Heaven? Hades?

had a really sickening realization earlier.

I was having dinner with Ashley and his parents and naturally the topic about God was brought up. His parents then shared about this book that they were reading that told of this woman who was brought up to heaven by God 17 times. And when she was in heaven, she asked God " Where's my mother? My mother who has been a wonderful person and why isn't she here with me?"

God brought this vision to her : her mother was in Hell, surrounded by fire. The woman felt so helpless... and her mother could only just wave at her...
So there she was, condemned in hell for eternity (how freaking long is eternity) simply for the fact that she wasn't a believer. And there and then it struck me how many loved ones around me have not accepted Christ.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,^[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

see the highlighted word: BELIEVES . yeah that' right! just with FAITH you get to have eternal life.
not good works, not burning of incense, not a pilgrimage to the Middle East, not chanting, not the food you offer to the deities blah blah.
FAITH.