Heaven/Hell
Been thinking about the OT. Here are a few questions that have forced me to think about life back then.
Where did people go when they died before Jesus was born?
How was being a Gentile different than being a Jew?
Did Gentiles go to heaven, or hell before Jesus was born?
Were Gentiles able to have their sins forgiven before the birth of Jesus?
If so, what did they do to have their sins forgiven? Did they have to shed blood?
Was Jesus a go-between (between man and God) before he was born?
Where did people go when they died before Jesus was born?
How was being a Gentile different than being a Jew?
Did Gentiles go to heaven, or hell before Jesus was born?
Were Gentiles able to have their sins forgiven before the birth of Jesus?
If so, what did they do to have their sins forgiven? Did they have to shed blood?
Was Jesus a go-between (between man and God) before he was born?
posted by Montana Quiring at 7:19 PM
2 Comments:
Montanima!
Great that you have a blog man! I'd like to repsond to your questions but I don't know if I'll have a very satisfactory answer.
In regards to most questions of the Christian faith, scripture (the bible) is the place to look and quite frankly, scripture says what it wants to say -- this means that if one studies it (although many may disagree with this next point) there is not much talk about a "dualistic" heaven and hell in the the old testament. There is talk about "sheol" (the grave) but is often mentioned as a common destiny for all, not just the people of God. So my answer would be that as far as scripture is concerned, it is not concerned so much with heaven or hell but rather what it means to be the chosen people of God "now" on this earth.
In response to your question about Jew v.s. Gentile, in the most simplest sense, a gentile is anybody that is a non-Jew. People that didn't practice Jewish customs were considered Gentiles. There were probably more specific people groups related into that category at the time, but that is the general explanation. Now...something interesting happens in Acts 15 (Jerusalem Council) where the Jews who are now "Christians", begin to ask the question if this new aspect of their still very much Jewish faith, can include non-Jews. If you read the story, you will find that inclusivity won out and thus Christianity became a universalized faith, calling all peoples to be a part of the people of God. Wow! That was a long post.
Love ya Man.
Z
Hey Zac,
Thanks for the post.
Regarding the heaven/hell post...
Yes, I think it's very interesting how little the bible talks about heaven and hell. I've been told that Jesus talks more about money and the kingdom than heaven/hell. Why was, and is, the fire and brimstone preaching so popular to fundamentalist preachers?
Regarding the Gentile/Jew post...
ya, sorry I understand the difference I was trying to ask a deeper question and didn't do a good job. :)
I like your reference to Acts15. Thanks!
Love you Zac. Look forward to hanging and talking about Jesus the next time your down.
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