Hebrews 11 was written with a single line of thought. It speaks of many who believed in and hoped to obtain God’s promise. This group of people, mentioned in verses 2 through 38, includes Abraham. What happened to Abraham and these men? Through faith they all received a good testimony, but they did not obtain the promise. Did Abraham obtain the holy city New Jerusalem that he longed for? Did Abraham receive the city that God had promised him? Verse 39 says very clearly that these ones did not obtain God’s promise. Today Abraham is still hoping and waiting in Paradise in Hades. When will he receive the city God promised him? Verse 40 says, “Because God has provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.”
This is the word of the Bible. Abraham will not enter into the city before us. He is waiting for us in Paradise. The Paradise of Hades is where those who have been saved go after death. As each one dies, each one enters into it. On the other hand, the holy city New Jerusalem is not a place that we enter one by one but a place that we enter in a corporate way. The Old Testament saints could not enter into the holy city immediately after their death. They must wait for the New Testament saints. All those who know the Bible and have read Hebrews 11 recognize that although the Old Testament saints were saved before us, they cannot enter into the New Jerusalem earlier than we do. God wants them to wait for us who are in the New Testament age.
Strictly speaking, God has not finished His work on Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. How can we say this? We can say this because Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have not resurrected, that is, their bodies are still in the tomb. God’s work with regard to their bodies has not yet been completed. They are dead people. Regardless of how much they loved the Lord or how spiritual they may have been, they are still under death. Death is still in their bodies. When will this problem of death be resolved? This problem will be resolved when God finishes His work in all the saints throughout the ages and generations. When God causes the Lord Jesus to return, and when all the dead saints are resurrected, then the work of God on Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be finished. At the same time, the work of God in us will also be completed. In other words, when they and we are resurrected, God’s work on them and on us will be completed. They and we, we and they, will enter into the New Jerusalem together and at the same time.
Today when a saint dies, there is still one problem that remains unresolved—the problem of death. Before this problem is solved, God places these spirits and souls in the Paradise of Hades. This Paradise is not the eternal dwelling place of those who have been saved. It is only a temporary shelter for the spirits and souls of the saved ones after they die and before they enter into the New Jerusalem. Therefore, today Abraham is still in the Paradise of Hades and has not entered into the holy city that he longed for. He is still in Paradise, waiting for what God promised him. According to God’s ordination, the Old Testament saints and the New Testament saints are to enter into the New Jerusalem together. This is what the Lord clearly revealed in Hebrews 11.
According to God’s plan and arrangement, when a saint dies, his spirit and soul do not go into the holy city New Jerusalem but into the Paradise of Hades. God’s plan has not been fulfilled yet, His preparation has not been completed yet, the time has not yet come, the required number of saints has not yet been reached, and God’s work in the saints has not yet been fully accomplished. Therefore, there must be a period of waiting with patience. Thus, God temporarily keeps the dead saints’ spirits and souls in Paradise where they must wait. From Hebrews 11 we can see that Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses are all there. Of course, if we read Matthew 17, we can see that there is another arrangement for Moses and Elijah. In God’s plan and work there are many arrangements and considerations. It is not as simple as we may think. Nevertheless, until the day of resurrection arrives, the spirits and souls of the dead saints will be temporarily kept in Paradise. No one can enter into the New Jerusalem before the appointed time or before all the requirements are met.