Because the atoning blood of Christ had not yet been shed, their sins were not yet removed, only covered.
Old Testament believers could not enter heaven because animal sacrifices on the Day of Atonement never actually took away their sins. Their sins were only covered as a stopgap until Christ's blood made true atonement at the cross, so they went down to paradise rather than into God's presence.
Romans 3:25 — Paul speaks of God's righteousness in the remission of sins that are past, which Les applies to Old Testament believers whose sins were awaiting Christ's atoning work.
Scripture reveals that the Old Testament Day of Atonement involved animal sacrifices offered year after year (Leviticus 16:34). These sacrifices were part of the Law, but Paul later wrote that God set forth Christ to be a propitiation 'for the remission of sins that are past' (Romans 3:25). Jesus Himself said He would be 'three days and three nights in the heart of the earth' (Matthew 12:40). In Luke's account of the rich man and Lazarus, the righteous dead are shown in a place of comfort, separated from the place of torment by a great gulf. These verses show that the intermediate state of the righteous before the cross was not the same as the believer's destination today.
Les Feldick teaches that the Old Testament word 'atonement' was actually a misnomer. The animal sacrifices never really atoned for sin; they only covered it. He says God 'swept the sins under the rug' until the true atonement was finalized when the blood of Christ was shed. Therefore, Old Testament believers, with the exceptions of Enoch and Elijah, could not go to heaven when they died because there had been no atoning bloodshed — the blood of animals and goats could not take away their sin.
The Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16 was a yearly ritual, but the blood of those animal sacrifices never removed a single sin. Les explains that 'atonement' was a misnomer; the sacrifices provided a covering, a stopgap, while waiting for the coming of Christ. When Christ shed His blood, then the sins that were under the rug were truly atoned for and taken away.
They went down into paradise, not into heaven. Les points to the account of Abraham and Lazarus as a window into that place—a comfort side of Hades separated from the torment side by a great gulf. Because their sins had not been atoned for by Christ's blood, they were saved for eternity but not yet ready for God's presence.
On His resurrection morning, Jesus took paradise up to heaven. Now paradise is located in the presence of the Lord, so when believers die today, they go immediately up into the Lord's presence. Meanwhile, the place of torment was enlarged after paradise was removed, and the lost still go there immediately at death.
Why Animal Blood Only Covered Sin — Leviticus 16 Explained
you're comfortable with it, well that's fine. But I just have to teach it as I see it, and trust that the Lord will bless hearts by it, and we know from our mail and from our phone calls that a lot of hearts are indeed. In fact one of the gentlemen here today was saying, and I said how long I've prayed for someone to come that could open the Word, and he said, you're it.
Why OT Saints Couldn't Enter Heaven
Les teaches that Old Testament believers went down to paradise because animal blood couldn't remove the stain of sin; the atoning blood of Christ is the only thing that could, so they were not ready for God's presence.
No Atoning Bloodshed Yet
Les explains that in the Old Testament, believers could not go into heaven because there had been no atoning bloodshed; the blood of animals couldn't take away sin, so it was only a stopgap.
Atonement Means Covering
Les explains that 'atonement' was a misnomer; the Old Testament sacrifices just covered sin or swept it under the rug until the true atonement by Christ's blood.
Who Really Created the Universe? (Genesis 1:1 Explained)
And when I said that there's nothing in the Old Testament pertaining to a Jew dying and going to heaven, well, what I really meant was concerning his eternal abode. Now we know that for an Old Testament saint who died, he went to paradise. He certainly didn't stay on the earth. And even today, when we die, or a Jew dies, he goes to his place of reward. If he's a believer, he goes to paradise.
Only Christ's Blood Atones
Les reiterates that animal sacrifices never brought about atonement; only the blood of Christ fulfilled the atoning work, so before that, OT saints were not yet atoned.
Paradise Now in Heaven
Les teaches that after the cross, paradise is now in heaven, so believers today go immediately up into the presence of the Lord, whereas the lost go to torment.
Remission of Sins That Are Past
Les connects Romans 3:25 to Old Testament believers and reminds that, with the exceptions of Enoch and Elijah, OT believers went down to paradise because the remission of their sins awaited Christ's work.
Romans 3:25: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Paul speaks of sins that are past, which Les applies to Old Testament believers whose sins were only covered until the cross.
Leviticus 16:34: And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.
The yearly Day of Atonement is the very ritual Les says never actually took away sin.
Matthew 12:40: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jesus Himself said He would be in the heart of the earth, the region where paradise was located.
Because their sins had not yet been removed by the blood of Christ. The animal sacrifices could only cover their sins, so they were not ready for God's presence until the cross took place.
It covered the sins of Israel for another year, but it never fully removed them. It pointed forward to the true atoning work of Christ, who would later take away sin.
They went down into paradise, a place in the heart of the earth. After Jesus rose from the dead, He took paradise up to heaven, so believers today go immediately to be with the Lord.
Watch the Teaching: Why Animal Blood Only Covered Sin — Leviticus 16 Explained