Billions Now Living May Never Die! Billions Now Dead May Rise To life! 2.0

[Alfred Persson]

16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (Jn. 3:16-18 NKJ)

In John 3:17 “world” (2889 κόσμος kosmos) appears thrice meaning “the realm of humanity and everyone in it” in contrast to the realm of Deity and everyone in it. Spatially KOSMOS must span the realms of both the living and the dead, God sent His Son so those in both realms might be saved.

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. (1 Jn. 2:2 NKJ)
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (Jn. 1:29 NKJ)

In God’s timeless perspective “the Lamb” was “slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8 NKJ) because Jesus is the “fix” for the inevitable fall that would occur with the creation of intelligent creatures with truly free will. From a temporal perspective, this event took place “at the end of the ages” so it would apply to all in the “world” of human existence, past present and future unlike the sacrifices made by the High Priests under the law of Moses which applied only to those then living:

24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another–
26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. (Heb. 9:24-26 NKJ)

Acceptance or rejection of the Gospel of Christ are the ONLY grounds for Judgment:

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (Jn. 14:6 NKJ)

11 “This is the `stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’
12 “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:11-12 NKJ)

Therefore, God will judge everyone in the world of human existence, living or dead—only after a definite and formal presentment of the Gospel of Christ enables conscious and deliberate acceptance or rejection of Christ.

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)
28 “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice
29 “and come forth– those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. (Jn. 5:28-29 NKJ)

Therefore, it is appointed a “Trial after death” occur that separates those who respond to the Gospel of Christ positively from those who respond negatively. Those who respond positively then eagerly wait for Christ to appear a Second time apart from sin, for their salvation from the intermediate state:

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)

This proposal is not my invention, it is what Christ and His followers believed including the Pharisees among them as we can infer from the existence of multiple books on the day of Judgment:

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. (Rev. 20:11-12 NKJ)

[I.15 A] Said R. Kruspedai said R. Yohanan, “Three books are opened [by God] on the New Year: one for the thoroughly wicked, one for the thoroughly righteous, and one for middling [people].
“The thoroughly righteous immediately are inscribed and sealed for [continued] life.
[C] “The thoroughly wicked immediately are inscribed and sealed for death.
[D] “Middling [people] are left hanging from New Year until the Day of Atonement.
[E] “If they [are found to have] merit, they are inscribed for life.
[F] “If they [are found] not [to have] merit, they are inscribed for death.”
[G] Said R. Abin, “What is the Scriptural [foundation for this]? [Ps. 69:29 states]: ‘Let them be blotted out of the book of the living. Let them not be inscribed among the righteous.’ ‘Let them be blotted out of the book’—this refers to the book of the thoroughly wicked. ‘[… of the] living’—this refers to the book of the righteous. ‘Let them not be inscribed among the righteous’—this refers to the book of middling [people].”-Neusner, J. (2011). The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary (Vol. 6b, p. 83). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.

Not only can this proposal be seen in many places in the Old Testament and New, some of the earliest church fathers said things consistent with it.

Moreover, the Catholic doctrine of purgatory is a corruption of this apostolic belief about refining fire in Hades burning away the dross of delusion and slavery to sin so that the “gold” of free will choice reappears in the disembodied souls in Hades.

 

[for_his_glory]

You are either God's own through the Spiritual rebirth from above, or not His own rejecting God and His Son Christ Jesus. Once Christ returns that door of salvation is closed forever and no second chances for anyone who is alive at His coming or they who lay in their graves. One resurrection, two different judgements.

John 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
John 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Here are those who are deemed evil that have damned themselves in final judgement thinking they were good people.

Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Col 3:6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
Col 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Col 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;