Heaven and Hell – Where are they?

Most people have never even thought about this question, or if they have, it’s with a resigned, “Who cares? Once you’re there, you’re stuck, so the only thing that matters is which one you’re stuck in!”

But if you read my essay on Ultimate Reconciliation, you’ll know that I don’t believe that. The created realms are far more complex than this brief time of testing on Earth followed by either a boring eternity in heaven sitting on a cloud bowed before God’s throne plucking a harp and singing His praises or a terrifying eternity writhing in torment in the fires of hell.

My book goes into detail on the nature of heaven and hell, but I wanted to give you a brief taste of it here to whet your appetite.

First, Adam and Eve lived in heaven, in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. Yes, their physical bodies were on Earth, but their spirits were alive to God, and dwelt with Him in heavenly places even while on Earth.

But with the first sin, their spirits died, and they no longer had easy access to heavenly realms. Oh, they could still go there, but only by faith through the blood sacrifice of the lamb, and then only dimly. It was a tough go for a while. Fond memories of walking and talking with their Creator in the cool breezes of the day were replaced by harsh realities of trying to make a living on an Earth cursed by sin. It wasn’t until Seth’s son Enosh that men discovered how to pray! (Gen 4:26)

So, heaven is not “away up there somewhere.” It is right here and right now, if only we will pause and take a deep breath of it. The only problem is that in order to perceive it we must first have our spirit “quickened” (made alive) by the Holy Spirit. (Eph 2:1-6; Col 2:13)

In fact, we were created to dwell in the heavenlies with God throughout our entire lives on Earth. That is how we were made to live, that is what Adam and Eve did before the Fall, and that is what we will do when all is restored once again.

The reason this becomes significant is that when we “get to heaven” we won’t be lazing around on a cloud plucking a harp! We will have a job to do. The Bible describes that job as, “…God was in Christ reconciling the world back to Himself, not counting their transgressions against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” (2 Cor 5:19) And that’s just for starters!

The picture painted for us by traditional theology is two-dimensional. Jesus comes back and takes His own to heaven, while the rest get cast into hell. But a true picture, as illustrated by the Feasts of Israel, is multi-dimensional. Jesus “takes” (marries) His Bride, the firstfruits (Passover). Then (later) Jesus and His Bride return to redeem a second firstfruits (Pentecost) – the brothers of Jesus (all the Israelites, including Gentiles who were cleansed and adopted into His family). And finally (later, possibly ages later), Jesus, His Bride, and His brothers reap a great harvest for the Kingdom (Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Ingathering or the Festival of the Nations) – the servants of God from all nations and peoples. And all that time we, the Bride, are dwelling in heaven with our Savior and Lord while we are working on Earth speaking that word of reconciliation.

My conclusion is that the heavenlies overlap the Earth, with but a thin veil separating them. Anyone whose spirit is alive can move through this veil to see into the spirit realms, the realms where angels and demons dwell.

Unfortunately, that does not get us into the highest heaven, where God dwells, for that is protected by a second veil; I call it the veil of absolute holiness.

Even more unfortunately, Satan also seems to have the ability to awaken dead spirits to perceive his demonic realm, the realm of witchcraft and the occult. This realm looks pleasant enough at first. For Satan is there, sweetly whispering down to our naive soul, “Follow me! For you shall be as God, knowing good and evil!” (Gen 3:5) Thus he leads us downward into darker realms of Hades, hoping to trap us into sin so he can enslave and torment us in the Abyss, the “Bottomless Pit.”

“Wait! Where is that? I thought we were talking about heaven here?”

Yes, we are, but did you notice my terminology? I called it “the heavenlies.” You were starting to think two-dimensionally again, weren’t you. Stop and think about the Earth, the physical realms, for a while. There is the inanimate realm, of rocks and dirt, with bedrock underneath and magma below that. Above are the lowest levels of life, the plant kingdom. A bit higher are the germs and bugs. Higher yet are the fishes. Still higher are the birds of the heavens. Finally come animals, and then God made mankind, the pinnacle of Creation, to rule it all for Him.

This is not a science lesson (though scientists could learn a lot if they would start here with the nature of God’s Creation). This is just the way things are. The physical realms form a picture of the spiritual realms which overlap them. And it’s all right here, right now. Just as this physical realm is a “many-splendored place,” so are the heavenlies. The major difference is the physical realm is so tiny, so dim, so limited. The heavenlies are the reality of which our realm is merely a picture. Just wait ‘til we reach the glorious spirit realm and discover the full expression of God’s creative power! Truly it is beyond anything we could ever ask or imagine.

The highest heaven, where God dwells in His matchless holiness, is what some call the “Seventh Heaven.” I do not. I call it the Third Heaven (like the Apostle Paul in 2 Cor 12:2). Below that is the realm where angels and demons dwell, which I call the “Second Heaven.” Separating the two is that veil of absolute holiness.

That leaves my “First Heaven,” our atmosphere, together with inner and outer space. Level zero is the surface of the Earth where we dwell. Together these two are what I term the “physical realms,” which are also accessible to angels and demons if they but step through the veil from the Second Heaven. This is a pretty thin veil, easy to go through, though there are rules (as I describe in my book).

