Baptism was only commanded during the time of John the Baptist and continued in the time of Jesus Christ. All the prophets and disciples of Christ before John the Baptist, were not baptised and that doesn't mean that they will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Now coming to the case of the thief on the cross, he did not know Jesus nor have he met him before, he met Jesus on the cross and received his salvation because he didn't support evil. The book of Luke 23:43 tells us that Jesus promised the thief paradise, this means that not only did Jesus forgive his sin but he also promised him eternal life.
This implies to us christians, luckily in our own time we have to be baptized in other to enter the kingdom of heaven. The requirements for salvation is baptism and obeying God's commandments. As believers, we must be baptized in other to receive salvation and also do the will of God by observing and following all his teaching.
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