What would a person back in the olden biblical days have had to do to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, before the Messiah had come to earth?
Again, to know the truth on this the Bible is the only
source that will give us the right answers. First of all let
us dismiss the rumour that all will be saved.
Rom 10:1-2 "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God
for the Israelites is that they may be saved." NIV Paul had
a longing to see all Israelites being saved.
Weren't they saved? Didn't they have the oracles of God and
the Ten Commandments? Yes, they did. Weren't they the ones
who were offering sacrifices to the Lord? Read God's
reaction towards them: Isa 1:13 "Stop bringing meaningless
offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons,
Sabbaths and convocations - I cannot bear your evil
assemblies." NIV
If your heart is not right with God and if you do not have a
closer relationship with your Father, all that you do for
religious reasons are worthless in God's eyes. Salvation is
not in what you do, but in what you let God do in your life.
If the apostle Paul desired his people to be saved, how
could they be saved? What is the way to salvation?
Jesus answered this question when Thomas questioned Him
about it:
John 14:6-7 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No
one comes to the Father except through me. If you really
knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on,
you do know him and have seen him." NIV
But isn't there another way to obtain salvation?
Acts 4:12 "Salvation is found in no one else, for
there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we
must be saved." NIV
What about works? Wouldn't that qualify someone for heaven?
Eph 2:8-9 8 "For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift
of God- not by works, so that no one can boast." NIV
It is clear from all these texts that salvation comes from
God, not us. It is by His grace that we are saved. How? John
3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and
only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life." NIV This is real love, divine love. This
salvation is only available if you accept Jesus into your
heart.
Rom 10:9-10 "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is
Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that
you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth
that you confess and are saved." NIV
How can anyone on this planet be saved?
John 3:17-18 "For God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
NIV
Does this mean anyone will be saved? No, only those who
accept God's grace.
John 3:18-19 "Whoever believes in him is not condemned,
but whoever does not believe stands condemned already
because he has not believed in the name of God's one and
only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the
world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their
deeds were evil." NIV
Why can't we be saved by our own efforts?
Rom 3:10-12 "There is no one righteous, not even one; there
is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have
turned away, they have together become worthless; there is
no one who does good, not even one." NIV
What is the consequence of our sins?
Rom 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." NIV
If we depend on ourselves for salvation we are heading for
trouble. Death is our ultimate destination. However it is
still not too late to accept God's grace and invite Jesus
into your heart. Salvation is only obtainable through Jesus
Christ. Why don't you accept Him now by answering His call
at http://www.answers2prayer.org/saviours_call.html . He
wants you to be His friend. Will you let Him? Rom 3:23-24
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and
are justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that came by Christ Jesus." NIV
Now what about those who lived under the Old covenant? Could
they be saved and if yes, how so?
The Book of Hebrews will shed some light on this:
Heb 11:13-16 "All these people were still living by faith
when they died. They did not receive the things promised;
they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.
And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on
earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are
looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been
thinking of the country they had left, they would have had
opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a
better country-a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed
to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for
them." NIV
Were some people saved in the Old Covenant? Absolutely! Many
were saved! How? Through works? No! By faith! Absolutely!
Although they did not receive what was promised, they saw it
from a distance and believed. What promise are we talking
about here? The promise they believed in was given by God to
Adam and Eve, minutes after they had sinned: Gen 3:15 "And I
will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your
offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will
strike his heel." NIV This is the promise of the upcoming
Messiah who will crush the serpent, the devil under his
feet. Hope was given to our forefathers, a hope that is
portrayed throughout the Old Testament. Blood sacrifices,
Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac, the living waters in the
dessert… all of these were reminder of the soon to come
fulfillment of that promise. Those who believed that promise
and clung to it, were saved.
Heb 9:26-28 "But now he has appeared once for all at the end
of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face
judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the
sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not
to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting
for him." NIV
What about God's law in the Old Covenant?
