There are actually two physical locations we refer to as hell. We use the word hell loosely to describe both places because they both have the same characteristics, they both have flames and the damned in both locations are in constant pain and agony. First let’s talk about the hell within the earth which we also call the pit or Hades. When the unsaved die this is where they go first. Think of this first hell as a holding cell for the damned until they can be sentenced on the last Day when they will stand before Jesus at the Great White Throne judgment. We know this first hell is within the earth because the Bible says it is.
Do you remember the Old Testament story of Korah and his followers rebelling against the leadership of Moses when the Israelites were wandering in the desert? God opened the earth and swallowed up Korah and 3000 of his followers and they went down alive to the pit, which is hell. Hell is within the earth and beneath the Middle East somewhere. In my mind hell is directly beneath the Dead Sea although I have no proof of this.
Numbers 16:31-33 – Now it came to pass, as he (Moses) finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallower them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods. So they and all those with them went down alive into the pit; the earth closed over them, and they perished from among the assembly.
We know the spirits of the both the believer and the unbeliever must leave the body at the moment of death. It’s a spiritual law that a live eternal spirit cannot reside in a dead body (corpse). Our eternal spirit leaves this physical plane at death and enters the spiritual realm where angels and demons reside; where God and Satan live. We know from the parable of Lazarus and the rich man that prior to Jesus the spirts of the righteous were escorted to Paradise within the earth by angels.
After Christ, believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and anyone dying after that happens will have their spirit taken directly to heaven by the Holy Spirit himself to be in the presence of Jesus. Angels are no longer needed to escort your spirit to heaven if you already have Jesus within you. Paradise within the earth is no longer being used to hold the righteous because Jesus died for their sins and he descended into Paradise while he was buried for three days and then Jesus took the saints home to heaven. The Bible confirms this is what happens when believers die.
Hebrews 9:27 – And it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.
Romans 14:12 – So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.
God is reciprocal. Saint and sinner will be treated fairly. Prior to Christ, if angels escorted the spirits of the righteous to heaven that means the spirits of the damned were also taken to hell within the earth. The unbeliever wouldn’t be escorted by angels or God so the only other alternative is they are escorted to hell by demons. After all, the demons know the way home. The unsaved wouldn’t want to go to hell even if they knew the way so it’s obvious to me their spirits are they are taken into custody by demons and transported to hell against their will. The only other way I can see the unbeliever going to hell would be to have them translated there by God, to be “beamed down” like on Star Trek.
If that were the case Lazarus would have been translated to heaven when he died and not escorted by angels. What happens is similar to the movie “Ghost” where Sam’s friend Carl dies. He’s the bad guy in the movie so the demons come up from below and haul him off to hell. The only difference in real life is the real demons won’t be inoffensive cuddly little shadow figures. Real demons are huge, fierce, terrifying creatures so in the movie the look of sheer horror on Carl’s face as he’s being dragged off to hell is the only realistic part of being taken to hell by demons. I know one thing for sure. We don’t want that to happen to us so we must learn the truth of God studying the Bible and obeying God’s commandments.
Luke 16:22-24 – So it was the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s Bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torment in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then 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.”