What happend to those people that died before Christ?

[zotah]

1 Peter 3:19 and 1 Peter 4:5-6

I was always told as a baptist that while Jesus was dead for 3 days he went to Paridise (Luke 16) and released all the spirits from there to heaven.

1 Peter 3:19 says

By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison:

and 1 Peter 4:5-6

Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live accourding to God in the spirit.

Question #1 Who were these people Jesus Preached to, were they Jews only or were they everyone who had a hope of the Messiah coming?

Question #2 Where does it say in the Bible that we don't have another chance after we die to except Christ.

Question #3 What about those millions of people through out time over that last 2000 years that had died and never heard of Jesus Christ before. Do these verses point to that fact that they might have a chance to get saved after they die or will they all go to hell since they never excepted Christ.

Question #4 What is the age of accountability. 3 years old or older?

Question #5 Where does the Bible talk about the age of accountability? and do Babys go to heaven. Where does it say that?

Question #6 What do these verses Mean and who are they talking about?

1 Peter 3:19 and 1 Peter 4:5-6 See above. Do these people Jesus was talking and preaching too. Are they only the people that had died before Jesus had died.

I think that's enough questions.

I really would like to know the exact teaching on this.

Thanks,

Zotah

Edited October 1, 2009 by zotah

[BlindSeeker]

Here's a post of mine from an old thread . . .

1Pe 3:19 By which also He went and preached unto the

spirits in prison

;

20

Which sometime were disobedient, when

once the longsuffering of God waited

in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing

, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

What is clear in the verse above is that

[Smalcald]

There is no exact teaching on those issues as Christianity is divided on all of them. Just go with your personal conviction and how you interpret scripture.

[Guest Ken Rank]

Question #1 Who were these people Jesus Preached to, were they Jews only or were they everyone who had a hope of the Messiah coming?

I'll take a stab at these Zotah, but they are just my opinion. I agree that those he preached to were those who rejected what Noah was preaching.

Question #2 Where does it say in the Bible that we don't have another chance after we die to except Christ.

It doesn't, it says that are all appointed to die and then the judgement. But as with all scripture, sometimes thing aren't as cut and dry as it seems. Messiah preaching (by the Spirit) to those who had already died in disobediance causes me to ask the same question you have about a 2nd chance. While I would not live my life thinking I would have a second chance, I do wonder. For example, during the thousand year reign, we will be priests of God. A priest makes intercession between one party and God. If we who believe are made incorruptible at his return, Torah written in our hearts.... so who then is alive that is not incorruptible that needs intercession? Likewise, at the end of the thousand years, satan is let loose for a short time to deceive the nations. Yet, if we are incorruptible, we can't be deceived which tells us that people are alive who can be. Again, I wouldn't make a doctrine of this, I wouldn't live expecting this, but I do wonder if this isn't the case.

Question #3 What about those millions of people through out time over that last 2000 years that had died and never heard of Jesus Christ before. Do these verses point to that fact that they might have a chance to get saved after they die or will they all go to hell since they never excepted Christ.

Messiah died once for all... and that is all people for all time. Prior to Messiah, the people of God looked forward to his coming, while we live looking back at what he did. In either case, both our faith is based on Messiah.

Question #4 What is the age of accountability. 3 years old or older?

What 3 year old can truly understand that in faith and in baptism we are identifying with the death and resurrection of the one who walked without sin? In Jewish culture, the age is 13... but that comes more from tradition than scripture. However, I would think it is closer to that age... but doesn't have a time limit. In other words, if at 13 you can fully perceive righteousness from unrighteousness, life and death, are you not accountable? Yet what of the 40 year old mentally challenged person who's ability to reason is on a 10 year old level? But no, definitely not three.

Question #5 Where does the Bible talk about the age of accountability? and do Babys go to heaven. Where does it say that?

Not sure I can answer this without a little study to sure up some facts first. As for babys, while born into sin, can a baby be held accountable for something it has no comprehension of? We serve a God of love and grace, not a God who wields a hammer drawing pleasure off of the separation between he and man! Our entire exitence from the beginning is about reconciling back to God, not in God seeing how many people he can destroy.

Question #6 What do these verses Mean and who are they talking about?

1 Peter 3:19 and 1 Peter 4:5-6 See above. Do these people Jesus was talking and preaching too. Are they only the people that had died before Jesus had died.

In this case, it is specifically speaking of those who were disobediant in the days of Noah. But remember these words:

Joh 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose thant even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

Peace.

Ken

[Smalcald]

The bible never addresses the age of accountability as the concept itself is not in scripture, there is no "age". Children can and do have faith, at what age, who knows? But we do know that we are all born with the stain of sin, there is no age when we are "pure" of sin.

John the Baptist leapt in the womb at the presence of the pregnant Mary.

There are not any clear biblical answers to your questions.

[JCISGD]

Sin is a (conscious) transgression of the law, what baby/young child can consciously understand what disobebience is? There is no stain of sin we are born with, that is a tradition of man. God is not an unjust God, he only calls conscious disobedience to the moral law sin. i.e it is not sin for a baby to assert its will by a tantrum or saying no, these are life driven needs and have no moral component. It would be constitutionally impossible for a starving child to remain calm or silent untill it had exhausted its strength.

Those that quote King David "I was concieved in iniquity and born in iniquity" are not interpreting in context. Psalms are poetic language and not to be used for literally for theology. King David was lamenting that he was concieved among a people who were rebellious to God, and born also among these.

[HAZARD]

God has revealed His method of dealing with those who have never heard the gospel. There are many billions of people who in the past, the present, and in the near future before Christ returns who have not and will not even hear the Name of Jesus mentioned, or the gospel preached.

Paul stated in Rom. 2:12-16 that God will do right by every man according to the light they have recieved.

He said, "For as many as have sinned without the law shall also perish without law: and as many have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

Haz.

[leoxiii]

It is called the Abraham's Bosom or the Limbo of the Fathers. It is where the righteous souls awaited God's redemption. See Hebrews ch. 11.

[leoxiii]

Question #5 Where does the Bible talk about the age of accountability? and do Babys go to heaven. Where does it say that?

That would be a whole other thread on Baptism.

[greg47]

Hi JCISGD,

Those that quote King David "I was concieved in iniquity and born in iniquity" are not interpreting in context. Psalms are poetic language and not to be used for literally for theology. King David was lamenting that he was concieved among a people who were rebellious to God, and born also among these.

Not sure what you mean by this i.e Psalms are not for theology. I would imagine they are full of statements with literal meaning and explain God very well, NO?

Greg.