Our First Estate...

[teddyaware]

16 hours ago, InCognitus said:

First, given your hypothetical example, I think the angel would be rebuked and he would be the one in jeopardy for accidently killing Alma the younger, because I know the Lord knew Alma was deceived and that he could be used for a greater purpose (much like the apostle Paul when he was going around witnessing the killing of faithful Christians before his conversion). Furthermore, I suspect another angel would show up and raise Alma from the dead.  (How's that for getting around your hypothetical example?  ).

I don't believe all hope for complete repentance would be lost, and I think Alma would recognize the error of his ways in the spirit world if that story played out the way you described it.  But I can't say how the Lord would judge him or where his place would be in the degrees of glory.  I hope they have a hypothetical question and answer seminar in the afterlife so we can ask that question.

As the saying goes, anything is possible. 😄 But your last paragraph demonstrates that you get my point.

But I believe the answer to the question is probably as simple and straightforward as saying that the millions of exalted individuals who suffered untimely deaths, who would have fully embraced the Lord and his gospel had they been permitted to tarry, will actually get the chance to prove who and what they are in real time by their response to the gospel message when it’s offered to them after death. Ultimately, I think it’s reasonable to believe that the reason why these individuals will be exalted is much more tied to the way they live the gospel in the spirit world rather than just examining their hearts and behaviors as they were while they tarried in the flesh without a knowledge of the gospel.

In fact, there’s really no need to to bestow eternal blessings and rewards based on projections of future receptiveness and behaviors due to the fact that the dead who receive the gospel after the death of the mortal body have more than ample opportunity to manifest their love, faith, loyalty and obedience to the Lord in the spirit world; son much so that their acts in the spirit world are treated and regarded exactly as if they had received and lived the gospel in the flesh, for the Apostle Peter tells us that are judged as if they are still living in the flesh. Therefore projections about future behaviors are mostly unneeded and unnecessary. My point is that the Lord created a system of salvation and exaltation in which men will be judged by their actual works, not by mere projections of likely future attitudes and behaviors based on the sentiments and behaviors of those in the flesh who knew nothing about the true church and gospel of Christ prior to death.

The bottom line is that I believe it’s more than likely that the reason why Alvin entered into his exaltation was determined not just by the attitudes and behaviors he exhibited prior to death, but even more so by his devoted and faithful response to the restored gospel in the spirit world. I’ll conclude by saying I don’t believe there will be any who arrived at the years of accountability who will be able to protest it’s unfair that some didn’t have to prove their worthiness within the framework of the gospel’s crucible of adversity, because all will be given ample opportunity to prove their worthiness to obtain the fullness of celestial glory by their actual acts, works that will clearly and undeniably manifest the truth of who and what they really are.

Edited September 8, 2025 by teddyaware

[telnetd]

On 9/7/2025 at 4:58 PM, InCognitus said:

What you say above is not a “fact”.  People who hear the true gospel of Jesus Christ in this life and understand it and knowingly reject it are not given the same opportunities as others in the next life. 

And as I said before, their being judged according to men in the flesh has to do with their living their mortal life in accordance with the truths that they given and understand while in mortality, even if those truths are few in number.  People in that situation “obey all the ordinances” by accepting those ordinances as performed for them vicariously.

Doctrine and Covenants 138:10 speaks of their being judged according to men in the 
flesh but these are the dead people in the spirit world, not those living a mortal 
life on earth.

 

On 9/7/2025 at 4:58 PM, InCognitus said:

 

As it says in Doctrine and Covenants 137:7–10:

“Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God;  Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom; For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts. And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.”  

This just shows the terrestrials did not receive the gospel and its ordinances. It 
includes those in the two lower parts of the celestial kingdom because they had not 
lived according to God in the spirit for they came up short.

Here's an example of what the verse seems to say.  You have people who doesn't know 
math.  All that don't know math before they die but who would have known math if 
they had been permitted to live longer would be credited with a math degree.  They 
don't need to know math after they die because God's foreknowledge credits them 
with that degree. Same for a little child who never went to school and never knew
any school subjects.

 

On 9/7/2025 at 4:58 PM, InCognitus said:

And just in case anyone had any doubts that you (telenetd), and theplains are not the same person, your repeated preoccupation with this issue should definitely prove it.  Read what has already been said on this topic in the other thread.

Multiple people can post on the same subject without being the same person. But I'm
amused by your conspiracy theories.  Do you have one from November 3, 2020?

