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and Samuel prayed for them in the days of Saul. David prayed at the time of the epidemic, and Solomon prayed for those who were going to worship in the Temple.
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Elijah prayed that the people might have rain and for a dead person to come back to life.
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Hezekiah prayed for the people during the time of Sennacherib. And there are many other examples.
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If righteous people prayed for the unrighteous during such times when corruption increased and injustice multiplied, why won't the same thing happen at the Judgment Day?"
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"The present age is not the end of everything," the angel answered. "Even in this age, the glorious presence of God is not always seen. That is why the strong have prayed for the weak during this age.
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But the Judgment Day will be the end of the present age and the beginning of the future age. Then all corruption will end,
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self-indulgence and disloyalty will be eliminated. Righteousness and truth will reach their full maturity.
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So on Judgment Day, no one will be able to have mercy on those who have been condemned, and no one will be able to harm those who have been acquitted."
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I answered, "I made this point before, and I will make it again. It would have been better if the earth had never produced Adam, or when it had done so, if it had made him so that he could not sin.
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What good is it for any of us to have life in the present age, when it is full of misery and when all we can look forward to after death is punishment?
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O Adam, what have you done? Your sin was not only your own downfall; it was also the downfall of all of us who are your descendants.