Appendix D
Where Every Theme, Passage, and Scholar Is Treated
Grace After Death — Condensed Edition
This appendix is a map. It shows you where to find every major theme, every key biblical passage, and every scholar whose work shapes this book. If you are reading for study, for teaching, or simply because you want to go deeper into one question, start here.
Each entry names the chapter that owns the full treatment. That is the place where the idea is explained, the passage is interpreted, or the scholar's argument is developed. Other chapters that touch the same topic are listed beside it. Every chapter reference is a live link you can click.
I built this book so that no theme is repeated across chapters. One chapter owns each idea, and every other chapter that needs it points there. This map lets you see that structure at a glance. It also works as a study guide: if your Bible study is working through Hebrews 9:27 or Revelation 20, look it up below and you will know exactly where to go.
At the end you will find a "Where Do I Find…?" section. It answers the questions readers ask most, each in one line.
| Theme | Full Treatment | Also Referenced In |
|---|---|---|
| The central thesis: God's threefold offer at death, in the intermediate state, and at the final judgment | Ch. 1 | All chapters |
| God's character as the ground of an offer that does not end at death | Ch. 2 | Ch. 1, 3, 4, 24 |
| The universal scope of the atonement (Christ died for all) | Ch. 3 | Ch. 1, 2, 4, 12 |
| God's universal salvific will and the problem of the unevangelized | Ch. 4 | Ch. 1, 2, 3, 31 |
| Theme | Full Treatment | Also Referenced In |
|---|---|---|
| Defining the moment of death; deathbed visions; the NDE common core | Ch. 5 | Ch. 9, 12, 13 |
| Veridical NDEs and the positive case for substance dualism | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7, 9, 30 |
| The critique of physicalist conditional immortality | Ch. 7 | Ch. 6, 24, 28, 30 |
| The conscious intermediate state; Hades as continued pursuit | Ch. 8 | Ch. 14, 18, 27 |
| Time anomalies in NDEs; divine temporality; how a moment can hold long | Ch. 9 | Ch. 5, 11, 13, 23, 27, App. F |
| Hellish NDEs and the dark passage (the Storm pattern) | Ch. 10 | Ch. 13, 20, 22, 23, 26 |
| Theme | Full Treatment | Also Referenced In |
|---|---|---|
| Boros's hypothesis of a final decision at the moment of death | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12, 13 |
| The Christological necessity: why it must be Jesus | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13, 15, 22 |
| The dynamics of the encounter; the life review as purification | Ch. 13 | Ch. 19, 22, 26, 32 |
| Theme | Full Treatment | Also Referenced In |
|---|---|---|
| The two-stage history of the intermediate state (before and after Christ) | Ch. 14 | Ch. 8, 15, 16, 18, 27, 34 |
| 1 Peter 3 and 4: the descent and the gospel preached to the dead | Ch. 15 | Ch. 8, 14, 16 |
| Ephesians 4:8–10 and the descent tradition | Ch. 16 | Ch. 14, 15 |
| The universal-scope passages (Col 1; Phil 2; 1 Cor 15; Rom 5; Rom 11) | Ch. 17 | Ch. 3, 24, 28 |
| Luke 16 re-read: the rich man and Lazarus | Ch. 18 | Ch. 8, 14, 19 |
| Hebrews 9:27 and the deadline question | Ch. 19 | Ch. 14, 27, 32 |
| Theme | Full Treatment | Also Referenced In |
|---|---|---|
| Talbott's universalist argument and the informed-freedom dilemma | Ch. 20 | Ch. 22, 24, 28 |
