Why did Jesus talk about eternal life, when God himself never spoke of it in the Old Testaement?

Question

God spoke of curses on the Earth, and horrid retributions upon mankind, and he spoke of perversions and iniquitous goings on, he even spoke of the idea of destroying humankind, including the animals (Genesis 6); but he never spoke of eternal life.

Jesus introduced the idea, presumably on God's authority.
Since God never changes, how do explain the change?

Answer 1

That is why he sent Jesus...so that we would know and understand it instead of hearing held from the heavens.

Answer 2

Without going into exhaustive details God did say it in the New Testament. Jesus didn't do it with Gods authority. Jesus was God in the flesh. God doesn't change, people do. God never reveled to Adam and Eve, in Genesis that he would be sending his Son, the Messiah. The time wasn't right. But later he did revel it to Isaiah. Its all about Gods timing.

Answer 3

Sure He did, He told Adam the only reason he would die, would be if he eat from the only tree that God said belonged to him, if Adam had not eaten from the tree, he would still be alive. "God also laid this command upon the man: ‘From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.’” Genesis 2:15-17.

In the beginning a resurrection was not necessary. It was not a part of God’s original purpose for mankind, because death was not the natural, purposed thing for humans. Rather, God indicated that he purposed the earth to be full of living humans, not a deteriorating, dying race. His work was perfect, hence without flaw, imperfection, or sickness. (De 32:4) Jehovah blessed the first human pair, telling them to multiply and fill the earth. (Ge 1:28)
Such blessing certainly did not include sickness and death; God set no limited life span for man, but he told Adam that disobedience is what would cause death. This implies that man would otherwise live forever. Disobedience would incur God’s disfavor and remove his blessing, bringing a curse.

Death was introduced into the human race by the transgression of Adam. (Ro 5:12) Because of their father’s sinfulness and resultant imperfection, Adam’s offspring could not get a heritage of everlasting life from him; in fact, not even a hope of living forever. “Neither can a rotten tree produce fine fruit,” said Jesus.
The resurrection was brought in, or added, to overcome this disability for those of Adam’s children which includes us, who would desire to be obedient to God.

Also in Psalms 37, many times it speaks of living forever, a blessing from God in the future.

 9 For evildoers themselves will be cut off,
But those hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will possess the earth.

10 And just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more;
And you will certainly give attention to his place, and he will not be.

11 But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth,
And they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.

22 For those being blessed by him will themselves possess the earth,
But those upon whom evil is called by him will be cut off.

29 The righteous themselves will possess the earth,
And they will reside forever upon it. (This promise makes it clear that God’s basic purpose regarding the earth and mankind has not changed.)

This is what King David believed was his hope in the future, he would not have written it, if it wasn't. And not only his, but for most of mankind that has lived and died since Adam.

Answer 4

Mankind was created to be immortal...but lost that privilege when they "fell from grace", bringing death, hitherto an unknown entity, into the world.
Jesus bought the gift of eternal life, in essence "paying the ransom", which basically means, He bought us back from Death, and the price He paid is His Own blood. To put it as simply as possible, God took on human flesh in order to taste death once for all mankind, so mankind would not have to die.
It really isn't a difficult concept...even science understands "entropy" ("the fall" is not limited to this earth, it is universal, kiddies)...it's only that Christians have spent 2,000 years complicating what Christ came to make simple.

Answer 5

Genesis:

22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Answer 6

Actually God did speak of Eternally life in the Old Testament.

Psalm 32: The prophets, like Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Daniel. There are several passages in the Old Testament that speak on this subject. If you have a Bible with a concordance you will find several verses that will answer this question.

Answer 7

in case you took the time to imagine this out, you may comprehend the answer. Jesus develop into both totally guy and the single God in flesh. The mediator between guy and God is the guy Christ Jesus, that is, the humanity of Jesus. an similar financial disaster factors out that that is unusual for a mediator to be a mediator of one, yet God is one. So God grew to develop into the mediator Himself.

Answer 8

If you read on in the Old Testament you will see God spoke of a savior also.
Jesus was the savior (Christians believe) and died for our sins so we could have an eternal life with him in the Kingdom of Heaven

Answer 9

When Jesus came, He brought clarity and deeper understanding as well as deliverance.

You can't feed people too much information at once: They won't contain it all, or they will simply flip out. God provided the basic 10 rules, then expanded on those rules in Leviticus and Deuteronomy on how sacrifices worked, etc., who you could and could not marry, what to do with rebellious children, etc.

Then when Jesus came, offering one perfect sacrifice for all who would accept it, the rules became simple and all-encompassing: 1. Love God with everything in you; 2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Answer 10

The Old Testament does make many references to eternal life after death; also, many Old Testament prophecies spoke of the "eternity", if you will, of Israel as God's chosen people. Many men throughout the Old Testament "went to be with the Lord, etc..."

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever; that doesn't mean he doesn't do things differently as he sees fit. He does not, however, conflict with himself.

Answer 11

Do you remember the Garden of Eden? Do you remember what would happen when they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.... What did God say would happen?

When you eat of it... You'd DIE... So did God speak directly about it? NO. Man did have eternal life until Adam messed it up for us... However, Adam was our best representative and so one must assume that you'd have done it also.