Celestial Diary

John 14:1-6

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 
² In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 
³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 
⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know.”
⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

At work, a debate has been going on for a while now and it all started with a question posed by a Muslim colleague: What about the people in the Old Testament, if Jesus is the only way to heaven?

A coworker, who claims to be a pastor, confidently answered that they will all go to hell, and Jesus will rescue them from there. This response left our colleague shocked, making him to ask others the same question (I believe he was trying to insinuate that Islam is better for this reason).

When I heard about it I was instantly annoyed and my head was filled with all sorts of questions.

• Where is this stated in the Bible?
• Who appointed him as a pastor?
• Why spread potentially misleading information?
• Did he make up the answer or does he truly believe he’s right?

It’s stirring up discord within the body of Christ and this situation can leave unbelievers with the impression that we lack a clear understanding of our religion and the God we serve.

Before engaging in a confrontation with this self-proclaimed ‘Pastor,’ I need to ensure I’m armed with the correct answer. There’s nothing more foolish than entering an argument without knowledge.

I want to know what the Bible truly says about this matter. Christians often respond to questions based on gut feelings rather than factual knowledge. It’s wrong to create ideologies and present them as the Word of God.

A simple google search already proves this ‘Pastor’ wrong but where is the biblical evidence?

Old Testament – Life after death

In the Old Testament, it is believed that when a person dies, they go to a state of conscious existence known as Sheol. This Hebrew word has various translations and meanings, including ‘the grave,’ ‘the resting place of the dead,’ ‘the underworld,’ and ‘hell.’

Psalm 9:17 (NIV)
The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget God.

Psalm 9:17 (KJV)
The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

Psalm 16:9-10 (NIV)
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
Because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

Psalm 16:9-10 (KJV)
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

This is as an example of how the word Sheol can vary depending on the Bible translation. It’s possible that the colleague meant this ‘hell’ when referring to the believers in the Old Testament.

New Testament – Life after death

In the New Testament, the word Hades is similar to the Old Testament’s Sheol. Both mean the place of the dead or the underworld. While modern translations often use ‘Hell’ for both, it’s important to know the difference.

In Luke 16:19-31, the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, we learn that after their deaths, they went to different places: a place of rest for believers and a place of torment for sinners. The Rich Man found himself in hell, specifically Gehenna, a place of torment. He begged Abraham to send Lazarus to give him water, but Abraham refused, explaining that it was impossible to cross over between their realms.

1. Abraham is definitely not perishing in hell (Anyone refuting this should rethink his religion).
2. After death we go to different places depending on whether we believed in God or not.
3. Once we’ve entered a place we CANNOT cross over.

This suggests that when an unbeliever dies, whether before or after the birth of Jesus Christ, they will end up in the torment side of Hades, while believers will rest on the other side with the saints of the Old Testament.

Final Judgement

Revelation 20:11-15
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 
The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 
Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 
Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

The lake of fire, often called ‘hellfire,’ represents condemnation. This verse refers to the day of judgment, when we enter the eternal stage (Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt).

We will all depart from our temporary resting place in the realm of the dead, either ending up in the lake of fire or ascending to the Kingdom of heaven.

Now that there is some clarity on where we’ll end up after death, the next question is: How can one be saved to avoid ending up in the lake of fire?

Salvation – Old Testament

What happens to people who lived for thousands of years before Jesus introduced new commandments and teachings? They couldn’t believe in Him because they didn’t know Him.
I believe they were judged based on a different system.

1. God gave them the 10 commandments; In Exodus 20 God gave the Israelites clear instructions on what they can and cannot do.
2. They had a sacrificial system; In the book of Leviticus chapters 1-5 the five different kind of offerings are explained. Burnt offering, Grain offering, Fellowship offering, Sin offering, Guilt offering. They got clear instructions on how, where and when to perform these offerings.
3. They understood the concept of ‘Grace’; The Old Testament is filled with incredible stories of how God used, forgave, and blessed people, like Noah and his ark. These stories aren’t about people being exceptionally good, but rather about God’s grace upon them.
4. They got the promise of a Savior; Isaiah 9:26-27 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called
   Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
   Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
   From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Salvation – New Testament

In the New Testament, there are countless Bible verses that explain how believers can be saved.

Romans 10:9-13
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 
As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 
for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Believing in the existence of Jesus Christ is just the beginning; we also need to obey God’s commandments and act accordingly.

James 2:17-19
Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 
You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

Moral of the story

1. Will Old Testament believers go to hell after death because they didn’t believe in Jesus?
   No. Their faith and works will be judged according to what was available at the time.
2. Where do we go after death?
   We all go to the realm of the dead, divided into realms for believers and unbelievers. On the day of judgment, we will be resurrected and sent to our final destination.

Stay Blessed x