We believe that in order to go to heaven a person must be seeking the Lord and righteousness and believe that Jesus was the Messiah who died so that the entire human race would have a chance for salvation either in heaven or on earth. God often calls such individuals to follow in the pathway of His Son Jesus. If the person answers the call, he will gladly give up his own personal will in order to follow the will of God in all aspects of his life. If that person remains faithful to his covenant of sacrifice, he will obtain a heavenly reward upon death.
We know from the scriptures that there is only one call during the Gospel Age, and that is the high calling to be part of the bride of Christ. This very special call is mentioned many times in the New Testament letters. In fact, most letters open with greetings to the saints. (See Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:2, Philippians 1:1, 1 Peter 1:1-2, 2 Peter 1:1-4, and Jude 1:1.) “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9) The loftiness of the call requires total submission to the will of God and sacrifice of self will in every matter of life. Although very few can reach this goal, the good news is that salvation is all-inclusive. There is also an earthly salvation. When we examine the scriptures we find many references to a future time on earth when God’s Kingdom will be established. (See Isaiah 9:6-7; 35:5-10; 65:21-25; Revelation 11:15; 21:1-4.) In fact, Jesus tells us to pray for that kingdom on earth. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) In this earthly kingdom, all who ever lived, the evil as well as the good, will come forth from their graves and have an opportunity for everlasting life after a period of judgment in which righteousness is learned. And the heavenly class, who followed after Jesus now, submitting their wills to God’s will and practicing righteousness in all aspects of their lives, will be instrumental in helping to restore the billions returning from their graves. This heavenly class will rule with Jesus as his “bride” (Revelation 21:2) for one thousand years (Revelation 20:4), the end result of which is spoken of in Zephaniah 3:9. “For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.”
Do Catholics, Jews and Christians go to the same place when they die? Mostly all go to the same place (the grave) and wait for their awakening on earth. Only those who have made a full submission to God are able to go to heaven.
