Are there further chances after death?

Ceallaigh

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…..Concerning only the existence not the validity of the historical faith, beliefs and practices of the ancient Jews, three incontrovertible Jewish sources are quoted, below; the Jewish Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Judaica and the Talmud.
…..According to these sources, among the יהודים/Yehudim/ιουδαιων/Youdaion/Jews in Israel, before and during the time of Jesus, there was a significant belief in a place of everlasting torment of the wicked and they called it both sheol and gehinnom, which are translated hades and gehenna, respectively, in both the 225 BC LXX and the NT.
…..There were different factions within Judaism; Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes etc. and different beliefs about resurrection, hell etc. These differing beliefs do not rebut, refute, alter or disprove anything in this post.

Jewish Encyclopedia, Gehenna
The place where children were sacrificed to the god Moloch … in the "valley of the son of Hinnom," to the south of Jerusalem (Josh. xv. 8, passim; II Kings xxiii. 10; Jer. ii. 23; vii. 31-32; xix. 6, 13-14). … the valley was deemed to be accursed, and "Gehenna" therefore soon became a figurative equivalent for "hell." Hell, like paradise, was created by God (Sotah 22a);[“Soon” in this verse would be about 700 BC +/-]
[Note, this is according to the ancient Jews, long before the Christian era, NOT any assumed/alleged bias of “modern” Christian translators. DA]
(I)n general …sinners go to hell immediately after their death. The famous teacher Johanan b. Zakkai wept before his death because he did not know whether he would go to paradise or to hell (Ber. 28b). The pious go to paradise, and sinners to hell(B.M. 83b).
But as regards the heretics, etc., and Jeroboam, Nebat's son, hell shall pass away, but they shall not pass away" (R. H. 17a; comp. Shab. 33b). All that descend into Gehenna shall come up again, with the exception of three classes of men: those who have committed adultery, or shamed their neighbors, or vilified them (B. M. 58b).[/i]
… heretics and the Roman oppressors go to Gehenna, and the same fate awaits the Persians, the oppressors of the Babylonian Jews (Ber. 8b). When Nebuchadnezzar descended into hell, [שאול/Sheol] all its inhabitants were afraid that he was coming to rule over them (Shab. 149a; comp. Isa. xiv. 9-10). The Book of Enoch [x. 6, xci. 9, etal] also says that it is chiefly the heathen who are to be cast into the fiery pool on the Day of Judgment (x. 6, xci. 9, et al). "The Lord, the Almighty, will punish them on the Day of Judgment by putting fire and worms into their flesh, so that they cry out with pain unto all eternity" (Judith xvi. 17). The sinners in Gehenna will be filled with pain when God puts back the souls into the dead bodies on the Day of Judgment, according toIsa. xxxiii. 11 (Sanh. 108b).

Link: Jewish Encyclopedia Online
Note, scripture references are highlighted in blue.
= = = = = = = = = =
Encyclopedia Judaica:
Gehinnom (Heb. גֵּי בֶן־הִנֹּם, גֵּי בְנֵי הִנֹּם, גֵּיא בֶן־הִנֹּם, גֵּיא הִנֹּם; Gr. Γέεννα; "Valley of Ben-Hinnom, Valley of [the Son (s) of] Hinnom," Gehenna), a valley south of Jerusalem on one of the borders between the territories of Judah and Benjamin, between the Valley of *Rephaim and *En-Rogel (Josh. 15:8; 18:16). It is identified with Wadi er-Rababi.

…..During the time of the Monarchy, Gehinnom, at a place called Topheth, was the site of a cult which involved the burning of children (II Kings 23:10; Jer. 7:31; 32:35 et al.; ). Jeremiah repeatedly condemned this cult and predicted that on its account Topheth and the Valley of the Son of Hinnom would be called the Valley of the "Slaughter" (Jer. 19:5–6).
In Judaism the name Gehinnom is generally used as an appellation of the place of torment reserved for the wicked after death. The New Testament used the Greek form Gehenna in the same sense.
Gehinnom
http://www.jevzajcg.me/enciklopedia/Encyclopaedia Judaica, v. 07 (Fey-Gor).pdf
= = = = = = = = = =
Talmud -Tractate Rosh Hashanah Chapter 1.
The school of Hillel says: . . . but as for Minim, [i.e. followers of Jesus] informers and disbelievers, who deny the Torah, or Resurrection, or separate themselves from the congregation, or who inspire their fellowmen with dread of them, or who sin and cause others to sin, as did Jeroboam the son of Nebat and his followers, they all descend to Gehenna, and are judged there from generation to generation, as it is said [Isa. lxvi. 24]:
"And they shall go forth and look upon the carcases of the men who have transgressed against Me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched." Even when Gehenna will be destroyed, they will not be consumed, as it is written[Psalms, xlix. 15]: "And their forms wasteth away in the nether world," which the sages comment upon to mean that their forms shall endure even when the grave is no more.
Concerning them Hannah says [I Sam. ii. 10]: "The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces."
Link: Tract Rosh Hashana: Chapter I.

