Hell was created long before the creation of man. Lucifer chose to ascend into heaven, dethrone God, and take over. He drew a large company of angels into his plan. Isaiah said "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the most high" (Isaiah 14:13,14).

That plan was aborted, and we read: "For if God spared not the angels that sinned but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto Judgement" (2 Peter 2:4). The angels who rebelled with Lucifer fell along with him. He became the devil and his fallen angels were cast into hell to await the final judgment of the wicked while the rest of them became his demon spirits and are working for him to damn souls and disrupt the program of God.

Sin and rebellion, unless forgiven by God, must be punished; so hell was created for the eternal punishment of Satan and his angels. "Then shall he say also to them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).

Mankind is divided into categories- the saved and the lost. The saved are known as sons and daughters of God, while the wicked have the devil as their father. Jesus told a crowd of sinners one day, "Ye are of your father the devil" (John 8:44).

Children become heirs of their parents possessions. Christians become heirs of God. "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17). As that is the case with the Christian, the same rule applies to the children of the devil; they become heirs of all the devil possesses-the hell that was prepared for their father, the devil.

Paradise (the home of the redeemed dead before the cross) and hell are located somewhere in the heart of the earth. The Scriptures speak of Lazarus dying and being carried to Abraham's bosom. That was before the cross,; and Abraham, the chief patriarch of old, was evidently in charge of Paradise. The rich man also died, and "in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom" (Luke 16:22,23).

How do we know this was all down below somewhere? When Jesus died on the cross, he took the repentant thief with him to Paradise. "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" (Ephesians 4:9,10). In verse 8 it says, "He led captivity captive" when he ascended. After descending to Paradise, he took the souls that were there back with him to Heaven; so Paradise is now empty, and souls after the cross go directly to Heaven. However, hell is still where it always was; but that will not always be the case. There are several Scriptures that speak of being "cast down" to hell, so there is no doubt that it is in the heart of the earth somewhere.

On earth, when a prisoner goes before the bar, if his case requires a trial, he will remain in the jail until all evidence has been gathered. The evidence will either free him eventually or send him from the temporary arrangement, the jail, to the penitentiary, where his sentence will have to be lived out.

Hell is presently like the jail. Those who go there must await the judgment day when all evidence against them will be summated. They must wait until the "books are opened" and they go from the jail (hell) to the penitentiary of eternity, the lake of fire and brimstone.

Then God will call the wicked of earth and from hell to the Great White Throne Judgment. The Judge of all judges will take His seat on the bench; and the evidence books will be searched, for another book will be opened containing the names of those who were born again and will reign with Christ forever.

Those who refused to be saved, of course, will not be listed in that "other book" and here is what the Bible has to say: "And death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works" (Revelation 20:13).

Yes, on that great and terrible day, with a mighty roar, no doubt, the doors of hell will swing open; and all in that jail will come forth for trial and receive their sentence of eternal damnation in the penitentiary of forever, the lake of fire and brimstone.

There will be a transfer from hell to the lake of fire because nobody, saint or sinner, can receive their just rewards until the angel flying across the heavens declares "time shall be no more" (Revelation 10:6).

The Bible speaks of those described as the blessed dead "which die in the Lord [Christians] from henceforth; Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them" (Revelation 15:13). Of others the Bible says, "Some men's sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment: and some men, they follow after" (1 Timothy 5:24).

Those Scriptures indicate that the after results of what men set in motion while alive, the influences they start in action whether good or bad, live after they are dead: and only at the judgment can all that be tabulated and added to what they did or did not do while alive. For the Christian, they must appear at the Judgment Seat of Christ after the Rapture to be judged according to their works (see Romans 14:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:10), but the sinner at the Great White Throne Judgment. Note that saint and sinner will both be judged "according to their works."

Yes, as noted, saints and sinners are judged "according to their works." It stands to reason and would be only fair that the ordinary sinner who finally failed to repent would not be punished to the extent the Hitler's and others of his kind will be. Or, on the other hand, that the mediocre Christian will not get the rich rewards of the martyrs and others of spiritual renown.

"And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did not commit things worthy of stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more" (Luke 12:47,48).

My sinner friend, you don't have to go to hell. He who came to save sinners and give eternal life has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. No matter how low you have gone, look unto that man who hung on that middle cross; and just as He spoke full pardon to that thief who hung beside him that day, He waits to do the same for you. Confess your sins to Him, call upon His name, put your life in His hands. Through the ages His call has rang out as it still does today: "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).