Most religions of the world have a theology that our lives continue after the grave. For Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, Mormons, and Judaism, it is the soul. For Mormons, the spirit survives death and must answer for the deeds done while on earth. Hinduism believes in an eternal divine essence, the atman, which unites with the Universal Soul or Braham. Buddhism believes in a continuous rebirth, eventually reaching Nirvana when fully enlightened. Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in Soul Sleep, where upon death we await a resurrection to either a final Heaven, or annihilation.  

This article focuses on the concept of Heaven and Hell from a Biblical Christian worldview.

The Final Resting Place for Mankind

Today we live in a world of shades of gray. Often, as Christians, we are never sure what is right and what is wrong. We rely on the Holy Spirit, resident in every believer, to discern how to navigate through life, often being forced to choose the “lesser of evils” in some situations.

One of the unique differences between life on earth and the other side of the grave will be an increased clarity of right from wrong. In Heaven, we will see how a loving God offered the sacrifice of His Son for the forgiveness of our sins while He lived on earth. Further, believers will no longer have a sin nature or the corrosion of evil, supernatural forces surrounding and within us, as we do today. Sadly, unbelievers will also have clarity of the decisions they have made while on earth.

Today, God knows us better than we know ourselves. The Bible speaks to the concept of this gray world, using the illustration of a poor reflection in a “mirror,” noting that upon death, we “shall know fully” what we cannot understand today.

1 Corinthians 13:12 – For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

Heaven for the Saved

Biblical Christian theology is clear in the belief that the final resting place of those who have been saved will be eternity in a New Heaven and New Earth. Hebrews 11:16 and 2 Peter 3:13 makes reference to the promise, and Revelation 21 confirms it.

Revelation 21:1-3 – Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

To be able to worship the Trinity in Heaven, get all our questions answered, experience bodies that do not deteriorate, with no pain, no sin nature, no influence by the evil one, is impossible to fully comprehend.

1 Corinthians 2:9 – But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Hell for the Lost

Biblical Christian theology is also clear in the belief that Hell is a literal place of punishment for those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord (John 3:18). At the end of time, the Lake of Fire will be inhabited by Satan, his demons, and unbelievers. Unlike Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian theology rejects annihilationism (details here), the concept that the lost are destroyed rather than experiencing eternity in Hell. In the Bible, this eternal state is referred to as the “second death.”

Revelation 20:14-15 – Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:8 – But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

Matthew 25:41 – Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Mark 9:47b-48 – It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, “where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.”

Finally, the word Gehenna can also be found in the New Testament, which some consider a surrogate for eternal Hell. Derived from the Hebrew word ge-hinnom, which was a dump south of Jerusalem, and was also the site of human sacrifices (details here and here). Jesus used the term to symbolize a place of judgment after death. Referencing Isaiah 30:33, it is likely the Lake of Fire.

Matthew 5:29 – If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell [Gehenna].

Matthew 23:33 – You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell [Gehenna]?

But there is an Interim State after Death

From a Biblical Christian worldview perspective, the New Heaven for believers and the Lake of Fire for the lost are the final and eternal residence of mankind.

Temporary “Heaven” for the Saved

However, it seems clear from Scripture that much has to happen before there is a New Heaven on a New Earth.

2 Peter 3:10 – But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Isaiah 65:17 – For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.

Clearly, we are still living in the “first earth” which has not yet been “burned up.” However, the Bible states that when believers die, they will be immediately in the presence of the Lord.

Isaiah 66:22 – For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the LORD, so shall your offspring and your name remain.

Luke 23:43 – And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

2 Corinthians 5:8 – Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

Philippians 1:23 – I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.

So, if we believe in an inerrant Bible, there must be a way to reconcile this apparent discrepancy. And, the only logical answer is that there exists a temporary Heaven. A place where God is on His thrown with Jesus by His side (Mark 16:19, Hebrews 12:2). Ultimately, this Heaven will become the new Jerusalem that will reside on a New Earth, but not until the end of time….

Revelation 21:1-2 – Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Temporary “Hell” for the Lost

In the book of Luke there is a conversation between Abraham, Lazarus, and a Rich Man that offers some context to the question of where the lost reside, before the Lake of Fire is opened at the time of humanity’s resurrection. Lazarus, a believer, and a Rich Man, an unbeliever, have died and the Rich Man is suffering in a place referred to as Hades. The New Testament Greek word Hades is translated as the “abode of the dead.” Also, it can be translated as the Old Testament Hebrew word Sheol, or “realm of the dead” (Psalm 18:5). What is interesting about Sheol is that it could be understood as a temporary Hell AND a temporary Heaven. This understanding is particularly evident in the context of Lazarus and the Rich Man from the following verses….

