Let me ask you this...
Matthew 11:11 "Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Why did Jesus say this if there was no difference between OT saints and NT saints? I am not trying to prove a hierarchy, just that Jesus pointed out a difference between OT and NT.
John was the awaited Elijah, Jesus said so.
John died before Jesus did. John died under the Law. Those "least in the kingdom of Heaven" died under grace just as those who die after Jesus rose. Both are saved by faith. Both believed God, believed Jesus is God's Son, but the only thing that is different is that Jesus led captivity captive when He rose from the dead.
(Eph 4) Those things that had imprisoned humans since Adam's fall from grace were sin and death. It was a legal thing set up by God. Those saved before the Cross were saved by God's promise of the Cross and those saved after were saved by the literal blood of Jesus. (Of course by faith and belief!!)
The Law required blood sacrifice and yet, there was no blood perfect enough to cover, pay for and release a human from his sins until Jesus' perfect sacrifice whereby God was satisfied that the Law was fulfilled.
By faith and by God's perfect Grace, the OT saints were held in comfort for the day that Jesus' sacrifice would imprison sin and death and unlock the door to God's presence.
Jesus is that Door! There was no door at all until Jesus rose from the dead and then suddenly the Door was there and was opened and all the OT saints came out from Paradise and went to God's Presence through Jesus the Door. Jesus explains this in John 10, but a word study of "door" is quite revealing.
In reality, all that has changed is the amount of the gospel that has been revealed. The Blood of Christ is eternal, and works both backwards and forwards in time. So, Abraham was saved by faith, and the last christian on earth was saved by faith, both through the power of the atonement. There is no question that this is true.
The Blood of Christ works backward in God's promise that it would happen and foreward from the literal happening. No matter from Adam to right now... no one was saved from God's wrath without belief and trust in God. Faith has been a factor always. However, Faith and Hope will fade away and the only thing that is eternal is Love.
Luke 16:16 Jesus says the Law and the Prophets were until John. So be thinking of exactly what that means.
Luke 16:19-31 The story is more like an eye witness account than a parable, of Lazarus and the Rich Man.
Ex 33:18 Moses asked to see the Glory of God, but he was denied that request. It is very interesting that it took 3 days for God to raise Jesus from the dead. Why so long?
Ephesians 4:8 YLT: So then, the holy writings say, `When Christ went up to heaven he took those he had won with him. And he gave gifts to men.'
That says a lot to me about what Jesus was doing during those 3 days
Matthew 27:50-53 Jesus went to Sheol, Hades but to the Comfort side as described in Luke 16 where Lazarus was. I find zero evidence that He went to the Torment side like the Rich Man. All the OT saints that died before Christ, had to wait to get into Heaven until the blood price had been paid. Why?
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