference between us or any other sinner save this: we recognize our sin and hate it and OURSELVES for falling to it and realize the NEED for Our Redeemer which is Christ Jesus.
We now see that this ENTIRE relationship between God and man has always been to convince man that He ACTUALLY does need God in EVERY little thing, down to tying his shoelaces (who gave you the ability to learn the neccassary skills to do this, MAINTAINS that programming in your brain to ALWAYS do it correctly AND continues to maintain your mind AND body so that you can continue this action?).
Because man has declared in his heart that he has no need of God and therefore rebels against His Statutes and His Judgements. Therefore, God chastiseth the man, causing him to lose the fingers required to tie those laces, or damaging that part of the brain that controlled the motor function to do so. Not every tragedy is a judgement of God: some may be carelessness on man's part. Some may be a test or trial from God. The point is that God is Our Heavenly Father and the Perfect Parent, teaching us to walk in His Ways and His Judgements so that we may not be destroyed in the flames of hell, into everlasting torment (it is ETERNAL TORTURE, don't let any MAN decieve you on this!) Jesus said that in that fire, the man suffereth continually YET his worm NEVER dies! that core spiritual carnality of a man.
EVERY thing that God does is to GLORIFY Himself so that man may know that He is God, not us!! And so, Christians are to do the same.
Now, finally, back to your question.
"How is that, if I go to Heaven, and someone I care about is in Hell, should I be happy in Heaven? "
It is because, assuming you are a DEVOUT Christian (a Jesus Freak, or religious fanatic, as the worldly church will label you) YOU MUST vehemently seek to counsel loved ones of their sin. Be gentle but convincing, show them the destruction of their sin and the GLORIOUS salvation which comes through Christ Jesus.
The danger with your personal beliefs is that you are not placing God first: the first commandment tells us to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and all thine soul and all thine mind and with all that you have, within AND without. To love this loved one MORE than your God is what will bring you into contrast with God's law. Pray to the Lord for faith and strength to COUNSEL your loved ones and bring them to Christ, so that they DO NOT perish in flames! Is it better for you to suffer eternal destruction with your loved one than to enter into the kingdom of God?
Christ tells us NOT to be decieved: that He is not coming to UNIFY but to DIVIDE. The wheat (believers who have overcome, even until the end) will be gathered into His storeshed (The Kingdom of Heaven) but the chaff (the rebellious and ubelievers) will be burned in the fire forevermore, and there will be great wailing, suffering and gnashing of teeth.
Therefore, Christ tells us to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God and that after all things will be added unto us (meaning to FORSAKE or forget ALL the cares of this world and care ONLY about entering into the Kingdom of God and that God will take care of everything else.) Because Jesus tells us that the crows do not toil, or work, or build or save up earthly riches but God provides for them. How much more precious are we than birds?? Therefore, do not worry about earthly things but about your soul's salvation.
For Jesus tells us that the path that leads to Heaven is VERY NARROW and that we must enter into the strait gate. And that while many will seek this gate, FEW will ever find it. But He also tells us that VERY BROAD AND WIDE is the path that leads unto destruction (eternal suffering in Hell) and that MANY, MANY!!! will enter into this wide gate.
Be ye not decieved: for even now, this day, the Kingdom of God is at hand: and unless we forsake all else and place our faith and love FULLY in Christ our Redeemer and God the Father, Our Source of Grace and Mercy, we shall NOT enter into the kingdom of God. I'm afraid that includes sinful loved ones. Because if you go to hell with your sinful loved one, you WILL NOT love them in hell, for this is simply not possible. The Bible tells us that in hell, you will HATE your loved one because you will be shown that it was your love for them that kept you from loving your Creator above all things. (This does NOT mean DO NOT LOVE! Jesus tells us to LOVE our neighbor as ourselves.)
Worship, love, and seek after the Creator which is Our most Merciful God. NOT His creation.
May grace, mercy and peace from Our Lord come unto you. I pray that this finds you wanting and humbles you and brings you unto the Lord, in all His Merciful Glory. I do believe that He is calling out to you. Will you please answer Him? Thank you.
Praise be to the Lord, for His works are Mighty, and His Mercies endless. For I, even as a CHIEF OF SINNERS, have been shown His Wonderful Works and I tremble in FEAR at His Mighty Judgements yet REJOICE in His Perfect and Supreme Love. Praise be to the Lord! Amen.
