Did Believers in the Old Testament Go to Heaven?

Imagine living in a world without the New Testament. No cross, no empty tomb, no name of Jesus. Could you still believe in God’s promise of salvation?

We may wonder if people got saved before Jesus came. How could anyone be forgiven without the cross? These questions aren’t just theological. They strike at the heart of God’s justice, His unchanging nature, and His eternal plan. 

If salvation comes only through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12, John 14:6), what happened to those who lived and died centuries before Bethlehem? 

The Bible doesn’t leave us guessing. From patriarchs to prophets, Scripture tells of men and women who trusted in God’s promise long before its fulfillment. Though they lived in shadows, they trusted in the light to come. Their sacrifices, their prophecies, and their lives pointed ahead to a Savior they had never seen, but fully believed would come. Their faith wasn’t misplaced; it was anchored in the same Messiah we trust today.

Faith in God’s Promise

Old Testament saints did not keep the law perfectly, nor did they earn their way into heaven. Their salvation, like ours, rested on faith in God’s promise. The Bible is clear: salvation has always been by grace through faith in God’s revealed plan. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

For us today, that plan has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. But for Old Testament believers, the promise had not yet come. Still, they believed. And their faith looked forward to the Messiah, just as ours looks back to Him.

God’s plan of salvation began in the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve sinned, God gave a promise: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15).

This is the first announcement of the gospel. Though vague by New Testament standards, it foretold a coming Redeemer who would defeat Satan. Adam and Eve were banished from Eden, but they were not without hope. Eve’s response after giving birth to Cain hints at her faith in God’s promise: “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man” (Genesis 4:1). Even though Cain was not the promised one, Eve believed God would fulfill His word.

13 Men and Women in the Old Testament Who Faithfully Followed God

Abel offered a blood sacrifice, showing faith in God’s way of atonement. Hebrews confirms this. “By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous” (Hebrews 11:4). God counted his offering righteous, not because of the offering itself, but because of the faith behind it.

Enoch lived in a time of growing wickedness, yet he stood apart. Scripture tells us: “Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away” (Genesis 5:24). “For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God” (Hebrews 11:5). Enoch believed in God, walked in obedience, and was taken to be with Him in a powerful picture of eternal life. Jude 14-15 even shows that Enoch prophesied of the Lord’s coming with His holy ones, suggesting his faith was focused on a future judgment and redemption.

Noah obeyed God’s warning of judgment and built the ark. “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family” (Hebrews 11:7). Noah didn’t just build a boat; he believed in God’s Word about coming judgment and trusted God’s means of salvation. Peter calls him “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5), showing he lived out and proclaimed his faith even in a hostile world.

Amid suffering, Job declared, “I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God” (Job 19:25-26). Job believed in a personal Redeemer, someone who would stand on the earth and give him resurrection hope. 

Abraham believed God’s promise, and it was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). “He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). Abraham trusted in the Lord’s promise of a coming Redeemer. His faith, not his works, brought him into right standing with God.

Jesus said about Abraham, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). Abraham trusted that through his offspring, the nations would be blessed (Genesis 12:3), a promise ultimately fulfilled in Christ (Galatians 3:16).

Sarah, though she laughed at first, eventually believed. “By faith even Sarah… was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise” (Hebrews 11:11). Sarah’s faith wasn’t just about having a child, it was about believing God’s promise would be fulfilled through that child. She trusted the promised Seed, the Redeemer, would come.

Moses rejected earthly power and prestige in Egypt, choosing to align himself with God’s people and God’s promise. “He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward” (Hebrews 11:26). This astounding verse shows Moses consciously chose to suffer for “the sake of Christ.” He understood God’s redemptive plan, even in shadow form, and aligned himself with it by faith. 

Rahab, a Gentile prostitute, believed in Israel’s God. Her faith wasn’t vague; she trusted in the power and promise of the one true God. Hebrews affirms her faith: “By faith the prostitute Rahab… was not killed with those who were disobedient” (Hebrews 11:31).

