RBDERRICK said
For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.
Alfred Persson said:
Death and the grave aren't people, they can't praise God.
Those going down to the "pit" are the irredeemably wicked, they have no hope.
They are segregated from redeemable dead, they are in "the pit", the worse part of Sheol/Hades.
RBDERRICK said
Here is where you now show no sense. If the unrepented souls are judged 'redeemable' vs 'unredeemable', then God has judged and separated some that will now repent, from them that still won't repent.
The eternal judgment has already been made, with no need to hear the gospel again and
defacto repent. That is Calvin's error of predeterminism extended beyond the grave.
The separation at the grave is between repented redeemed souls, and unrepented unredeemed souls.
There is no division between unrepented souls, nor separate 'place' for any of them to repent. There is no
purgatory space of repentance granted by God beyond the grave.
Alfred Persson said:
With God all things are possible (Mk. 10:27) .
It is appointed for men to die once then the judgment.
Whether they go to the section reserved for the very wicked, or eagerly wait in Hades for the Second Coming of Christ unto salvation:
27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. (Heb. 9:27-28 NKJ)
Sheol/Hades refers to the “unseen realm” where Hades, “the pit”, “Gehenna”, “Lake of Fire”, “Abyss” etc. are. The “dimension of the dead” as it were. Its divided into sections, fallen angels are in “tartarus”, their offspring are in “prison”, spirits of demons (Nephilim) are in the Abyss, the human dead are in Sheol/Hades unless they are very wicked, in which case they are in “the pit” also called “destruction” “Abaddon”.
It’s the intermediate place where the dead wait for Judgment Day. How they wait, whether its “living according to God in the Spirit” or in torments in the pit, is determined when they die physically:
For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. (1 Pet. 4:6 NKJ)
For example, the “spirits in prison” or “Men of Renown” (Gen. 6:4) who could not believe Noah’s preaching God would overlook their “Frankenstein” hybrid -angel-human nature, an abomination to God, and so would not repent before the flood. Christ makes a special trip to convince them God could forgive them, if they repent and believe His preaching, JUST AS Church also gave the answer of a good conscience, and so were (as baptism symbolizes) raised up with Christ:
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,
19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,
20 who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.
21 There is also an antitype which now saves us-- baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him. (1 Pet. 3:18-22 NKJ)
They now wait with the OT saints and the Church for the 1st Resurrection/gathering of the Church at Christ’s Second Coming, just as do all who “live according to God in the Spirit” (protected from torments) while they wait in Hades for Christ’s salvation.
The Rapture/First Resurrection happens well before the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15) which doesn’t happen till after the Millennial Reign of Christ.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thess. 4:15-17 NKJ)
Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (Rev. 20:6 NKJ)
RBDERRICK said
The space given by the longsuffering of God to repent, is only here and now before the grave:
And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Alfred Persson said:
Incorrect, I gave you more than a dozen of scriptures showing repentance after death. You ignored them. Here they are again. Click the # for commentary on the scripture:
Various Scriptures where Postmortem Opportunity is explicit or implicit:
Dt. 32:39 [#A];
1Sam. 2:6 [#B];
2Sam. 22:5-7 [#C];
Ps. 16:10-11 [#D];
Ps. 30:3-6 [#E];
Ps. 40:1-3 [#F];
Ps. 49:12-15 [#G];
Ps. 56:13 [#H];
Ps. 68:18-20 [#I];
Ps. 69:13-18 [#J];
Ps. 71:19-23 [#K];
Ps. 86:13 [#L];
Ps. 102:18-22 [#M];
Ps. 116:1-9 [#N];
Hos. 13:14 [#O];
Jon. 2:1-10 [#P];
Zec. 9:9-11 [#Q];
Mt. 12:30-32[#R];
John 5:28-29[#S];
Rm. 11:25-36[#T];
1 Pt. 3:18-22[#U];
1 Pt. 4:6[#V];
1 Cor. 5:5[#W];
Eph. 4:8-10[#I];
Heb. 9:27-28[#X];
Rev. 20:11-15[#Y];
[#Z]
As for the scripture you cited, they do not support your claim there is no repentance possible after death. Neither discuss the issue.
The First is a warning to the church that was paying heed to a false prophetess names Jezebel:
The next text is a warning not to follow the bad example of the Israelites in the wilderness and harden our hearts. Its not about repentance after death.
But Joshua and many with Him will enter God’s rest, because they did not harden their hearts against God.
In conclusion, you misquote scripture, take it out of context to teach a pretext. Worse than that, willfully ignored are all the texts that prove you wrong.