Rom 10:4 "For Christ is the end of the Law [the limit
at which it ceases to be, for the Law leads up to Him Who
is the fulfillment of its types, and in Him the purpose
which it was designed to accomplish is fulfilled. That is,
the purpose of the Law is fulfilled in Him] as the means of
righteousness (right relationship to God) for everyone who
trusts in and adheres to and relies on Him." AMP
Gal 3:24-25 "So the law was put in charge to lead us to
Christ that we might be justified by faith." NIV
All the laws were pointing towards Jesus as well. The whole
Old Covenant was proclaiming that one day the Messiah would
appear and He is the One who would bring us salvation. How
much more blessed are we who have been able to witness the
death and resurrection of the Messiah. We are able to
witness this, although it happened 2000 years ago, because
Jesus lives in us! He is alive in us! 1 John 4:13-16 "We
know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given
us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the
Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If
anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives
in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love
God has for us." NIV
Now what about those who nowadays have not heard yet about
Jesus Christ? Isn't it our task to share the Good News with
them?
The apostle had the same concern and this why he urged the
following: Rom 10:14-15 "But how are people to call upon Him
Whom they have not believed [in Whom they have no faith, on
Whom they have no reliance]? And how are they to believe in
Him [adhere to, trust in, and rely upon Him] of Whom they
have never heard? And how are they to hear without a
preacher? And how can men [be expected to] preach unless
they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet
of those who bring glad tidings! [How welcome is the coming
of those who preach the good news of His good things!]" [Isa
52:7.] AMP
Jesus even encouraged us to be His messengers in the dying
world:
Matt 28:18-20 "Jesus approached and, breaking the silence,
said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven
and on earth has been given to Me. Go then and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded
you, and behold, I am with you all the days ( perpetually,
uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and
consummation of the age." AMP
Stand up and touch someone. We are the light bearers in this
dark world. Let us proclaim that salvation has come. Inner
peace is available to those who trust the Lord.
Reconciliation and eternal life had been made available
though Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!
P. S. God's majesty has been proclaimed since the creation
of the world. No one has any excuses. God has reached out to
them personally, but not everyone listened to His voice! Rom
1:20-26 "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. 21 For although they knew God,
they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him,
but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts
were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they
became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God
for images made to look like mortal man and birds and
animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the
sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the
degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They
exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and
served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever
praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to
shameful lusts." NIV
Rob Chaffart
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Good question! God has made every provision for man to
inherit the kingdom of God right from creation. He dealt
with man according to laws. These laws were given to Moses
in order to guide the people of God. It was not in the plan
of God that any should perish and that was why there was a
provision of laws governing the affairs of man before
Christ.
If you go through the book of Exodus 20:1-17 you will see
the Ten Commandments that was given to Moses for the
Israelites to obey. The laws were sufficient for them at
that time.
CONDITIONS FOR BLESSING HIS PEOPLE
Deuteronomy 11:18-23
"There shall ye law up these my words in your heart and in
your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that
they may be as frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall
teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest
in thine house and when thou walket by the way, when thou
liest down, and when thou riest up. And thou salt write them
upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: For
if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I
command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk
in His way, and to cleave unto him; Then will the LORD drive
out all these nations from before you, and ye shall possess
greater nations and mightier than yourselves"
The blessings of protection, prosperity and eternity were
all packed up in the law that Moses delivered to God's
people. There were compasses through which they were judged.
Conversely, the same would be the yardstick through which
they would be judged in heaven.
GOD WAS REVIVING HIS PEOPLE WITH HIS LAW IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT
Job 22:22
"Revive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his
words in thine heart.
Constantly there were revivals created by God to redeem His
people by His spirit inside them. Therefore no one had an
excuse to give for not obeying the Lord His God up to a good
measure.
Romans 2:12. 15 “For as many as have sinned without the law
shall also perish without the law; and as many as have
sinned under the law shall be judged by the law”
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts,
their conscience bearing witness with it and their reasoning
one with the other, accusing or even excusing them.
16 In the day when God judges the secrets of men according
to the Gospel. (KJV Version)
You see, in the above contexts, man’s conscience corresponds
with the God-created humans nature and enables man to know
what God justifies and what He condemns.
There is hope for as many as would live by the commandment
of God in the Old Testament. However, I will want you to
appreciate the work of the cross. Jesus Christ died in your
place so that you will not die again. No sacrifice, no
rituals are expected before you can approach the throne of
mercy. In the Old Testament, when one sins, there are prices
you have to pay before you can get out of sins. In the
present dispensation of grace, the blood of Jesus has been
made a sacrifice once and for all. As many as believe Him to
them gave He power to become the sons of God.
How”
Romans 10:11 “For the scripture saith whosever believeth on
him shall not be damned. For there is no difference between
the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich
unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon
the name of the Lord shall be saved”.
Can you see that? Have you life eternal? Do you want to get
saved from your sins now? Today is the day of salvation –
tomorrow may be too late for you!
Please click on the appropriate place on our web page and
you will find rest for your soul.
God bless you!
Rev Debo Adeyemo
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Here is how I believe this happened, based on Scripture. All quotations are from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible.
We know that a person can only receive salvation by Jesus Christ, not by any denomination, or by their works. "'I am the way, the truth, and the life!' Jesus answered. 'Without me, no one can go to the Father.'" (John 14:6), and "Only Jesus has the power to save! His name is the only one in all the world that can save anyone" (Acts 4:12) But how do we apply this to those who lived hundreds or thousands of years before Jesus' incarnation? Are they in hell, or did God's grace save those who responded to Him in faith?
People have had knowledge of God since creation. However, even though the existence of God was made obvious in His creation, human sinfulness became a problem, and people started practicing idolatry and immoral acts as a result of their rebellion. (see Romans 1:18-32) A person who has clear knowledge of God, but willingly turns against Him will not be saved. This was true then, and is true now.
However, many people prior to the beginning of the Church, such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab, and King David believed and were rewarded for their faith. I recommend reading all of Hebrews 11 for a better understanding of this. Another example is the thief crucified alongside Jesus who repented (Luke 23:39-43) What happened when a righteous person living prior to Jesus' sacrifice died? I know that some who are reading this may accept the doctrine of "soul sleep" and disagree with the following interpretation. However, I feel the following verses explain the state of the dead in Old Testament times, and whether this was changed by Jesus' sacrifice at Calvary.
Under the Old Covenant, the dead were believed to go to a place called sheol or hades to await the final judgment. However, Jesus' death on the cross opened heaven to all who believe in Him. Please consider the following: Many were raised when Jesus died on the cross, and ascended into heaven (the holy city) at His resurrection. "Graves opened, and many of God's people were raised to life. They left their graves, and after Jesus had risen to life, they went into the holy city, where they were seen by many people." (Matthew 27:52-53)
The following verse is used to justify the belief that Jesus raised the righteous that were in sheol. "As the Scriptures say, 'When he went up to the highest place, he lead away many prisoners and gave gifts to the people." (Ephesians 4:8) The people of faith mentioned in Hebrews 1 are called a cloud of witnesses. "Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of anything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let us go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us." (Hebrews 12:1-2)
In light of this, I believe that the righteous before the
time of Christ were saved the way that we are now-by faith.
They did not have the Gospel message as we know it, but they
responded by faith to what had been revealed to them. If you
haven't received Christ, or have fallen away from Him, I
invite you to answer the Savior's Call found at this link:
http://www.answers2prayer.org/saviours_call.html
We'll be glad to pray for you and help answer any questions
you have about your new faith. God bless.
In His love from your sister in Christ,
AJ Demers
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Very Simple! Micah 6:6-8 tells us: With what shall I come
before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I
come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year
old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with
ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for
my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my
soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does
the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and
to walk humbly with their God. That is all they need do
before Christ came to earth. MAY ALL BE BLESSED!
Love DeeDee
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To inherit the Kingdom of Heaven before Jesus, one still had to have a personal relationship with God, only God's Spirit did not dwell inside the human body then. David is the best example of this. He was not caught up in the religiosity of the sacrificial system. Instead, he chased after God and fully depended on God. He looked forward to Christ by trusting the Father's every plan. This included the plan of salvation. When Christ died, he went into Hades to bring out David and all those who did not know the name of Jesus. This includes Moses, Abraham and Noah etc. Now there is no longer a need for a waiting place for the dead. Now, we can know the plan of salvation. Do you actually know Jesus or do you know about Him. Intellectual knowledge alone will not rescue you from sin, Satan or self.
Todd Shilt
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The answer to this question is simple - nothing. Then as now, salvation is by God's grace through faith.
The OT saints who lived before the law and during the law looked forward to the coming of the Messiah - Jesus, the Christ, as we know Him - just as we look back to when He came. Hebrews Chapter 11 - the hall of Faith - explains this in great detail and much better than I could. Their faith in God and His coming Messiah was counted to them as righteousness, just as our faith allows us to count Jesus' righteousness as our own.
