“Second Chance After Death” Controversy
Arimasa Kubo
Second Chance is a concept of the Christian theology that dead people in Hades (not Hell) have an opportunity to hear the Gospel of Christ and be saved. The “first chance” represents life on earth, and the “second chance” the one in the world after death called Hades in Greek (Sheol in Hebrew).
It is different from Christian universalism that all people will be saved. It describes the opportunity to start over for salvation after death, postmortem evangelism and posthumous conversions. There is a controversy as to whether there is such an opportunity or not.
Controversy
The second chance controversy is between affirmationists and denialists as to whether non-Christians after death can have opportunity to hear the Gospel of Christ to be saved or not.
It contains disputes whether Jesus preached the Gospel to the dead or not, whether Jesus descended into Hades or Hell after death, whether the worlds after death for people are “only Heaven and Hell” or “Heaven, Hades and Hell,” whether the final judgment is immediately after death or at the end of the world, whether God gives opportunity for dead people to hear the Gospel and to be saved or not, etc..
