History Main / DeliveranceFromDamnation

'''As it is a DeathTrope and often an EndingTrope, expect unmarked spoilers'''.

-->-- '''Johnny Cash''', "Down There by the Train"

* {{Music/JohnnyCash}}'s [[https://genius.com/Johnny-cash-down-there-by-the-train-lyrics Down There By The Train]], a song Music/TomWaits wrote for him, about [[AfterlifeExpress a train]] that takes the souls of the dead to heaven ''heavily'' implies this trope by its examples of passengers, by how it describes the process of getting them ready to board, and the fact that the train explicitely waits for them to be able to get on. Waits later recorded his own version.[[note]]It may or may not be based on [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Hunt-light-of-the-world.jpeg The Light of the World]], a famous Victorian era picture by William Holman Hunt.[[/note]]

--->- '''Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev)''', ''Eschatology'' (in: ''The Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology'')

-->According to the Orthodox teaching, it is possible to be freed from the torments of hell: the practice of praying for the departed and even for 'those in hell' at Pentecost vespers is based on this.
-->'''Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev)''', ''Eschatology'' (in: ''The Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology'')

* ''[[https://genius.com/U2-until-the-end-of-the-world-lyrics Until the End of the World]]'' by U2 is sung from the perspective of [[Characters/TheFourGospels Judas Iscariot]], who is in hell after his betrayal of Jesus and subsequent suicide [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone out of guilt]]. The song takes place on Holy Saturday (see the Mythology example below), and is sung to Jesus Christ descending into Hell after the Crucifixion to rescue the souls trapped there. It is ''heavily'' implied that Jesus takes Judas out of hell and along to heaven in the end.

* ''[[https://genius.com/U2-until-the-end-of-the-world-lyrics Until the End of the World]]'' by U2 is sung from the perspective of [[Characters/TheFourGospels Judas Iscariot]], who is in hell after his betrayal and subsequent suicide [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone out of guilt]]. The song takes place on Holy Saturday (see the Mythology example below), and is sung to Jesus Christ descending into Hell after the Crucifixion to rescue the souls trapped there. It is ''heavily'' implied that Jesus takes Judas out of hell and along to heaven in the end.

As this trope undoes the MoralEventHorizon (or declares it to not have existed in the first place), it's ''way'' more often [[NoodleIncident implied]] or [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] than fully shown onscreen, especially in works that usually state there is such a horizon. It's not talked about openly in works that have both tropes - curiously enough less to avoid the endless philosophical quagmire that effectively nixing a once established moral event horizon would open up: but rather as the tropes contradict one another this one is glossed over much as someone grown-up who'd [[EmbarrassingDampSheets lost control]] of their bodily functions needing help with the cleanup wouldn't be talked about, and MoralEventHorizon is left in full force generally ''while still'' playing this trope for once.

Well, fear not! As it turns out, their soul still has a chance. Usually it's somebody on Earth and/or in Heaven who helps with the rescue of the damned character via prayers and/or good deeds, but occasionally, if the soul in Hell isn't completely incapacitated, they can work to save themselves.

* ''[[https://genius.com/U2-until-the-end-of-the-world-lyrics Until the End of the World]]'' by U2 is sung from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, who is in hell after his betrayal and subsequent suicide [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone out of guilt]]. The song takes place on Holy Saturday (see the Mythology example below), and is sung to Jesus Christ descending into Hell after the Crucifixion to rescue the souls trapped there. It is ''heavily'' implied that Jesus takes Judas out of hell and along to heaven in the end.

->If you've [[{{Hell}} lost]] all [[DespairEventHorizon your hope]], if you've [[FaithHeelTurn lost all your faith]]\\
I know you can be cared for and I know you can be safe
-->-- '''Johnny Cash''', ''Down There by the Train''
----
[[hardline]]

-->There's a place I know where the train goes slow\\
Where the sinner can be washed in the blood of the lamb\\
[...]\\
You can hear the whistle, you can hear the bell\\

* {{Music/JohnnyCash}}'s [[https://genius.com/Johnny-cash-down-there-by-the-train-lyrics Down There By The Train]], a song Music/TomWaits wrote for him, about [[AfterlifeExpress a train]] that takes the souls of the dead to heaven ''heavily'' implies this trope by its examples of passengers, by how it describes the process of getting them ready to board, and the fact that the train explicitely waits for them to be able to get on. Waits later recorded his own version.

As this trope undoes the MoralEventHorizon (or declares it to not have existed in the first place), it's ''way'' more often [[NoodleIncident implied]] or [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] than fully shown onscreen, especially in works that usually state there is such a horizon. It's not talked about openly in works that have both tropes - curiously enough less to avoid the endless philosophical quagmire that effectively nixing the moral event horizon would open up: but rather as the tropes contradict one another this one is glossed over much as someone grown-up who'd [[EmbarrassingDampSheets lost control]] of their bodily functions needing help with the cleanup wouldn't be talked about, and MoralEventHorizon is left in full force generally ''while still'' playing this trope for once.

