Before the time of Christ?

Question

If you 'have' to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour and in order to go to heaven, then what happened to those before his time? And for those of you who may say that accepting God into your life is what truly matters, what was the fortune for those who existed in a time before organized religion?

NO SCRIPTURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its useless. I want your own opinion.

Holly Marie----- There are indigenous people in the world today who have never heard of God. Are they to blame fo being uninformed. Don't be so naive.

For the people so upset about not quoting scripture I feel bad that you feel that your hands are tied because you don't have a book telling you what to think.

And as for the 'Plan of Salvation', this is nothing more than an edited follow-up to the Bible. This was written long after to do nothing more than cover up the holes in the original. Try again.

Separate issue: What is the thumbs up/down thing and how does it work?

Answer 1

Adam knew God and so did Noah so there is no excuse for unbelief.

Answer 2

Scripture is useless? Then an explanation will fall on deaf ears, or will be accused of falseness or being made up. Nonetheless, I will try...

God created man. Adam and Eve disobeyed Him, causing the fall of man and the introduction of free will, Satan, and sin. They were in direct contact with God, and so they knew they would have to pay for each of their sins, through animal sacrifices, etc. and doing their best to lead good lives and not to purposely do wrong.
Then Jesus Christ was born. He was sent by God the Father to fulfill the Atonement, which means he paid for our sins. He took upon him the sin of the entire world, suffered, bled, and died. It's like offering to serve the most extreme hard time in prison so billions of your brothers and sisters don't have to. And of course you know the part of him being raised from the dead and returning to Heaven. As long as we believe that, follow the scriptures, do our best to follow the rules, and ask forgiveness when we do mess up, and try not to do it again, we have a place in Heaven. (I'm not going to squabble about the different views of LDS (three levels of Heaven) vs Christianity (Heaven or Hell). What I've said will suffice.)

As far as the people that died pre-Christ, there is still hope for them. As a Latter Day Saint, I believe everyone that has either never heard of Jesus, or those who have rejected Him on earth have a chance to learn and accept him in the afterlife. All people that have died are actually in a Spirit world waiting for Judgement Day. At this time they can learn about and accept Jesus. God loves us and will give us as many chances as he can for us to rejoin Him in Heaven on the day of Judgement, when everyone must answer for what they have or have not done in this existance.

Just because people are born at the wrong time (pre-Christ) or in the wrong place (nations that prohibit freedom of religion, etc) doesn't mean they are excluded. Everyone will have a chance to listen and either accept or deny Jesus. Blessings

Answer 3

Someone asked this question not long ago and a lot of the fundamentalists told him that there's a third place where people go; there's heaven for them, hell for everyone else, and some third place where people who died before Jesus was born went. They waited there for Jesus to get crucified, then he stopped by the place where they were and lead them to heaven.

The trouble is, there isn't any scriptural basis for this third place. These people pretty much make this stuff up as they go.

I asked once if it makes any sense for a deeply religious Buddhist and an unrepentant child molester and serial killer to both suffer the same eternity in hell. Obviously this makes no sense. Well, some of them told me that there are different levels of hell; a mildly uncomfortable one for Buddhists, Jews, and other atheists who don't worship God the way he likes, then a pretty unpleasant one for unrepentant tax evaders, petty thieves, and other minor criminals, and then a really unpleasant and nasty hell for child-molesters and serial killers. Again, no scriptural basis for this. They just make this stuff up as they go.

Answer 4

Richard-
Good and probing question. I went a long time in my adult life questioing God and what I was supposed to do about the whole "God thing." I came to the conclusion at the time that I didn't believe in God, but I was jealous of those who believed in God and relied on Him to make decisions. I wished I was "dumb enough" to be able to believe and rely on God. Weird thing at this time is that I thought my life was going very well... it wasn't. My husband was addicted to drugs and alcohol, I was angry and mean and worried about everything, I was parting further and further from family and friends...
It is a long story, but I have finally come to the realization that there is a God. I'm still not picky about what He is called... but I kind of built the one I pray to as a loving, caring awesome figure. My husband about the same time came to the same realization on his own. Our lives have become so much better since then. My DH has given up his addictions, with lots of help from God, I am more loving and caring and worry very little, and things are just easier now.
I think that people believed in God (or A GOD) before the time of scripture. I feel that we are born with the need for God, and are happier when we have one to rely on. I'm not including religions that put more emphasis on RULES than RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. I don't have any proof, but I have my relation with God and knowledge that my life is easier and better. No, I'm not richer or things just don't miraciously become easier... I just can react in God's love and just have the knowledge that someone better than us all has my back

Answer 5

Before Christ, in order to go to heaven, people had to keep the law (The 10 Commandments). Even then repentance was necessary because keeping the law was no easier then as it is now. Obeying God was the key. Jesus came because God saw that we had seperated from Him so He sent Jesus to bridge the gap that mankind had created by our failure to obey Him and keep His commandments.

Answer 6

Jesus existed before the world was created. The birth to Joseph and Mary was him being transformed to a mankind form.

Answer 7

Before JesusGod gave the Jews the Law to follow and if they followed it he was pleased. When they sinned they were to make a animal offering and ask for forgiveness. Basically you had to be good and thats how people got to heavan. Kinda how Atheist think it should work today accept for the animal sacrafice

Answer 8

God interacted directly with people on Earth before the time of Christ, once Christ came, God placed his holy spirit in his place.

To believe in Christ doesn't mean to believe he physically existed - even the devil believes this.

To believe in Christ means that you follows God's laws and that you do your best to uphold them. Everyone falls short of this which is why God forgives us.

But as long as you are really trying to do God's will you are saved

Answer 9

Hi Richard, Although no one can really be sure it is thought that Christ before His resurrection went to the place were all these souls were, and revealed His mission to them and offered them all the chance to accept His free gift of salvation.

Answer 10

__Retro-Harvest Post Crucifixion__

The ones that lived before Christ, how are they harvested? The same manner many will be harvested. First, sow the Word of God.

I Pet.3:18-19 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: 19 By which also He went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

I Pet.4:6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Good news the gospel preached to them also, the spirits in prison, those in bondage to sin.

Answer 11

Well Jesus died for our sins. So I beleive that people before that maybe well to hell for the littliest sin, because there was no blood to cover their sins. I have not read any scriptures that told what happen to those people. I guess that is one of those things that God doesn't want us to know.