Very often I come across the argument that a loving God cannot send a person to hell. And while the usual reply is that people send themselves there, this fact is sometimes seen as irrelevant under the assumption that, once in hell, people will be begging for God to forgive them. But I'm not so sure that such an assumption is correct.
I feel that God must, on account of His good and loving nature and the fulfillment of scripture, forgive any and all who sincerely call upon Him to be saved. There are a myriad of scriptures in the Bible that attest to the fact that the Lord will turn no one away who calls upon Him. And because there are no qualifications attached to such scriptures, I conclude that those who will ultimately stand before God will, at no point, repent of their wickedness.
There is harmony in the scriptures - at no point should two scriptures conflict with one another. It's because of this, for example, that we know that those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit will never actually seek salvation, and that if one does in fact seek salvation, it is proof that said person cannot actually be guilty of committing the unpardonable sin. I believe this same line of reasoning applies to those who die in their sins, as Romans 10:13 does not say, "Whosoever should call upon the name of the Lord, while still alive, shall be saved.".
At no point in the Bible does it indicate that people in judgment will attempt to repent. In fact, the Bible teaches that in the tribulation, even after intense and ongoing suffering the likes of which causes those who suffer to wish they were dead Revelation 9:6, they still will not repent. Revelation 16:11
It's because they cannot repent. All who receive the mark of the Beast are damned. Revelation 14:9-11 There is no salvation for the same reason as when a person blasphemes the Holy Spirit: the Holy Spirit is gone, and can no longer lead them to repentance.
Seeing as how we live before the rapture, it is hard to imagine the state of a man being so wicked and evil that he wouldn't repent no matter how great his suffering, but the truth is that, until the rapture, the Holy Spirit is in the world convicting men of sin; it is the Holy Spirit which prevents people from sliding all the way into a level of darkness precluding repentance. Once the Holy Spirit leaves this world, having been raptured along with the church, there will be nothing left to prevent the spiral of mankind into the abyss; there will be nothing left to convict mankind of sin. This is why the people of that day will refuse to repent, and no matter how much suffering and fear they endure. Again, I believe this also holds true in the age to come.
Notice how the Bible never suggests that a person in hell, or damned to hell, will attempt to repent. The rich man never repented. He merely asks for water and for his brothers to be warned. The people who come to Jesus on the day of judgment never repent. In fact, they make excuses. And on the day of judgment it is said that the people actually run from God! They want NO PART of the Lord. Revelation 20:11. The Word of God says that there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Luke 13:28 The weeping is understandable, though it is not repentance. They are upset because of their own predicament. But the gnashing of teeth? This indicates intense hatred and anger, just as it did when Stephen was stoned. Acts 7:54 The people bound for hell will be sorry for themselves, but will have nothing but utter hatred and murderous contempt in the light of a glorified Jesus. Remember, not only is the Holy Spirit no longer active in these people, but at this point there is nothing good left in them at all. Matthew 13:12
So while it is sometimes hard to understand what a person could do to actually deserve being sent to such a place, remember that right now we don't see the whole picture. 1 Corinthians 13:12 You are thinking of people as they are now, as you see them, rather than what they really are, and what they will become.
