This article is somewhat of a continuation from this one, but it can also stand on its own.

In the above linked article, we established, from the Scriptures, that hell is inside the earth. We touched upon a few of the compartments. We looked at the outer darkness, where those who are in hell currently reside, and we looked a bit at the lake of fire, where all the damned will be cast after the Great White Throne Judgment. There is another compartment that we didn't really get into, and that one is what I call "Abraham's Bosom." The Bible refers to this compartment as "paradise," but for simplicity's sake, I'll refer to it as "Abraham's Bosom," since there are multiple paradises:

1) The Garden of Eden before the fall

2) The paradise compartment inside the earth (what I'll refer to as Abraham's Bosom)

3) The paradise of the Third Heaven

4) The future paradise of New Jerusalem on the earth

From what I've so far understood from the Word of God, there are three compartments of hell inside the earth:

1) Abraham's Bosom

This is where those who were heaven-bound went, before Jesus came to this earth. Now, I said in the above linked article that the center of the earth is "no paradise," but that is not entirely accurate. It's true that the outer darkness and the lake of fire are places of torment, but this is not so for Abraham's Bosom, which was described as a paradise.

Abraham's Bosom:

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. -Luke 16:22-24

Abraham's Bosom called a paradise:

And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. -Luke 23:42-43

Don't get the paradise of Abraham's Bosom mixed up with the paradise of the Third Heaven, for these are two different places. The paradise of Abraham's Bosom is inside the earth, while the Paradise of the Third Heaven is where God dwells.

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. -2 Corinthians 12:3-4

There used to be parradise on earth - the Garden of Eden, before the fall.

There will be a future paradise on Earth, when New Jerusalem comes down from heaven:

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. -Revelation 2:7

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. -Revelation 22:1-4

As we saw in Luke 16:22-24, there was a great gulf fixed between the Abraham's Bosom Compartment, and the outer darkness torment compartment. Those in the paradise in the earth could see those in the torment compartment, and vice versa.

Abraham's Bosom is now empty. When Jesus' body lay dead in the tomb for three days, His spirit went into the paradise compartment of hell, and led those in Abraham's Bosom to the paradise in the Third Heaven:

(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) -Ephesians 4:9-10

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 -1 Peter 3:18-19

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised -Luke 4:18

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound -Isaiah 61:1

The paradise of Abraham's Bosom inside the earth is now empty. Those who were in it, are now enjoying liberty, in the Third Heaven with God. Now, when a Christian dies, their spirit immediately goes to the Third Heaven.

As discussed in the article linked to at the beginning of this one, those who die without the Lord go to the compartment of hell, called "outer darkness." After the Great White Throne Judgment, the Outer Darkness compartment will be emptied, and those who were in it, will be cast into the deepest hell - the Lake of Fire.

Just as there appears to be three compartments of hell, there also appears to be three heavens:

1) The Atmosphere

And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. -Genesis 1:8-9

2) Outer Space

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. -Genesis 1:14-19

3) The Heaven of Heavens, Where God Dwells

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 an one caught up to the third heaven. -2 Corinthians 12:2

Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. -Deuteronomy 10:14

God's Word is full of so much detail on so many things. May we never grow weary of studying it.