Revelation 20:14,
KJV: "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death."
Man has two parts the flesh and the spirit . The body dies and decays into the earth , the spirit continues the wicked go to Sheol a place of torment for the wicked spirits who lives on earth
scriptures like this show us that those who died long ago in thier flesh , still coherently existed in a spiritual realm
“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.”
1 Peter 3:18-20 KJV
what Christ died , he went and preached the gospel to those who had died in the floods of Noah’s day. Those who were in the spiritual prisons which God declared on the o.t. And foretold Christ would visit them after he came and died
“And they shall be
gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.”
Isaiah 24:22
those who had died before the mosaic law in the time of Noah were visited in the spiritual realm as a witness by Christ .
another further and better example to show that hell is current as is heaven while we still live on earth those who lives and died before us exist in two places
“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
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 lift 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. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.”
Luke 16:19-20, 22-30 KJV
many would say “ it’s not literal “ which I’m not sure I think it’s loteral
Either I believe it’s a teaching parable about what happens after we die and how that correlates to our life on earth .
further we see that while the men are in heaven and hell others are alive
And well
On earth but are fully unaware of the state of the other two
the man in hell is concerned for his loved ones , he wants them to know what he now knows . But everything is already set in place for salvation Gods word is final we have Christ on earth to believe and be saved or reject and be damned
God is not going to do anything more than what he has done to save us he already gave his life and made it as simple as accepting and believing his word who died for us
so the man is told it’s not possible , they have Gods word of they won’t believe that they won’t believe anything else even if a dead man rose and told them .
while this isn’t a historical account in my view , what it is is a teaching about heaven and hell .
there is a place where our living spirit goes now if we believe but we can’t get there until after we die in our flesh
“And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee,
To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:43 KJV
but if we reject truth we have a place where we must also wait as the rich man in the parable it’s current right now in the spiritual realms of heaven Jesus is on the throne and the church is gathered before him who have gone before
sadly there are others in Sheol who served wickedness and rebelled against truth they could not be saved .
but even in the spiritual place still they hear the gospel so even then there is hope until we hear and also believe