Results 1 - 3 of 3
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Saved with Baptism? | Bible general Archive 1 | Treadway | 51310 | ||
Dear Raven: You ask if I can "surely" understand that if a child (or retarded) died unexpectedly, that he or she would go to heaven. I can only say that it is what I would hope. But different scenarios do come to mind. What about those who died prior to Christ's time? I assume they would have gone to heaven? What comes to mind are those who were killed by the Israelites, the destruction of the populations of the cities and killing of the enemies, including the children; or maybe even the ones who perished in the Flood, or in Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding countryside. Would they, too, have gone to heaven? And then there were the children of the "detested" Samaritans, and other various Gentile groups. As for the retarded, I see your point. I just don't know what the Bible actually says on this topic. Plus, add to the mix, the people who died who never had any kind of opportunity to know about God, much less Jesus. Ancient India and China come to mind. Would those people, never mind the children or retarded, have gone to heaven? In other words, is ignorance an excuse? The more I think about this, the more confusing it seems. But I'll keep reading to see if I can find the proper Bible information. Treadway |
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2 | Saved with Baptism? | Bible general Archive 1 | RAVEN | 51316 | ||
Hello Treadway, Jesus Christ said, "You shall know the truth and the truth will make you free." John 8:32 So we agree that children or retarded people would be required to know. Since they can't then they would be safe. You wrote, "What about those who died prior to Christ's time?" These people were under the Mossaic Law not Christ. But scriptures tell us, Hebrews 11 The Heavenly Hope 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them,[1] embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. You mentioned the ones in the flood. Noah had a 120 years to build the Ark. During this time no doubt he preached and tried to warn. The people probably mocked him. The point is, that others had ample oppourtunity to believe, but the refused. To all your questions about those who may never had heard of God, much less Jesus Christ. Number one God in the Old Testament used prophets and spoke directly to them. The people new God. And the New Testament tell us, Hebrews 1 God's Supreme Revelation Christ the Fullest Revelation of God (1) 1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself[1] purged our[2] sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, And lastly, Jesus told His Apostles, Mark 16 15And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. And one more verse I found while searching for this, Matthew 24 13But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. The bible tells us that the Gospel will be preached in all the world. Even if there could possibly be somewhere that the gospel hasn't reached, that person has got to think "Where did I come from?" "Why am I here?" "What happens to me when I die?" Ignorance is no excuse. Raven |
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3 | Saved with Baptism? | Bible general Archive 1 | Treadway | 51327 | ||
Dear Raven: You say, "Ignorance is no excuse." But it may be a reason, a good reason why many have not heard about Christianity (or been preached to). In reality, most of the people in today's world have never heard of Jesus or Christianity. You may find that difficult to believe but a little investigation will bear this out. And that's just "today". Imagine all of the people in the past who had never heard the WORD. I don't think the answer is as simple as you imply. In the course of history, literally billions of people were not exposed to the teachings of Jesus Christ before the end of their lives. And just asking, "Why am I here, where did I come from, what happens when I die," would not be an adequate replacement. You suggest that all children and retarded people have an automatic place in heaven. That may be true, I don't know. But what's the difference between a child or retarded person, and someone who has never had the opportunity to make a salvation decision? ....Treadway |
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