| Manis's divine-presence model of hell | Ch. 21 | Ch. 25, 26, 23 |
| The rationality of saying "no" even under full revelation | Ch. 22 | Ch. 20, 23, 24 |
| Optimal grace, middle knowledge, the best possible approach (the synthesis) | Ch. 23 | Ch. 2, 4, 27, 34, App. H |
| The CI / UR / ECT question: the author's working view and the book's compatibility with all three | Ch. 24 | Ch. 7, 17, 25, 28 |
| Theme | Full Treatment | Also Referenced In |
|---|---|---|
| The nature of hell: Sheol, Hades, Gehenna, the lake of fire; purpose of punishment | Ch. 25 | Ch. 14, 26, 27 |
| The lake of fire as God's purifying presence (Manis, Baker, Orthodox tradition) | Ch. 26 | Ch. 21, 24, 25, 27, 32, App. G |
| The final judgment (Rev 20) as the last opportunity; the hard deadline | Ch. 27 | Ch. 14, 19, 24, 25 |
| Postmortem opportunity and universalism: why this book does not require UR | Ch. 28 | Ch. 17, 22, 24 |
| Theme | Full Treatment | Also Referenced In |
|---|---|---|
| Babies and children who die | Ch. 29 | Ch. 30, 31 |
| The mentally handicapped and the cognitively impaired; terminal lucidity | Ch. 30 | Ch. 6, 29, 31 |
| The unevangelized | Ch. 31 | Ch. 4, 29, 30 |
| Theme | Full Treatment | Also Referenced In |
|---|---|---|
| Objections from Catholic, Reformed, and Evangelical traditions; missions and evangelism | Ch. 32 | Ch. 15, 18, 19 |
| Pastoral application: funerals, grief, and the gospel of a relentless God | Ch. 33 | Ch. 1, 34 |
| The synthetic conclusion: the whole picture | Ch. 34 | All earlier chapters |
The tables below map the biblical passages this book engages most closely. For each passage, one chapter gives the full interpretation. Other chapters cite the passage briefly and link to the owning chapter. This keeps the exegesis sharp and prevents the book from covering the same ground twice.
If a passage you are looking for does not appear here, check the chapter most closely related to its topic. The introductory chapters (1 through 4), the conclusion (Chapter 34), and the pastoral chapter (Chapter 33) may cite any verse briefly without owning its exegesis.
| Passage | Full Treatment | Also Referenced In |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Peter 3:18–22 (the descent) | Ch. 15 | Ch. 1, 8, 12, 14, 16, 34 |
| 1 Peter 4:6 (the gospel preached to the dead) | Ch. 15 | Ch. 8, 14 |
| Ephesians 4:8–10 (led captivity captive) | Ch. 16 | Ch. 1, 14, 15, 34 |
| Luke 16:19–31 (rich man and Lazarus) | Ch. 18 | Ch. 8, 14, 19 |
| Luke 23:43; 2 Cor 5:1–10; Phil 1:21–23; Rev 6:9–10 (conscious intermediate state) | Ch. 8 | Ch. 5, 14, 19, 34 |
| Passage | Full Treatment | Also Referenced In |
|---|---|---|
| Hebrews 9:27 (die once, then judgment) | Ch. 19 | Ch. 14, 27, 32 |
| 2 Cor 5:10 (deeds done in the body) | Ch. 19 | Ch. 27 |
| Heb 3:7–4:7; 2 Cor 6:2 (today / now is the day) | Ch. 27 | Ch. 19 |
| Passage | Full Treatment | Also Referenced In |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Tim 2:4; 2 Pet 3:9; Ezek 18:23, 32; 33:11 (God wills all to be saved) | Ch. 2 | Ch. 1, 12, 23, 24, 31 |
| John 3:16–17; 1 John 2:2; Heb 2:9; Titus 2:11 (universal atonement) | Ch. 3 | Ch. 12, 24 |
| Col 1:15–20; Phil 2:9–11; 1 Cor 15:22–28; Rom 5:12–21; Rom 11:32–36 (universal reconciliation) | Ch. 17 | Ch. 3, 24, 28 |
