dad
Undefeated
Perhaps my fault (partly) but you've ended up telling me things where we already agreed. Definitely the spirits in prison were in a place in some sense, but I don't think it was in a physical location under the Earth's surface unless it happened to be in another dimension.
Bingo. Housing spirits would involve some sort of spiritual accommodation (or dimension). That seems to indicate that there is a spiritual component to the interior of the earth. That means that theories based only on the physical would be wrong.
We don't need to know about the realm. What is known is that a realm exists down under this earth.Yes, all the bible says exists does exist, every last thing, but also some of it isn't in a realm we know much about.
Everything spoken of in that part of Revelation deals in real things. A real world, real people,Nor of a nature we know much about. That 'pit' isn't a physical pit on Earth is my bet, though it's definitely a pit.
Rev 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
So you need the trees and grass and earth and men and smoke all not be real is you claim the bottomless pit was not.