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alright this might sound as a weird question but it has been driving me crazy. i dont have a real big understanding on religion in genreal but this question popped into my head. my understanding is that christianity does not beleive in pre-destination, also it is my understanding that in order to get into heavern you must accept Jesus as your savior. my question is is if you have to accept hime as your saviour to go to heeaven what happerned to all the people who died before the crucifixtion of Christ if he wasnt even born yet. and after he was crucified what about the people who lived in north and south america who had absolutely no way of knowing about him. basically isnt taht a form of pre-destination, being that youre going to hell as soon as you are born because you have no way of knowing about the savior.
its highly possible that i have a misunderstood of one of the ideas about christianity, or there is an answer in the bible but since i nvr red it i have no idea.
thx

2007-10-12 13:23:26 · 15 answers · asked by mattacid 2 in Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality

thanks all
very helpfull

2007-10-14 02:07:49 · update #1

15 answers

thats not a bad question at all its very thought provoking but there are christians out there who believe in predestination

2007-10-12 13:27:19 · answer #1 · answered by JFK fan--(Hug Brigade) 4 · 0 2

You know what?

It's always been what it's been. God chooses a remnant of people (even the Jews) and gives them the ability to trust Him. It's always been that way.

Even in the Old Testament it was revealed that God only wants a few of every people. The righteous were the people who trusted God, all along.

So before God came to Earth as Jesus, He had certain people picked out that He worked with. Isaiah said it, Habakkuk said it, Elijah heard it, it is expressed that way in many places in the Old Testament - God wants only some people. Even in the midst of sacrificing and working through the Law of Moses, only a few would do it because they actually loved God. Most of the others did it for religious, or because they would be embarrassed if someone noticed, or political and social status; whatever. But only a few would really think that God was worth it.

And that's what we have today. There are even some Christians who do it for the wrong reasons. Human nature is just the same even to this day.

2007-10-12 13:39:58 · answer #2 · answered by Christian Sinner 7 · 0 0

OK, when Jesus died on the Cross he "took upon him the SIN of the world"(paraphrasing not an exact quote)

And now, that after He died and rose again, we are to repent and ask for forgiveness.

But those who did not accept the Gospel for various reasons(like no knowing, etc.) are given a "second chance" if you would like to talk about it.

And before Jesus came, God had a covenant with the Jews basically saying "if you do these things, you'll get into Heaven" then Jesus came, made a new covenant, which the Christians follow.

Don't be afraid of asking, many people have thought about this at some point in their life.

2007-10-12 13:30:01 · answer #3 · answered by Love Yahoo!!! is a prince 3 · 1 1

When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a teacher in Israel, Jesus had not yet gone back to heaven. Of course, no other human had died and ascended to the spirit realm, to heaven. Jesus himself stated that John the Baptist was peerless as a prophet of God, but “a lesser one in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he is.” (Matthew 11:11) And the apostle Peter explained that even faithful King David had died and was still in his tomb; David did not ascend into heaven. (Acts 2:29, 34) There was a reason why those who died before Jesus, such as David, John the Baptist, and other men of faith, did not go to heaven. They died before Jesus inaugurated the way or possibility for humans to be resurrected to heavenly life. The apostle Paul wrote that Jesus, like a forerunner, “inaugurated . . . a new and living way” into heaven.—Hebrews 6:19, 20; 9:24; 10:19, 20.
These faithful and others before Jesus died will live here on a peaceful earth and so will millions of others who do not have the heavenly calling. Psalm 37:29 The righteous themselves will posess the earth, And they will reside forever upon it.

2007-10-12 13:34:38 · answer #4 · answered by Just So 6 · 0 0

When you admit: i dont have a real big understanding on religion in genreal ; you're correct. You have no idea. Answers to these questions will be found in a little study of scripture.

A thorough and proper answer to these probably cannot be given in this forum. It would be so long, no one would read it.

2007-10-12 13:31:19 · answer #5 · answered by Augustine 6 · 0 0

We look back to the cross, but the faithful who went before Jesus looked forward to the cross.

They were saved by faith just as we are.

Faith lives in the hearts of those who trust God and know him, and people are judged on what God knows that they would do with the knowledge of God, if they had it.

Those who love God are predestined to be conformed to the image of the son of God, as sinners saved by grace, justified by the blood of the Lamb, sanctified to his service, and glorified when he returns to the earth on that great day.

2007-10-12 13:39:23 · answer #6 · answered by hisgloryisgreat 6 · 0 0

First, I recommend that you read the Bible to get a better understanding of religion.

I believe that those who go to hell are people that knew the truth about Jesus and chose not to accept him. The people who don't know about him or can't understand (children, mentally retarded, those who have never been told) will go to heaven because they didn't have the chance to accept Jesus. Not all people are sure about this, though, and that is why one of the greatest goals of the church is missionary work.
Yes, you must accept Jesus as your savior to go to heaven, if you know that that is what you must do. My God is loving and merciful. He would not condemn people who do not know the difference. That is the failure of His people to spread His word, not the failure of the person who did not know.

The people who believed in God and kept His laws before Christ are in Heaven. In the New Testament, Jesus told a story about a rich man who refused to help a beggar. When the rich man died and went to Hell, he saw the beggar in heaven with Abraham. Moses and Elijah also can down from heaven to talk to Jesus. This tells me that the faithful ones of God are in heaven now.

2007-10-12 13:28:31 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3 3

Some Christians believe in pre-destination, but not all. Those who do are called Calvinists, since John Calvin was the first to suggest the idea.

Most Bible believing Christians are not Calvinists. However there are a lot who are. Lutherans, Presbyertian, Baptist and Reformed Churches tend to be Calvinist. Methodists, Pentecostals, Nazarenes, groups with the name "Free" in their name, tend not to be Calvinist.

For example I am not.

In brief, Christians today look backwards to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, Who died for our sins.

Those who were righteous before Jesus died but who were looking forward to their Messiah coming, were saved by looking forward in faith to Messiah, even tho they did not know His name would be Jesus.

The evidences of this in the Bible are many.

Here are two passages in the New Testament that talks about people who died before Jesus, since how else could Jesus be telling us the story:

The first is called: "The Rich Man and Lazarus"

Note in this story that Lazarus and Abraham are in Paradise, the same place Jesus spoke of to the thief on the cross, the one who repented.

Luke 16:19-31 (NIV)
The Rich Man and Lazarus

19"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

22"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23In hell,[a] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

25"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

27"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, 28for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

29"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'

30" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'

31"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' "

Then right after Jesus died we read about graves being opened:

Matthew chapter 27:

50And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. 52The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

Those who rose from the graves were what we call "Old Testament Saints".

As to those born in the Americas, I'd suggest you study Romans chapter one about that.

And to make sure that everyone knew about Jesus, God arranged for missionaries to take the message all over the world.

Pastor Art

PS: If you have more question feel free to ask.

2007-10-12 15:02:58 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

The following link is a good article regarding predestination...foreknowledge...free will.

http://www.endtime.com/pdf/archives/ETM-2002-09-Foreknowledge-Vs-Predestination.pdf

Enjoy

Deb

2007-10-12 15:23:27 · answer #9 · answered by debrawashburn 2 · 0 0

It says in the Scripture that only God can judge, so nobody really knows what will happen to all the non-Christians even if they are good people. But it also says that God is just, so I just leave it to Him.

2007-10-12 13:31:41 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1 2

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