Where did the souls of everyone who was born before Jesus died on the cross go?
Some people were deemed holy and rightous in the eyes of God. Look it at Job.
Also they made sacrifices. There was a way to be forgiven. But there was a guilty conscious problem. People still felt guilty. Jesus cleaned the conscious as well as the slate. Then gave someone something to strive for.
How did Jesus do this?
They used to go off of sacrifices. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. The end all sacrifice in God's eyes.
But people were still their depressed, no real point to life selves with nothing to use as a guide to life. All they had to think about was what terrible people they were or how low they were in everyone else's eyes.
Look at Mary Magdaline when she met Jesus she just thought she was a terrible person. Jesus basically said by dying on a cross that no matter what you did, you're worth something. I'm dying for you as proof. Follow me and my example and now you also have a purpose.