Agreed that the Lord may do anything He chooses to do, but is there a scriptural basis for believing that He makes exceptions after death?
Another question is what happened to the millions who lived before the Gospels were preached. Did everybody go to Hell?
While it is true that he does not explicitly deny the possibility of exceptions for the unknowing, no one having a conversation such as this one falls into that category.
Secondly, he is quick to aid those who truly seek him. I hear many a story, and some first-hand, of Muslims, Bhuddists and others (simply looking at the world and its religious teachers and simply saying, "This cannot be") who prayed like Gideon for a sign, whereupon th Brothers were sent to speak with them
God is just.
Not clear what you are talking about. Judgement is not of this life but the next.
Another question is what happened to the millions who lived before the Gospels were preached. Did everybody go to Hell?
"Behold the Lamb of God who take away the sins of the world." Doesn't get much clearer than that, does it?
The Bible actually talks about this :
Romans 2:12-15
All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)
This indicates that there may be some people who never heard or knew the truth, yet they did what's right ("do by nature the things required by the law"). Consider also this passage:
Matthew 25:31-46 excerpts
When the Son of Man comes in his glory...He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink... Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?...
The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Note -- the righteous (or at least some of them), are SURPRISED: "When did we see YOU!?!?!?" Yet any Christian in such a situation would surely recognize it from the gospel story. So, as I see it, the ones who are surprised can only be those who never heard (BC or AD), yet did the best they knew. Read on...
Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat.. They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
Again, these people are suprised. They expected to enter heaven, they thought they served Jesus (ie, they were all Christians), yet they are told they did not. Chilling.