How are Old Testament people, prophets, and leaders saved?

The New Testament is filled with the details of the ONLY way to be saved and to be given eternal life. What is not real clear is how the people prior to the sacrifice on the cross by Jesus Christ could be given salvation. When the Bible tells the story of Adam and Eve there is no sin and all who lived would be given salvation. However, the sin was introduced by Satan in the form of a serpent. So all people were faced with the problem of how to be saved! Once the 10 Commandments were given to Moses by the Lord, it presented a method to be saved- but no human could ever keep all of these commandments. Even prior to the Commandments, there were many faithful followers of the Lord who would be saved and are in heaven at this time. So how did that happen?

The following is a list (in no particular order) of just 17 prominent, faithful servants of the Lord from the Old Testament and why God selected them, out of His mercy and grace, to be saved. Of course there are others that we could include, but this is given to share some of the situations to help us understand how and why they were “gifted” with salvation.

1. ISAIAH- Isaiah chapter 6 verses 6-7. Isaiah had a lofty view of God and the sense of His greatness. Isaiah saw some mighty seraphim (angels) who were calling out to each other. Isaiah then said he was a sinful man and had filthy lips. Then one of the seraphim flew to Isaiah with a burning coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraphim touched Isaiah’s lips with the burning coal and said “Now your guilt is removed and your sins are forgiven”. Then in verses 8-9, God commissioned Isaiah and told him to go to be His spokesman.
2. EZEKIEL- Ezekiel chapter 2 verses 1-3. Ezekiel had experienced a great vision of God’s truth (Chapter 1) and was preparing Ezekiel to help the exiles in Babylon. This vision caused Ezekiel to fall to the ground. Ezekiel heard a voice that said “I want to speak to you”. It is written that the Spirit came to Ezekiel and made him stand up, and said “Son of man, I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation. Then in Chapter 3 verses 1-4 The Lord commissioned Ezekiel by having Ezekiel eat a scroll- the instructions from God. Then Ezekiel was sent by God to the people of Israel to give them the messages. He truly was one of God’s chosen.
3. JEREMIAH- Jeremiah chapter 1 verses 4-5. It says that the Lord gave Jeremiah the message that He knew Jeremiah before he was formed in his mother’s womb. “Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations”. Then in verse 9 it says “Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said: Look I have put my words in your mouth!” This is the same pattern that both Isaiah and Ezekiel had experienced.
4. JOB- Job chapter 1 verse 8. Before God permitted Satan to test Job- but not to harm him, God said “have you noticed by servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless- a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil” (NLT- other translations uses the word “upright”). Then is chapter 42, after Job prayed for “his friends” even though they were not kind to Job, the Lord restored Job’s fortunes. The Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning.
5. NOAH- Genesis chapter 6 verses 8-9. The Lord said that Noah found favor with the Lord. “Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God.” So God saved Noah and his family to begin populating the earth. In chapter 8 verse 21, God said “I would never again destroy all living things” (NLT).
6. ABRAHAM- Genesis 12 verses 1-3. Abraham is told to leave his native country. God said He would bless Abraham, make him famous, and be a blessing to others. Then God concluded verse 3 with: “All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 15:1- God spoke to Abraham in a vision and dais: “Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great”. This is clearly a shield and salvation for Abram. Then in Genesis 17:1-8 the Lord completes His covenant with Abram and changes his name to Abraham.

