The thought in the Bible is that God has definitely ordained that those who have been saved would enter into the “living room,” but they must first be properly clothed and complete. When a saint dies, before the time of rapture and resurrection, his spirit and soul leaves his body and becomes naked, having the condition of death. A big mark of death, the fact of death, is on him. Do you think that God would let such a naked spirit and soul, bearing a big mark of death, go to the heavens where His dwelling place is to be with Him? Of course He would not allow this. So what does God do? God does have a heart’s desire for those who are saved, who mature, and who die early. God seems to tell such a one, “You have had enough suffering, trials, and pains on the earth. Now I will put your spirit and soul in the bosom of Abraham. There you can rest, be comforted, and wait in peace until I finish My work. I still need to work in many people. You must wait until My work is finished, the days are fulfilled, and all the requirements are met. On that day when the holy city New Jerusalem is manifested, all the spirits and souls of those who have been saved throughout the generations will put on resurrected, transformed, and glorified bodies. You will be properly clothed and complete, and you will live with Me in the eternal dwelling place.” This is the thought of the Bible.
However, there is another problem—where are the spirits and souls of the dead believers? Revelation 6:9 says, “And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had.” The opening of the fifth seal is closely followed by the opening of the sixth seal and is very close to the end of this age. In the sixth seal the heaven and earth and the moon and the sun are changed. So the fifth seal is close to the end of this age. The souls of those who were slain include the Old Testament and New Testament martyrs, including Peter and Paul. These souls “cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Master, holy and true, will You not judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? And to each of them was given a white robe; and it was said to them that they should rest yet a little while” (vv. 10-11). This word rest is a good translation. It proves that the souls of the martyred saints are being comforted and are resting a little while in the bosom of Abraham. The words a little while also prove that the end of this age is near.
Where are the souls of the martyred saints, those whom the Lord wants to rest a little while? They are under the altar. This altar is typified in the Old Testament. According to the Old Testament type, the altar was in the outer court, not in the Holy Place or in the Holy of Holies. Most Bible readers acknowledge that the Holy of Holies typifies heaven, the outer court typifies earth, and the activity at the altar typifies something that was accomplished on the earth. The altar in the Old Testament typifies the cross in the New Testament. The cross was not in the heavens but was erected on the earth, on top of a mountain outside Jerusalem. This tells us that the altar is something earthly. Then what does it mean to be underneath the altar? To be underneath the altar is to be underneath the earth.
The souls of the martyred saints are crying from underneath the altar, from the Paradise of Hades, which is underneath the earth. The souls of the martyred saints did not ascend to heaven at the time of the Lord Jesus’ ascension. Even at the opening of the fifth seal when the Lord’s return is imminent, their souls will still be underneath the altar in the Paradise of Hades. If they were already in heaven and in the holy city, they would not cry aloud. However, because they have not obtained what they hoped for and believed in, they are desperate. So the Lord tells them that they must rest a little while. This clearly shows us that the souls of all the saints who died for the Lord in the Old Testament and the New Testament are underneath the altar, that is, underneath the earth in the Paradise of Hades, enjoying rest.
First Corinthians 3:15 says, “He himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” Catholicism teaches the concept of purgatory based on this verse. We can only say that this concept is absolutely inaccurate. Protestantism also incorrectly teaches that all the dead saints go to heaven. These are two erroneous teachings. Catholicism says that the spirits and souls of the dead go to purgatory to suffer, and Protestantism says that the spirits and souls of the dead go to heaven to enjoy eternal bliss. Both concepts are erroneous. According to the truth in the Bible, it does not matter whether a person who has been saved is strong or weak. As long as he has believed in the Lord’s saving precious blood, his spirit and soul will go to the Paradise in Hades when he dies.