Can someone please explain to me...?

Question

I don't have a lot of knowledge about Christianity, and I'd like to get to know more...

I understand that Jesus died on the cross for "us", but there's still something that's confusing and mind boggling. Did Jesus die on the cross to save those people then? What about those people before Him? How did He die and "save" us, the people from 2,000 years later after His death?

Any thoughts, comments, welcomed.

So one has to "accept" God in order to be "saved", what about those that died before He was born or those that never heard of Him?

I admit, I'm brand new at this and still don't quiet understand how he saved the people of the future.

In regards to Adam and Eve, I still don't understand those who said we're the children of Adam and Eve because I'm sure there's "humans" in other regions before they came into being...that's my guessing, so please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

As for Mr. Mister's reply....I have no clue what Rapture and Revelation is about...

Thank you so much you guys for answering my question--I am THAT confused and I really do want to learn more, or ready to "seek the truth", but it's hard for me because all these are new.

There are many good answers, and it is very difficult to select the best one. If I were
to choose my top three answers, I'd select:
Vicsikix, Mr.Mister and Ken_Sisik as my top three..

Answer 1

Here are some sites that may help:

http://www.chick.com/information/general/salvation.asp

http://www.fathersloveletter.com/fllprev

http://christiananswers.net/home.html

Answer 2

I suggest John chapter 3 in the King James version of the bible, mainly verses 15-18. It's not that we are automatically saved, but our asking him for forgiveness of our sins, our faith and belief in him and that he came here and died for that purpose, is what allows us to be saved. We need to believe and put our faith in him, repent and ask for forgiveness of our sins and past transgressions, and commit our lives to him. Everyone falls, everyone sins, but the fact that he died for those sins means we can always realize when we do and ask for forgiveness and receive it, and then learn from that and move on. He did this for all of them at that time and in the future (us). The people before him were already dead and were a part of the old covenant and therefore don't benefit from this; but he came and made a new covenant with us so that all future generations could benefit. The old testament covenant with Moses had the 10 commandments to live by and be judged by. The new covenant with Christ has this: Matthew 22:36-40: 36)"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" 37) Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38) "This is the first and great commandment. 39) "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40) "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." And John 15:12, 13: 12) "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13) "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." I could go on, I don't want to overwhelm you. The fact that you have these questions and are seeking the answers proves that Christ is calling you. I've been seeking answers for almost all of my life (I'm 32), and I'm far from them all. But Christ is definately calling you and I suggest listening. If you don't have a bible, you should get one. I'll even mail one to you if you would like. I have plenty (they're all used well). There are many versions, the King James is my favorite because it's pretty much a word for word interpretation from the origional text. I also suggest starting from the beginning of the New Testament with Matthew and going from there (Matthew and John are my favorites, Mark and Luke are good, too though). Those books will cover a lot of the questions you're asking now. Well, I've rambled on long enough. I will be here to help you if you ever need it or have more questions, comments, want to discuss. Like I said, I don't have all the answers, or all the right ones either I'm sure (no one does), but I'll do the best I can. Good luck! God bless!

Your brother in Christ,

Jeff
[e-mail]

Answer 3

Quit while you're ahead cause personally l don't think that you're missing much on the god subject. Religion doesn't hold the answer to happiness or poverty or true love or it doesn't even explain really important things like why that old pope guy got the job. The bible is a mad mans diary and the cross that became the nail gunned holy mans grave was just a publicity stunt. I don't believe in stuff that is just totally unbelievable. For instance I sure as **** didn't come from no rib of adam and noah probably had sex with sheep on his ark.

Answer 4

Jesus(PBUH) did not die at all. He was raised alive to the heavens.The one who died on the cross was Judas. Jesus(PBUH) will come back just before the end of world and preach and kill anti-christ and he will disown that he was son of god .Then he will die a natural death. And the world will end. We are responsible for our sins. Why make a scape-goat of Jesus(PBUH)? From logic point of view is it fair to kill somebody innocent on the cross for the sins of others? If there were two brothers. If one murdered will you hang the other? It makes no sense to me. Why crucify an innocent for the sins he has never commited? You are right. It does not appeal to logic and is mind boggling because it is not the truth. Truth is never confusing.

