Hell is in the center of this earth. In the Old Testament time both Hell and Paradise were located in the center of the earth. The spirits of all mankind went to the center of  the earth at death, that is until Jesus died and rose again.
 

Num 16:30-33 But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and   swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. And it came to pass,  as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground cleaved asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation.
 

Isa 14:9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.
 

Deut. 32:22 For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.
 

Hell would have to be below the foundations of the mountains.
 

Eze 26:19-20 For thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like  the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee; When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living;
 

When speaking of Pharaoh God said:
 

Eze 31:16-18 I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, shall be comforted in the nether parts of the earth. They also went down into hell with him unto them that be slain with the sword; and they that were his arm, that dwelt under his shadow in the midst of the heathen. To whom art thou thus like in glory and in greatness among the trees of Eden? yet shalt thou be brought down with the trees of Eden unto the nether parts of the earth: thou shalt lie in the midst of the uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, saith the Lord GOD.
 

When Jesus died on the cross, He descended into the Paradise side of the pit where the spirits of the righteous were, and if He in fact preached He announced to them that the sin-debt had been paid, that He was about to conquered death, hell, and the grave.
 

But we need to take a closer look at that preaching part.
 

1 Pe 3:18-20 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
 

I used to believe like many others that Jesus preached to the spirits in hell when He died, but I never could find peace with it. Now that I have really studied it I see it differently, not saying I know it all, but let me explain.
 

Peter was saying the Spirit quickened Christ Jesus. And Christ through the Holy Spirit  had Noah, a preacher of righteousness preach repentance to all those who were  sometimes disobedient (which was all of them except Noah's immediate family) Not that sometimes disobedient doesn't mean that they were part time obedient. But it means that they did not obey the command of God when he called for them to repent. And God  was longsuffering while Noah was building the arc as it took 120 years.
 

I don't believe there was any need for Jesus to preach to those either in paradise or to those in hell fire. Just before He gave up the ghost He said it is finished.
 

If a person went to Hell fire, they are eternally there, and if a person went to Paradise they are eternally to be with our Lord.
 

Jesus didn't go to hell and preach. Those who had died without God went to hell fire and have no means to receive truth which is brought to the mind, nor do they have an hope of an offer for salvation. They are shut out from it. Their destiny is sealed. There cannot even hope for the Lords truth or His mercy.

Isa 38:18 For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
 

When David said in Psalm 16:10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. He was speaking of the grave. That's plain to see when he said as a part of this verse that He wouldn't see corruption. If He went to hell, and preached to those who was eternally damned, then He would have seen plenty
of corruption, but the corruption spoken of was the wasting away of His body. We find also that Peter spoke of this same verses:

Act 2:22-27 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pa ins of death: because it was not possible  that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:

Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
 

I do believe the spirits in prison is referring to those in hell fire waiting for the final judgment, but those have been there since the days of Noah, and Noah did preach to them before the flood through the Holy Spirit what the Lord wanted preached, and that

I believe was repentance just like when God told Jonah to go and preach to Nineveh.
 

Now lets look at another place where it is taught that Jesus descended to hell.

Eph 4:7-9 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascend ed up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
 

You might notice hell isn't mentioned here. As we said before, Paradise was across a great gulf from hell before the Lamb of God's blood was shed.
 

There is a difference in being a captive in paradise, and a prisoner in hell, although Paul  did say he was a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
 

And yes Jesus led captivity captive. He led all those in paradise up to the third heaven.
 

To prove this first I want you to turn your bibles to:
 

Luke 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with  me in paradise.
 

Jesus told one of the thief's on the cross that truly he would be with Him this very day in paradise. We believe that took place.
 

We also see where the graves burst open and many were resurrected and were seen in Jerusalem after Jesus arose.
 

Mat 27:50-53 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
 

But lets stay on the subject of paradise.
 

After Jesus resurrection and ascension into heaven we find paradise located in another place.
 

2 Co 12:2-4 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such a one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
 

So when Jesus said Lazarus was in Abraham's bosom and there was a great gulf fixed between there and hell fire, paradise was in the center of the earth, but when Jesus led captivity captive, He took them all to heaven that He might fill all things.
 

Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

The spirits of the saints who had died were in captivity in the Paradise in the center of the earth. Jesus made them His captives when He paid the price for them, and brought them out with Him when He rose from the dead, and took them to the new paradise with the Father when He ascended after His resurrection.

Jesus went to Paradise which was located across a great gulf from hell.

We know this because of What Jesus told us about the rich man and Lazarus.

Luke 16:22-26 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And 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.

But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

Gods promise to Christ: Psalm 16:8-11 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
 

And again
 

Act 2:23-28 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
 

God kept His promise to His Son, Jesus. God raised Him from the dead, and when Jesus came out of the grave, saints came out with Him and they walked the streets of Jerusalem, appearing to many people, this was before they ascended up to the third heaven.
 

Mat 27:52-53 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city,  and appeared unto many.

Jesus never visited hell fire.

Jesus himself tells us where He would be after He died on the cross. He tells the thief that on that very day they would be together in paradise. In addition, why would Jesus shout "It is finished" as he gave up his spirit, if there was still more work of redemption to be done by descending to hell?
 

Jesus came into the world in the likeness of man. That is He had a body like ours so that by the grace of God He would taste death for every man. But that's not all. He came to destroy him that had power over death, and to deliver those saints whom had died before Himself and were bound until the full price was paid for their redemption.
 

Heb 2:14-15 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that Had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

I do believe that when Jesus died, He spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth with the saints who were there at that time as He said:

John 20:17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

When He arose again, early on the morning of the first day of the week after He told Mary not to touch Him, He brought the spirits of the saints out or the heart of the earth, and since that time paradise has been removed from the heart of the earth and is now locate d in the third heaven with God.
 

2 Corinthians 12:2-4 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such a one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of  the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
 

Jesus did not preach to the ones who were eternally lost as He Himself told His disciples and us not to give that which is holy to dogs and not to cast our pearls before swine.

Mat 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
 

To preach the resurrection to those who were eternally condemned would have been of no profit, and we are told that Gods word will not return void.
 

Lynn Welch
 
 

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