Question
I have a question that was raised, and I
just don't know how to answer it biblically. What about the native
americans prior to Columbus and people who died having never heard the Gospel?
Are they instantly doomed, even though they never had the chance to believe?
Answer
For starters let me set a background:
Bible Scholars tell us that the estimated number of people that have
lived on this earth since the time of Adam and Eve would approximate 51
Billion! Now according to Jesus, the overwhelming number of those people
were condemned to the fires of Hell, and only a "few" found the way
to Heaven: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad
is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But
small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a
few find it." [Matthew 7:13-14]
In these verses Jesus is telling us that
at any one point in time, the "many" [multitude] are on the wide and
broad road that leads to "destruction" [spiritual and eternal ruin =
Hell]. And that only the "few" find the road to life [Heaven].
So, we can fully expect that the majority of the human race ends up in
Hell, and the much smaller number make it to heaven.
A look at a World Almanac will give a
breakdown of the world religions. They say, for example that about half
of the world claims no belief at all [50% of the world = Hell], the next
largest groups who claim a religion are the Buddhist, Hindus, and Muslims, all
of which deny Christ as the way of eternal life which equals Hell.
Next you have Judaism, and all the false and liberal
"Christian" religions (Catholics, Mormons, JW's, Liberal
Presbyterians, Liberal Methodists, Liberal Lutherans, Liberal Baptists,
etc.......). These "Christians" religions have no true Gospel
of Jesus by faith and faith alone. What you finally get down to is a
"small number" of true Christian churches (of various names) that
are faithfully adhering to the true gospel and adoring Christ. My
educated guess is that less than 1% of the world, at any one time, is under
the hearing of a true Gospel, and therefore have the opportunity to be saved.
It may sound like a strange deduction,
but I believe it is a close approximation, and would fit with Jesus'
"few" finding Heaven, and the "Multitude" being condemned
to Hell. Taking the 51 Billion people that have lived on the earth so
far, that would work out to 510,000,000 in Heaven, and 50,490,000,000 in Hell
(so far). Now, these numbers have to be adjusted for all the babies and
others who died before the age of accountability, which would put a lot more
in Heaven (God's mercy).
Now, all that leads into
why anyone who never heard of Christ, God, the Bible, are still condemned to
Hell.
In 1 Chronicles 28:9, there is a basic
truth about God given, "If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if
you forsake Him, He will reject you forever." The idea is that
anyone who "honestly, with a sincere heart" seeks to know "who
is out there" will find the truth about Christ. Now that doesn't
mean they are saved, for they must now act on that truth. Sadly, most
reject what they hear about Christ. Also sad, is that many, many never
seek to know Him, and therefore never hear the truth.
We see this vividly in Romans, "The
wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and
wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what
may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to
them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities -
his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood
from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." [Romans
1:18-20]
That truth that was revealed to all men
and women is God's glorious creation ("have been clearly seen, being
understood from what has been made"). The idea is that at some
point in every man and woman's life, a time will come when they will
realize, as they observe the creation around and within them, that
"someone, or something" is out there, who made all of this.
They may not verbalize this, but they know it within themselves. At this
point they make a decision: one, they may say to themselves, "it is
not important," and they go on their way condemned to hell forever, for
they did not pursue God. The other choice they might make, is to seek to
find out about this "someone out there", in which case, God is
obligated (by His promise in 1 Chron 28:9) to bring them the truth about
Himself, which will always be the truth about Jesus Christ--the ONLY Mediator
between God and man. If they accept that truth, then they are saved and
spend eternity in Heaven. But if they reject that truth, then they are
condemned forever.
It makes no difference, where they were located
in the world--a pagan island, New York City, a Muslim home, the Middle Ages,
an Indian tribe before Columbus--it doesn't matter, for all they had to do was
to respond to the "natural revelation" (the creation) and God would
have brought them the truth about Christ.
In fact, the Bible promises us, that
every man and woman is in the best location, and in the right generation to
find Christ and make a profession: "From one man God made
every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He
determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live,
God did this so that men would
seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from
each one of us. [Acts 17:27]
And the result is that men and women are
without excuse on the Day of Judgment, because "since what may be
known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. . . .
. . .so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:19.
Bottomline, everyone, yes, everyone has
had a chance to believe, no matter when then lived, or where. They may
be a devout Muslim, saying all their prayers, or a devout Jew, but they are
still condemned to eternal Hell, because they did not come by faith and faith
alone in Jesus Christ, who is the only Way and the only Truth and the only
Life!
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "Tony Capoccia's Questions and
Answers" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 314
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986