[jokerthief]

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Hi. Non Christian here wondering if someone could answer a couple questions for me.

1. Before Jesus, were all people sent to Heaven? Or were they all sent to Hell?
If they were all sent to Heaven, then why would God send Jesus down? Why create this opportunity for people to go to Hell? Also, if they were all sent to Heaven, then who if not humans were in Hell before Jesus?

2. I was always told by my Christian friends that those who did not have an opportunity to find out about Christianity and therefore can't accept Jesus (such as indigenous peoples in remote areas) are given the benefit of the doubt and get to go to heaven. If this is the case, then how do missionaries justify doing what they do?

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1. There were different programs for salvation before Jesus. There were both people who were saved and unsaved. When Jesus came he "sealed the fate" so to speak of those who died before him. They were saved before he came because God is omniscient and knew that Jesus (or really Himself) would save humanity. The act of dying on the cross was God's way of symbolizing to humanity that they did not need "do anything" to be redeemed from sin. He was willing to forgive mankind's act of seperating itself from God and is fully willing to accept anyone who want to come back into God's perfect love. All they have to do is accept this forgivness.

2. Your friend is wrong. God has made it clear that He will make his presence known to all people in some way. I remember studying in my eight grade spanish class that there were Indian tribes in South and Central America that had a religious system that was very close to Christianity. I believe those people are saved. Indigenous people on remote islands, I believe, are more prone to direct revelation through visions and such. I think there are many of these people who are saved but would be completely under the radar. CS Lewis thinks that people of other religions who believe in their religion with a spirit of Christ are saved. If there does exist an all powerfull being who designed and built the universe, he would be capable of having solutions to these problems that we probably can't even imagine. The thing that is very clear is that He wants us to accept Him though.

Hope this helps.