J20-2: Where Did The Souls Of The Righteous Who Died BEFORE The Advent Of Yeshua Go?

In my last post, I was talking about the 6 Cities of Refuge and I concluded by saying that on a deeper  level of Scriptural interpretation, these cities point to a little-known and mysterious place called “Abraham’s Bosom”.

Let’s talk a little bit more about that today.

First, I need to start off this conversation by bringing up a question often asked by NT believers in the body of Messiah.

The question is…

…”Where did the souls of the righteous who passed away BEFORE Yeshua go?”

FIRST, a disclaimer.

There’s no way I (or any other human on the planet for that matter) can be 100% sure about the answer to this question.

So I reserve the right to be completely wrong here.

Okay, let’s get on with it.

If anyone has been following my blog for any length of time, one thing you should know by now is that I’m a ferocious proponent of understanding the many “God-patterns” that are first established in the Torah.

What do I mean when I say “God-patterns”?

I’m basically talking about repeating events or prophecies.

For example, the rebellion of the Tower of Babel is something we’re witnessing again today as we move towards a Godless one-world government spearheaded by the UN and the drive to get every person on the planet vaccinated (and no, I don’t think the Covid vaccine is the number of the beast, so calm the heck down).

Anyways, onward.

According to Jewish literature, when a person dies today, he or she goes to one of two places: Abraham’s bosom or the Place of Torments.

The theology is pretty simple actually.

Those who died in a state of righteousness went to Abraham’s bosom and those who died in their sins went to the Place of Torments.

What constitutes dying in a state of righteousness?

Again, the answer is pretty simple.

The righteous are those who obeyed God’s Torah, which means they had their sins properly atoned for via the Levitical Sacrificial System.

These folks went to the place called Abraham’s bosom, which was a kind of temporary holding place until another event occurred that would set them free.

Going to Abraham’s bosom seemed to be a kind of mixed blessing because while it was considered a place for the righteous, you were still held there as a captive so to speak.

That was the price you had to pay.

You were held captive inside Abraham’s bosom until you were set free.

So what was the event that would set you free?

Of course, it was Yeshua’s atoning sacrificial death and resurrection.

This prophecy was first proclaimed by the prophet Isaiah as follows:

“The Spirit of Adonai Elohim is upon me, because Adonai has anointed me to announce good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted; to proclaim freedom to the captives, to let out into light those bound in the dark;”-Isaiah 61:1

These are the exact words Yeshua quoted at the start of his ministry in Luke 4:18.

Well, there you have it.

This is the connection to the sanctuary cities.

When one who committed an accidental murder fled to a sanctuary city, he was protected from his unintentional sin and had to stay there until the current High Priest died.

In other words, the High Priest’s death atoned for those held captive in the cities of refuge.

Can you see the connection with Yeshua?

We were all held captive in our sins until Yeshua, our High Priest, died and set us free.

Of course, now that Yeshua’s death and resurrection has already occurred, when a person dies today, their soul instantly goes to either heaven or hell.

We’ll talk about this some more the next time we meet.

CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
 “There was a rich man who was dressed
in purple and fine linen
and lived in luxury every day.
At his gate was laid
a beggar named Lazarus,
covered with sores and longing to eat
what fell from the rich man’s table.
Even the dogs came and licked his sores.
The time came when the beggar died
and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side.
The rich man also died and was buried.
In Hades, where he was in torment,
he looked up and saw Abraham far away,
with Lazarus by his side.
So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham,
have pity on me and send Lazarus
to dip the tip of his finger in water
and cool my tongue,
because I am in agony in this fire.”
-Luke 16:19-31

“So if the Son sets you free,
you will be free indeed.”
-John 8:36

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
because He hath anointed Me
to preach the Gospel to the poor.
He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
to preach deliverance to the captives,
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty them that are bruised,”
-Luke 4:18