Souls Before Christ

[Iron Lion]

Hi,

What happened to peoples souls before the death of Christ. Was there heaven and if so how did people get there. Thanks for your time. Bless you all.

[stranger]

I think that you may have been listening to what people say instead of listening to what Jesus Christ says in the scriptures, I say this because scripture does not say that people in general would go to heaven when they die ...

Rather Jesus Christ established the resurrection of sinners to the body, not translation to the spirit in heaven, so that all men will be resurrected to the body - in a new much-changed righteous earth :

Isaiah 65:17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. {come…: Heb. come upon the heart}

Isaiah 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.

2 Peter 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

--- thus , since the dead know nothing and are resurrected free of sin to the pouring out of God's holy spirit on all flesh and judgment whether they still want to sin, and God comes to dwell with mankind, why on earth would anyone want to go to an empty heaven then instead...

Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

Rev 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Thus it makes NO DIFFERENCE if one died before or after Christ died, almost ALL people are resurrected AFTER the return of Jesus Christ [a whole millenium afterward!] and then we ALL KNOW the truth of God and understand the future:

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

[Andyman_1970]

Hi,

What happened to peoples souls before the death of Christ. Was there heaven and if so how did people get there. Thanks for your time. Bless you all.

Question: is God the God of the living or the dead?

[stranger]

Question: is God the God of the living or the dead?
Romans 14:9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

[Rosieace]

:cool: Hi Iron Lion,
In the bible where they talk about after Jesus died on the cross, He went to hell, and kicked the devil in the head with his heel, and took back the keys of hell and of death. Then,He went to paradise which was a section off of hell. He preached to the people there, and whoever wanted to go with him to heaven, did.Then, after they all went to heaven who wanted to, the bible says that paradise was swallowed up of hell, and hell was enlarged.:crosseo:

I believe that is the way the story goes. Rosieace:scratch:

[Iron Lion]

do you know where in the bible i could find this?

thanks :)

[Lynn73]

:cool: Hi Iron Lion,
In the bible where they talk about after Jesus died on the cross, He went to hell, and kicked the devil in the head with his heel, and took back the keys of hell and of death. Then,He went to paradise which was a section off of hell. He preached to the people there, and whoever wanted to go with him to heaven, did.Then, after they all went to heaven who wanted to, the bible says that paradise was swallowed up of hell, and hell was enlarged.:crosseo:

I believe that is the way the story goes. Rosieace:scratch:Huh? :scratch: Asking people who've died whether or not they want to go to heaven? Um, if a person is dead, where they go is fixed. There isn't any second chances for heaven, at least none that I can see in the Bible. So I doubt He asked anyong if they wanted to go. He took the ones who had the right to go due to their living according to God's laws and looking forward to Christ.

Remember Lazarus and the rich man? Hades had two compartments then, one for the righteous dead, the other for the wicked or lost. Lazarus went to the good side (sometimes called Abraham's bosom) and the rich man went to the bad side. These righteous dead were no doubt those who lived according to God's laws and looked forward to the ultimiate Lamb sacrifice, Christ. They believed in and lived for God, like Abraham. When Jesus died and descended into hell, he took "captivity captive" or in other words emptied out the good side and took them home to heaven. The other side remains. My understanding is that no one is in the lake of fire yet. The difference has been explained to me that where they are now is like a local jail where people wait for trial and punishment. Whereas hell, or the lake of fire is compared to prison where the final sentence is carried out. Does that make any sense?

[Andyman_1970]

Romans 14:9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

I would respectfully direct you to Matthew 22:32 "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob? He is not the GOD of the dead but of the living."

[New_Wineskin]

Hi,

What happened to peoples souls before the death of Christ. Was there heaven and if so how did people get there. Thanks for your time. Bless you all.
It has always been righteousness granted because of faith .

[fiveinjuly]

Where exactly in the bible does it say that Jesus went to hell. I don't doubt it, but I've never seen the scripture. It's just one of those things that I had faith in...

[stranger]

[Rosieace] "Paradise a section of Hell in bowels of the earth? "Paul says that paradise is in the third heaven [thus after the new (second ) heaven and earth of Revelation] and ther is no hell by then as hell and death are destroyed in the lake of fire :-

2Cor 12:2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. {lawful: or, possible}

Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Equally the tree of life [of the garden of Eden] is in paradise, so paradise cannot be in hell unless Eden is also....

Revelation 2:7 ... the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

[stranger]

[Lynn73] " There isn't any second chances for heaven, at least none that I can see in the Bible"The whole point of Jesus bringing in resurrection, in particular the second resurrection for sinners to the righteous judgment of God with mercy is that all men have a second chance after death has wiped away their sin through resurrection [by Jesus Christ] ... thus anyone that sins has to die as thw 'wages of sin' hut has life through Jesus Chtrsits once resurrected, and being then baptised of the holy spirit into ALL the truth of God ... as promised by God to ALL men :-

Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh:

[Clearly many men have died , billions even. and God has clearly not as yet poured out His spirit yet on all flesh... as for instance shown by the fact that not even all christians agree in the ONE truth of God as yet!]

Thus everyone that needs it [almost all!] gets another chance in the new earth through resurrection from 'hell' [the grave, the place of the dead]
, and some even get a third chance, those that need it, in the lake of 'fire' [trial] since the emercy of God never comes to an end [as it says ober a hundred times in scripture]

Jesus is the saviour of ALL men, just not all at the same time :-

Isaiah 49:26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. {sweet: or, new}

1 Timothy 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.