| Passage | Full Treatment | Also Referenced In |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Sam 23:11–13 (David at Keilah) | Ch. 23 | — |
| Matt 11:21–24 (Tyre and Sidon) | Ch. 23 | Ch. 31 |
| Jer 38:17–18 (Zedekiah's two futures) | Ch. 23 | — |
| Passage | Full Treatment | Also Referenced In |
|---|---|---|
| Fire motifs (Exod 3; Deut 4:24; Heb 12:29; Mal 3:2–3; Dan 3; 1 Cor 3:12–15; Rev 20:9) | Ch. 26 | Ch. 25 |
| Rev 20:11–15 (Great White Throne judgment) | Ch. 27 | Ch. 14, 25 |
| Matt 25:31–46 (sheep and goats); Matt 25:46 (aiōnios question) | Ch. 27 | Ch. 19, 24, 28, App. C |
| Rev 21–22 (New Jerusalem, open gates, healing of the nations) | Ch. 27 | Ch. 17, 28 |
| Passage | Full Treatment | Also Referenced In |
|---|---|---|
| John 14:6 (no one comes to the Father except through me) | Ch. 12 | Ch. 31, 34 |
| Rev 1:18 (keys of Death and Hades) | Ch. 12 | Ch. 14, 27 |
| Acts 7:55–60 (Stephen's dying vision) | Ch. 5 | Ch. 12 |
| Passage | Full Treatment | Also Referenced In |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Sam 12:23 (David's child) | Ch. 29 | Ch. 33 |
| Matt 19:14; Mark 10:14 (let the children come) | Ch. 29 | Ch. 33 |
| Rom 1–2 (general revelation); Acts 10 (Cornelius) | Ch. 31 | — |
The scholars below have shaped this book's argument. Some I agree with deeply; others I engage because their cases are strong enough to deserve an honest answer. Each is developed most fully in the chapter listed first. If you want to hear their voices, go to that chapter.
| Scholar | Primary Chapter | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Ladislaus Boros | Ch. 11 | The hypothesis of a final decision at the moment of death |
| Thomas Talbott | Ch. 20 | The strongest philosophical case for universalism; the informed-freedom dilemma |
| R. Zachary Manis | Ch. 21 | The divine-presence model of hell; the Molinism concession |
| Jerry L. Walls | Ch. 23 | Optimal grace; purgatory as total transformation; the choice model of damnation |
| Timothy A. Stratton | Ch. 23 | Mere Molinism; the free-thinking argument; the maximal-harvest world |
| James Beilby | Ch. 19 | Postmortem opportunity and the soteriological problem of the unevangelized |
| Andrew Hronich | Ch. 28 | The case for universal restoration; postmortem repentance against Heb 9:27 and Luke 16 |
| Gregory MacDonald (Robin Parry) | Ch. 17 | Evangelical universalism; the structure of Revelation; the open gates of the New Jerusalem |
| Sharon Baker | Ch. 26 | The lake of fire as purifying presence (the Razing Hell synthesis) |
| Alexandre Kalomiros | App. G | The Eastern Orthodox river-of-fire tradition |
Six characters appear across the book. Each is introduced in one chapter and recalled briefly elsewhere. The table below shows where each person first appears and where they return.
| Character | Introduced In | Recalled In |
|---|---|---|
| Pastor Dan | Ch. 1 | Ch. 33, 34 |
| Ray | Ch. 1 | Ch. 33, 34 |
| Mei | Ch. 5 | Ch. 9, 13 |
| Anna | Ch. 10 | Ch. 22, 23 |
| Sam | Ch. 29 | Ch. 33 |
| Frank | Ch. 23 | Ch. 27, 33, 34 |
These are not illustrations dropped in for color. They carry the weight of the argument. Pastor Dan and Ray open and close the book's frame. Frank's story runs from the synthesis chapter through the final judgment and into the conclusion. Sam gives the infant question a face. If you want to follow one thread through the whole book, follow Frank.