Ruth left her gods and people to follow the God of Israel. She later married Boaz, becoming an ancestor of David, and ultimately, Jesus Christ (Ruth 1:16, Matthew 1:5). Ruth’s story is not just about romance but redemption. Boaz’s role as kinsman-redeemer foreshadows Christ, the great Redeemer to come.

Hannah prayed not only for a child, she also looked ahead. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed” (1 Samuel 2:10). Long before Hannah’s son Samuel anointed David king, her prayer shows faith in God’s redemptive plan.

David’s psalms overflow with messianic hope. Though he was a king, warrior, and sinner, he clung to God’s promise of a coming one from his own line. “You will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.” (Psalm 16:10). Peter explained this pointed to Christ (Acts 2:29-31). David knew death was not the end because God’s “Holy One” would conquer the grave. His own hope rested in the resurrection power of that coming Savior.

Isaiah prophesied a Redeemer who would be despised, suffer, and bear the sin of many. “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

Isaiah not only described the Messiah’s death, he also declared His victory. “After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many” (Isaiah 53:11). Though Isaiah lived 700 years before Christ, he prophesied with full confidence in a Redeemer who would justify sinners.

Simeon represents the last of the Old Testament faithful, those who were waiting for the fulfillment of God’s promise. “Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. … It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah” (Luke 2:25-26).

When he saw Jesus as a baby, he declared, “My eyes have seen your salvation … a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel” (Luke 2:30-32). Simeon saw in Christ the fulfillment of every promise not just to Israel, but to all mankind.

Each of these and a multitude of other men and women trusted God’s word. Though they did not know the name Jesus, they believed in the God who saves. Each of them, in their own way, looked forward to the Deliverer who would come. They were saved, not by works, but by faith in the One God had promised from the beginning. 

Atonement Foreshadowed the Cross

The sacrificial system in the Old Testament formed the backbone of Israel’s worship. Priests slaughtered bulls, goats, and lambs. Blood flowed daily on Israel’s altars. These sacrifices did not erase sin; they symbolized something greater. God instituted them not as a final solution, but as a prophetic shadow of the ultimate atonement to come.

“It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). The animals bore no moral guilt. Their deaths could not satisfy divine justice. Yet God accepted those offerings as expressions of obedient faith from repentant hearts.

Through each act of bloodshed at the altar, God illustrated the gravity of sin and the necessity of substitution. The Passover lamb in Egypt, the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement, and the daily burnt offerings all portrayed the coming Christ, who would fully satisfy God’s justice.

“God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished” (Romans 3:25).

God restrained His judgment. He postponed His wrath. He credited righteousness to those who trusted Him not because of animal blood, but because of the blood Christ would one day shed. The Old Testament saints were saved “on credit,” waiting for the debt to be paid in full by the Messiah. The cross satisfied what the altar only symbolized.

God’s Character Has Always Been the Same

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

God did not change His method of salvation between the Old and New Testaments. Through every covenant, sacrifice, and prophet, God’s character stood firm. He never changed course. His justice never softened. His mercy never weakened. His method of salvation, by grace through faith, remained constant from Genesis to Revelation.

God’s righteousness demanded payment for sin. His love provided it. Old Testament saints looked ahead to a Redeemer. We look back. But both look to the same cross, the same Savior, the same unchanging God.

God has always been just and merciful. His plan unfolded over time, but the path to eternal life never shifted. The cross didn’t rewrite salvation history. It fulfilled it. What Abel symbolized, what Abraham believed, what David longed for, all found their completion in Jesus. Heaven was never earned. It was granted to those who trusted God’s promise of a coming Deliverer.

Old Testament believers did not miss heaven. They looked ahead to the promises of God, trusted in His Word, and were saved by faith, just as we are. Salvation has always come through Jesus Christ. For them, by promise; for us, by fulfillment.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Biletskiy Evgeniy

Brad Simon has shared God’s Word for over forty-five years, with a unique blend of storytelling and Bible exposition. He is a retired Master Jeweler and relies on the God-given creativity that won him several national and international jewelry design awards to craft Biblical Narratives and Life Stories that are engaging and thought-provoking. Once a speaker, author, and publisher for the jewelry industry, now he is putting those skills to work to promote the beauty and appeal of God’s Word. Download a free copy of his devotional on prayer.