Could people go to heaven before Jesus came?

Question

In what way were they judged?

Rephrase: What was written in the OT about what happened after you die? (my question was refering beliefs, Michael K, the truth is always questionable)

Every answer sais a different story and I could not get an idea. I can't pick any best answer, so I am putting it for voting

Answer 1

People couldn't go to heaven before imaginary Jesus came because it was imaginary then, too.

Answer 2

Jesus said:

John 3:13
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

When Jesus was crucified:
Matthew 27:52
And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,






OT...They go to Sheol; it 's the common destination of both the righteous and the unrighteous dead, as told in Ecclesiastes and Job.

Ecclesiastes 9:2
All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.


Ecclesiastes 9:3
This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

Judgment Day

2 Peter 2:9
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Answer 3

No, the Bible says that no one went to heaven before Jesus. He opened the way to heaven. So those who died before him - such as Abraham - had to wait in the grave before being resurrected to heaven. Jesus told the apostles they would sit with Abraham at his table in heaven. Some people think that the resurrection has already happened, but of course we have no way of knowing if that is true or not.

It may be that there will be no resurrection until after Jesus returns -there are lots of different interpretations. No matter - it doesn't change the fact that we just need to be worthy of going ourselves.

Answer 4

People of that dispensation lived under the law. If they were in obedience of God's physical law and observed the Passover the way it was outlined in the OT, then they could get into Heaven, The problem was that Passover could only be offered once a year and in between times there was no way to get forgiveness for sin and the penalty for it was felt physically. If a person died in their sin before the next Passover season, I'd be inclined to say they wouldn't make it to Heaven, for until Christ came and changed the Law, there was no other way that I know of for people to get forgiveness of their sins. If I'm wrong, I hope you can forgive me.

Answer 5

My own church's teaching is that the virtuous dead were not and still are not "in heaven", since this "heaven" is actually a state of being that will not arise until the End of Days. That is, the New Jerusalem will be the center of the new life. Right now, "heaven" as an eternal state of bliss for the saved does not exist, although "heaven" as the abode of the Lord does. Instead of this "heaven", my own Church agrees with the Jews in ascribing the virtuous dead to the "Bosom of Abraham", which is a state of existence within sheol/hades (not "Hell"--a different thing, altogether) that is a foretaste of the bliss of salvation after the End of Days.

Christ's earthly ministry did not change this situation. The dead still await the End of Days as before.

Answer 6

No, Jesus opened the way for man to go to heaven. He was the first human to be resurrected to heaven.

Those who died before Jesus have the hope of the resurrection and living forever on the earth.

At Acts 2:34 the bible states "David did not ascend to the heavens."

Jesus cousin John the Baptist was beheaded before Jesus died, Jesus said of him at Matt. 11:11 "Truly I say to you people, Among those born of women there has not been raised up one greater than John the Baptist; but a person who is a lessor one in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he is." So John the Baptist did not go to heaven.

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 indded find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace...The righteous themselves will possess the earth and they will reside forever upon."

Jesus also went along with this scripture at Ps 37: 9, 11 & 29 when he stated at Matt. 5:5 "Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth."

Those who have died have the hope of the resurrection:

John 5: 28 & 29 "Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming when all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, and those who did vile things to a resurrection of judgment."

Acts 24:15 "and I have hope toward God, which hope these (men) themselves also entertain, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous."

Rev. 20: 13, 14 "The sea gave up those dead in it, and death and Hades gave up those dead in them, and they were judged individually according to their deeds. And death and Hades were hurled into the lake of fire . This means the second death, the lake of fire." Notice Hades (common grave) and death are thrown into the lake of fire. We know that they are not tangible things that can be thrown into something, so we can see it is symbolic as is the lake of fire, which means the second death or complete destruction with no change of ever existing again.)

As Martha (Lazarus sister) told Jesus when he said "Your brother will rise" she said at John 11:24 "I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day." Infact Jesus spoke of Lazarus as "gone to rest" and "awaken him from sleep".

As Ecc. 9: 5 & 10 "For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten...All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol,the place to which you are going."

Answer 7

The confusion comes from the fact that man has conscience only of his oneself. Forgetting Angels were always around.
According to the NT there was a man who had a legion of demons (evil angels in him) we are even told that the Holy Spirit duels in us. So how difficult is to understand that when Jesus talked to men he was at the same time talking to angels.

Jesus promised the one who was addressed him at death, that "today he says to him, he will be with him in Paradise.

Paradise, not heaven, other planet or so.
He also said to the disciples His father's house has many rooms, that he will go a prepare place for them. Again he did not say heaven. The house of God is the whole universe.

He also says about resurrection

For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are AS THE ANGELS OF GOD IN HEAVEN.

whether he meant with this that there is not going to be sex, or marriage for men. Or if he was speaking about about angels that will be like "animas or lesser spirits" Who knows. One thing is clear that it only says they will be AS the angels of God in heaven. Not They will be in heaven as the angels of God.

My believe that in this part he was talking to an angel who tempted the man to say so, because it is said also in Revelation that many will serve as priests and servants of God.

While on the other hand the Promise to David, Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, was always that the Just man will inherit the land.

As for myself I want to be in Paradise, enjoying Nature.

Answer 8

No, the gates of heaven were closed until Jesus was crucified and died. When Jesus died He went to Paradise/purgatory/hell and preached to all of those who had died before His birth and during His life, those that believed ascended to heaven when Jesus did

1 Peter 3:18For 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:

19By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison


Ephesians 4: 8Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Answer 9

When I attended a somewhat religious day camp, I asked about the Egyptians and if people before Jesus went to hell, and the leaders said yes. They said they had forgotten God and had made other gods in His place, and so he had to send Jesus to remind them and to save everyone else since in forgetting they won't get to go to Heaven. However, that's only the interpretation of the people from that Church - I don't know how others deal with it.

That, coincidentally, was when I decided that perhaps devout Christianity wasn't for me, since I didn't think it was a fair practice (and I don't believe the Adam and Eve thing anyway, never did).

Answer 10

there's no such element as heaven. human beings were scared into obeying the regulations on the time through threats of Judgment Day and all that style of stuff. Heaven is a mythical position and is the position teeth fairy, the easter bunny, and santa claus stay. it really is all invented to regulate human beings, it extremely is what the church and the bible and the discovery of god were all about, and santa claus, of route. if you're good santa will come, if you're undesirable, he received't. in case you lust after women individuals, you received't get into heaven. do not spend your existence questioning about faith and heaven. Waste of time.

Answer 11

Enoch and Ezekiel did, there may have been more-the Bible does not say.

Enoch came before the law, Ezekiel after. They were both judged the same way. The same way all will be judged-what do you do with God.

God has offered several options over time-most people refuse to take those options.