7. ISAAC- Genesis 26 verses 2-5. God blesses Isaac and tells him that Abraham’s covenant will be passed through Isaac’s descendants. This was after the situation when Abraham was to present Isaac as a sacrifice. But at the last second an angel of the Lord appeared to stop Abraham and to provide a lamb for the sacrifice. Truly Isaac was blessed by God to be one to help fulfill God’s covenant.
8. JACOB- Genesis 32:24-28. Jacob wrestles with God and God changes is name to “Israel”. God blessed Jacob at that point in verse 29 and God’s covenant was passed on to Jacob.
9. JOSEPH- Genesis 37 Joseph’s first dream was given to him by God in verse 5-10 to indicate that God was preparing Joseph for God’s plans. Joseph was spared for a long journey and mission. Then in Chapter 39:2-3 “The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.” The Lord gave Joseph even more dreams to fulfill God’s purpose and plans to set the stage for Jacob’s move to Egypt that lead to Moses birth.
10. MOSES- Exodus 3:1-9. This tells us of Moses encounter with God at the burning bush. Verses 12-15 tell us that God gave Moses his mission. Verse 12: God answered,” I will be with you. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you.” However, God choose Moses at birth and in Moses’ voyage on the Nile to where Pharaoh’s daughter found him and cared for Moses. Exodus 4:2-12 God gave Moses all the powers he needed to complete God’s mission and said that He would be with Moses.
11. ZECHARIAH- Zechariah chapter 1 verse 1-11. God calls Zechariah to repentance: “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies say: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies” (verse 3). God was telling Zechariah not to be like his ancestors and was told not to be “Like Father, like son”- as the Lord had just said He was angry with Zechariah’s ancestors. Then God sent angels to patrol and to speak to Zechariah to help him to go God’s instructions.
12. JOSHUA- Joshua chapter 1:1-9. “My servant Moses is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you (Joshua) to lead these people, the Israelites across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them” (verse 2). The Lord told Joshua many times, as had Moses, to be “strong and courageous”. So the Lord blessed Joshua, made him the leader for His people (Israelites) and protected Joshua so he could complete God’s plan.
13. DAVID- 1 Samuel 16:1. Samuel was told by the Lord to “find a man named Jesse who lives there (Bethlehem), for II have selected one of his sons to be My king.” Then in verse 12 The Lord says “This is the one; anoint him (David)”. Verse 13 states that “the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on.” David had an unchangeable belief in the faithful and in the forgiving nature of God. David became “a man after God’s own heart”.
14. SOLOMON- 1 Kings 3:3-14. “Solomon loved the Lord and followed all the decrees of his father, David” (verse 3). Then in verse 5, we are told that the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked what Solomon wanted and that the Lord would give it to Solomon. God gave Solomon what he asked for- wisdom. God also bestowed Solomon with fame, riches, and a long life. The Lord also blessed Solomon by allowing him to build the Lord’s Temple.
15. HEZEKIAH- 2 Chronicles 29:11. Isaiah tells Hezekiah that “The Lord has chosen you to stand in His presence to minister to Him and to lead the people in worship and present offerings to Him” (NASV). This was told to Hezekiah because of all he had done to reopen the Temple. Destroy the idols, restore the Passover celebration and restore the sacrifices on the altar of the Lord. Hezekiah was a direct descendant of Solomon’s. These sacrifices were God’s appointed way of approaching Him as the Lord and restoring a right relationship with Him- and to lead to salvation. Other than David, Hezekiah may have been the greatest king of Israel, even with his unwise sharing of temple contents with an enemy. Certainly, Solomon may have been the second greatest, behind his father David, but Solomon’s downfall was very substantial.

Al of these great servants of God led faithful lives but all “Slept with their fathers”.

There have been two whom were “raptured” to heaven and never experienced their normal earthly death.

16. ENOCH- Genesis 5:22-24. Enoch was the father of Methuselah. “Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years … (v. 22). “Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him” (vv.23-24). Genesis does not tell us much about Enoch but the writer(s) of Hebrews chapter 11:5-6 adds this: “It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying- he disappeared, because Good took him. For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists, and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” That certainly described Enoch!
17. ELIJAH- 1 Kings 17-19; 21 and 2 Kings 1. Elijah’s single-minded commitment to God shocks and challenges us. He was sent to confront- not comfort. And Elijah spoke God’s words to a king who often rejected his message just because he brought it. Elijah chose to carry out his ministry for God alone and paid for that decision by experiencing isolation from others who were also faithful to God. However, God worked an overwhelming miracle through Elijah in defeating the prophets of Baal, which reads like a true con situation. 2 Kings 2:11 tells us that a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire and drove between Elijah and Elisha, and carried Elijah in a whirlwind into heaven. This rapture appears to have a special meaning as the Bible records Elijah’s appearance twice after his going directly to heaven.

Matthew 17:3 indicated that Elijah appeared with Moses in the Transfiguration scene, both talking with Jesus. Then in Revelation 11:3-4, it tells of two prophets who were given by God power to be witnesses during the Tribulation to proclaim God message for 1,260 days. This seems to fulfill Malachi’s prophecy in Malachi 4:5-6, which named Elijah to come “before the great and dreadful day of the Lord’s arrives. His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to these children, and the hearts of children to their fathers”. This is exactly what these two Revelation prophets (Moses seems to be the other) did.

Again this only describes the way these prophets and leaders were “saved”. It does not directly speak of the other Old Testament people and how they may have been saved. However, the key characteristics of these prophets and leaders are their faithfulness, commitment, willingness to serve the Lord, love for God, and love for others- and willingness to give their life for the Lord in His service