3. Rescuing Souls from Hell

World Scripture

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death but made alive in the spirit; in which went and preached to the spirits in prison.²²
Peter 3.18-19

As for those who will be wretched, they will be in the Fire, sighing and wailing will be their portion; they will abide there as long as the heavens and the earth endure, save for that which your Lord wills. Lo! Your Lord is the Doer of what He will.
And as for those who will be glad, they will be in the Garden; they will abide there as long as the heavens and the earth endure, save for that which your Lord wills—a gift unfailing.²³
Qur’an 11.106-08

When Allah has finished His Judgments among the people, He will take whomever He will out of Hell through His Mercy… They will come out of the Fire, completely burnt and then the water of life will be poured over them and they will grow under it as does a seed that comes in the mud of the torrent…
Those people will come out like pearls, and they will have (golden) necklaces, and then they will enter Paradise whereupon the people of Paradise will say, “These are the people emancipated by the Beneficent. He has admitted them into Paradise without them having done any good deeds and without sending forth any good (for themselves).”
Hadith of Bukhari 9.93.532 (Islam)

“Ho! servant of Yama! Say, what sin have I committed, for which I have incurred this deepest hell, frightful for its torments? Known as King Vipascit, I protected the earth with uprightness; I let no fighting rage; no guest departed with averted countenance; nor did I offend the spirits of the ancestors, the gods, ascetics, or my servants; nor did I covet other men’s wives, or wealth, or aught else belonging to them. How, then, have I incurred this very terrible hell?” Yama’s officer: “Come then, we go elsewhere. You have now seen everything, for you have seen hell. Come then, let us go elsewhere.”
Thereupon the king prepared to follow him; but a cry went up from all the men that abode in torment: “Be gracious, O king! Stay but a moment, for the air that clings to thy body gladdens our mind and entirely dispels the burning and the sufferings and pains from our bodies, O tiger-like man! Be gracious, O king!” Vipascit: “Neither in heaven nor in Brahma’s world do men experience such joy as arises from conferring bliss on suffering creatures. If, while I am present, torment does not hurt these men, here then will I remain, firm as a mountain.” Yama’s officer: “Come, O king; we proceed. Enjoy the delights won by your own merit; leave here the evildoers to their torments.”
Vipascit, “As long as these beings are in sore suffering, I will not go. From my presence the denizens of hell grow happy. Fie on the sickly protection-begging life of that man who shows no favor to one distressed, even though he be a resolute foe! Sacrifices, gifts, austerities do not work for the welfare of him who has no thought for the succor of the distressed… To grant deliverance to these men excels, I consider, the joy of heaven. If many sufferers shall obtain happiness while only I undergo pain, shall I not in truth embrace it?”
Dharma [the Law]: “These evil-doers have come to hell in consequence of their own deeds; you also, O king, must go to heaven in consequence of your meritorious deeds. I lead you to heaven; mount this heavenly chariot and linger not; let us go.” Vipascit: “Men in thousands, O Dharma, suffer pain here in hell; and being in affliction they cry to me to save them; hence I will not depart.”
Dharma: “O king! Your merit is truly beyond reckoning. In evincing now this compassion here in the hells, your merit has amounted even higher. Come, enjoy the abode of the immortals; let these unfortunates consume away in hell the sin arising from their own actions!”
Vipascit: “Whatever good deeds I possess, O Lord of the Thirty Gods, by means thereof let the sinners who are undergoing torment be delivered from hell!” Indra: “So be it, O king! You have gained an even more exalted station: see too these sinners delivered from hell!”
Markandeya Purana 13-15 (Hinduism)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon

God is a God of love. When God looks down from His throne and sees spirits in hell crying out to Him in their misery, “Please, God, save me!” what would He say? Would He say, “You deserve a lot worse”? Or does He have mercy on them? Surely, God will do everything possible to liberate hell.
(98:116, May 7, 1978)

Only through love can we transform hell into heaven. We can renovate hell only if we possess love.
(90:314, January 15, 1977)

Since people do not live longer than 100 years, out of the five billion people on earth, fifty million go to the spirit world each year—even to hell. What shall we do about this? God wants to harvest to His side what Satan has sown, but how many of them have gone to hell during the past forty years? Perhaps two billion? This is serious. When I go to the spirit world, they may say, “Reverend Moon, when you were alive on earth, why didn’t you fulfill your responsibility for us?” How am I supposed to reply to them? At least I should determine in my heart to take responsibility to save them, if not now, then through my followers who come after me.
(205:356, October 2, 1990)

From Judas Iscariot and Emperor Nero down to today’s communist party, countless people have betrayed Heaven. Although we are destined for victory in relating with the entire cosmos, at this time for the complete dissolution of grief, we recognize that when the divine judgment befalls them we cannot just sweep them up and throw them away.
Mayest Thou, through Thy name, and with the solemn authority of Thy universal victory, enable us to form relationships even with them, as is also our destiny… Although they were hated enemies who pierced Thy heart with nails, who killed Thy son Jesus, and killed many of Thy beloved people, let this be a place where we can love them. Open the gates of heaven and earth and reach out to them with Thy heart, Thy mind of magnanimous love.
We know that by liberating them, the doors of hell will be opened, and the way will gradually be paved to abolish hell.
(78:18-19, May 1, 1975)