[telnetd]

On 9/7/2025 at 4:35 PM, teddyaware said:

The righteous in paradise are not subjected to the “chains of hell.” Rather, they are subjected to the “chains of death”

Doctrine and Covenants 138:18,23 is an further description of those righteous who 
died firm in their testimony of Christ (verses 12-17).

"While this vast multitude waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their 
deliverance from the chains of death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty 
to the captives who had been faithful ... And the saints rejoiced in their redemption,
and bowed the knee and acknowledged the Son of God as their Redeemer and
Deliverer from death and the chains of hell".

[teddyaware]

1 hour ago, telnetd said:

Doctrine and Covenants 138:18,23 is an further description of those righteous who 
died firm in their testimony of Christ (verses 12-17).

"While this vast multitude waited and conversed, rejoicing in the hour of their 
deliverance from the chains of death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty 
to the captives who had been faithful ... And the saints rejoiced in their redemption,
and bowed the knee and acknowledged the Son of God as their Redeemer and
Deliverer from death and the chains of hell".

Exactly! But the most astonishing disclosure concerning the the righteous dead in the spirit world is found in 2 Nephi 9:

7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.

8 O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.

9 And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angelof light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.

10 O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit. (2 Nephi 9)

It’s no wonder the righteous in the spirit world consider their state to be a form of bondage akin to the chains of hell! Without the resurrection of the body to deliver them out of the fallen state, a condition that continues in the spirit world after the death of the body, even the most righteous and faithful of spirits would eventually be drawn down into despair and despondency, and plunge forever into spiritual death. 

[nuclearfuels]

On 9/5/2025 at 3:43 PM, Calm said:

overtime our spirit bodies evolved and therefore needed new physical bodies to contain them, moving up in complexity from light to animals, finally human physical forms

Yes

[Calm]

1 hour ago, nuclearfuels said:

Yes

Interesting idea

[InCognitus]

On 9/11/2025 at 10:40 AM, telnetd said:

Doctrine and Covenants 138:10 speaks of their being judged according to men in the 
flesh but these are the dead people in the spirit world, not those living a mortal 
life on earth.

Isn't that the point?  They are given an equal opportunity to learn about and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ so they can be judged by the same standard.  Why is there a "but" to that?

On 9/11/2025 at 10:40 AM, telnetd said:

On 9/7/2025 at 2:58 PM, InCognitus said:

As it says in Doctrine and Covenants 137:7–10:

“Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God;  Also all that shall die henceforth without a knowledge of it, who would have received it with all their hearts, shall be heirs of that kingdom; For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts. And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.”  

This just shows the terrestrials did not receive the gospel and its ordinances.

It shows that they did not have it in their hearts to accept the gospel or to live according to its principles.  

For those who inherit the terrestrial kingdom, they are those "who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus" or who "received not the testimony of Jesus in the flesh, but afterwards received it" (Doctrine and Covenants 76:74, 79).  In other words, they knew about it but didn't receive it with all their heart.

On 9/11/2025 at 10:40 AM, telnetd said:

Here's an example of what the verse seems to say.  You have people who doesn't know 
math.  All that don't know math before they die but who would have known math if 
they had been permitted to live longer would be credited with a math degree.  They 
don't need to know math after they die because God's foreknowledge credits them 
with that degree. Same for a little child who never went to school and never knew
any school subjects.

Is this an allusion to the doctrine of the Trinity?  1 + 1 + 1 = 1?  They will be taught correct math later on I'm sure.

On 9/11/2025 at 10:40 AM, telnetd said:

Multiple people can post on the same subject without being the same person. But I'm
amused by your conspiracy theories.

It's not a theory.  The proof is there.  See my posts starting on November 16, 2022.

On 9/11/2025 at 10:40 AM, telnetd said:

Do you have one from November 3, 2020?

Have one what?

Edited September 12, 2025 by InCognitus

[telnetd]

On 9/11/2025 at 2:10 PM, teddyaware said:

Exactly! But the most astonishing disclosure concerning the the righteous dead in the spirit world is found in 2 Nephi 9:

 

7 Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.

8 O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.

9 And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angelof light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.

10 O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit. (2 Nephi 9)

It’s no wonder the righteous in the spirit world consider their state to be a form of bondage akin to the chains of hell! Without the resurrection of the body to deliver them out of the fallen state, a condition that continues in the spirit world after the death of the body, even the most righteous and faithful of spirits would eventually be drawn down into despair and despondency, and plunge forever into spiritual death. 

Why wasn't the phrase "chains of hell" used instead for the other spirits who died 
without a firm testimony of Jesus?

