What happens to all those before Christ, (Old Testament) for getting into Heaven?
Those who did not know Jesus, but only God, how are they going to get into heaven if they don't know Jesus? Bud R.
Matthew 27:51 - 53
NKJV - 51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. 52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
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Asked December 29 2017
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Bud Reading
For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Danny Hickman
"Did not know Jesus, but only God."
Wrong premise! Jesus is God. To know Jesus is to know God. God lives in me. He is the Holy Spirit. I know Jesus because I know the Spirit who lives in me. I know the Father because I know Jesus and the Spirit who lives in me.
Phillip said to him, "Lord show us the Father..." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still don't know me, Phillip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father..." (John 14:8,9).
Jesus is the Word of God. I know him because I believe his words.
"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I (Jesus) have spoken to you are spirit and life." (John 6:63) "But there are some of you who do not believe." (vs 64)
Why did he say that some didn't believing? Because there were many who could be with him physically (in the flesh, "no help at all") and still not believe he is the Son of God, the Messiah; still don't believe his words.
This question insinuates that those of us who live now have all met Jesus in a different way than the people who lived prior to his advent as a human; it insinuates that Jesus came into existence, as a character in the sequel of a story, in a book. The people who lived before the character known as Jesus was introduced into the story, had no way of knowing him, I guess, and we do.
That's a total misunderstanding of God. IF the old saints knew God, they knew Jesus! He and the Father are one (Jn 10:30).
We don't have an advantage at all!
Danny Hickman
"The flesh is no help at all."
What was he saying? I think it is missed by many people. He was saying that seeing him in the flesh wouldn't cause a person to believe in him. It is the word that gives life. You either believe what he says or you don't.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was nothing made that was made.. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.. (John 1:1-4).
These scriptures have to be not read, or not believed, or totally misunderstood, to then posit that there's a way to honestly state
that people can know God and not know Jesus. It's an impossibility! Not because I say so, but because Jesus says it:
"You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also." (John 8:19).
No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. (1 John 2:23)
"Denies the Son; confesses the Son." These both mean that there are many who WANT the Father, but doesn't want the Son. The Son is a man.
That isn't said nearly enough! Jesus came here and lived as a man! He was tempted with the things for which we all have desires. Most of us don't want to believe that because it seems impossible to us for him to remain sinless if that's true! So we imagine that he DIDN'T HAVE THE DESIRES THAT MEN HAVE!
That would mean he wasn't really tempted!
I believe what the scriptures say!