As this trope undoes the MoralEventHorizon (or declares it to not have existed in the first place), it's ''way'' more often [[NoodleIncident implied]] or [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] than fully shown onscreen, especially in works that usually state there is such a horizon. It's not talked about openly in works that have both tropes - curiously enough less to avoid the endless philosophical quagmire that effectively nixing the moral event horizon would open up: but rather because of the tropes' contradicting of each other this one is glossed over much as someone grown-up who'd [[EmbarrassingDampSheets lost control]] of their bodily functions needing help with the cleanup wouldn't be talked about, and MoralEventHorizon is left in full force.

As this trope undoes the MoralEventHorizon (or declares it to not have existed in the first place), it's ''way'' more often [[NoodleIncident implied]] or [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] than fully shown onscreen, especially in works that usually state there is such an event horizon. It's not talked about openly in works that have both tropes - curiously enough less for the endless philosophical quagmire that effectively nixing the moral event horizon would open up, but rather because of the tropes' contradicting each other this one is glossed over much as someone grown-up who'd [[EmbarrassingDampSheets lost control]] of their bodily functions needing help with the cleanup wouldn't be talked about.

As this trope undoes the MoralEventHorizon (or declares it to not have existed in the first place), it's ''way'' more often [[NoodleIncident implied]] or [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] than fully shown onscreen, especially in works that usually state there is such an event horizon. It's not talked about openly in works that have both tropes - curiously enough less for the philosophical quagmire that effectively nixing the moral event horizon would open up, but rather much as cleaning up someone grown-up who'd [[EmbarrassingDampSheets lost control]] of their bodily functions wouldn't be talked about.

ReroutedFromHeaven can precede this trope, but it's not a rule: while ReroutedFromHeaven deals exclusively with heroic characters who have no reason to land in Hell in the first place, this trope encompasses characters who ''have'' done things to deserve punishment.

As this trope undoes the MoralEventHorizon (or declares it to not have existed in the first place), it's ''way'' more often [[NoodleIncident implied]] or [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] than fully shown onscreen, especially in works that usually state there is such an event horizon. It's not talked about openly in works that have both tropes - curiously enough less for the philosophical quagmire that effectively nixing the moral event horizon would open up, but rather much as cleaning up someone grown-up who'd [[PottyFailure lost]] control of their bodily functions wouldn't be talked about.

->According to the Orthodox teaching, it is possible to be freed from the torments of hell: the practice of praying for the departed and even for 'those in hell' at Pentecost vespers is based on this.
-->-- '''Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev)''', ''Eschatology'' (in: ''The Cambridge Companion to Orthodox Christian Theology'')

As this trope undoes the MoralEventHorizon (or declares it to not have existed in the first place), it's ''way'' more often [[NoodleIncident implied]] than shown onscreen, especially in works that usually state there is such an event horizon. It's not talked about openly in works that have both tropes - curiously enough less for the philosophical quagmire that effectively nixing the moral event horizon would open up, but rather much as cleaning up someone grown-up who'd [[UrineTrouble lost]] control of their bodily functions wouldn't be talked about.

* ''[[https://youtu.be/ekEhwwudVRA Until the End of the World]]'' by U2 is sung from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, who is in hell after his betrayal and subsequent suicide [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone out of guilt]]. The song takes place on Holy Saturday (see the Mythology example below), and is sung to Jesus Christ descending into Hell after the Crucifixion to rescue the souls trapped there. It is ''heavily'' implied that Jesus takes Judas out of hell and along to heaven in the end.

* A major plot point in ''WebAnimation/HazbinHotel''. Charlie, the Princess of Hell, is sick and tired of seeing countless damned souls being culled by Heaven in yearly [[ThePurge purges]] due to overpopultaion, so she decides to solve the problem by having sinners try and redeem themselves in a rehab program of her own design.

* ''[[https://youtu.be/ekEhwwudVRA Until the End of the World]] by U2 is sung from the perspective of Judas Iscariot, who is in hell after his betrayal and subsequent suicide [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone out of guilt]]. The song takes place on Holy Saturday (see the Mythology example below), and is sung to Jesus Christ descending into Hell after the Crucifixion to rescue the souls trapped there. It is ''heavily'' implied that Jesus takes Judas out of hell and along to heaven in the end.

** Probably the UrExample is Jesus Christ descending into Hell after the Crucifixion to rescue the souls trapped there. In the Epistle of St. Peter, it is mentioned that not only the righteous people of Old Testament who just got ReroutedFromHeaven were rescued but the sinners (such as Noah's contemporaries killed in the Flood) as well.

[[folder:Religion]]

* ''Series/BuffytheVampireSlayer'' In becoming 2, the newly re-ensouled Angel is sent to Hell to save the world. In Season 3...it's unclear if the First Evil or Jasmine pulls him out of Hell, but somebody did, and he continues in the world to try to earn his redemption, one way or another.

** The parable is also mentioned in ''When Mystical Creatures Attack!'' by Kathleen Founds, with one of the narrators describing the story (albeit with the onion replaced with a turnip) in relation to her childhood, wondering if her father could make his way out of hell by his small kindnesses, while also mentioning that he would probably be one of the people to kick at the others. [[spoiler:The last chapter of the book has a possibly-symbolic scene where she herself is dragged from hell via an apple she once gave her hungry student, and allows everyone in hell, including [[UpToEleven Lucifer himself]], to be brought to heaven with her.]]