Where Is Hell Located?
 

      The Bible, which is the only book on earth given to men by our Creator and Redeemer, has so much to say about the location of Hell. And no, no matter how bad your life is on this earth, it is not ‘hell’ on earth, nor is this wicked world the ‘only hell there is,’ as some say.
 

      To begin with we want to look at an actual account of a man who went to Hell given in the Bible. Here it is so you can read it…

      “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” (Luke 16:19-24, if you have a Bible you can read the remainder of the account. I strongly recommend you use the King James Version. Many of the recent English translators do not believe in a real place called Hell and they tend to weaken what God says in their translations.)

      Two men died, one a beggar named Lazarus, and the other a rich man, his name is not given. Lazarus is carried into a place called Abraham’s bosom and the other goes to Hell. Note also that the man in Hell can see and speak with Abraham, and vice versa. Therefore, Abraham’s bosom and Hell are geographically connected—bordering each other. To locate the one we will also locate the other.

      When the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified He was crucified with two other men. These two other men were thieves. One of the thieves repented of his sin and asked Jesus to save him from his sins. Jesus assured the repentant thief, “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Lk. 23:43) Both Jesus and this thief were going to die that very day and Jesus said that they would be in a place called Paradise that very day. Now, Jesus had already told his disciples that “as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Mat. 12:40) There was a prophet of God in ancient Israel that did get swallowed by a great fish/whale (spelled Jonah in the Old Testament portion of the Bible). The big point is that Jesus Christ was to spend three days and three nights in the heart (center) of the earth. This information brings us geographically closer to the location of Paradise.

      The Bible teaches in another place, as it speaks to what the Lord Jesus did between His death and resurrection…

      “(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)” (Eph. 4:9-10)

      The heart of the earth is also called the “lower parts of the earth.” Remember, the Lord Jesus told the repentant thief that he would be with Him in Paradise that very day. We see then that the Bible’s “Paradise,” “the heart of the earth,” and “the lower parts of the earth” refer, at least, to the same general geographic area.

      Now, you may ask a very good question here. Are Paradise and Heaven different? Yes! The general location of Heaven is also given in the Bible; maybe I will put that on the web site some time. Suffice to say that one must go up to Heaven (read Eph. 2:9-10 given above again, “ascended”). Paradise is down, inside the earth.

      Now for that other question you are aching to ask: Why didn’t the people of God, like Abraham, just go to Heaven when they died? The answer is very simple, but of life changing and eternal importance. It is the death and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ by which God will forgive your sins, and that only. Jesus Christ died and shed His blood when He was crucified just a bit over 1,900 years ago. Abraham, and others, died before the Lord Jesus had died to take away their sins. This is what God did for them…

      “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Rom. 3:23-26) The only way for a person to be made right before God (justified) is through faith (believing) that the blood of Jesus will take away their sins, as God has appointed Jesus’ blood to do. Those, like Abraham, who believed in the coming Saviour, but who died before the Lord Jesus offered Himself a sacrifice for their sins, went to Paradise in the heart of the earth to await the Salvation of the Lord. God forbore (patiently waited) their sins until His Son offered up Himself to God for their sins. Now, when a saved person dies they go directly to Heaven, since their sins are paid in full.

      Now back to the location of Hell. It is strongly inferred that since the location of Paradise is in the heart of the earth, and since Hell borders Paradise, that Hell is also into the heart of the earth. Please understand that Hell was not made for man; it was “prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Mat. 25:41) When the Old Testament prophet Isaiah is recounting the sin, rebellion, pride, judgment, and final end of the former archangel, Satan (a.k.a. Lucifer, the Devil) he says, “Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming … thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” (Isa. 14:9, 15) Hell is beneath, and reference is made to the sides of the pit. The Psalmist, speaking of his enemies, says “But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.” (Psa. 63:9) In another place it is written, “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” (Psa. 9:17) Again, in the Psalms, “Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them. … But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.” (Psa. 55:15, 23) The geographical location of Hell is the center of the earth.

      One last look. The first leader that God raised up to lead the nation Israel was Moses. You have probably heard his name before, even if you do not know much about him. Moses was an amazingly humble man and did not want to be leader of Israel, but God wanted him to be the leader. Anyhow, many different men in the nation thought they could do a better job and Moses faced numerous challenges to his leadership. Each time he took the matter to God and God defended Moses. One such incident occurred when three men, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, tried to get some control for themselves. The Lord told Moses what to say; it goes like this…

      “But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD.”

And then…

      “And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.” (Num. 16:30-33)

      The Lord God Almighty is great in love and mercy to those of a broken heart and a humbled spirit; but, He is terrible in judgment. My friend, Hell is a real place. The only reason you will go there is if you never repent of your sins and come to the Son of God, Christ Jesus, and believe on Him who shed His precious blood for you and rose the third day from the grave victorious over sin and death.

      Please click these links to learn more about the Lord Christ Jesus, He wants to be your personal saviour.

How Is Sin Removed?

Ye Must Be Born Again