Luke 16:22-24 – The poor man [Lazarus] died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.”

Note that Lazarus, Abraham, and the Rich Man seem to be in relatively close proximity, but with a clear separation between them….

Luke 16:26 – And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.

Abraham’s side, or in some translations, Abraham’s bosom, is “a place of peace, rest and joy after death” (details here). However, it would seem that the Rich Man, in a place of torment, could see what is referred to as temporary Heaven while remaining captive in a temporary Hell.

What about the Bottomless Pit or the Abyss?

The Pit and the Abyss are likely the same place, where some of the original fallen angels are locked up and ultimately Satan and the remainder of the earthly demons will be held during the millennial reign of Christ (details here). This is considered the lowest and worst place, reserved for evil supernatural beings until they are released briefly at the end of the age before being thrown into the eternal Lake of Fire (details here). The bottomless pit has been translated as Hell in…

2 Peter 2:4 – For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell [the pit] and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;

Where are Heaven and Hell located?

Final Heaven – Regarding the final Heaven, it is clear from Scripture that earth will be burned up at the end of time (2 Peter 3:10) and a New Heaven or New Jerusalem will come down and reside on a replenished and revitalized earth (Revelation 21:1-2).

Temporary Heaven – However, the current location of our temporary Heaven remains in question. The Bible does offer insight in 2 Corinthians when it references three levels of Heaven.

2 Corinthians 12:2 – I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.

This verse has been misunderstood to mean various things, (including levels of grace based on the works of man, with the third Heaven being closest to God). However, the most likely understanding refers to three ‘realms’ or locations, based on the context (details here). The “first heaven” refers to the sky or earth’s atmosphere (Isaiah 55:10). The “second heaven” refers to the location of the stars and planets (Isaiah 13:10). Finally, the third Heaven refers to the place where God resides (Isaiah 66:1). Since the Lord is in what is known as the third Heaven, it would suggest He is above the clouds and the planets. However, others believe that temporary Heaven is part of Hades, using Lazarus and the Rich Man’s illustration as a prooftext. This opens the door for a location either above or perhaps below the surface of the earth, especially if one believes Hades is made up of both a temporary Heaven AND a temporary Hell.

Final Hell – We are not given many clues in the Bible as to the physical location of eternal Hell or the Lake of Fire, so it is hard to even speculate. Many believe it could be below the earth’s surface due to the intensity of known heat located at the earth’s core. Some false teachings, such as Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses, use this intense heat as justification for a belief that the lost will be burned up or annihilated, rather than experience eternal punishment. However, Scripture offers strong evidence to the contrary (details here), and further, we know that our bodies will be different (for the saved, eternally glorified) after the resurrection. Finally, even in our current state there is evidence that one can survive a “fiery furnace” (Daniel 3:16-17).

Temporary Hell – Luke 10:15 offers some support that temporary Hell or Hades is located in the center of the earth. Also, a somewhat controversial verse in 1 Samuel 28:13 suggests the medium of Edor came up “out of the earth.” Finally, Ephesians 4:9 suggests that Jesus “descended into the lower regions” which many believe is a reference to Hades (details here).

Summary

Terms for Heaven

New Heaven or New Jerusalem – The final eternal Heaven where believers will reside at the end of time and the resurrection (2:Corrinthians 5:10).

Temporary Heaven – For some, it is the blessed and joyous side of Hades, somehow protected from its parallel location for the lost. Regardless of its physical location, it is where God, the Father, Jesus, and the holy angels reside, along with all of mankind who have believed in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior awaiting resurrected bodies and the New Heaven.

Terms for Hell

Lake of Fire or perhaps Gehenna – This is the final, eternal Hell where Satan, demons, and unbelievers will reside at the end of time for eternity (Revelation 20:11-15).

Hades or Sheol – A temporary place for unbelievers after death.

Bottomless Pit or Abyss – The temporary location that holds some of the fallen angels and will hold Satan and the rest of the demons during the Millennial reign of Christ.

The Point

Only while we are alive on earth, each of us has a choice to make (Hebrews 9:27). We can choose temporary Heaven or temporary Hell, knowing that the permanent, eternal version, of one or the other, awaits. If we don’t make an active choice, the default will be temporary Hell. On the other hand, if we accept that God is offering His grace to each of us by way of His Son dying on the cross for our sins, it would seem a simple decision.

John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

And yet so many desire to follow their own path, believing that being a good person is the answer to an eternal Heaven.

Matthew 7:13-14 – Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Heaven is just one prayer (said from the heart) away for each of us (the Sinners Prayer).

Romans 10:9 – If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Today could be the most important day of your life….

2 Corinthians 6:2 – For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.