Where is the Bottomless Pit?

The bottomless pit is a term which occurs in Revelation 9 of the New American Standard Bible translation :

Rev. 9:1  Then the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from heaven which had fallen to the earth; and the key of the bottomless pit was given to him.
Rev. 9:2 He opened the bottomless pit, and smoke went up out of the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by the smoke of the pit.

The term “bottomless pit” is actually the Greek word abussos, which is usually translated “abyss,” which occurs several times in the New Testament.  The abyss is the holding place for the disobedient angels that followed after Satan (commonly called demons). The abyss exists side by side with Sheol, the Old Testament name for the holding place of souls. The exact location for these places is clearly explained in Scripture:

Gen. 37:35 Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, “Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.

Job 7:9      “When a cloud vanishes, it is gone, 
    So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up.

Psa. 28:1     To You, O LORD, I call; 
    My rock, do not be deaf to me, 
    For if You are silent to me, 
    I will become like those who go down to the pit.
Psa. 28:2     Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help, 
    When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary.
Psa. 28:3     Do not drag me away with the wicked 
    And with those who work iniquity, 
    Who speak peace with their neighbors, 
    While evil is in their hearts.

Psa. 63:6     When I remember You on my bed, 
    I meditate on You in the night watches,
Psa. 63:7     For You have been my help, 
    And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
Psa. 63:8  My soul clings to You; 
    Your right hand upholds me.
Psa. 63:9  But those who seek my life to destroy it, 
    Will go into the depths of the earth.
Psa. 63:10  They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; 
    They will be a prey for foxes.

Rom. 10:7 or ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).”

Phil. 2:10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

These verses all point to the same location for Sheol or the pit: at the center of the earth. Since the Bible consistently refers to Hell/the pit/the abyss/Sheol as being at the center of our physical earth, we must accept that testimony, since we have no reason to reject it. There is no basis in the text of Scripture for dismissing a literal interpretation, nor is there any scientific basis on which to reject this conclusion. What little we do know of the center of our earth, we do know it’s very hot, which is consistent with the Bible’s description of Hell:

Luke 16:23 “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.
Luke 16:24 “And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’

Finally, you might find this recent article on the inner earth interesting: The Deepest Hole We Have Ever Dug

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org