Technically speaking, 'Paradise' (Abraham's Bosom) is not Heaven, nor is 'Hell' the lake of fire.
Paradise and Hell are located within the Earth. Jesus said, "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (Matthew 12:40) He also said, to the thief on the Cross, "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43) Thus we may rightly conclude that both Hell and Paradise are located within the Earth, albeit separated by a distance.
The souls in Paradise were liberated into Heaven when Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Ephesians 4:8)
Hell is not the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14 says, And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Why is the lake of fire described as the second death? Believers die once, and will be resurrected; unbelievers die, will be resurrected, but shall die a second time. They will be cast soul and body into the lake of fire.
When you and I pass on, our spirit ascends to Heaven. There we shall wait in the presence of the Lord for the resurrection of the dead. When we are resurrected, we will inhabit a paradise earth, as Pastor Gary describes above.
- PreachingTruth