littleeema: there is nothing shocking or heretical about this. there are probably hundreds of stories about people dying to atone for the klal, and kedoshim and martyrs and judgement and olam haba and all of that.
There are plenty of things all over tanach and torah sheb’al peh that can make you think or wonder, and we don’t avoid them or put them in cheirem. we recognize possibilities, leave a good deal of things for teiku, and don’t worry about slippery slopes as long as our yesodos and hashkafos are up to par and our heads are on straight…which may be a rare occurrence these days