In the linked insightful talk by Dr. Frank Turek, he answers questions about whether those who have NEVER heard about Jesus or the Gospel are able to be saved into Heaven and a blissful eternity with God. Turek also reveals precisely why most people haven’t yet come to faith in Christ - watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc7nec1JOkE
I would add to Dr. Turek's contentions that our all-powerful God is NOT limited by any TIME, LOCATION or CIRCUMSTANCE as to His ability to communicate to people living in whatever remote place – whether it be through visions, dreams, or sending them knowledge of Jesus and the Gospel, in whatever unlikely manner. But neither is ANYONE in such a remote place without the personal ABILITY to seek and reach out to God by talking or praying to Him. And, as Frank notes, Scripture tells us that it is GOD who STRATEGICALLY planned and set the locations and historic times that people would be born and live (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?s ... ersion=ESV) – because God knows ALL things, hearts and minds, past, present and future, the Bible says He placed them in time and place, again, STRATEGICALLY, so that He would save them, NO MATTER WHERE THEY LIVE / NO MATTER HOW REMOTE or without initial knowledge of Jesus or the Gospel. And so, God WILL honor anyone who desires to know more about Himself – however He has decided to accomplish that - even if they know no more about Him beyond His mere existence. Missionaries often provide many amazing stories as to how people in remote places first encountered God and eventually came to knowledge and salvation in Christ! So, God perfectly knew how He would reach such people before He ever put them in whatever remote places the Gospel had or has not yet reached (in fact, as God is ALL-knowing, there was never a point He has not known these things, as to who He would save and how!
(See the astonishing story of how God reached the Roman centurion in Acts 10, who WAS diligently searching to know more about the God he already believed existed, but didn't know much about Him - and certainly not about Jesus. Cornelius and his household were the first non-Jews to come to faith in Jesus! See here: (See the Bible passage about Cornelius here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?s ... ersion=ESV. It was only AFTER Cornelius and his household heard about Jesus and the Gospel from the Apostle Peter, and had EMBRACED it, that he was saved (as only believing in God (but NOT Jesus) is insufficient for salvation. ALL who already have been or will be saved will at some point sense themselves drawn toward God. And for the person who will not PERMANENTLY resist Him, He will guide them all the way into His salvation.
AND, just as Turek notes in the video, God had PERFECT foreknowledge of ALL things, hearts and minds, BEFORE ANY HUMAN WAS EVER BORN, meaning that, He ALSO clearly foreknew the identities of ALL of the people across time who would ONLY forever reject him, NO MATTER HOW MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT HIMSELF OR JESUS HE WOULD PROVIDE THEM. And so, knowledge of Jesus and the Gospel is worthless to those only forever determined to resist and reject God / Christ! Which, as Turek expresses, might well be why God put them in places and time where the Gospel would not touch them – because IT WOULD DO THEM NO GOOD / He knew they would reject it anyway. As a matter of fact, many places in the world, most filled with violence, conflict and evil, are places filled with unbelievers. And per God's eternal plans, it's at least possible that God placed SOME of such unbelievers (those who would NEVER accept or embrace Him, no matter what knowledge they might otherwise be given about God / Jesus) in various remote locations, so as to protect not only existing Believers in Jesus, but to better keep peace across the rest of the world, yet while also allowing the Gospel to freely spread. And so, many other people that God placed in remote locations (initially without the Gospel) will come to eventually be saved and have knowledge of Jesus, because when God placed them in such places, He also had a perfect plan to reach, draw and eventually save them as well.
If you think about it, as God foreknows a person's heart and life-long (and ENDING) spiritual mindset before they were even born, as well of many persons' unchanging determination (even to death) to only ever deny and reject Him, even if such a person PERMANENTLY rejecting God / Jesus were put into the middle of a country and place where Christian beliefs, teachings and churches are widespread, IT WOULD DO THEM NO GOOD! In fact, as far as their eternal fate, what good would the Gospel and knowledge of Jesus do for a person determined to FOREVER rejecting God / Jesus - EVEN IF they are born where knowledge of the Gospel is widespread? It would do them no good AT ALL - as they would still inherit only an eternity of punishment and separation from God, per their rejection of Him.
And as God is also in perfect control of all things, when He decided to place a person, in time and place, in whatever remote jungle, etc, He also fully foreknew /foresaw ALL of those would open minds and hearts towards HIM, as He knew exactly how He would also provide and reach them with the right understandings of Himself / of Jesus. He always knew how He would reach them - whether through missionaries, perhaps even dreams or visions, and today, even through the internet - know millions WOULD, at some point, eventually desire to know MORE about God and thus, at some point before death, begin to have an OPEN heart and mind towards Him. And so, for such people God always has known He would reach / all who would not permanently reject Him, are people whose salvation has ALWAYS been CERTAIN! Because, for each such person, when God decided to put them in whatever remote place, time, or where there was initially no knowledge of Jesus or the Gospel, He also PRECISELY knew exactly how He would, at some point in time, connect that person to the hearing of the Gospel to receive their salvation through their eventual faith in Christ.
