Did people in the Old Testament go to Heaven the same as Christians do today?

After Christ’s resurrection He appeared to Mary and said, "Touch me not; for I am not yet ASCENDED to my Father." At this time Christ ascended to Heaven and annointed the Mercy Seat within the Holy Place with His own blood. Hebrews 9:12 states, "But by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." He then returned to earth and walked 40 days before His final ascension. (Acts 1:3, 9-11).

At His ascension, he emptied the saved out of Paradise in the heart of the earth, taking them to Heaven with Him. Ephesians 4:8 makes this clear: "Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men."

Paradise is no longer in the center of the earth, but is now in Heaven. This is revealed in II Corinthians 12:2,4 which describes a man, "...such a one caught up to the third heaven. How that he was caught up into paradise..." With this in mind we can understand what Christ meant in John 14:2 when he stated: "In my Father’s house (Heaven) are many mansions. If it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." He didn’t go to build the mansions. The use of the word "are" reveals the manions were already there. He went to the cross, shedding His sinless blood; then, ascending and annointing the Holy Place, thus preparing Heaven to receive the saved. Ephesians 1:7, "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, acording to the riches of his grace."

Now we, like Paul, can say, "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord". (II Corinthians 5:8). When a Christian dies, today, it is just "a change of atmosphere". The soul and spirit, the real "You", goes immediately to Heaven to be in the presence of the Lord. The body goes to the grave to await the Rapture. (I Corinthians 15:51-53; I Thessalonians 4:13-18).