Did People Go To Heaven Before Jesus Died?

I saw an interesting question the other day about the afterlife before the Resurrection of Jesus. That was a very interesting question to me because you don't go to Heaven if the sacrifice of Jesus doesn't cover your sins. A Holy God wants nothing to do with sin. That's why we want Him to see the sacrifice of Jesus when He looks at us in the next life.

An important point, but what happened to the OT saints who died before the resurrection? If they believed God and looked forward to the day His Messiah would come, it turns out they didn't go to hell in the literal sense. They went to Hades. But we in American churches tend to equate the term "Hades" with a place of eternal punishment. Either that, or we've seen the term used incorrectly in too many movies.

The Old Testament teaches that there was life after death, and people did go to a place of conscious existence. The general term is called Sheol, which can be translated as "the grave" or "the realm of the dead. 

The wicked are there. Psalm 9:17 says, "The wicked will return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God."  But the interesting thing is the people who believed in God were there, too. Remember Job? In chapter 14:13, Job says, "Oh, that you would hide me in Sheol (again, the realm of the dead), that you would conceal me until your wrath is past. That you would appoint a set time to remember me." 

Why would he ask God to hide him in Sheol if it was a place of punishment? Job trusted God and was righteous before the Lord, even after God took everything from him. The answer to the question is found in the Book of Luke.

The New Testament equivalent of Sheol is the term "Hades." It's the story of Lazarus and the rich man. I want you to note something before we go any further. When Jesus told stories in the New Testament, He often said He was speaking in parables.He didn't do this here, which leads me to believe that He was talking about something literal.

Luke 16:19-31 shows that before the Resurrection of Jesus, Hades was divided into two realms: a place of comfort where Lazarus was, also called Abraham's bosom or Abraham's side, and a place of torment where the rich man was.

Lazarus's place of comfort is elsewhere called "paradise" in Luke 23:43. The rich man's place of torment was called "Gehenna" in the Greek Scriptures in Mark 9:45. Between the two districts of Hades, Paradise and hell was a great chasm (Luke 16:26). The fact that no one could cross the chasm indicates that your fate is sealed after death. 

Today, when a non-believer dies, he follows the Old Testament unbelievers to the torment side of Hades. When Christians die, they don’t go to Paradise. It’s empty. Jesus went to the realm of the dead after He died on the Cross and before His resurrection to proclaim that He paid for their sin and took them to Heaven.

As the final judgment unfolds after the Tribulation, Hades will be emptied before the Great White Throne, where its inhabitants are judged before being consigned to the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:13-15). It’s not a place you want to be. That’s why you need Jesus to pay the penalty for your sins.

This is what I want God to see - Jesus sacrifice covering me

Here is the good part, fellow believers. When we die, the Bible says we are "present with the Lord in Heaven (2 Corinthians 5:6-9). Once there, we'll join the Old Testament saints who have enjoyed their reward for thousands of years. Isn't that exciting?! I cannot wait to see you there!