[pgkdan]

Hell was not based on *final* judgment. It was based on judgment at the first death-—that is, that the person was not abiding in Jesus at that time. So someone in Hell may take the opportunity to repent and bow to Jesus.

Your description of Hell sounds a lot like a Catholics description of purgatory. Thanks for a great and thoughtful answer.

[fightinJAG]

I am not Catholic, so I didn’t want to presume on that, but I also think this is close to the purgatory idea.

Purgatory, as far as I understand it, seems to have gotten the hook by protestants mostly b/c of the abuses that surrounded it re relics and buying indulgences and so on.

A lot to think about here.