“can they ever wake up and pray to go “Home,” as in Heaven, and be accepted? I hope so.”
No, unfortunately. Jesus tells of a rich man who died and was in torment. There is no rescue. “...nor can anyone cross from there to us.” (Luke 16:26)
The Rich Man and Lazarus
Luke 16:19-31. Also John 5:39-47.
19 Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor. 20 And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores 21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried. 23In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.
24 So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’
25 But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are left to suffer. 26 And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’
27 ‘Then I beg you, father,’ he said, ‘send Lazarus to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them so they will not also end up in this place of torment.’
29 But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let your brothers listen to them.’
30 ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone is sent to them from the dead, they will repent.’
31 Then Abraham 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.’”
Not according to the Bible.
Absolutely not. Too late. That decision must be made on earth before death. No Purgatory, either, and no provision for praying for the souls of the already deceased.
I found a decent (I think) explanation of the parable Jesus taught concerning heaven and hell. Of course it is a parable, and one can’t “talk” between the two - but it gets the point across. (By the way - it isn’t about the “money” - it is about where you put your trust and faith.):
Thank you for continuing this journey of The Gospel Project® for Kids. In Luke 16, Jesus taught His disciples about money. The Pharisees listened, and they did not like what they heard. The Pharisees loved money. (See Luke 16:14.) Then Jesus told them a parable about two men. The first man was rich, wearing expensive clothes and feasting daily. The second man, whose name was Lazarus, was poor and sick. He sat outside the rich man’s gate. Lazarus suffered greatly, and he died. Then the rich man died too.
Nothing the rich man had on earth helped him in eternity. The parable reveals that the rich man went to Hades. Hades is a Greek word that translates to “hell,” the place of the dead. Luke says that the rich man was in torment there. (Luke 16:23) He looked up and saw Abraham, the father of the Jewish faith. At Abraham’s side was the poor man, Lazarus.
Lazarus was comforted in heaven while the rich man suffered in hell. There is a great chasm between heaven and hell, and no one can cross it. No one can change his mind and trust in Jesus after he has died. Lazarus was saved by faith, but the rich man was consumed by his wealth. He devoted his life to living in luxury, and he did not love God or other people. In his suffering, he asked Abraham to warn his brothers.
Abraham refused. Sending Lazarus would not help. The rich man’s brothers had access to God’s Word, and Scripture is clear about salvation. Even a miracle would not convince the brothers, as Jesus raised His friend Lazarus from the dead and the religious leaders still plotted to kill Him. (See John 11:43-53.)
Those who receive salvation from Jesus have changed hearts; they treasure Jesus above any earthly treasure. Getting into heaven has nothing to do with who you know, what you wear, or what you do. Entering into heaven requires faith in Jesus, the Son of God.