It always bothers me some to see the Spiritual wisdom in the Bible used for worldly principles. Jesus was using things we could understand to explain His principles. What He was saying was you can be "born again" pretty much on your death bed and still get "paid" the wages everyone else gets. I was born again at 43, while others had dedicated their lives from 10 years old. The thief on the cross would inherit paradise even though his confession was on his death hour. He had no time and no ability to perform works or even spread the Gospel. We should learn from this many principles, but one big one is, we are not the "employer". He makes the rules and sets the wage. To extrapolate that to wages at Home Depot is fine I guess, but has little to do with what Jesus was teaching.
It is often taught that if Hitler confessed Christ as Lord in the bunker, he too could receive a reward in Heaven. That sticks in people's craw, but we don't make the rules. That is also the reason we are warned against judging. We CAN judge sin, but we cannot judge the sinner. Homosexuality is sin, but the homosexual can be saved. This "contract" is written in blood and cannot be broken. There is no "plan B".
Good comment about Hitler.
Could Judas have been saved?
What did Jesus call Judas when he came to betray him? (answer: friend).