The Three Realms of Creation by Joe Harper

God’s creation includes three separate realms. These realms are heaven, the earth, and Sheol otherwise known as the underworld. God created all three of these realms during the seven-day creation week. The Scriptures tell us that God created the heavens and the earth and all things that dwell therein (Genesis 1:1, Exodus 20:11). God’s creation includes not only what lives on the earth but also what is located underneath the earth in Sheol. This three-tiered cosmology is easily seen in the second commandment which forbids the worship of idols. Exodus 20:4 reads,

4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. (Exo. 20:4)

Each of these realms are real physical locations that occupy space in our reality. Heaven is located directly above the earth while Sheol is located directly below the earth. We will look at what the Scriptures say about each of these three realms of creation.

Heaven is the dwelling place of God’s throne room. This is where Christ in his glorified body dwells since the time that he ascended into heaven from the earth following his bodily resurrection. Heaven is a realm where many of the Lord’s angels reside apart from the service that the Lord has them to perform on the earth. This is also where the dead saints of God dwell until the time that they will return to the earth with Christ on the last day of history. The Old Testament Saints used to reside in the upper compartment of Sheol called Abraham’s Bosom but Christ took them up to heaven at the time of his death and resurrection. Now all souls who are in Christ go to be with Christ in heaven upon their death (Phil. 1:23). The ancient Hebrews had a view of cosmology that included three heavens. The first two heavens were located underneath the Firmament (Raqa) while the third heaven was located above it. The first heaven was the sky which included the birds and the clouds. The second heaven was higher up in the sky where the sun, moon, and stars were located. The third heaven is what modern Christians think of when they think of heaven. This is where God’s throne room resides. The Apostle Paul described how he was taken up to the third heaven in a vision where he heard words that were unspeakable (2 Cor. 12:2).

The second realm is the earth. The earth is located directly below heaven and directly above the third realm called Sheol which is the Hebrew name for the underworld. The description for the creation of the earth is found in Genesis chapter 1. When God begins to create the world on the first day of the creation week there is only the waters. Dry land does not emerge until the third day of the creation week. The waters begin without form and are void. The Lord then gathers the waters together into a circle (Pro. 8:27-29). God then separates the waters that are above from the waters below by creating the firmament. Contrary to popular belief, the firmament is not a word for the sky but is instead referring to a solid dome that covers the earth below. The Hebrew word for firmament is raqa. The word raqa is referring to something solid that is spread out across the sky. This word is H7554 in the Strong’s Concordance. The word is defined as to beat, stamp, beat out, or spread out. The Strong’s Concordance says,

“râqaʻ, raw-kah'; a primitive root; to pound the earth (as a sign of passion); by analogy to expand (by hammering); by implication, to overlay (with thin sheets of metal): beat, make broad, spread abroad (forth, over, out, into plates), stamp, stretch.”

The imagery of the word raqa is that of a metal smith hammering out metal that grows thinner with each stroke of the hammer as it is spread out to form its desired shape. The use of the Hebrew word raqa called the firmament in our english bibles is stating that our world is covered by a solid dome covering. This covering is the firmament. Our world encompasses both the seas and oceans gathered together into a circle and the dry land located amidst the seas. The sun, moon, and stars are also located within the firmament. Our earth is a flat stationary plane located within the firmament with God’s realm called heaven being located above the earth.

Below the earth is the realm Sheol. The Hebrew word Sheol is the term for the Hebrew underworld which is the realm of the dead. The word Sheol is found throughout the Old Testament Scriptures (Gen. 37:35, Job 11:7-9, Psa. 141:7, Isa. 14:9). Many modern theologians have interpreted the use of the word Sheol to refer not to a literal place but instead to the grave. However, this is a misunderstanding of the word. This is evidenced by the fact that the Hebrew language has another word for grave. This is the word qeber. Qeber is 6913 in the Strongs Concordance. Sheol is not referring to the grave or death in a general sense but is referring to a literal place that exists below the surface of the earth. This is seen in Job 11:7-9.

7 Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?

8 It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell [Sheol] what canst thou know?

9 The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea. (Job 11:7-9).

The Hebrew word Sheol is translated as hell in the King James Version. Job 11:7-9 describes Sheol as a physical location that exists below the earth. Heaven is describes as being located above the earth. These verses of Scripture give an apt summary of the ancient Hebrew understanding of Cosmology. Sheol was an actual place where all souls went to after their deaths. Sheol contains two separate compartments. The upper compartment is called Abraham’s Bosom where the Old Testament saints went to when they died. For example, Jacob in Genesis 37:35 stated that he would go down to Sheol when he died. Genesis 37:35 reads,

35 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave [Sheol] unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him. (Gen. 37:35)

The King James Version reads the grave here but the original Hebrew says Sheol. The lower compartment of Sheol is the destination of the wicked who die outside of God’s saving grace. The lower compartment of Sheol has been called multiple names such as Gehenna, Tartarus, the lake of fire, the bottomless pit, and the abyss. This compartment of Sheol is the place of punishment that modern Christians know as hell. The two compartments of hell are separated by a great chasm. The Hebrews and early Christians thought that the lower compartment of Sheol was as far below the upper compartment as the upper compartment was below the earth. This is the lower compartment is called the bottomless pit or the abyss. The two compartments of Sheol are clearly seen in Luke 16:19-26

19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 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;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 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.

25 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.

26 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.

This section of Scripture is the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. This parable is unique amongst Christ’s parables that it uses the actual names of people. The implication of this is that Christ is not speaking metaphorically but is describing actual people and their destinations after their deaths. The rich man in this parable lived a life of pleasure and ease but did not live righteously. Lazarus by contrast lived a righteous life but one of poverty and suffering. The rich man went to a place of torment called hell where he was burned by the fire (Lk. 16:23). Lazurus went to a different place called Abraham’s bosom where he did not suffer as the rich man did (Lk. 16:22). The key to understanding this parable is to understand that it is describing the actual destinations of the righteous and wicked in the Old Testament context. These two destinations are both underneath the earth and are separated by a great chasm between them (Lk. 16:26). The saints are no longer in Abraham’s bosom but were taken up to heaven by Christ when he descended into the earth following his death on the cross. Christ took the captives up to heaven (Eph. 4:7-10) and now all saints go to heaven to be with Christ at the time of their death (Phil. 1:23).