Why were Old Testament believers unable to go to heaven before the cross?
The atoning blood of Christ is the only thing that removes the stain of sin, and animal blood could not take it away. So although Old Testament believers were saved for eternity, their sins had not yet been atoned by Christ's blood; therefore they went down to paradise, not into God's presence.
Les explains that Hades, or hell as it is sometimes called, is defined by Abraham as a place with a great gulf fixed. On one side is torment; on the other is paradise. Before the cross, from Adam onward, men lived and died, and even believers—except Enoch and Elijah—did not go to heaven. Enoch and Elijah were God's exceptions, taken up, but all other Old Testament believers had to go down to paradise. The reason is that the atoning blood of Christ is the only thing that removes the stain of sin. Animals' blood could not take it away. These believers were saved for eternity, but they were not ready for God's presence because their sins had not been atoned for by the blood of Christ. The lost from all ages, including today, go down into hell, into the torment side. Les also notes that when Christ told the thief, 'Today thou shalt be with me in paradise,' He was speaking of the centermost part of the earth, where He would be three days and three nights; Paul later puts his stamp of approval on this teaching.
Where did Old Testament believers go when they died before the cross?
Before the cross, Old Testament believers went down into paradise, the side of Hades/hell separated by a great gulf from torment. They could not go to heaven because Christ's atoning blood had not yet removed sin's stain; animal blood could not take it away. Enoch and Elijah were the only exceptions.
Why were Old Testament believers not ready for God's presence before the cross?
Old Testament believers were not ready for God's presence because their sins had not been atoned for by the blood of Christ. Animal sacrifices could not remove sin's stain. Though saved for eternity, they went down to paradise, not heaven, until Christ's atoning work was accomplished.
Were Old Testament believers saved even though they could not enter heaven?
Yes. Old Testament believers were saved for eternity, but they could not go to heaven before the cross. They went down to paradise, because the atoning blood of Christ alone removes the stain of sin. Animal blood could not take sin away, so they were not yet ready for God's presence.