Is Ultimate Release from Hell Possible?

This is the first of my 2 planned posts on release from Hell in Revelatiion:
(1) The possibility of universal salvation envisaged in Philippian hymn in 2:6-11 [see earlier post on this] is reiterated in another hymn in Revelation 5:13:

"Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth [= Hades] and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To the One who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!’’”

Again, are we to assume that the damned worship God and Christ only to await a lever to be pulled that opens the gates of darkness and sucks them down, screaming back to Hell? Presumably their praise and worship are expressions of gratitude for their ultimate redemption. But how do John’s visions perceive the mechanism of their redemption?

(2) Rev. 21 portrays the descent of the New Jerusalem which never actually lands on Earth and which is therefore clearly an image of Heaven. Its gates remain eternally open:

“Its gates will never be shut by day–and there is no night there (21:25).”

This image of eternally open gates implies traffic coming and going. But coming and going for what purpose? On what missions? The answer must surely be sought from John’s vision of what lies outside the gates: “Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood (22:15).”
So the traffic coming and going through the eternally open gates involves soul retrievals of the repentant damned, who are destined to join the heavenly chorus of 5:13.

The next 2 Christian apocalypses after Revelation reinforce this glorious hope in their depiction of the reaction of deceased saints to the absence of their damned loved ones from Heaven. These saints intercede for soul retrievals or outright reclamation of the damned from Hell and their petitions are granted (see Apocalypse of Peter 14 (125 AD); Sibylline Oracles II, 331-335 (150 AD)).

John’s imagery implies this glorious but never stated principle for God’s fulfillment of His redemptive purpose: Heaven cannot be Heaven for the redeemed whose essence is love as long as they remain aware of loved ones languishing in Hell. Your success is my success, but your failure is my failure.

Well, not if you ignore that it was the religious leaders who were "filled with wrath" and that Jesus "suffered wrongfully" for "doing well" as "an example to us." Hello?

I'm glad you looked it up so that you will be careful to avoid commiting it again.

The canonicity of the Apocalypse of Peter (125 AD) is irrelevant to this thread's issue. The relevant point is this: after Revelation, the next 2 Christian apocalypses (also Sibylline Oraces II (150 AD) support my interpretation of the texts in Revelation toat imply ultimate releases from Hell, and so, they bar witness to the original intent of Revelation.

poster boy

Melach: "apocalypse of peter isnt canonical scripture. dont know why thats supposed to be taken serious."
The canonicity of the Apocalypse of Peter (125 AD) is irrelevant to this thread's issue. The relevant point is this: after Revelation, the next 2 Christian apocalypses (also Sibylline Oraces II (150 AD) support my interpretation of the texts in Revelation toat imply ultimate releases from Hell, and so, they bar witness to the original intent of Revelation. Don't you at least hope that all your unsaved loved loves ones will ultimately be saved? Or will your attitude in Heaven be: "Phew, well at least I made it! To Hell with the rest of them!" Unlike you, the authors of these later apocalypses have compassion for the lost.

Melach: "dear friend i am worried for your stances.. are you a universalist? are you born again?"
God's Word teaches that God's love never abandons the sinner,even after death. We have a great and loving God whom you want to shrink down to your more exclusivistic image. Yes, praise God, and I spent a whole summer witnessing to the Gospel in the streets and house to house. Have you done that ? Your God is too small!

Is Ultimate Release from Hell Possible?
assuming you mean the Lake of Fire and not the grave (Sheol, Hades)
Not according the scriptures - not according to sound doctrine …

Proverbs 2:
16 So you will be delivered from the forbiddena woman, [false religion, another gospel …]
from the adulteress with her smooth words, [deceiving dosctrines and the like …]
17 who forsakes the companion of her youth
and forgets the covenant of her God;
18 for her house sinks down to death,
and her paths to the departed;
19 none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.


20 So you will walk in the way of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will inhabit the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it,
22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.

Yes, I'm afraid you are still missing the point. You don't understand how biblical scholars determine the meaning of key theological concepts. Palestinian expressions derive their meaning from their use in the prevailing Hebrew-speaking culture. So in the case of ancient rabbinic Judaism, the meaning of the expression "saved, yet so as by fire" is important for understanding Pauline usage.

Jesus could have used other terms for Hell, but He chose to use the standard term used by the rabbis and that decision suggests that He largely endorses their conception.

This inference is confirmed by His use of the image of a debtor's prison for Gehenna from which the possibility of ultimate release is possible

and by His use of imagery (e. g. "few stripes") that implies a finite limit to one's stay in Gehenna. [See my earlier post that explains this in greater detail.]

Not one thing is attributed to the Satan inspired crowd

All of it is. They transgressed God's command for condemning Jesus to death without cause,

And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God) Deut.21:22-23

This proves Christian theologians have misinterpreted what Jesus "becoming a curse for us" means. He was only "accursed by God" in the minds of those who falsely accused him. The idea that God viewed the Son as a curse is heresy.

God said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Mt.3:17

But they said, we know that this man is a sinner. Jn.9:24

Anyone who believes God cursed his own Son will be damned.

Its not that we are not all guilty. But the actual demonstration is in respect the father and Son working together in Isaiah 53 .It leaves out the Satan inspired mob as having part of the father striking the Son in order to bring the peace of God that surpasses our understanding.

_____

Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered Mt.26:31

On the contrary, Christ's atoning death on t he cross covers all!

"When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself (John 12:23)."

But the subject here is ultimate release from Hell, not universalism, and damned souls still need to respond positively to Gold's offer of grace and mercy.

Anyone's name not found in the book of life, will be cast into the lake of fire.