He was my son, so don't you dare make fun of his age!
You are the best at making me smile and laugh!
Yep, and I'll wait with baited breath for your clarification.
BTW, why would anyone eat bait?
But what about verses that say one must believe in order to be saved? How could the ancient Incas believe in Jesus prior to his birth? Are those verses wrong, iyo?
So that is the big question in which I am not qualified to answer so I'll just make a stab in the dark.
There are some verses that really throw me for a loop and some that are irrevocable.
So, I'll start with the fact that NO ONE knew Jesus before Jesus ever came on the scene. (I think there is a key here). They knew of a Savior, waited for a Savior and expected a Savior but didn't know who.
I know that he was slain from the foundation of the world! Gen 3:15 was the first mention at the inception of the first sin. Blood was shed by God... even as Levi was in the loins of Abraham, all mankind was in the loins of Adam. He promise was, "I will clothe you (animal skin type and shadow of righteousness) and not by your works or any law (fig leaves sewed by man trying to cover his nakedness (sin)).
So God's righteousness gift was there from the beginning. Even as all nations are blessed by Abraham, all nations were blessed by the blood shed by God to clothe mankind.
We do know that Jesus went to preach to those held until Jesus was crucified
1 Peter 3:19 By which also he went and
preached unto the spirits in prison;
So, though they didn't know Jesus, then had their opportunity to give their lives to Jesus even though they didn't know him.
These were all the righteous people before Jesus came on the scene.
A couple of extra points:
- I know that whatever the judgment is, God will judge correctly
- No one on this earth knows who is in the Book of Life - Jesus is the only one who opens the Book. So I'm not the judge
- We know Paul said that God will judge those that aren't in The Law, by their own Law.Romans 2:14For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a lawunto themselves:
- We know that those who do good is of God 3 John 1:11 Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
So, if God gave the opportunity to those who did not know Jesus before Jesus came on the scene, does that translate into God will NOT give the opportunity to those who did not know Jesus AFTER Jesus to know Him? (My thought, this isn't God speaking or thinking). I know He doesn't have an exception of people -- so is there an opportunity since all sin has been paid for except for the one of not wanting a Savior? (John 16)
I also have heard of so many who cried out to Jesus on their way to eternal separation and were saved... so "after" they died, apparently there still was an opportunity. Is that another door of opportunity?
So if they do good and serve "God who made this world" - is there a venue that God provided?
Certainly the thief on the cross received salvation at the very last moment.
Of course, I do not know and leave it up to God but, hey, we love solving the unsolvable questions.
We know His mercy is higher that the Heaven from the earth, we know He has placed transgressions as far is the east from the west but people want it to be from the north to the south and count them all.
Why, then, is it important to preach Jesus? Because of His mercy! Those who do evil, know they are doing evil, have no hope because the know they are evil can still reach the mercy of God and be "born-again".
Hindu's talk about "born-again", American Indians talk about the Great Spirit, etc etc. So, at the least, I know God will judge correctly but however His judgment, His mercy is there because Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world.. so His judgment will never match ours since we do not know all things.