When Jesus taught e.g.,

• “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” Matthew 25:41
• "these shall go away into eternal punishment, Matthew 25:46"
• "the fire of hell [Γέεννα/gehenna] where the fire is not quenched and the worm does not die,
Mentioned 3 times Mark 9:43-48"
• "cast into a fiery furnace where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth,” Matthew 13:42, Matthew 13:50
• “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:6
• “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:23
• “woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. ” Matthew 26:24
• “But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.” Luke 10:12
…..These teachings tacitly reaffirmed and sanctioned a then existing significant Jewish view of eternal hell, outlined above.
In Matt. 18:6, 26:24 and Luk 10:12, see above, Jesus teaches that there is a punishment worse than death or nonexistence.
…..A punishment worse than death without mercy is also mentioned in Hebrews 10:28-31.

Heb 10:28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
…..how much sorer punishment,””Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord,””It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” certainly does not sound like everyone will be saved, no matter what.
…..Jesus is quoted as using the word death 17 times in the gospels, if He intended to say eternal death, in Matt 25:46, that is what He would have said but He didn’t, He said “eternal punishment.
….The Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection, they knew that everybody died; rich, poor, young, old, good, bad, men, women, children, infants and knew that it was permanent and often it did not involve punishment.
When Jesus taught “eternal punishment” the Sadducees would not have understood it as simply death, it would have meant something worse to them.
…..Concerning “punishment” one early church father wrote,

“Then these reap no advantage from their punishment, as it seems: moreover, I would say that they are not punished unless they are conscious of the punishment.” Justin Martyr [A.D. 110-165.] Dialogue with Trypho Chapter 4
…..Jesus undoubtedly knew what the Jews, believed about hell. If that Jewish teaching was wrong, why didn’t Jesus tell them there was no hell, no eternal punishment etc? Why would Jesus teach “eternal punishment,” etc. to Jews who believed, "The Lord, the Almighty, will punish them on the Day of Judgment by putting fire and worms into their flesh, so that they cry out with pain unto all eternity," which would only encourage and reinforce their beliefs in “hell”

I don't see what the umpteenth re-paste of that jumble, has to do with what I said in the post you attached it to.
 
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Der Alte

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I'm pretty sure I've seen you make opinionated comments like a an ordinary person.
If you find one let me know and we'll talk about it.
Perhaps they had incorporated a certain amount of paganism from their Babylonian captivity. But there certainly isn't anything scriptural to support that.
They cited scriptures. Jesus undoubtedly knew what the Jews of his time believed about hell. Why didn't Jesus condemn them instead of teaching,

• “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” Matthew 25:41
• "these shall go away into eternal punishment, Matthew 25:46"
• "the fire of hell [Γέεννα/gehenna] where the fire is not quenched and the worm does not die, 3 times Mark 9:43-48"
• "cast into a fiery furnace where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth,” Matthew 13:42, Matthew 13:50
• “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:6
• “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:23
• “woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. ” Matthew 26:24
• “But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.” Luke 10:12
…..These teachings tacitly reaffirmed and sanctioned a then existing significant Jewish view of eternal hell, outlined above.
In Matt. 18:6, 26:24 and Luk 10:12, see above, Jesus teaches that there is a punishment worse than death or nonexistence.
 
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Der Alte

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I don't see what the umpteenth re-paste of that jumble, has to do with what I said in the post you attached it to.
There's the problem you close your eyes and will not read anything which proves you wrong.
It documents the historical Jewish belief in hell which Jesus in His teaching supported rather than condemning. Don't bother responding.
 
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Ceallaigh

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I have found that reading the Bible, the whole Bible rather than just a few out-of-context proof texts helps answer all those type questions.
What happens to infants, small children, the mentally challenged, those who have never heard the gospel etc?
Romans 4:15
15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
Romans 5:13
13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone's account where there is no law.

Ironically those are proof texts for universalism.

And I'm sure you know damnationists would counter that with Romans 1:20

"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse".
 
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Ceallaigh

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There's the problem you close your eyes and will not read anything which proves you wrong.
It documents the historical Jewish belief in hell which Jesus in His teaching supported rather than condemning. Don't bother responding.