Answer 5

Everyone that has eternal life has it through Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, we see a type of Christ in the sacrificial lamb. and that was looking forward to the Redeemer by faith.

We can especially see this when Abraham offered Isaac in Gen. 22 when Abraham told Issac that God will provide the lamb. He did then and it was a down payment to the price Jesus paid for our sin. Even the passover shows this. The blood of a lamb was placed upon the door post and the death angle passed by that house. Jesus is the LAMB of GOD who takes away the sin of the world and were it not for that, none of the sacrifices in the Old Testament would have helped.

In our time, we look backward to accept His payment for our sin. Before His time, they look forward by trusting the promise of GOD. (the first promise of a redeemer was in Gen 3:15 right after sin entered the world.)

Answer 6

When Adam lost perfect life in Paradise earth for himself and all his children. Jesus gave his own perfect life to buy back what Adam lost. Yes Jesus gavehis life for all that would include the lives of those who lived before he came to the earth also.No human other than Jesus could have provided the ransom sacrifice. This is because Jesus is the only man who ever lived that was equal to Adam as a perfect human Son of God.-Psalm49:7Luke1:32&3:38.
When Jesus gave his perfect body as a sacrifice. Deliverance was now available for all faithful humankind, those who lived before his coming to earth and those after as long as they are obedient to God and apreciate the sacrifice that Jesus made.

Answer 7

the people who died before jesus were just kinda "waiting". no one has a good answer for that one. some people believe that the jews, those who believed in god before jesus, went to hell. others that they will get a chance in this "waiting" place to accept him as savior and go to heaven.
there's no clear answer. all most people will say is that you have to believe in Jesus and not to ask troubling questions. this is the definition of "blind faith" and this is exactly what Christianity requires. you have to believe it based solely on faith. there are no facts, there is no evidence, no matter how much anyone tries to convince you otherwise. if in your heart you truly believe that Jesus that died for everyone's sins and that he's the way to heaven, no one can challenge that.
jesus "saved us" by dying. if you're asking about the catholic view, this is one of the "mysteries". there are, um, five mysteries, and five categories of mysteries i believe. such as the virgin birth, the holy spirit, etc. jesus dying and getting resurrected is one of those mysteries. one of those things people can't comprehend, but must believe is true. you just have to believe that it saved everyone, the how is something only god really knows according to some.

ps. satanism has the ultimate morality. to say that satanists are immoral is idiocy. satanists believe that everyone's life is sacred and that everyone must be respected since everyone is their own "god". unless of course you disrespect them, then they'll treat you like you treat them. you don't need god or jesus to be moral. the satanism where people actually worship the christian satan for all intensive purposes doesn't exist.

Answer 8

before Jesus God's people were waiting for the messiah they were saved through faith of that
When Adam and Eve sinned they were separated from God and God promised a messiah to cover their sin so they could have fellowship with God again, until that messiah came they had to offer a male Lamb without any blemish, Then when Jesus came he was called the Lamb of God that takes the sin of the world away. Jesus' sacrifice for our sin is for all time and now through Jesus we can have fellowship with God one on one again

Answer 9

bibically speaking, we were corrupted with sin when adam and even ate that horrible apple in the garden of eden.
some years later, god sent jesus in to help us. the reference of "jesus dying for our sins" is about how jesus was wrongly crucified - yet forgave the people who disobeyed him and sentenced him to death. This forgiveness lasted basically for all mankind. (including before, during, and after jesus's life) Basically God knows we sin, and he will forgive us. read revelations (last chapter of a bible) - it won't make any sense really - but it does explain how we're in the picture now with the things that have been done.

least that's what i got out of sunday school class many many years ago :) personally - i just believe in love - just love and love and love until it hurts too much to love - and then keep loving anyway.

Answer 10

Jesus took away the sins of the world by dying on the cross.
by doing so he became the sacrifice for sin.
in the old testament the Jews believed that the only way to remove sin was through a blood offering. Jesus became this.
he also became the door through which we could obtain salvation. he conquered death when he rose again. thus he overcame both sin and death.

Answer 11

Old Testament answer. I hope this helps you.

