That good night: gift or punishment?

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by alatar

Is it general knowledge, and for some reason I just can't find the same (laziness, perhaps ), but do all humans receive the Gift, meaning the escape from the confines of Arda or to be with Eru? Or is this limited to the virtuous and obedient? Would Denethor, Bill Ferny, the Mouth of Sauron etc all escape?

All humans receive the Gift of Death (although it seems to be much delayed in some more than others), but what happens to the spirits of Men after the departure from Arda... who knows?

Tolkien indicates that release from Arda is a welcome thing for those who have lived good lives: Beren, Luthien, Elros, Aragorn... But I don't recall any statements about those who weren't so good. Certainly the Mouth of Sauron dies (and so receives the Gift of Men), but we are not told if his lot in the afterlife is comparable to that of Beren or Luthien, say.