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Yes—according to traditional Christian teaching, the righteous of the Old Testament were believed to await Christ in “Hades” (Greek) or “Sheol” (Hebrew), but not in the place of the damned.
1. Sheol / Hades
In the Old Testament, Sheol is the general realm of the dead—a shadowy place where all the dead go, both righteous and wicked (e.g., Psalms, Job).
In the New Testament, this is often rendered as Hades.
But later Jewish and Christian thought distinguished parts within it.
2. “Abraham’s Bosom” (the place of the righteous)
In Gospel of Luke 16:19–31, Jesus describes:
- A place of comfort called “Abraham’s bosom”
- Separate from a place of torment
- With a “great chasm” between them
This suggests that the righteous dead (like Abraham, David, etc.) were at peace but still awaiting redemption.
3. The “Harrowing of Hell”
Christian tradition teaches that after His death, Christ descended to the dead:
- This is based on passages like First Epistle of Peter 3:19
- And expressed in the Apostles’ Creed: “He descended into hell” (meaning the realm of the dead, not the hell of the damned)
This event is called the Harrowing of Hell
👉 The idea:
- Christ entered Hades/Sheol
- Proclaimed victory
- Freed the righteous who had been waiting
4. After Christ
After this:
- Heaven (the direct vision of God) was opened
- The righteous no longer wait in Hades
- They go immediately to God (in Christian belief)
Simple summary
- Yes: the Old Testament righteous were in Hades/Sheol
- But specifically in a peaceful “holding place” (Abraham’s bosom)
- They were waiting for Christ
- Christ then descended and brought them into heaven