Featured How Did OT Saints Get to Heaven?

We know from Luke 16:19-31 that before Christ had died, believers who had obtained approval through faith were taken at physical death to a place called "Abraham's bosom."

We know this temporary holding cell (sort of a prison) was not located in Heaven because of John 3:13.

And we know from Hebrews 12:23 and Hebrews 11:40 that at some point the OT Saints, whose approval by faith had not yet resulted in being made perfect, were made perfect and entered heaven.

Finally we know that Jesus had to suffer and die upon the cross to become the means of reconciliation for the whole of humanity. 1 John 2:2.

One mistaken view (IMO) is that the Old Testament Saints were "saved" prospectively, God "looked forward" to the crucifixion and declared the OT saints to have the righteousness of God. But the fly in the buttermilk is Hebrews 11:40 where they had to "wait" to be made perfect, and all those in Heaven had been "made perfect."

So how did the saints who were taken to "Abraham's Bosom" become "perfect" and enter heaven?

1) First we know that Jesus preached or proclaimed the gospel to "spirits in prison" (1 Peter 3:19) and that the gospel was preached to some people who had already physically died (1 Peter 4:6). If these were the OT Saints in Abraham's Bosom, what was the result?

2) We can also conjecture that this "proclaiming and preaching" occurred during the time between Christ's death and His bodily resurrection when He was "in the Spirit." (Jesus was also "in the Spirit" when He presented the gospel to those in prison.) See 1 Peter 3:19

3) We know that Jesus was sent to "proclaim" release to "captives." Luke 4:18​

One of the several theories concerning just who were the captives led away were the OT Saints in Abraham's bosom who apparently all accepted and embraced the gospel. Thus by the blood of the Lamb the OT Saints were made perfect, fully reconciled to God such that they could enter heaven.

 

Yet another none germane passage, missing entirely the issue of just when were the OT Saints spiritually born anew!!

 

LOL, when those who obtained approval by faith, physically died, and were then "set apart" (sanctified) in Abraham's bosom, they became "saints."

 

Yet another unsupported and obviously false claim.

None of the OT Saints were born anew when they obtained approval through faith. Not one!!!!! Why? Because they initially obtained approval under the Old Covenant, not the New Covenant.

And note the effort to claim God's corporately chosen people, his "holy ones" are equated by this poster's unstudied view, as being "saints" in the same sense as those who are "in Christ." I kid you not!!

 

Job 15:15 - 16 (NET)
If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,
how much less man, who is abominable and corrupt, who drinks in evil like water!

These "saints" (corporately chosen ones) have not been made perfect by the blood of the Lamb. Thus if they did obtain approval to be set apart in Abraham's bosom, they still were not "saints" in the sense of being indwelt with the Spirit of Christ.

For contrast, see:

Phllippians 4:21 (NASB)
Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me greet you.​

Here we have those who have been transferred spiritually into the body of Christ, thus in or within Christ, designated as new covenant "saints," born from above and sealed in Christ with the Holy Spirit.

 

Yet another nonsense post, changing the subject and dipping into unstudied misrepresentation of objective truth.

None of the OT Saints were born anew when they obtained approval through faith. Not one!!!!! Why? Because they initially obtained approval under the Old Covenant, not the New Covenant.

And note the effort to claim God's corporately chosen people, his "holy ones" are equated by this poster's unstudied view, as being "saints" in the same sense as those who are "in Christ." I kid you not!! See post #9

 

On and on, none of the Old Testament saints were initially born from above, with the meaning of being made alive together with Christ,

Psalm 87 says those that know the Lord were born metaphorically in "a place of sacturay" which refers of course to the shelter of Christ.

Isaiah 54 refers to birth as the result of Yahweh, and the Redeemer, which of course refers to Christ Jesus.

Galatians 4:26-27 refers to the same truth found in Isaiah 54.

Finally Revelation 12 refers to those who are indwelt, thus holding the testimony of Jesus.

In summary, after study the references all point to fulfilling the promise of the New Covenant. Those inhabitants of Zion had been washed with the Redeemer's blood.

 

More name calling, more false claims.

Every inhabitant of Zion has been washed with the Redeemer's blood. Hebrews 12:23

Zion = Shelter of Christ = Kingdom of God

Anyone claiming individuals enter heaven without being washed with the blood of the Lamb should be disavowed boldly, plainly and clearly.

 

"]We know from Luke 16:19-31 that before Christ had died, believers who had obtained approval through faith were taken at physical death to a place called "Abraham's bosom."

We know this temporary holding cell (sort of a prison) was not located in Heaven because of John 3:13.

And we know from Hebrews 12:23 and Hebrews 11:40 that at some point the OT Saints, whose approval by faith had not yet resulted in being made perfect, were made perfect and entered heaven.

Finally we know that Jesus had to suffer and die upon the cross to become the means of reconciliation for the whole of humanity. 1 John 2:2.

One mistaken view (IMO) is that the Old Testament Saints were "saved" prospectively, God "looked forward" to the crucifixion and declared the OT saints to have the righteousness of God. But the fly in the buttermilk is Hebrews 11:40 where they had to "wait" to be made perfect, and all those in Heaven had been "made perfect."

So how did the saints who were taken to "Abraham's Bosom" become "perfect" and enter heaven?

1) First we know that Jesus preached or proclaimed the gospel to "spirits in prison" (1 Peter 3:19) and that the gospel was preached to some people who had already physically died (1 Peter 4:6). If these were the OT Saints in Abraham's Bosom, what was the result?

2) We can also conjecture that this "proclaiming and preaching" occurred during the time between Christ's death and His bodily resurrection when He was "in the Spirit." (Jesus was also "in the Spirit" when He presented the gospel to those in prison.) See 1 Peter 3:19

3) We know that Jesus was sent to "proclaim" release to "captives." Luke 4:18​

One of the several theories concerning just who were the captives led away were the OT Saints in Abraham's bosom who apparently all accepted and embraced the gospel. Thus by the blood of the Lamb the OT Saints were made perfect, fully reconciled to God such that they could enter heaven.

This is the way that the OT Saints, who were taken to Abraham's bosom were taken to Heaven, having been made perfect, holy and blameless by the blood of the Lamb.