The Faith of Abraham

.... The gospel is the power of God to salvation for those who believe, and that there is no back door, short cut, or exception by which anyone else can be saved (Romans 1:16). So then, how would this effect the multitudes who died before Jesus was even born? For themselves, this matter is already resolved and they now understand it perfectly, but for the rest of us the answer is steeped in mystery. Yet the Apostle Peter would provide some clues:

.... "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water."

(1 Peter 3:18-20)

.... "For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit."

(1 Peter 4:6)

.... As discussed in our previous posting, in the three days after Jesus had died, He was among the dead in the heart of the earth. Peter is telling us that during this same time, He was preaching the gospel to them. So they did have their chance to hear the gospel and believe – even those who were rebellious, when mankind was at it’s worst in the days of Noah.

.... For some additional insight, let's return to the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Abraham told the rich man that the living should look, not to the dead, but to the law of Moses and the testimony of the prophets (Isaiah 8:19-20; Luke 16:29). But let's remember that when Abraham himself lived and died, neither Moses nor the prophets had yet been born! So how could it be that Abraham, in this passage, was aware of them, knew their testimony, and was familiar with the things they wrote?

.... It can only mean that when the prophets themselves died, they brought their testimony with them into the next world (Revelation 22:9). In the same passage, as the rich man spoke to Abraham, we saw communication between the two realms, making it possible for an exchange of information to occur, pertaining to the world they'd left behind. And for centuries, the meaning of passages such as this one would have interested them greatly:

.... "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness."

(Micah 7:8-9)

.... For a fuller understanding on what occurred with the coming of Jesus into the realm of the dead, click here. For a fuller understanding of the sort of prophecies in which the dead placed their hopes, click here. But this still leaves us with the question of the prima facie judgment in the day before the cross, which would have decided whether their destination was to Hades or to Paradise.

.... The key to this understanding seems to be found in the person of Abraham, and what he represents. Indeed, it is for this purpose that Jesus portrayed him in such a prominent role. Why not choose Moses, Noah, or Adam for this role, instead? Because Abraham was the prime example of a man of faith, and so he was called the ‘father’ of all who believe (Romans 11:4-5).

.... In his lifetime, Abraham settled it in his heart that he would fully trust God, even though He did not yet have the specifics of the gospel -- and in this sense his heart was fully prepared for the gospel when it came (Galatians 3:8; 1 Peter 4:6). This faith offered a prima facie reason for showing that he would believe the gospel when it was fully revealed to him, and so he was chosen for Paradise. For "the Lord knows those who are His" and He becomes a stronghold for them in their day of trouble (Nahum 1:7).

.... Conversely, it was said of those who died and were sent to Hades:

.... "Because they rebelled against the words of God, and despised the counsel of the Most High, Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; they fell down, and there was none to help."

(Psalms 107:11-12)

.... During their lifetime, faith was lacking on their part -- but they certainly had enough time and incentive to re-think this! When Jesus was born, Abraham saw His day and rejoiced in it (John 8:56); thus anticipation of His coming to the next world to deliver them must have grown by leaps and bounds as well. So when Jesus did come and preach to them, and they believed, their faith in the gospel was complete. We will continue this discussion in the next posting.

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Daily Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 3