| Appendix | Title | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| A | Annotated NDE Bibliography | A guide to the NDE research literature, organized by category, with honest notes on quality |
| B | Notable NDE Case Studies | The most evidentially and theologically significant NDE cases, presented with scholarly care |
| C | Glossary | Plain-English definitions of every technical term in the book |
| D | Topical Cross-Reference Map | This appendix: where every theme, passage, and scholar is treated |
| E | FAQ / Objections Quick Reference | Common questions in plain words, with short answers and links to the full treatment |
| F | Dynamic Divine Temporality | The full case for God's temporal experience and its bearing on the dying moment |
| G | The River of Fire | The Eastern Orthodox tradition on hell as God's love experienced differently |
| H | The Subjective Architecture | A working model of what the whole encounter might feel like from the soul's side |
A Note on Using This Map. If you are a pastor preparing a sermon series, start with the "Where Do I Find…?" section below. If you are a Bible study leader, the Scripture table above will show you every passage and where its full treatment lives. If you are a grieving reader looking for one chapter, try the reading paths on the Table of Contents page.
Quick answers for the questions readers ask most. Each answer names the chapter with the full treatment.
Where is Hebrews 9:27 answered?
Chapter 19. The verse affirms judgment after death. It does not say that grace ends at death.
Where is the infant question addressed?
Chapter 29. The encounter gives every soul full capacity for a genuine choice.
Where is the lake of fire explained?
Chapter 25 gives the taxonomy. Chapter 26 develops the divine-presence reading.
Where does the author state his own view of hell?
Chapter 24. The author holds conditional immortality, with openness to universal restoration, and rejects eternal conscious torment.
Where is the rich man and Lazarus discussed?
Chapter 18. The parable describes the pre-Christ intermediate state, not the final state.
What is "optimal grace," and where is it developed?
Chapter 23. God presents the gospel to each person in the way most likely to win a free "yes." See also Appendix C for the definition.
What is Molinism, and why does it matter here?
Chapter 23. God's middle knowledge lets Him compose the best possible sequence of appeals for each soul. Appendix C has a plain-English definition.
Where is the case for the soul surviving death?
Chapter 6 presents the NDE evidence. Chapter 7 addresses the physicalist alternative.
Does this book teach universalism?
No. Chapter 24 states the author's view honestly. Chapter 28 shows why the argument works without it.
Where is the argument that this isn't just a "second chance"?
Chapter 1 frames it. Chapter 23 develops it. The offer is not a do-over; it is the same relentless love continued.
Where does the book answer objections from the Reformed tradition?
Chapter 32. Catholic and general Evangelical objections are covered there too.
Where is the question about the unevangelized?
Chapter 31. The problem is framed in Chapter 4.
Where does the book explain what happens to the mentally disabled?
Chapter 30. The encounter grants full cognitive and spiritual capacity.
Where is divine temporality explained?
Chapter 9 gives the summary. Appendix F gives the full case.
Where is the Eastern Orthodox tradition on the fire of God's love?
Appendix G. The same insight shapes Chapter 26.
If someone gets an offer after death, why bother with missions?
Chapter 32. Hearing the gospel in this life matters immensely. The postmortem offer does not make earthly witness unnecessary.
Where can I read the NDE case studies?
Appendix B presents the strongest cases. Appendix A surveys the wider literature.
Where is the pastoral chapter for someone who is grieving?
Chapter 33. Start there, or follow the Griever's Path on the Table of Contents page.
Where does the book explain the descent of Christ into Hades?
Chapter 14 gives the historical framework. Chapter 15 develops 1 Peter 3 and 4. Chapter 16 covers Ephesians 4.
Where is the book's central synthesis chapter?
Chapter 23. It brings together optimal grace, middle knowledge, and the threefold offer into one sustained argument. It is the longest chapter in the book for a reason.
Where does the book explain who Frank is and what happened to him?
Frank is introduced in Chapter 23. His story continues in Chapter 27 and closes in Chapter 34.