I think a big problem people have with this "different" salvation in different dispensations is a lack of understanding regarding hell and the atonement.
When Old testament saints died, where did they go? Did they go to be with God? Of course not, they couldn't, because their sins had not been washed away. They went to "paradise", "abraham's bosom", and waited there until Jesus Christ came after dying on the cross.
When New testament church age saints die, where do they go? To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. We go to heaven with Jesus Christ.
Now, we are both saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. However, in order for a New Testament saint to be saved by the blood, all he has to do is Acts 16:31 - Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
An old testament saint does not know Jesus Christ. They have no permanent sacrifice. All they have is the Law. If they keep the Law, BY FAITH IN GOD (not perfection), then they would go to paradise, where their sins would soon be cleansed. However, if they deliberately disobeyed God, despite his many proofs of his power (he even LIVED AMONGST them in the tabernacle in the wilderness), they would go to hell.
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