Prove they can. There is nothing in Scripture to indicate they can--there is not one verse you have given that suggests this is the case.Prove one cannot hear the gospel and believe after death.
This either refers to the spiritually dead who will hear the gospel, put their faith in Christ, and become spiritually alive, or to the resurrection:Christ doesn't agree:
25 "Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. (Jn. 5:25 NKJ)
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
1Th 4:17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. (ESV)
Be very, very careful in making doctrine out of a single verse, especially when theologians and scholars have difficulty with it. It could very well mean those who are now dead but had the gospel preached to them and believed while they were still alive. Some take it to mean the spiritually dead. If it does refer to those unbelievers who died and then had the gospel preached to them, that would be the exception, not the rule.Compare:
5 They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
6 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. 4:5-6 NKJ)
I've already explained this. Those who eagerly await are believers. Christ will not return and deal with sin a second time, so there is no salvation at his return, only judgement.Who are these "eagerly waiting" for Christ's "second coming" after they died and went through a judgment:
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)
If Catholics and Protestants agree on something, it likely is true.God is blasphemed throughout the earth because of Protestants and their novel (unknown to the apostles) doctrines about hell. It is irrelevant immaterial and incompetent they inherited much of it from catholics. Who are they? Does God speak through them?
Okay.Its time to return to the doctrine of the apostles. Discard unscriptural and dark beliefs about God and how He will judge the earth.
To make things worse, they don't act like they believe the lies they speak, they only disparage all who refuse to believe them.
I'm sure everyone can recite the denominations that tell parents and friends during funerals: "they also will go to hell and be condemned with the unrighteous just like the deceased, if they also die unbelieving."
Yeah, we see that happen all the time among Protestants, don't we?
Their disbelief speaks louder than their empty words. Yet they continue to cling to what abhors them, offends their God given sense of justice, mercy and love. Even burning at the stake those who objected. Incredible hypocrisy. We can be certain none of this goes unseen by God Almighty.
He agrees with orthodox Christianity, which is what I agree with: https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/a-second-chance-after-deathIf the Apologists here aren't up to the task, I suggest you send the text of my post to the "greats", to list a few.
- William Lane Craig (b. 1949): A philosopher and theologian known for his work in the philosophy of religion, debates on the existence of God, and founder of Reasonable Faith, an organization dedicated to providing a Christian perspective on major world issues.
You should probably know that Tim Keller died on May 19, 2023. He likely would also agree with orthodox Christianity that there is no second chance after death, being that he was Reformed.
- Tim Keller (b. 1950): A pastor, theologian, and author known for his work in urban ministry and apologetics through Redeemer Presbyterian Church and City to City, an organization focused on church planting.
Greg Koukl agrees that there is no chance after death, at 2:06:
- Greg Koukl (b. 1950): Founder of Stand to Reason, Koukl focuses on equipping Christians to think more clearly about their faith and engage others with wisdom and grace.
I'm quite certain Sean McDowell would also agree.
- Sean McDowell (b. 1977): An author, speaker, and associate professor of Christian apologetics at Biola University, McDowell focuses on equipping young people to defend their faith.
That about says it all.GotQuestions.org should be alerted to my direct rebuttal of their misconceptions: