• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Dying Prior To Jesus

Where did the dead go?

  • Total voters
    26
Neo Deist

Neo Deist

Th.D. & D.Div. h.c.
Q: for the BILLIONS of people (regardless of evolutionary state) that died prior to Jesus, where did they go upon their death?

This question is mostly for Christians, but feel free to chime in.
 
Demonslayer

Demonslayer

Well-Known Member
I think it used to be a place called Limbo, but the Pope shut that place down years ago like some cosmic Guantanamo Bay.
 
First Baseman

First Baseman

Retired athlete
Neo Deist said:
Q: for the BILLIONS of people (regardless of evolutionary state) that died prior to Jesus, where did they go upon their death?

This question is mostly for Christians, but feel free to chime in.
Click to expand...

St. Paul explains in his epistles that those before Christ lived according to faith, too. God counted Abraham's faith as righteousness and credited it to him as righteousness.

So people are saved by faith in Christ or faith in the coming Christ before Christ.
 
savagewind

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I say most people who died prior to Christ ceased living and thinking and to grave they went.
But I think it is funny that people believe the same thing happens to everyone. So my right answer is I do not know what happens to everyone.
Maybe someone gets reincarnated. Maybe someone is put in a state of only what looks like death and they get beat to **** because they were so god dam bad.
I am Christian so I have to believe that before Christ no one else made it to heaven. BUT after Jesus, I think God can pluck anyone from anywhere at anytime so that people like Moses are now with him in Heaven.
 
Neo Deist

Neo Deist

Th.D. & D.Div. h.c.
savagewind said:
I am Christian so I have to believe that before Christ no one else made it to heaven. BUT after Jesus, I think God can pluck anyone from anywhere at anytime so that people like Moses are now with him in Heaven.
Click to expand...

I just want to point out that the Bible never says we go to heaven. Per Rev 20 and 21, the dead will be raised from the grave, judged, and then sent to the lake of fire for destruction, or paradise on new earth.

Then you have John 3:13: No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
 
savagewind

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Neo Deist said:
I just want to point out that the Bible never says we go to heaven. Per Rev 20 and 21, the dead will be raised from the grave, judged, and then sent to the lake of fire for destruction, or paradise on new earth.

Then you have John 3:13: No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
Click to expand...
OK. I raise you one. Revelation 14:1
 
Demonslayer

Demonslayer

Well-Known Member
savagewind said:
BUT after Jesus, I think God can pluck anyone from anywhere at anytime so that people like Moses are now with him in Heaven.
Click to expand...

So you believe all loving God looks down into hell and plucks out some people that were accidentally or unjustly put there? How could a perfect, loving God allow some innocent people to be unjustly tortured in hell for any length of time?

Couldn't he have instead just reversed time or something, such that the innocent ones never went to hell in the first place?
 
savagewind

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
Demonslayer said:
So you believe all loving God looks down into hell and plucks out some people that were accidentally or unjustly put there? How could a perfect, loving God allow some innocent people to be unjustly tortured in hell for any length of time?

Couldn't he have instead just reversed time or something, such that the innocent ones never went to hell in the first place?
Click to expand...
I think I said that if hell is possible then God can assign a soul there but the soul would deserve a good disciplinary something or other. If hell exists it is for people who deserve it. And if it exists it is a place where repentance is possible because God is righteous imho. If it exists and a bad person ever went there to be disciplined but would not be disciplined then God would (I am sure) move him over to the place of non-conscious things. That is all if a place of torment even exists. I do not know.
 
George-ananda

George-ananda

Advaita Vedanta, Theosophy, Spiritualism
Premium Member
Neo Deist said:
Q: for the BILLIONS of people (regardless of evolutionary state) that died prior to Jesus, where did they go upon their death?
Click to expand...
My answer would be that they went to the same place people go now after Jesus' death, to the astral plane and then reincarnation (but the poll wouldn't allow two choices:)).
Neo Deist said:
This question is mostly for Christians, but feel free to chime in.
Click to expand...
I agree with your implied point that it is very odd that people still believe something fundamental about the universe changed after Jesus' death. It is dogma taken beyond reason in my opinion but I see that type of dogma losing hold in modern times and will eventually become essentially extinct. However, I believe the loving message of Jesus and His brotherly love for all will live forever.
 
Etritonakin

Etritonakin

Well-Known Member
Neo Deist said:
Q: for the BILLIONS of people (regardless of evolutionary state) that died prior to Jesus, where did they go upon their death?

This question is mostly for Christians, but feel free to chime in.
Click to expand...

Contrary to popular belief, the bible does NOT say that people "go to heaven" -and it actually states that they DO NOT.

Salvation is available to all after Adam -but none receive salvation until they are resurrected. None will be resurrected until Christ returns -or 1,000 years after he returns.
That means the dead are still dead -also referred to as being asleep -due to the fact that dying is like sleep in that you have no memory of the time you spend asleep.
You fall asleep, and the next thing you are aware of (apart from dreams) is being awake again (and dreams do not correspond to real time, anyway.

A good example is the thief on the cross. Christ told him he would be in PARADISE (not heaven) with him that day. Yet Christ did not even ascend to heaven that day.
Even when he did ascend to heaven, the following is the case..... Joh 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.
One might think David ascended to heaven -but that is not the case, either.....
Act 2:34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
Act 2:35 Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

Though a few have been brought back to life (Lazarus, etc...), the dead are still dead -and unaware of the passage of time until they are resurrected later....
Note that when Christ returns, the DEAD in Christ will rise first -which means they are still dead.
Those who are alive when he returns will not prevent those who are ASLEEP.

1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together....

So.... the thief on the cross is still dead -but will be in paradise the next instant after he died from his perspective -even though much time has passed.
Also....the paradise spoken of will be on Earth -the meek shall inherit the Earth -not in heaven -though the heavens/universe will eventually be inhabited, and Earth will essentially be the capital.

Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished............

Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

Earth will be made a paradise -and there will be no more war (except one attempt after the thousand years).

Isa 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
Isa 11:7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Isa 11:8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
Isa 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Mic 4:2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Mic 4:3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Mic 4:4 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.


 
Sapiens

Sapiens

Polymathematician
I like Shakespeare's view:

KING CLAUDIUSNow, Hamlet, where's Polonius?
HAMLETAt supper.
KING CLAUDIUSAt supper! where?
HAMLETNot where he eats, but where he is eaten: a certain
convocation of politic worms are e'en at him. Your
worm is your only emperor for diet: we fat all
creatures else to fat us, and we fat ourselves for
maggots: your fat king and your lean beggar is but
variable service, two dishes, but to one table:
that's the end.
KING CLAUDIUSAlas, alas!
HAMLETA man may fish with the worm that hath eat of a
king, and cat of the fish that hath fed of that worm.
KING CLAUDIUSWhat dost you mean by this?
HAMLETNothing but to show you how a king may go a
progress through the guts of a beggar.
KING CLAUDIUSWhere is Polonius?
HAMLETIn heaven; send hither to see: if your messenger
find him not there, seek him i' the other place
yourself. But indeed, if you find him not within
this month, you shall nose him as you go up the
stairs into the lobby.
 
Skwim

Skwim

Veteran Member
First Baseman said:
St. Paul explains in his epistles that those before Christ lived according to faith, too. God counted Abraham's faith as righteousness and credited it to him as righteousness.

So people are saved by faith in Christ or faith in the coming Christ before Christ.
Click to expand...
Got a chapter and verse?

In any case, many, many, many people, if not all, went to hell before JC came on the scene.


.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top