How did Satan beguile Adam?

[telnetd]

On 9/12/2025 at 5:19 PM, InCognitus said:

On 9/11/2025 at 12:40 PM, telnetd said:

Doctrine and Covenants 138:10 speaks of their being judged according to men in the 
flesh but these are the dead people in the spirit world, not those living a mortal 
life on earth.

Isn't that the point?  They are given an equal opportunity to learn about and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ so they can be judged by the same standard.  Why is there a "but" to that?

Is Doctrine and Covenants 138:10 a judgment of the living on earth or the deceased
in the spirit world?

Edited September 14, 2025 by telnetd
fix grammar

[InCognitus]

45 minutes ago, telnetd said:

Is Doctrine and Covenants 138:10 a judgment of the living on earth or the deceased
in the spirit world?

It's referring to the final judgement, which comes after the resurrection.

[telnetd]

On 9/14/2025 at 1:27 PM, InCognitus said:

It's referring to the final judgement, which comes after the resurrection.

Which men in the flesh are they being judging according to?

[InCognitus]

9 hours ago, telnetd said:

Which men in the flesh are they being judging according to?

They are given an equal opportunity to learn about and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ so they can be judged by the same standard as men in the flesh (in general), and are also judged by how they responded to the truths they had available to them and knew about while they were in the flesh.

[teddyaware]

20 hours ago, telnetd said:

Which men in the flesh are they being judging according to?

In this instance, the phrase “according to” is being used as a preposition, which means that the phrase in question can be rendered as “in conformity with men in the flesh,” (and that means all men in the flesh). God’s infinite and eternal love, justice and mercy cannot allow him to countenance any form of unfairness or arbitrariness with regard to the final outcomes within his perfect plan of salvation, and this is why the conversion of spirits to the gospel of Christ in the spirit world is viewed by him exactly as if these spirits had been converted to Christ while in the flesh. It’s only fair. The torments and horrors of an everlasting hell are so unimaginably severe that God, in his perfect love, will do virtually anything in righteousness and leave no stone unturned in order to bring salvation to his beloved children in one of his three kingdoms of heavenly glory.

I’m often baffled why so many non-LDS Christians seem to be more comfortable believing in an unfair, arbitrary and callous God than in allowing themselves to consider the glorious possibility that he’s far more fair minded than they had supposed. It’s like they’re insisting, “No! I don’t want to believe in a God who’s that merciful and fair minded because I like the idea of an all-powerful being who can do whatever he wants because nobody has the power to stop him!” I recently heard a wise and observant fellow say that when someone says they love a God who’s rash, hasty and lacking in compassion in his judgements it amounts to a form of cosmic Stockholm Syndrome.

Edited September 17, 2025 by teddyaware

[mbh26]

On 8/16/2025 at 1:43 PM, teddyaware said:

I just reread the above verses and now realize there’s a definite indication that the first estate testing of spirits would indeed take place on the earth, not in heaven (at least not in heaven as it’s normally defined). This is most fascinating because it’s generally a accepted doctrine by the church that the first estate testing of our spirits took place in heaven, which testing culminated with the war in heaven, and that our second estate testing  phase would take place in mortality on earth. But the above verses appear to indicate that although we did indeed exist as spirits at the time the words quoted were spoken, we had not yet experienced being tested to see if we would keep our first estate. Consider…

24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; (at this point it’s clear that our spirits already exist).

25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; (At this point it’s clear that although we existed as spirits the testing to determine if we we will do all things whatsoever God commands us hadn’t yet taken place, and that the place where that testing would take place would be on the newly created earth).

26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.  (At this point it appears the testing to determine who would keep their first estate hadn’t yet occurred because it doesn’t say, “those who have kept their first estate.”

Perhaps the way to reconcile the implications of these verses with long standing Latter-Day Saint doctrine is to think of the spiritual earth as a kind of spiritual outpost of heaven?

 

One thought I had from the Book of Enoch with commentary from Michael B Rush was the idea that before the fall of Adam, the earth was not in the same position in the universe as it is now.  There's also the idea that we have spiritual brothers and sisters who are living out their 2nd estate on other planets from other star systems.  Jesus Christ was their savior and redeemer too.  They had a their own Adam and Eve and their own fall on these other planets but they didn't have their own Jesus Christ.  They too must have been in the grand council in Heaven.  And if that were on earth, where would Lucifer have been banished to when he was was escorted out of heaven?  