I've seen it many times before and it doesn't have anything to do with the mini-bio I wrote. In which I said that I have no fixed view to be proven wrong.
 
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Ceallaigh

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If you find one let me know and we'll talk about it.

They cited scriptures. Jesus undoubtedly knew what the Jews of his time believed about hell. Why didn't Jesus condemn them instead of teaching,
• “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” Matthew 25:41
• "these shall go away into eternal punishment, Matthew 25:46"
• "the fire of hell [Γέεννα/gehenna] where the fire is not quenched and the worm does not die, 3 times Mark 9:43-48"
• "cast into a fiery furnace where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth,” Matthew 13:42, Matthew 13:50
• “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18:6
• “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Matthew 7:23
• “woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. ” Matthew 26:24
• “But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.” Luke 10:12​
…..These teachings tacitly reaffirmed and sanctioned a then existing significant Jewish view of eternal hell, outlined above.
In Matt. 18:6, 26:24 and Luk 10:12, see above, Jesus teaches that there is a punishment worse than death or nonexistence.

Damnationists try to make a jumble of verses like that all say the same thing, but they don't. Some are obvious throwbacks to judgments made by the prophets before Babylon wiped out Israel. Jesus is repeating them and using similar language before Rome wiped out Israel. Others don't even mention hell/ECT. The only time I think Jesus might have been playing with their unscriptural possibly pagan influenced belief was Luke 16:19-31. But that's still yet another allusion to Israel soon being wiped out, the end of the old covenant and the new covenant made with the gentiles.
 
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Ceallaigh

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…..Concerning only the existence not the validity of the historical faith, beliefs and practices of the ancient Jews, three incontrovertible Jewish sources are quoted, below; the Jewish Encyclopedia, Encyclopedia Judaica and the Talmud.
…..According to these sources, among the יהודים/Yehudim/ιουδαιων/Youdaion/Jews in Israel, before and during the time of Jesus, there was a significant belief in a place of everlasting torment of the wicked and they called it both sheol and gehinnom, which are translated hades and gehenna, respectively, in both the 225 BC LXX and the NT.
…..There were different factions within Judaism; Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes etc. and different beliefs about resurrection, hell etc. These differing beliefs do not rebut, refute, alter or disprove anything in this post.

Jewish Encyclopedia, Gehenna
The place where children were sacrificed to the god Moloch … in the "valley of the son of Hinnom," to the south of Jerusalem (Josh. xv. 8, passim; II Kings xxiii. 10; Jer. ii. 23; vii. 31-32; xix. 6, 13-14). … the valley was deemed to be accursed, and "Gehenna" therefore soon became a figurative equivalent for "hell." Hell, like paradise, was created by God (Sotah 22a);[“Soon” in this verse would be about 700 BC +/-]
[Note, this is according to the ancient Jews, long before the Christian era, NOT any assumed/alleged bias of “modern” Christian translators. DA]
(I)n general …sinners go to hell immediately after their death. The famous teacher Johanan b. Zakkai wept before his death because he did not know whether he would go to paradise or to hell (Ber. 28b). The pious go to paradise, and sinners to hell(B.M. 83b).
But as regards the heretics, etc., and Jeroboam, Nebat's son, hell shall pass away, but they shall not pass away" (R. H. 17a; comp. Shab. 33b). All that descend into Gehenna shall come up again, with the exception of three classes of men: those who have committed adultery, or shamed their neighbors, or vilified them (B. M. 58b).[/i]
… heretics and the Roman oppressors go to Gehenna, and the same fate awaits the Persians, the oppressors of the Babylonian Jews (Ber. 8b). When Nebuchadnezzar descended into hell, [שאול/Sheol] all its inhabitants were afraid that he was coming to rule over them (Shab. 149a; comp. Isa. xiv. 9-10). The Book of Enoch [x. 6, xci. 9, etal] also says that it is chiefly the heathen who are to be cast into the fiery pool on the Day of Judgment (x. 6, xci. 9, et al). "The Lord, the Almighty, will punish them on the Day of Judgment by putting fire and worms into their flesh, so that they cry out with pain unto all eternity" (Judith xvi. 17). The sinners in Gehenna will be filled with pain when God puts back the souls into the dead bodies on the Day of Judgment, according toIsa. xxxiii. 11 (Sanh. 108b).

