Many people lived before Jesus was born or the Bible was written, so....?

Question

Those people did not accept Jesus as their savior or believe in him because they had not known of him yet. In that case, how would they have been able to go to heaven? Certainly it would not have been their fault that they did not pray to Jesus or have faith in Jesus since he was not around yet. But doesn't the Bible teach that only people who believe in Jesus will be able to enter the gates of heaven? So how would those people before Jesus have gotten in without ever having known who Jesus was?

Answer 1

Jesus was one of the prophets of God who came with God's message to guide humanity. The earlier prophets who came are mentioned in the 'Old Testament' and most important amongst them is 'Abraham'. Later in the same lineage came Noah and Moses. To Moses the 'Ten Commandments' were handed over to guide humanity. Unfortunately human beings through all times have failed to understand the message of God brought in by various prophets and have gone astray at all periods in time. To guide humanity and put them on the correct course God keeps sending his messengers, Jesus was one among them. As far as Christianity as Religion is concerned, it was codified as a religion by Constantine the great Roman emperor and not by Jesus. And even to this day you can see that period before advent of Christ is clearly given in the Torah and the old Testament. The New Testament contains the teachings of christ as recorded by his disciples. Later the 'Holy Koran' as revealed to Mohammad by Allah (god) is again in line with the Bible and Jesus. So there is a continuity since eternity but unfortunately the humanity by misinterpreting the true message of God stands divided as Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Answer 2

Humans were not designed to go to Heaven. If Adam and Eve did not sin, they would still be alive here on Earth. Life took another path when they brought sin and death into our lives. Humans that died before Jesus Christ, faithful to Yahweh, or without knowing Him at all, will be resurrected after Armageddon. The ones that knew Yahweh, but decided not to follow Him, will be forgotten forever; they will not be brought back to live. After Jesus, basically the same thing takes place; with the exception of 144,000 that will dwell in Heaven for 1000 years after Armageddon. They will be priests and judges of the Most High. The survivors of Armageddon, since they will never taste death to pay for their inherited sin, would be covered by Jesus' death. At the end of the 1000 years, paradise will be fully restored! We will then live forever on Earth as God originally intended. Psalms 37:11,29

Answer 3

Alma 7:10 includes a prophecy via Alma with regard to the delivery of Christ. The passages places Christ’s delivery to be interior the ‘land of Jerusalem’, somewhat than ‘city of Bethlehem’. The e book of Mormon makes use of the ‘land of Jerusalem’ countless cases. Critics have long concluded that this is info that Joseph Smith replaced into making the e book of Mormon up. As with maximum assaults on the e book of Mormon, an obvious weak point has exchange into great info for authenticity. The lifeless Sea Scrolls and different at the instant found historical information from Israel verify that the word ‘land of Jerusalem’ replaced into an authentic term used to describe the section around Jerusalem, a community that incorporates Bethlehem. Joseph Smith knew that Christ replaced into born in Bethlehem, he replaced into familiar with the Bible and the thoughts of the delivery of Jesus. If he have been making the e book of Mormon up, why might he have made this form of significant blunder. It isn't clever if he have been the author of the e book of Mormon; yet, it makes suited experience if he have been purely translating an authentic historical record which used a term undemanding to historical people.

Answer 4

Very nice question. Before Jesus did get to earth, isn't it that there were people set by God to take the lead and spread the good news so that when Jesus was already on earth He will do the second baptism prior to John the Baptist? In that way, the mass already knew something about the commandment. Thus, they has a choice whether to believe that or not.

Answer 5

Here are the relevant verses:

1Pe 3:18-20
18. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
19. in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison,
20. who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.

So, though I do not necessarily agree with Sentinel's interpretation (see that answer above), that evaluation is essentially correct.

Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/

Answer 6

We can be certain that just as God is just and merciful that He had a plan for these people too,and remember Jesus descended into Hell in spirit to declare the truth of Himself so that they would have the opportunity to decide to except the Gospel truth and by doing so be saved.

Answer 7

yeah that's why there is an old testament and new testament. It was all different before Jesus came into the picture. Either way it's all too confusing for me.

Answer 8

jesus wasnt the only prophet and many prophtes were before him .and thy all were sending the meassage tht there was god and thts wht muslims also belive tht before mohamad there were many prophets so thy ppl who belived in god will probably go to haven. about the bible thing i dont reallt know

Answer 9

Eh, I would think that they're a special case, like people with mental disabilities who are unable to understand the meaning of sin and grace.

Answer 10

and remember those that die minutes after Jesus sacrifice himself , those people are the one who are the real unlucky ones.