The book of Galatians clearly tells us that no one is justified by the law, or keeping any set of rules, or doing any works. In Chap 2, vss. 8-9 it says "By grace are you saved through faith, in that, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one can boast." In other words, works and religion don't save - a relationship does. These OT men and women, through their faith in the coming Savior, had a living, loving relationship with the God of the Universe, and we have the same kind of faith relationship with Him looking back at what Jesus accomplished through His life, death, burial, and resurrection. Singing for the Audience of One.
Tom Hacker
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The same as us, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and keep
His Commandments. John 14:15
Noah was saved by grace. Genesis 6:8
Abraham spoke one- on -one with The LORD when He made a
covenant with him to love the Lord and keep His
Commandments. Genesis 15:16 and again when he was 99 years
old. Genesis 17:4-8 and again under the oaks at Mamre
-Genesis 18:1.when the Lord appeared to him and outlined His
plans to destroy Sodom & Gomorrah.
Abraham prophetically told Isaac that "the Lord will provide
for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering!" in response to
Isaac 's question about the sacrifice for the altar Abraham
was building. God provided a male lamb to die in Isaac's
stead, and He provided a male lamb to die in our stead,
Jesus the Lamb of God. Genesis 22:8-13
Jacob saw Jesus at the top of the ladder and the angels
going up and down, taking messages between him and the Lord.
Genesis 28:12-18 Jacob wrestled with Jesus from dark till
dawn and Jesus changed his name to Israel' for you have
striven with God and prevailed."
'The Rock" symbolized Jesus. He died once for all and Moses
struck the Rock twice in anger so he was denied entrance to
the Promised Land. Jesus was 'the Water of Life' that gushed
from the rock.1 Corinthians 10:4.He was symbolized in the
Manna, and the unleavened bread.John6:41.He was the Passover
Lamb John 1:36 He symbolized the serpent on the pole, which
was lifted up that all might look and live. John 3:14 He was
there at Creation, and nothing was created without Him. John
1:1-3.He was in the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of
Fire by night. Exodus 13:21
Daniel was protected by the Lord in the lions' den. Daniel
6:22.Jesus walked with Shadrach, Meshach and Adebnego in the
fiery furnace Daniel 3:25 Hebrews 11,credits all the Old
Testament heroes with Faith. They were saved no differently
to us, the God of the Old Testament is also the God of the
New Testament. The animal sacrifices pointed forward to the
Cross, they looked by faith for a Saviour to come, We look
back to the Cross and accept Jesus sacrifice on our behalf.
Since He gave His life once for all, it is wrong to make
animal sacrifices now, The blood of bulls and goats cannot
save anyone, the people were supposed to see in them their
need of a Saviour and they pointed forward to Jesus death on
the Cross
No man has seen the Father at any time. John 14:1-14 so all
sightings of the Lord in the Old Testament were of Jesus.
Their names are interchangeable Isaiah 9:6 . If we had been
born into the family of Adam and Eve, or Noah, or Joseph we
would worship the Lord exactly as we do today." I am the
Lord I change not" Malachi 3:6
Adam loved the Lord and kept His 10 Commandments, he was a
Sabbathkeeper. So was Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jesus, the
Apostles and all the disciples, We can't do better than
follow their example. Revelation speaks in several places of
a remnant who love the Lord and keep His Commandments.
Revelation 12:17,Revelation 14:12; A remnant is a piece of
cloth, what is left from the bolt. It looks exactly like the
original cloth, but it is the last piece. God's remnant
church looks no different from His Church at Creation. God
bless,
Noeline
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The same thing we have to do today, live by faith,
believing in the promise. It’s the same promise we have
today; we’re also waiting on Jesus to come. But make no
mistakes; we have the revealed testimonies and a greater
hope because we have witness the sacrifice. We will be held
to greater standards.
For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man
that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than
he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God
hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. Romans 12:3
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of
stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto
whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and
to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the
more. Luke 12:48
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith
to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Romans 1:17
Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the
end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that
only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the
faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, Romans 4:16
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now
commandeth all men every where to repent: Acts 17:30
God bless you all! Yvonne
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The book of Ecclesiastics tells us to fear God and keep his commandments. So for somebody of old time to really make heaven he need to keep the law of the lord in his heart that he might not sin against him and to hearken unto his commandments.
Oghenekaro Japhet
