Why did Old Testament believers go to paradise instead of entering God's presence before the cross?
Old Testament believers went to paradise because their sins were not atoned for; they were only covered. They could not enter God's presence. Christ later fulfilled the Day of Atonement pictures when He went to the cross on our behalf.
Les explains that before the cross, the Old Testament believer went down into paradise rather than into God's presence. The reason is that their sins were not atoned for—they were only covered. He connects this to the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16, where the high priest could enter behind the veil, before the mercy seat where the Shekinah glory dwelt, only once a year. The priest had to undergo cleansing rituals, just as the Passover lamb had to be perfect without blemish. Les teaches that Christ fulfilled all these pictures when He went to the cross on our behalf.