Again, in all circumstances above, for persons God places in remote places that the Gospel has not yet reached, God allows the person to make their own decisions about how they will respond to Him, as He is UNLIMITED in His ability and desire to save one with an open heart and mind towards Him, no matter WHERE He places them. And this is because God's wooing and drawing are effective upon unbelievers whose hearts and minds are OPEN to Him / won't PERMANENTLY resist Him. God tells us that, at least initially (and before they decide to deny Him), people at least know of His existence (Romans 1) - even IF they don't yet know about Jesus (which they must for salvation to be possible - HOWEVER He may make that happen). The point is, the idea that God has spiritually handicapped or doomed people to Hell because He has placed them in places of spiritual darkness where knowledge of Jesus is non-existent - well, that is ABSOLUTELY FALSE, as God is ALL-knowing, ALL-powerful, ALL-loving, AND desires ALL persons everywhere to embrace Him - BUT HE WON'T FORCE THEM TO DO SO! ALL persons across time freely decide to either embrace or reject God / Jesus, and the Gospel message. Even those in Old Testament times who were saved (through faith in God) were embracing Jesus - it's just that God had not yet revealed Himself to them in the fullness that Christians today have been given - that the Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit ALL encompass the ONE, true God. Each member of God's Trinity (Father, Son, Spirit) is FULLY God and completely equal to each Other in all ways.
Are you surprised that Turek asserts that, no one EVER, at some point, hasn't at least believed in God’s existence? He references Romans 1 (See here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?s ... ersion=ESV), which tells us that ALL persons, "since the beginning of the world," have known, at the very minimum, that God exists! But when people decide to reject the TRUE God / Jesus (so as to remain their OWN little god), and to live however they so desire – this is when they become blind to ALL truths about God - and even His very EXISTENCE. In other words, if one buys into and entertains lies asserting God’s non-existence long enough, and becomes determined to believe such lies to be the truth, then there will be a time when many of them will no longer believe - in God’s existence – or realize they once DID believe in it. But although they may come to a point of complete unbelief in God, they will remain unsettled in spirit and lack true peace.
Also, concerning Romans 1, it's very interesting how the Apostle Paul relates that eternally rejecting God will leave people with "no excuse" when they stand before Him for His final judgement (of whether they will go to Hell and eternal punishment, with differing levels of punishment for each being dependent upon their sins in life). It's interesting that in Romans 1, the Apostle Paul never even mentions Jesus or people's rejection of Him. Of course, Paul is ALSO speaking of ancient people before his time who have already rejected their BASIC knowledge and understandings about God that Paul says He has ALREADY provided them about Himself (of His existence, basic attributes, provisions) - and and says He has provided them "EVER SINCE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD." Like many today, those ancients Paul spoke of had never even heard of Jesus - so, one might wonder, THEN HOW COULD GOD SEND PEOPLE TO HELL FOR REJECTING JESUS IF THEY HAD NEVER EVEN HEARD OF HIM?
Well, although difficult to comprehend, the Christian God of the Bible consists of the Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit - with EACH Person in God's Trinity being FULLY God and equal to each Other. Yet, EACH functions in differing but complementary roles that are in perfect sync and unified in ultimate eternal purposes. So, the answer is, to reject ANY Person of God's Trinity - whether it be the Father, Son (Jesus), or the Holy Spirit - is to reject God Himself / as He truly is! Many in ancient Israel believed in God the Father, but they rejected Jesus the Son (didn't believe Jesus to be God). These people saw Jesus do many astounding miracles, bring the dead to life, healing people of blindness, lameness, possession by demons, etc. - and yet they would not believe Who He actually was / is (GOD! The promised Messiah!). So, a person who has already permanently rejected God the Father, is effectively rejecting Jesus as well - it's just they have not yet been given a fuller understanding of God and His Trinity to comprehend ALL of Him they are also rejecting. But nor do they require ANY further knowledge of God to reject Him as He truly exists, as Father, Son and Holy Spirit are ONE God and of ONE mind and purpose. Again, one who permanently rejects any Person of God's Trinity has effectively rejected God as He exists, whether they understand God's further revelations about Jesus or the Holy Spirit. One does NOT have to have knowledge of Jesus to reject God or go to Hell. And the Old Testament makes this clear.
Philip