All of the 11 occurrences of "exomologeo" seem to indicate free confession and / or praise, not forced subjugation. I appreciate your comment on the Phi 2:11 being a possibility or potentiality and that not every knee will bow. But it looks like at least some souls in Hades / under the earth will confess and praise as in Rev 5:13 and Phi 2:11 and Rom 14:11.
It is not mentioned in Rev 21:8 or anywhere else that people will be forced to proclaim that Jesus is Lord against their God-given free will. Jesus' enemies who will not confess and offer praise will become his footstool, not literally of course but in the sense os being defeated. I don't believe in UR.
I'm not addressing the LoF at all. There has been numerous and long threads about it. This thread is only to ask the question: What is the purpose of the Last Judgment if there is no chance of changing the ruling made immediately after death?
Can souls in Hades repent? There are few hints but I agree that there no scripture which states this clearly and unequivocally, otherwise we would not be discussing this.
>I think it is crystal clear. You are in error because Jesus says it. Jesus was the one that showed what happens to a soul after death. (Luke 16) He teaches all we need to know on Hell and the lake of fire in the Gospels and His Revelation.
Notice they both died. Jesus even said the rich man was buried. So soul sleep is debunked by Jesus.
They both felt, could talk, were awake and could reason.
Jesus taught there is a great gulf fixed and what?
That none may cross over from there to us. There is your answer. I think Jesus knows what He is talking about here.
Notice Jesus taught they have the Scriptures and they
will not repent even if someone come back from the dead. There is the second time Jesus debunks some could or will be saved from Hades.
>So, the Bible says everything has to be verified by what in order for the death sentence? "On the evidence of two or three witnesses". If it is too difficult, who do they take the case to? Who is our High Priest? And how many people are in the Trinity? We know this from the book of Hebrews, and John, the Father has committed all judgment to the Son, and the eyes of God (Holy Spirit) are everywhere observing the evil and the good, from Proverbs. And what will they be judged out of? The Law and the Prophets. Sin is what? Transgression from the Law of God. 1st John 3:4,
New Living Translation
Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God.
So according to the Law of God, there has to be a trial for a death sentence. That is what the great white throne is all about- the unsaved has to have a trial.
We have already been judged with Jesus, that is why we go to heaven when we die. We are covered by Jesus' blood and have passed from death to life!
This is our "position" before God in Christ. Our "works", those who are our crown of rejoicing will be with us in heaven, all the rest will be burnt up. So that judgment is a done deal too.
The Bible will be one of the books that will be opened. The other is the book of life. As soon as you die, if you have not been recorded in the Lambs book of Life, your name is blotted out and will not be found. This is why everyone does indeed have a chance to come to God. But only the chosen ones, the sheep will respond to the call, the wicked will not.
How will we judge mortals in the Kingdom? By the law of God and what is in the Bible. Some of us will be judges. If we cannot judge in between what is right and wrong now. How will we in the Kingdom? This is the proving ground.
Is there fault with God because He does not allow another chance after death? Cannot the maker of the vessel do want He wants to with each vessel?
God teaches us in Exodus 32,
30On the next day Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the LORD, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
31Then Moses returned to the LORD, and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves.
32“But now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!”
33The LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. 34“But go now, lead the people where I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you; nevertheless in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
35Then the LORD smote the people, because of what they did with the calf which Aaron had made.
2“If there is found in your midst, in any of your towns, which the LORD your God is giving you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the sight of the LORD your God,
by transgressing His covenant,
3and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the heavenly host, which I have not commanded,
4and if it is told you and you have heard of it, then you shall inquire thoroughly. Behold, if it is true and the thing certain that this detestable thing has been done in Israel,
5then you shall bring out that man or that woman who has done this evil deed to your gates,
that is, the man or the woman, and you shall stone them to death.
6“On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. 7“The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.
8“If any case is too difficult for you to decide, between one kind of homicide or another, between one kind of lawsuit or another, and between one kind of assault or another, being cases of dispute in your courts, then you shall arise and go up to the place which the LORD your God chooses.
9“So you shall come to the Levitical priest or the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall inquire of them and they will declare to you the verdict in the case. 10“You shall do according to the terms of the verdict which they declare to you from that place which the LORD chooses; and you shall be careful to observe according to all that they teach you.
11“
According to the terms of the law which they teach you, and according to the verdict which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside from the word which they declare to you, to the right or the left.
12“The man who acts presumptuously by not listening to the priest who stands there to serve the LORD your God, nor to the judge, that man shall die; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel.
13“Then all the people will hear and be afraid, and will not act presumptuously again.
19“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.
20“And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,
21and longing to be fed with the
crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.
22“Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. 23“In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.
24“And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’
25“But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.
26‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed,
so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’ 27“And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house—
28for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
29“But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’
30“But he said, ‘No, father Abraham,
but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’ 31“But he said to him,
‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
