Christians: It's not just by Jesus that people get to heaven, is it?

Question

by your own mythology/dogma, those people who lived before Jesus or who've never been exposed to Christian dogma, will be judged differently? Any other exceptions?

Answer 1

So if someone has never heard of Jesus, and lived a good life, they get to go to Heaven? But if they've heard of Jesus, and live a good life, but haven't fully accepted Jesus as their saviour, they go to Hell. Likewise if they've accepted Jesus, but sinned.

Seems like the absolutely worst thing you could do to a civilization then is to introduce them to Christianity. All Missionaries do is condemn otherwise good people to the fires of Hell.

How exactly do Christians reconsile this theological conundrum?

Answer 2

As for the people who lived before Jesus, if they believed and had faih that God would be sending a Messiah they will go to heaven. Abraham from the Old Testament and many others (David, Solomon, etc.) are spoken of in Hebrews chapter 11. Its often called the faith hall of fame. These faithful men and women are awaiting heaven until the Lord comes back to judge. As for people who are not exposed to Christianity, I believe in every man, woman , and child there is an inner knowledge of God and that He gives everyone a chance. I would need to check to be sure but I think as long as someone knows they are a sinner and there is nothing they could ever do to earn their way to heaven, they have a chance to be saved. I am sitll learning Christian doctrines. However, Jesus commanded us to go out and spread the good news. It is our duty as Christians.

Answer 3

Those before Jesus were given an opportunity after His resurrection. I can't find the verse right now, but it says that He went to a holding place of some sort to witness to those who had come before.

Those not exposed to the Gospel still are without excuse. God judges the heart, and He knows how we would respond to the gospel message.

Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Answer 4

They believed the promise. Its the same thing. They believed a messiah would come and deliver them from their sins and that he would write the Law on their heart.

Further Yahshua was the God of the old Testiment so its really a moot point isn't it.

Haysoos2 (cute) Its a misconception of the judgement that leads to such a belief. Rev 20:11-15. They will be judged according to their deeds by the books (of the law) I am sure that at time those who have not been called by God "No man can come to me unless the Father draw him" will be given the oppourtunity to accept the sacrifice for their sins. Notice that the book of life will also be opened. For what purpose? The saints have already been ressurrected and are sitting on the throne with Messiah in judgement of the dead. I would venture to write names in. Just because someone came and preached to them doesn't mean that they have heard the word of God as there are many false teachers who go out into the world and decieve people by their heresies but also the Father has to call them to repentance.

Answer 5

All who come to God in The Way He prescribes will receive His free gift of Salvation. Those become part of The Church of which Jesus The Christ is The Head. Those are the ones of The True Christian Faith. Only those of The Church will enter Heaven...

Those who were faithful to God and His Law, prior to the establishment of The Church by Christ Jesus, when their mortal time was up, went to a place called Paradise. Where they waited for Jesus to come and take them to Heaven. Which He did in that time between the death of His mortal flesh on The Cross and his appearance to His disciple's.

All others are eternally separated from God.

Answer 6

It was revealed that it was always faith. The rituals of the Old Testament were only telling the truth about men's inability to conform to the ways of God. It couldn't be done perfectly by anyone, except Jesus. That's what Jesus meant by fulfilling the Law. Only he could do it. All others failed, having the sin nature that made it impossible.

So those that trusted God were God's righteous, and none other. Now that we have the revealtion of the Messiah in our past, we have the same choice; to trust God or to go our own way.

I would recommend that you read Hebrews 11. It explains what it took to please God in times past, before Jesus.

Answer 7

pre jesus= law aka being good enough on your own

post jesus= accepting christ aka realizing that you aren't capable of being all that great and letting christ be great for you.

B.c. people had to keep the law and do atoning with sacrifices and such...but those were only good for so long and was God's way of demonstrating the need for a perfect sacrifice that would atone once and for all. In comes Jesus, cross thing happens, and here we have christianity. Salvation is a gift available to all. Some people chose not to accept it. If you don't like Jesus now, that's fine you don't have to be with him...and you won't be with him after you die b/c you be eternally removed from his presence...you'll get just what you've always wanted...no more pesky Christ with all his love and rules and stuff.

Answer 8

That's a good question. Most believe these people will go to heaven. But when Jesus died, the curtain that separated the Holy and the most Holy in the temple was torn in two. Before Jesus' death, no one could get to heaven. The tearing of the curtain symbolized this way being opened up. Anyone who died before Jesus will be resurrected to life on Earth after Armageddon. Many people, the Bible calls them "other sheep," will live forever in Paradise on Earth. Only 144,000 will go to heaven. They are called a "little flock." They will rule as kings over the people on Earth.

The Bible speaks of three classes of people: the righteous (those who know God's will and do it), the unrighteous (those who never learned God's will and so did not do it), and the wicked (those that knew of God's will and chose to disobey).

The Bible says that there "is going to be a resurrection of the righteous and the unrighteous."

Answer 9

No. That is not an exception, never has been. Adam and Eve needed to be covered when they sinned. This required the sacrifice of an animal to clothe them.
The sacrificial Lamb was a promise of the coming Messiah and His redemption. It was explained by the author of Hebrews that this was only temporary until THE Lamb came.
In the pre-Christ days, the sacrificed lamb only "covered" sins. In the post-Christ days, the sacrificed Lamb took AWAY sins.

Hebrews 10:3-7
But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. (pre-Christ days)
Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:
Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me. (post-Christ days)

In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’

By faith the pre-Christ believers were justified. Faith in what? Faith in He who was to come.

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” - Romans 4

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ - Romans 5:1

Answer 10

Matt. 11:11: “Truly I say to you people, Among those born of women there has not been raised up a greater than John the Baptist; but a person that is a lesser one in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he is.” (So John did not go to heaven when he died.)

Ps. 37:9, 11, 29: “Evildoers themselves will be cut off, but those hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will possess the earth . . . The meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace. The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.”

Rev. 21:1-4: “I saw a new heaven and a new earth . . . I heard a loud voice from the throne say: ‘Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.’”

Mic. 4:3, 4: “They will not lift up sword, nation against nation, neither will they learn war anymore. And they will actually sit, each one under his vine and under his fig tree, and there will be no one making them tremble; for the very mouth of Jehovah of armies has spoken it.”

Answer 11

Before Jesus died on the cross, obviously there had to be another way. Those who worshipped the one true God, and kept His commandments, were saved by their faith in Him. The bible speaks of Abraham, and how because of His faith in God, it was accounted to him as righteousness.

For a person that has never in their life heard the gospel, never heard of Jesus Christ, never heard of the God of the bible (I don't know who these people might be, but surely there are some), I have no idea how God will judge them.