1 Thessalonians 4:13
/others which have no hope
1 Thessalonians 4:17
/so shall we ever be with the Lord
ROM 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
24 For we are saved in hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
I don't even expect you to grasp where I'm going to be coming from, but I'm going to throw out something just to let you know your litmus use of "
hope" is far lacking in 'the context' you are using it for IMO.
Based upon the above verses, w
ere these people saved in their 'spirit"? YES! they were. As a matter of fact in the AV of 1611 the translators didn't even capitalize "
the spirit" in verse 23 believing it talked about 'our spirit'. IOW these people being written to were
spirit saved which you can't see, in the HOPE of overcoming the last enemy of
physical death which you can see. Verse 24 says we're talking about '
redeeming back our body' this side of judgment with the spirit of Christ in us. Jesus died a physical body death on the cross so that we could "
destroy the last enemy of physical death". He didn't destroy death, he overcame it after dying. And if we don't attain the immortal redeemed body we SHOULD BE hoping for...we too shall "
sleep" and await a redeemed body in the age to come.
ROM 2:7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; YLT "Life age-during"...or lasting to the end of the age.
The apostles actually thought John was going to make it.
JOH 21:23 The saying spread abroad among the brethren that this disciple was not to die;
Indeed, there is no historical account that John ever did die. There is historical record that he was thrown alive into boiling oil and did NOT DIE though.
The apostle Paul was striving for this RESURRECTION this side of glory also. But to attaint it you have to achieved "perfection" of the salvation of your soul.
PHI 3:10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
I'm going to end with a big piece of meat concerning the depth of what Paul just said. Read this passage in Phillipians and realize that there are two different '
deaths' spoken of and two different
resurrections.
Phil 3:10 ressurection = anastasis and death = thanatos
Phil 3:11 ressurection = exanastasis and dead = nekros
0386 ANASTASIS: a standing up again, i.e. (lit.) a resurrection from death (individual, gen. or by impl. (its author)), or (fig.) a (moral) recovery (of spiritual truth)
2288 THANTOS: (prop. an adj. used as a noun) death (lit. or fig.)
1815 EXANASTASIS: a rising from death
3498 NEKROS: dead (lit. or fig.; also as noun)
And this is all I'm going to say about this subject which completely refutes your use of the "
hope" scriptures as far as I'm concerned. But it fits hand in glove with Universalism and the purpose of hell.