There is no conflict, it’s probably that you do not understand that there are two “appearings”: two comings of Christ - both with an “R”. The first is the “Rapture”. That's when we hear the words, “come up hither” in Revelation 4:1 and we're caught up in the twinkling of an eye, I Corinthians 15:52. The dead in Christ rise first, then we which are alive and remain are caught up with the dead in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, I Thessalonians 4:16.

Now the tribulation hour begins in chapter 6. We're already gone in chapter 4, with the come up hither. We get to verse 12, we have this problem with the sun , but that precedes His coming back to earth, the second part of the Second Coming called His “Revelation”, or his revealing on earth. And revelation 6:12 says, “there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sack cloth of hair and the moon as blood”. You find it again in Joel chapter 2, verses 30 and 31. But Jesus pinpoints the time in Matthew 24:29, immediately after the tribulation of those days, after the 7 years will the sun become darkened and the moon shall not give her light. Then Christ returns with his people for Jude 14 says the lord comes with ten thousands of his saints. You need to study the two “appearings” - the two “comings” of Christ, my friend.

I always remember a child being taught about the " Rapture" in the Catholic schools, but They called it" being caught up into heaven". Why do our churches seldom mention the event?

Catholic school they taught it as “being caught up”. That is I Thessalonians 4:17. You know, someone said you can't find the word “rapture” in the Bible. But you can in the Catholic Bible, the Latin Vulgate by Saint Jerome. When he gets to I Thessalonians 4:17, he uses the word “rapiamore” – it means raptured – where it says, “caught up” in our English versions. Why don't more churches do it? They don't study and they don't know what the Bible says. They don't study the catechism – they don’t study the Word of God. God forgive us for that situation.

I believe probably the most obvious would be events that happened in the Old Testament that seem like the Rapture. And, we have some in the Old Testament.

Well not actually what takes place at the Rapture, for then we get brand new bodies, to be like the body of Jesus, I John 3:2-3.

However, there were two men in the Old Testament who were snatched up to meet the Lord in the heavenlies. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. Now it was a form of the Rapture, but it wasn’t really the Rapture, because he’s on the other side in his old body. It was not changed as he went up. And then in 2 Kings 2:11, Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven, but he’s still there in his body. All the others are there as spirits, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, 2 Corinthians 5:8. And James teaches us that, chapter 2:27, as the body went out, the spirit is dead, because that sprit is with the Lord. So it’s a total heaven, full of spirits, even the angels, except these two bodies, and they come back, and they are the two witnesses of Revelation chapter 11. And in verse 12, after they’ve been killed, because the crowds don’t want to hear their preaching, they are caught up into heaven

He talks about a Pre-tribulation Rapture and the Tribulation is that seven-year period of judgment on earth – Revelation chapters 6 to 18 – because we go up in chapter 4 and it only begins in chapter 6. We call it a pre-tribulation Rapture and the Rapture is I Thessalonians 4 verses 16 to 18, when the dead in Christ rise and the living go up with them to meet the Lord in the air and all in the twinkling of an eye, I Corinthians 15:52.

However, during the seven-year period of Tribulation, the greatest revival in history occurs as 144,000 evangelists swarm the world in Revelation 7 verses 4 to 8, and they are preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom – Matthew 24:14. The King is coming and a multitude like the sands of the sea, Revelation 7:9, is converted and verse 14 says, “They came out of the Great Tribulation and washed their robes, made them white in the blood of the Lamb." Because of it, death comes to those new converts during that seven-year period in Revelation 6:9, 13:50 and Revelation 20 verse 4. Now Christ comes back with His saints, Jude 14, and Daniel 12:2 - the Old Testament Jews are raised and at that point, all those who died during the Tribulation are also raised. I hope that answers your question.

You notice. The 144,00 is Old testament evagelists. This will disappoint the Jehovah Witness'.

All of the Old Testament Believers have to be washed in The Blood of The Lamb. Jesus came to "Fulfill The Law of Moses. Not to change it. Jesus changed nothing, this was prophecied from the very begining.

NOBODY IS IN HEAVEN YET. THE NEW HEAVEN HAS NOT BEEN CREATED YET. THIS IS WHY. THE OLD TESTAMENT EVANGELISTS HAVE TO BE BROUGHT FORWARD. OLD TESTAMENT EVANGELISTS JOB IS NOT DONE YET. LOL. THEY STILL HAVE WORK TO DO.