The text most commonly
cited in opposition to Postmortem Opportunity is Hebrews 9:27 . . . These
interpretations are surprising, for there is nothing in the text
whatsoever to justify these specific claims (If one starts from the assumption that
salvation after death is impossible, then these passages could be interpreted
in a way that could be supportive of that commitment, but that’s about it) . . . The broader context
of this passage is the difference between the old system of atonement and Jesus
Christ’s atoning sacrifice. Hebrews 9:25 and 26 asserts that Jesus did not
atone for sins the way the high priest did, for that would require ongoing sacrifice
on his part. Rather, just as human beings only die once, and after that face
judgment (Heb 9:27), so Christ will only die once to pay the price for human
sin, and after that “appear a second time” to bring salvation to those who are
being judged (Heb 9:28). The parallelism between Hebrews 9:27 and 28 as well as
the context draws attention to the fact that humans only die once. This is the
point of the passage. The point of saying “death then judgment” is to reinforce
the idea that death only occurs once. Consequently, if this text is an argument
against any particular position or belief, it is reincarnation, not Postmortem
Opportunity. There is nothing in the claim that judgment follows death that is
problematic for the Postmortem Opportunity theorist. In fact, even this passage
could be interpreted to teach that the day of judgment followed immediately
after death, that would do nothing to impugn Postmortem Opportunity (And the
parallelism between Heb 9:27, 28 works against such an inference. The
assumption that death is followed immediately by judgment is
problematized by the fact that Christ’s second coming does not follow immediately
after Christ’s death), for it is possible to believe that the judgment that an
unevangelized person experience includes an opportunity to hear the gospel and
that they are judged by their response to that offer. (James Beilby, Postmortem
Opportunity: A Biblical and Theological Assessment of Salvation After Death [Downers
Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic, 2021], 108-9)