 

 

[telnetd]

On 9/17/2025 at 1:27 AM, InCognitus said:

They are given an equal opportunity to learn about and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ so they can be judged by the same standard as men in the flesh (in general), and are also judged by how they responded to the truths they had available to them and knew about while they were in the flesh.

Are they judged by men or by Christ on the final judgment as you mentioned earlier ?

[InCognitus]

1 hour ago, telnetd said:

Are they judged by men or by Christ on the final judgment as you mentioned earlier ?

We "will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" and "every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:10, 12).

All are judged by Christ.

[telnetd]

On 9/18/2025 at 12:38 PM, InCognitus said:

We "will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" and "every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:10, 12).

All are judged by Christ.

What does "that they might be judged according to men in the flesh" mean?

[InCognitus]

4 hours ago, telnetd said:

What does "that they might be judged according to men in the flesh" mean?

I've answered that several times now.  I quote again from my post earlier:

They are given an equal opportunity to learn about and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ so they can be judged by the same standard as men in the flesh (in general), and are also judged by how they responded to the truths they had available to them and knew about while they were in the flesh.

What do you think it means?  You seem to be trying to make something else of this.

Edited September 20, 2025 by InCognitus

[telnetd]

On 9/20/2025 at 1:22 PM, InCognitus said:

I've answered that several times now.  I quote again from my post earlier:

They are given an equal opportunity to learn about and accept the gospel of Jesus Christ so they can be judged by the same standard as men in the flesh (in general), and are also judged by how they responded to the truths they had available to them and knew about while they were in the flesh.

What do you think it means?  You seem to be trying to make something else of this.

I think 1 Peter 4:1-7 can be about preaching to those Gentiles who are physically 
alive but spiritually dead. See Romans 6:1-8.

[InCognitus]

1 hour ago, telnetd said:

I think 1 Peter 4:1-7 can be about preaching to those Gentiles who are physically 
alive but spiritually dead. See Romans 6:1-8.

I disagree given the context of Peter's reference to preaching the gospel to the spirits of the dead in the preceding chapter (1 Peter 3:18-20) and the immediate context of 1 Peter 4:6, where the "dead" are defined in verse 5 in reference to the final judgement:  "They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead." (NKJV).  Because we "will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" and "every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:10, 12).

[teddyaware]

1 hour ago, InCognitus said:

I disagree given the context of Peter's reference to preaching the gospel to the spirits of the dead in the preceding chapter (1 Peter 3:18-20) and the immediate context of 1 Peter 4:6, where the "dead" are defined in verse 5 in reference to the final judgement:  "They will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead." (NKJV).  Because we "will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ" and "every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:10, 12).

I’m trying to understand why anyone wouldn’t be absolutely thrilled and rejoice beyond measure to learn that the gospel is preached and extended to the dead, proving to all that God really is a being of perfect love, mercy and justice? But I can answer my own question by opining that the reason for this refusal is due to the fact that there would need to be an admission that the Latter-Day Saints have something right, and that just won’t do. Rather than make such an admission, they choose to believe in a God who sends the majority of his “beloved” human creation to an endless hell of unimaginable agony and torment because for some inexplicable reason, especially for a God of infinite and eternal love, he’s unwilling to give them a fair chance at avoiding perdition. To me, to honor and worship such an arbitrary and unfair being amounts to nothing less than a cosmic version of Stockholm Syndrome.

[Clear]

InCognitus said : “What you say above is not a “fact”.  People who hear the true gospel of Jesus Christ in this life and understand it and knowingly reject it are not given the same opportunities as others in the next life. 

And as I said before, their being judged according to men in the flesh has to do with their living their mortal life in accordance with the truths that they given and understand while in mortality, even if those truths are few in number.  People in that situation “obey all the ordinances” by accepting those ordinances as performed for them vicariously.”

TelnetD replied: “Doctrine and Covenants 138:10 speaks of their being judged according to men in the flesh but these are the dead people in the spirit world, not those living a mortal 
life on earth.”

 

I haven’t followed this discussion and, while I don’t particularly want to enter this debate, I felt there ancient Judeo-Christian texts give some context to this discussion.

For example, the Talmud provides MANY wonderful anecdotes which are applicable in multiple levels and show certain judgments are independent of whether the person is alive or dead.

