“Not Made Perfect Apart From Us.” After reviewing the record of faithful men of the pre-Christian period from Abel onward, the apostle says none of these got “the fulfillment of the promise, as God foresaw something better for us, in order that they might not be made perfect apart from us.” (Heb 11:39, 40) The “us” here clearly refers to anointed Christians (Heb 1:2; 2:1-4), “partakers of the heavenly calling” (Heb 3:1) for whom Christ “inaugurated . . . a new and living way” into the holy place of God’s heavenly presence. (Heb 10:19, 20) That heavenly calling includes service as heavenly priests of God and of Christ during Christ’s Thousand Year Reign. “Power of judging” is also granted them. (Re 20:4-6) Logically, then, the heavenly life and privileges that the called ones receive is the “something better” that God foresaw for such anointed Christians. (Heb 11:40) The revealing of them as they go into action from heaven with Christ to destroy the wicked system, however, is to open the way for bringing liberation from enslavement to corruption for those of creation reaching out for “the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Ro 8:19-22) Hebrews 11:35 shows that faithful men of pre-Christian times maintained integrity under suffering “in order that they might attain a better resurrection,” evidently one better than that of the “dead” referred to at the start of the verse, persons who were resurrected only to die again. (Compare 1Ki 17:17-23; 2Ki 4:17-20, 32-37.) For these faithful men of pre-Christian times, therefore, their being “made perfect” must relate to their resurrection, or restoration to life, and thereafter their being “set free from enslavement to corruption” by the services of the priesthood of Christ Jesus and his underpriests during the Millennial Rule.

That this will include perfection of earthly conditions and of human creatures is evident from Revelation 5:9, 10. There it is stated that persons ‘bought for God’ (compare Re 14:1, 3) become “a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth.” Under the Law covenant not only did the priests have the duty to represent persons before God in the offering of sacrifices but they also were charged with guarding the physical health of the nation, officiating in the cleansing of those who were defiled, and judging when healing had taken place in cases of leprosy. (Le 13-15) More than this, the priesthood was responsible to aid in the mental and spiritual uplift and health of the people. (De 17:8-13; Mal 2:7) Since the Law had “a shadow of the good things to come,” it is to be expected that the heavenly priesthood under Christ Jesus functioning during his Thousand Year Reign (Re 20:4-6) will perform similar work.​—Heb 10:1.