“Down To Earth”

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

I would like to know where hell is.  Somebody said heaven is above earth... so where is hell?

Sincerely,
Spatial Recognition

Dear Spatial Recognition,

People often think of heaven as being “up” and hell as being “down”, but that is most likely because we also use the word ‘heaven’ to refer to the sky, and it is natural to think that since the sky is up, heaven must be up, too.

Both the place where the saved go, known as Paradise (Lk 23:43), and the place where the lost go, known as ‘torments’, exist in Hades (Lk 16:23).  ‘Hades’ simply means ‘the unseen place’.  Neither Paradise nor torments are “up” or “down”; they are in the spiritual realm, and you can’t reach them while still alive – no matter what direction you travel.

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