 Also overlapping the physical realms are three levels of Hades. Again, the veils separating them from the physical realms are pretty thin, and easy for beings of spirit to step through (still following the rules, which neither angels nor demons can violate). “First Hades” is what I call the “Welcoming Park,” separated from the physical realms by the Curtain of Death. That’s where the recently deceased soul first meets Jesus face to face. I call that the “Bema Seat Judgment” (2 Cor 5:10. Rom 14:10), where each soul for the first time is permitted to evaluate the entire course of his life without any ignorance or deception clouding his view. At that, he or she is given a “final” choice, now in full knowledge and enlightenment, to either follow Jesus up the narrow path, or flee from Him down the broad path.

Both paths lead to “Second Hades,” the abode of the dead, though to different places in Hades. As I said, this is a many-splendored realm, and Second Hades has plenty of splendors. There is that narrow path, which is a hard path, along which all the “wood, hay, and stubble” of our worthless deeds are burned up in the pangs of conscience. That leads to Paradise, where Jesus promised the thief on the cross that He would feast with Him that very day. And beside Paradise, I am convinced there must be a “Nursery,” where those who died in infancy or ignorance can be taught about Jesus. For no one gets to the Father except through faith in Jesus!

The other path, that broad and easy path downward, leads to darker realms. Satan is right there cajoling, tempting all who choose his ways ever downward. For those who become violent (as the antediluvian world), there is Tartarus, what I call “the Dungeon.” And for those who fall for Satan’s lies and commit themselves to follow him, there is Gehenna, the place of torment, which I call “Third Hades.”

Again, there are rules. No one gets into the Highest Heaven without invitation from God and without some means of cleansing his or her sin. No one gets into Third Hades without Satan’s invitation / temptation, for he is lord there. Angels and demons may freely traverse the other five realms, where they can encourage / enlist / exhort / entice humans to follow them. But above all is Rule Number One: neither angels nor demons get to violate the free will of a human! Until Judgment Day, “where” we end up is always according to our own free-will choice. Yes, Satan can enslave people to do his bidding, but only if they first “invite” him in!

 “Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness.” (Rom 6:16 – RSV) Those who wind up in Paradise got there by their own free-will choices to follow Jesus. Those who wind up in the darker realms of Second Hades and on down into Third Hades got there by choosing to follow Satan and his evil ways. No one is, or even can be, forced.

Isn’t Earth a little like that? After all, we can live in a “heaven” or “hell” of our own making by our life choices, right here on Earth. As I said, the realms overlap. I personally have seen people dwelling in hell, right here, with my own two eyes. And I discovered that I could not help them, for they were there by their own choice! And I have seen others who, even through difficulties, pain, and heartache, have chosen to dwell in heaven, even in the most holy place on high – my eyes could hardly endure the glory nor my heart the longing to join them.

Just as Third Heaven, God’s dwelling place, is inherently different from the other heavens, so is Third Hades inherently different. For one thing, Satan is lord there, though he is a usurper and will soon get his comeuppance. Just as Third Heaven is protected by a veil of absolute holiness, so Third Hades is protected by a barrier of sin; no one who is holy may enter therein. It is surrounded by a great chasm; angels cannot cross it without falling into sin.

And both are protected by locked doors, for which Jesus won the keys by His sacrificial death and resurrection. (Rev 1:18) He has now opened the door to the Father, “which no man can shut.” (Rev 3:7-8) One day He (though His many-membered Bride) will open the gates of hell, too, for so He promises. (Matt 16:18-19)

But there is something else about Hades that almost nobody understands. It will dramatically change at Judgment Day. Up until then it was all about choices. But on Judgment Day, everything changes. Choices are made, fixed, based on full knowledge of the consequences. Those who chose life through faith in Jesus are taken by Him through the open door to the Father in Highest Heaven. Those who deliberately chose to reject Him and serve their master, Satan, stand condemned by their own choices. They are sent through the gates of hell into Gehenna.

 At that point hell is no longer Satan’s playground to torment those who chose him. Now Satan himself, together with his demons and all who chose to serve him, are cast into the Abyss. He is no longer lord there – now he is bound there. Along with him, Hades and even death itself are cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:15) which now becomes the wrath of God as punishment for every evil deed.

This is a major transition. First and Second Hades are gone, including the Welcoming Park, Paradise, the Nursery, the two paths, and all the way down to Tartarus, all cast into the lake of fire. All that is left is Gehenna, surrounded by its great chasm, those ancient gates, and a table displaying the Books of the Damned.

So where is it? The physical portrays the spiritual. It still overlaps the Earth, for at this point the Earth also is being cleansed by fire. For this is, “…the Day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning and even the elements will melt with intense heat.” (2 Pet 3:12)

In Jesus’ own words, “Heaven and Earth shall pass away…” (Matt 24:35) This is talking about the physical realms, which will all be “…destroyed by burning.” Similarly in the spirit realm (for the physical portrays the spiritual), all those evil souls who chose Satan and his ways will be destroyed by burning. Jesus said, “Fear not those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt 10:28)

So is that it? The wicked are toast, while the righteous inherit the Kingdom of God? You know what I believe! We shall inherit, “…a new heaven and a new Earth, in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Pet 3:13) All that can burn will burn, “For our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb 12:29) Just like after the Flood, all that remains will be a cleansed, purified physical realm. Similarly in the spirit, after the evil natures are burned up and every punishment has been paid, those cleansed and purified souls will again be given “The Invitation.” Ultimately, every knee shall bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth (in hell) and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father. (Phil 2:10-11)