Why do we assume heaven is "up there" and hell is "down there"?

Answer 1

The tower of Babel and Mount Sanai. Those stories imply that heaven is in the sky. Hell is sort of divined from the line that Lucifer was cast down to the Earth.

Answer 2

We know that hell is likely in the center of the earth based on how the demons are chained in the great abyss mentioned in the book of Revelation. A great abyss that spews fire and brimstone is nothing other than a volcano. The center of the earth is a dark place with a lake of fire.

Heaven is up... away from our physical realm in the supernatural.
I wrote an article on this once. I will paste part of it below.

"I believe the God of the Bible is the most logical explanation for our universe as we know it today. Consider these next few statements of rational logic. First, there has to be a cause for every effect. The universe had to come from something. There is no natural explanation for how the sun, moon, and stars could come from nothing! Therefore, for every effect, there has to be a cause! This Cause has to come from outside the universe; outside of nature. In other words;...supernatural. When I state "supernatural" I mean; a limitless being outside of time and space. Think about it! The only religion that ever stated otherwise was the biblical concept of Genesis! God always existed, but the universe did not!

Second, the Cause must be independent of it's effect. It can not be required to depend it's existence upon the universe. For nothing can change from a state of nothingness.

Third, the Cause must be infinitely powerful! If it were limited, it would have to be confined by some other thing. It can not be limited by nothing and if it were limited, it would not be independent any longer. The effect can not be greater than the cause. The Cause has to be greater than the effect! It has to be greater than all the forces of the universe combined!

Fourth, the first Cause must be eternal. The creator must exist outside of time. The God of the Bible stated this in Exodus 3:14 and John 8:58. All the other religions honored harvest gods, war gods, moon gods, sun gods, animal-headed gods, fertility gods and goddesses. In fact, most of these gods were restricted to time as well as location. (1)

Fifth, the first Cause must be spiritual. Only an entity outside the universe could have created it. It must be beyond the physical elements. John 4:24 states that God is Spirit.

Sixth, the first Cause must be all-knowing. The creator created the universe. Albert Einstein wrote, "The harmony of natural law... reveals and intelligence of such superiority that compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an insignificant reflection." (2)

Last, the first Cause must be a Person. There is design in the universe. For it is balanced by the four fundamental nuclear forces. If altered by the slightest one millionth of a degree, all the stars would cease to exist. The Person would have to be a creator with desires, because the creator did not need the creation in order to exist. Rather, the universe was created out of pleasure! It is not unreasonable to suggest that the Bible is the best explanation."

Answer 3

It all dates back in history to the Greeks and Romans... oh, I'm sorry, you would consider that 'mythology'.

Hell itself is named for the Norse Goddess of death and the underworld, Hel. She was given charge over the souls of those who had died. The underworld was actually called Niflheim. There was nothing remotely fire and brimstone about it.

In the Bible, it says that 'Jesus ASCENDED into Heaven' and the point is made, on numerous occassions, that Heaven is UP and Hell is DOWN.

Answer 4

Acts 2:31-35;
Jesus was resurrected out of sepulchre hell, the cave he was placed in as a tomb or his grave. John 19:38-42 he was place in the cave sepulchre hell tomb. David still in his sepulchre hell asleep in Jesus until the voice of Jesus John 5:26-29;

So yes the grave is below our feet and yes the birds do fly in the heavens above us.

Gehenna or Tophet or the valley of the son of Hinnom Jer.7:30,31; 19:2-5; Mark 9:42-48 was down below the wall of jerusalem in the valley below.

Jude 6: 1Pet.3:18-20 and 2Pet.2:4 tartarus hell for the angels that do not die as told in Luke 20:34-36 is a place the angels that sinned before the flood, still are in to wait for the judgement day 1Cor.6:2,3 and the saints will judge the angels.

1Cor,15:22; As in Adam all die, even so in christ shall all be made alive.
Heb.9:27; It is appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgement.

Rev.20:1-6,12,13 they are resurrected out of their sepulchre hell tomb grave to be in the 1000 year reign of Christ judgement day. Judged, priest, firstfruits are redeemed first to be with Jesus at his second coming Rev.3:12; 1Cor.15:22-28; Thousands are for the new heavens above Heb.12;22-24; and billions for the new earth below 2Pet.3:13; Rev.21:1-5;

Adam and Eve were created souls, from them souls are born in sin to die, then all souls are resurrected as the life of them is the spirit of God Psm.104:29,30 [ spirit and the return of it Job 34:14,15; Luke 8:50,52,54,55; Psm.115:15-17 [ silence ]; 146:3,4 [ no thoughts ];

Answer 5

The answer is simple. Who ever made that decision knew that the concept of flying angels does not make sense if they are "down there", no flying room. The concept of hell does not make any sense either if you think about it being "up there" unless you live in Las Vegas or Phoenix. I know this because you ask anyone from 1 of those 2 city's about the weather and they will always say "It's hotter than hell there".

Answer 6

Personally Frax, I can't find happiness in a heaven. Heaven is supposed to blissful and beautiful. I find no bliss and beauty in knowing that Billions upon Billions of souls that I walked the Earth with are being eternally tortured in "Hell." Why "God" would create either of them is beyond me. If he essentially wanted you to be in heaven or hell, wouldn't he have just created you there in the first place instead of here? Seems like an illeffective way to work.

Answer 7

It would seem we "look up to Heaven" because most written records indicate God "descended" and those that saw this had to look up. "Hell is down there" because hell is usually associated with the grave. Hell could have its roots from the old english word "hellen" which means to bury.

Answer 8

I honestly believe it come from Ephesians.
Ephesians 4:8-10
"That is why the Scriptures say, 'When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people( Romans 12:3).' Notice that it says "he ascended'. This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself."

Answer 9

Because a myriad of literature tells us. In fact, the private revelations to Mary Agreda actually say that Hell is located in the center of the Earth.

Answer 10

Very good question.
Let me say this, When Jesus was dying on the stake he looked up to God and said, "Forgive them they don't know what they are doing."
At his leaving the earthly scene, the Bible said He went up into the clouds,
Now the other word here is Hell.
It is mankind's common grave...use a cross rev Bible and check it out. The grave is down under ground 6 feet.