What Happened To People Who Died Before Jesus?

Name: Paul
Question: Brandon, thanks for this great knowledge you place before us. My knowledge of the word is getting better and my faith is getting stronger. Please keep up this great work. Did all the people who had died prior to Christ death on the cross, return to paradise in their spiritual bodies before Christ’s death? Where did their souls go when their flesh bodies died?

Answer: Thank you for the question Paul.

It’s great to hear the site is helping you. I thank God for that.

The people who died before Jesus are in Heaven with God. We have to remember, there were hundreds of millions of people before Jesus. So how were people saved before Christ?

We know Abraham “believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness,” (Romans 4:3). However, nearly everyone else prior to Jesus never had an opportunity to hear about God, much less believe in Him. That’s why we have the Millennium.

Let’s dive in!

People Before Jesus

Now, our flesh and spirit have not changed since God created us. So that means some very important Scriptures have always been valid.

Let’s give them a read.

2 Corinthians 5:8
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Plainly stated, once our spirit departs our body, our spirit returns to God.

Let’s not forget what David said when he lost his son.

2 Samuel 12:23
But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

The fact that David said, “I shall go to him” means David knew he would return to God when he passed away. David was certain of it. The only way he could be certain, was if God informed him of that.

We have yet another example of this from the Old Testament.

Ecclesiastes 12:7
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

God created our spirit, so once our flesh dies, our spirit returns to our Creator.

Since we just cited the Old Testament, that tells us this Scripture has always been true. Not just since the time of Jesus Christ. That means, everyone who has ever died is in Heaven with God.

Now, that doesn’t mean everyone is in good standing either. We have to remember about Lazarus and the Rich Man, he was in Heaven, but on the wrong side of the Gulf in Heaven.

Remember what Abraham told the Rich Man?

“Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”

Luke 16:26

The Rich Man was not a righteous man. Therefore, he was in Heaven, but essentially being held in prison. That should also remind us, once Jesus perished on the cross, He went to the right hand of God, (Hebrews 10:12). Shortly after, He preached to the spirits in prison.

That last sentence even tells us, though there are spirits in prison (in Heaven), that does not mean they are condemned to death. The fact that Jesus preached to them means, they never had an opportunity at eternal life. Otherwise, why was He preaching to them?

Just remember, the Millennium will fine tune who is saved. There were hundreds of millions of people before Jesus, they will all have their opportunity for salvation during the Millennial reign of Christ.

We have only scratched the surface here. There are many other verses that explain there is life after death. Not just that, but verses that explain we are resurrected instantly after death, just like Jesus Christ, (Romans 6:5).

• Our Father is the God of the living, not the dead.
• There are souls under the altar who were slain on earth.
• John spoke with a fellow servant in Heaven who was one of the prophets.

The list goes on and on, (Matthew 22:32, Revelation 6:9, 22:9).

Just know and be assured, the people that died before Jesus have risen into their spiritual body, (1 Corinthians 15:35-55). They are alive, and with God.