Link: Jewish Encyclopedia Online
Note, scripture references are highlighted in blue.
= = = = = = = = = =
Encyclopedia Judaica:
Gehinnom (Heb. גֵּי בֶן־הִנֹּם, גֵּי בְנֵי הִנֹּם, גֵּיא בֶן־הִנֹּם, גֵּיא הִנֹּם; Gr. Γέεννα; "Valley of Ben-Hinnom, Valley of [the Son (s) of] Hinnom," Gehenna), a valley south of Jerusalem on one of the borders between the territories of Judah and Benjamin, between the Valley of *Rephaim and *En-Rogel (Josh. 15:8; 18:16). It is identified with Wadi er-Rababi.

…..During the time of the Monarchy, Gehinnom, at a place called Topheth, was the site of a cult which involved the burning of children (II Kings 23:10; Jer. 7:31; 32:35 et al.; ). Jeremiah repeatedly condemned this cult and predicted that on its account Topheth and the Valley of the Son of Hinnom would be called the Valley of the "Slaughter" (Jer. 19:5–6).
In Judaism the name Gehinnom is generally used as an appellation of the place of torment reserved for the wicked after death. The New Testament used the Greek form Gehenna in the same sense.
Gehinnom
http://www.jevzajcg.me/enciklopedia/Encyclopaedia Judaica, v. 07 (Fey-Gor).pdf
= = = = = = = = = =
Talmud -Tractate Rosh Hashanah Chapter 1.
The school of Hillel says: . . . but as for Minim, [i.e. followers of Jesus] informers and disbelievers, who deny the Torah, or Resurrection, or separate themselves from the congregation, or who inspire their fellowmen with dread of them, or who sin and cause others to sin, as did Jeroboam the son of Nebat and his followers, they all descend to Gehenna, and are judged there from generation to generation, as it is said [Isa. lxvi. 24]:
"And they shall go forth and look upon the carcases of the men who have transgressed against Me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched." Even when Gehenna will be destroyed, they will not be consumed, as it is written[Psalms, xlix. 15]: "And their forms wasteth away in the nether world," which the sages comment upon to mean that their forms shall endure even when the grave is no more.
Concerning them Hannah says [I Sam. ii. 10]: "The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces."
Link: Tract Rosh Hashana: Chapter I.
The first problem with this is that it's difficult to make out the way it's formatted. Maybe it looks good on your monitor, but on mine it's a mess. That's why I've suggested that you use the default format the rest of us use.

Ber. 28b, B.M. 83b, R. H. 17a; comp. Shab. 33b, B. M. 58b, Sanh. 108b etc. are refence sources I can't make out.

Other sources like Enoch and Judith are dubious by nature.

Most of all it seems highly unlikely that Jesus would be appealing to the Talmud. Unless perhaps Jesus was turning the heresy of the scribes against them, which is much more plausible. But most likely Jesus was saying what the OT prophets were saying - outside of whatever the scribes had made up about that - because like those prophets he was prophesying the impending destruction of Jerusalem.

Most of the rest of it is the usual assertion that Jesus was talking about hell via the OT prophets (even though the OT prophets where talking about the impending Babylonian captivity) and how those conclusion are reached. But I can't really tell what parts of that summation are BC or AD.
 
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Hmm

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The parable of the lost sheep seems to support the idea of further chances after death. The shepherd in the parable “goes after” the wandering sheep. For how long does he go after the lost sheep before finally giving up? It's "until he finds it", at least in Luke. It's not " or until it dies". The shepherd will find the lost sheep. Obviously God does not manage to bring the Hitler types back to the fold before they die so the attempt must continue after death where God would continue to bring us around, help make things clear and help us get out of the rut of denial.
 
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Saint Steven

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The parable of the lost sheep seems to support the idea of further chances after death. The shepherd in the parable “goes after” the wandering sheep. For how long does he go after the lost sheep before finally giving up? It's "until he finds it", at least in Luke. It's not " or until it dies". The shepherd will find the lost sheep. Obviously God does not manage to bring the Hitler types back to the fold before they die so the attempt must continue after death where God would continue to bring us around, help make things clear and help us get out of the rut of denial.
Probably one of the most telling parts of this passage is the first two verses in the chapter. The parable seems to be in response to what the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were saying.

Another thing I noticed in re-reading this, which I hadn't noticed before, is the sheep owner leaves the ninety-nine in the open country to go search for the one lost sheep. But when he finds the lost sheep he goes home. Thus leaving the ninety-nine in the open country? - lol

Luke 15:1-7 NIV
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
 
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Hmm

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Probably one of the most telling parts of this passage is the first two verses in the chapter. The parable seems to be in response to what the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were saying.