For example (from tractate Sanhedrin): The Emperor Antoninus tries to convince Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi that the body and soul can each excuse themselves from sin by claiming that the transgression is the fault of the other, since without its counterpart, it is lifeless.  R. Yehudah disputes this with a parable that is also a model of the relationship of the spirit and body. "Two guards–one blind and one lame–are in a garden. Together, they are able to steal some fruit from a high tree. When caught, each claims that he is obviously unable to commit the crime due to his disability. In the end, the orchard owner places the lame man on the back of the blind man, and they are judged as one" (91b). (while I've summarized the parable, I can quote the complete version if you are interested.  There are at least two versions in different ancient literature)

 

This represents the early doctrine where, God judges the actions of the body and spirit in partnership.
 

In a similar fashion, Christian Gospel of Nicodemus relates the story of the two dead sons of Rabbi Symeon who, upon resurrecting at the time of Jesus’ resurrection (c.f. Matt 27:52) describe their time spend in the world of spirits prior to their resurrection.

The narrative begins when Joseph of Arimathea approaches the Church leaders who were marveling at Jesus’ resurrection.

 “Joseph said: “Why then do you marvel at the resurrection of Jesus?  It is not this that is marvelous, but rather that he was not raised alone, but raised up many other dead men who appeared to many in Jerusalem.  And if you do not know the others, yet Symeon, who took Jesus in his arms, and his two sons, whom he raised up, you do know.   For we buried them a little while ago.  And now their sepulchers are to be seen opened and empty, but they themselves are alive and dwelling in Arimathaea.”  They therefore sent men, and they found their tombs opened and empty.  Joseph said: “Let us go to Arimathaea and find them.”  Then arose the chief priests Annas and Caiaphas, and Joseph and Nicodemus and Gamaliel and others with them, and went to Arimathaea and found the men of whom Joseph spoke.  So they offered prayer and greeted one another.  They then went with them to Jerusalem, and they brought them into the synagogue, and secured the doors, and the chief priests placed the Old Testament of the Jews in the midst and said to them: “We wish you to swear by the God of Israel and by Adonai and so speak the truth, how you arose and who raised you from the dead.” 

 The two sons then describe that they “were in Hades with all who have died since the beginning of the world.  And at the hour of midnight there rose upon the darkness there something like the light of the sun and shone, and light fell upon us all, and we saw one another.  And immediately our father, Abraham, along with the patriarchs and the prophets, was filled the joy, and they said to one another: “This shining comes from a great light.”   The prophet Isaiah, who was present there, said : “This shining comes from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  This I prophesied when I was still living: The land of Zabulon and the land of Nephthalim, the people that sit in darkness saw a great light.”  Then there came into the midst another, an anchorite from the wilderness.  The patriarchs asked him: “Who are you?”  He replied: “I am John, the last of the prophets, who made straight the ways of the Son of God, and preached repentance to the people for the forgiveness of sins.   ....And for this reason he sent me to you, to preach that the only begotten Son of God comes here, in order that whoever believes in him should be saved, and whoever does not believe in him should be condemned. Therefore I say to you all: When you see him, all of you worship him.  For now only have you opportunity for repentance because you worshiped idols in the vain world above and sinned.  At another time it is impossible. “

In this early theology, all individuals are able to progress morally (repent) until they are no longer allowed and the judgment ensues.

The narrative continues: “ Now when John was thus teaching those who were in Hades, the first-created, the first father Adam heard, and said to his son Seth: My son, I wish you to tell the forefathers of the race of men and the prophets where I sent you when I fell into mortal sickness.” 

Seth, son of Adam then relates the promise to Adam that God would, at some point in the future, resurrect him from the dead.  The text continues: “When the patriarchs and prophets heard this, they rejoiced greatly.”  

At the descensus of Jesus into the world of spirits several patriarchs in this world of spirits (hades/sheol/spirit world, etc.) rejoice and, they continue to describe the entry of Jesus into the world of spirits and the visit culminates when “....the King of glory stretched out his right hand, and took hold of our forefather Adam and raised him up.  Then he turned also to the rest and said: “Come with me, all you who have suffered death through the tree which this man touched.  For behold, I raise you all up again through the tree of the cross. 

These two resurrected sons end their witness by saying: “All this we saw and heard, we two brothers who also were sent by Michael the archangel and were appointed to preach the resurrection of the Lord, but first to go to the Jordan and be baptized.  There also we went and were baptized with other dead who had risen again.  Then we went to Jerusalem also and celebrated the Passover of the resurrection.  But now we depart, since we cannot remain here.  And the love of God the Father and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.  (The Gospel of Nicodemus - Christ’s descent into hell)

There are multiple ancient texts that describe the ability of spirits to continue to repent after death (though not after judgment begins).