Popular question (that all Christians should know the answer to...):
What about people who never got a chance to know about Jesus, do they "automatically" perish -- John 3:16? In short -- NO!
First, remember that God is a perfect father, and he loves all of his children... If you always remember to give God the benefit of the doubt in EVERYTHING, no question will make you feel uneasy, because you will know that there is an answer, but you may just need time to find it... Never ever doubt your faith because God had it all figured out before he said "let there be light" (Isaiah 46:10)...
Now the longer answer...
See Revelation 20:4-6 and 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17... These verses describe the resurrection and reunion of those who already died in Christ or knew about Jesus Christ. The 2nd death will have no power over them...
See Revelation 20:11-15... These verses explain how God/Jesus will judge those individuals that were not in the group above... This group will include people that may have lived wonderful caring lives, but for whatever reason never knew Jesus Christ...
But because Christ is the judge, they still can only get to the Father through him, and since every knee will bow before the lamb, if they are found worthy and are included in the Lamb's book of life, they will be in Christ at that time. Please share with other Christians because this is a question that is used often by naysayers to trip us up...
Special Point: Don't let people convince you that ALL people that are judged during the 2nd resurrection will be ungodly or the "wicked". This is just not true.
Many people judged during that time will have lived during Jesus' 1,000 year reign with his saints, and those naysayers would basically be saying that NOBODY that lived and died during Jesus' reign was worth saving. What a negative testimony about Jesus' rule!
I guess the biggest surprise is when people realize that everyone will attend the second resurrection immediately following their natural because the first resurrection is for this life and starts with believing in Jesus.
John 5:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, HE THAT HEARETH MY WORD, AND BELIEVETH ON HIM THAT SENT ME, HATH EVERLASTING LIFE, AND SHALL NOT COME INTO CONDEMNATION; BUT IS PASSED FROM DEATH UNTO LIFE
As far as those who never heard of Jesus in this life, this is what the law of the second passover is all about.
I guess the biggest surprise is when people realize that everyone will attend the second resurrection immediately following their natural death because the first resurrection is for this life and starts with believing in Jesus.
First for the OP, it is only a small group of worshippers who have been given the ability to see how the GWT judgment is for all, and not just those destined to hell as commonly taught by most mainstream churches.
I included my own testimony about witnessing this event after my car accident in the "Resurrected From the Dead" thread as a witness in support of your thread here. The fact that you are able to see the truth in this is because you are able to hear what God has to say on this instead of following after the traditions of men. Adding this to the fact you understand there will be those �in heaven� who did not hear of Jesus in this life puts you among an even smaller group of persons worshipping God
Regarding gentiles in heaven:
As Jesus said he did not come for the righteous but sinners called to repentance because without Jesus people cannot change who and what they are.
It is not a matter of if people believe in Jesus but when will they believe in Jesus? As the saying there goes there are no atheists in the next life. For those who do not attend Passover in this life God has provided the law of the second Passover that simply says if someone (our spirit & soul) is unclean for touching a dead body, (our bodies are very unclean) or if we have been on a "far away journey from Jerusalem and did not hear the command to attend the Passover there, a second opportunity is provided
No one is born righteous and it is not our fault we were born into a condition of sin along with the knowledge of both evil and good. Consequently, God had provided an offering for everyone's sin including those who never heard of Jesus.
Those who think because they believe on a name and have been given the power to overcome sin, but did not try to do so are in a for a surprise they are not going to like. Because they thought it was impossible to overcome sin they have become like the Jews who refused to enter the Promised Land when they should have and instead incurred God's wrath. Paul takes the time to make adamently clear to us
In the resurrection no one will deny God's power and sovereignty,but for those who follow God with all of their hearts now, they will not be hurt in the time of the "second death". Through us being born with sin as a principality already in us, and already living under the curse of death, we are all born into living in the time of the first death.
When David said, "yea I walk through the valley of death but fear no evil," David did not have to go anywhere to be in the "valley of death," because the valley of death is where we are all born. However, those who seek God with all of their hearts in this life will be kept from evil.
To be kept from evil is not being protected from being hurt; obviously there many martyrs for Jesus so what is being said here means they are being protected "by His rod and staff" from becoming part of what is evil because only God has the power (as we are taught to pray) to deliver us from this evil world.
This is a great question and I remember on a mission�s trip to the lost tribe in Gondar, Ethiopia a father said to me with tears in his eyes I wish you would have come a week earlier because my daughter died last week. This is a very real question.
A daughter that know her Jewish roots but never hear of Y-shua� all of creation testifies of Him there is no excuse for not choosing HaShem, just like Father Abraham had to choose�. All of Scripture makes that clear. The witch dr vs. HaShem � she choose wisely�. To whom much has been given much is expected, including those that know about Y-shua. Those that don�t are held to the standard of HaShem (G-d) Himself�. He held Noah to it, He held Father Abraham to it�.