Another thing I noticed in re-reading this, which I hadn't noticed before, is the sheep owner leaves the ninety-nine in the open country to go search for the one lost sheep. But when he finds the lost sheep he goes home. Thus leaving the ninety-nine in the open country? - lol

Luke 15:1-7 NIV
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
3 Then Jesus told them this parable: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? 5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Thanks for quoting the parable. Rereading it, it struck me that the lost sheep didn't actually do anything and yet Jesus says that a sinner has to repent. I wonder if this is saying that the repentence is automatic, that if we wander off from God and get lost we'll eventually be in a very unhappy state and the joy of being found will make us naturally realise what a big mistake we made in straying so far? I guess you can talk about parables for ever and never exhaust their meaning.

I wonder if this is why Jesus used parables in the first place? To say that there's not just one officially correct view of things but we need to find a meaning that makes sense to ourselves.
 
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Ceallaigh

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Thanks for quoting the parable. Rereading it, it struck me that the lost sheep didn't actually do anything and yet Jesus says that a sinner has to repent. I wonder if this is saying that the repentance is automatic, that if we wander off from God and get lost we'll eventually be in a very unhappy state and the joy of being found will make us naturally realize what a big mistake we made in straying so far? I guess you can talk about parables for ever and never exhaust their meaning.

I wonder if this is why Jesus used parables in the first place? To say that there's not just one officially correct view of things but we need to find a meaning that makes sense to ourselves.

That's the message of the prodigal son.
 
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Saint Steven

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Yes. The two parables say the same thing to me but perhaps that's just me.
All three "lost" parables have a similar repentance conclusion.

Luke 15:7 NIV
I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Luke 15:10 NIV
In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 15:21 NIV
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
 
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All three "lost" parables have a similar repentance conclusion.

Luke 15:7 NIV
I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Luke 15:10 NIV
In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 15:21 NIV
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

Yes, and again this is completely compatible with Christian Universalism, which doesn't say that all paths lead to God, but that Christ is the only door and that sincere repentence is required. But it also honours the scripture that say that God desires all to be saved and that He will save in the only way possible: by extending things beyond death.

The OP asked for any scripture that says this can't happen and nothing has so far been provided.
 
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All three "lost" parables have a similar repentance conclusion.

Luke 15:7 NIV
I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

Luke 15:10 NIV
In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Luke 15:21 NIV
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
I find the response of the father in the lost son parable to be most interesting. No scolding, no shaming, no ultimatums, straight to re-establishing the son.

Luke 15:21-24 NIV
“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
 
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Hmm

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I find the response of the father in the lost son parable to be most interesting. No scolding, no shaming, no ultimatums, straight to re-establishing the son.

Yes, and he spotted him from a distance so he was no doubt thinking about and looking out for him every day. The reaction of the elder son is also interesting: "Why doesn't all my loyalty and work for you count more?" It couldn't be clearer that God loves and will be reunited with all even if the older bro thinks that's unjust.
 
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Saint Steven

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Yes, and he spotted him from a distance so he was no doubt thinking about and looking out for him every day. The reaction of the elder son is also interesting: "Why doesn't all my loyalty and work for you count more?" It couldn't be clearer that God loves and will be reunited with all even if the older bro thinks that's unjust.
Right. The father ran to meet him.
 
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Does the Bible say clearly either way whether or not that death is the end of the chance of salvation?

Some passages that seem to say that there are further chances:

19 in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, 20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.
I Peter 3:19-20​

For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.
I Peter 4:6​

And some that suggest that there are no further chances:

And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment,
Hebrews 9:27​

Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.
Luke 16:26​

The Luke passage occurs in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. Here, the rich man, now dead and in hell, asks Father Abraham to "send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames." v 24. v26 is part of Abraham’s explanation for why this request won’t be granted.

None of these verses seem very conclusive to me for either view point. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, for example, the rich man is obviously being punished but that doesn't mean that the punishment will last forever. And the fact that while the punishment is going on, he's not free to simply walk away and cross over to heaven anytime he likes doesn't mean that he will not be able to get across by the saving power of Christ if they're ever released by punishment.

Is there any other relevant scripture?

I find Christian Universalism very convincing and so I believe that there will be further chances after death. Not because of these passages but more indirectly because of passages like these:

for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:22

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.
Colossians 1 19-20

Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all.
Romans 5:18​

If there were no further chances after death, these verses could not be true because, clearly, not everyone dies in a reconciled state. So the truth of these verses is not based on further chances being true but rather it’s the other way around.

Any thoughts on this question?

I want to say something on Hebrews 9:27.

It's not saying that judgement comes directly after death. It's saying we die only once, not two or more times like some religions believe. After our earthly life there will be a judgement coming.

Look at the context:

Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
— Hebrews 9:26-28
 
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