Dazza

Someone was explaining to me yesterday about how Jesus' role was to die for our sins since, prior to his coming, everyone was imperfect and had no way to repent. It also occurred to me, however, that there really wasn't much point sending Jesus down to earth - surely he could just judge people as if he had sent Jesus down and saved the poor lad some suffering. What's the point of being omnipotent if you can't practise a little nepotism?

Garnet

As far as I know, heaven and hell are Christian concepts. Early Judaism taught that this life is what you get and when you die, you basically went to sleep with Abraham. As Toto said, you went to sheol, otherwise known as Abraham's bosom.

Enda80

http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_savj3.htm

Salvation by law:
Paul also held a second belief: that salvation had once been attainable through adherence to the system of Jewish laws in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). However, it only applied to people who had previously died. In Galatians 3:23-26, Paul writes: "But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." (NKJ) This implies that individuals could have previously been saved by strict adherence to the law. However, after Jesus came, salvation was by faith in Christ only.

Paul seems to have assumed that people everywhere had been exposed to the Gospel. In Romans 10:18 he wrote: "But I say, have they not heard [the Gospel]? Yes indeed: 'Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.'" (NKJ) He was wrong, of course. Christianity at the time of Paul's execution circa 65 CE had extended through much of the Roman Empire, but had not made significant inroads into the Far East or Northern Europe. The inhabitants of the Americas and of most of Africa had not heard the gospel message at all. There are countries in the world even today in which Christianity has made no significant inroads.