There are many ways in which this question is answered depending on the sect and the religion to which one belongs. Some say that some people are in Heaven, others in Hell and some others in Purgatory. There are even other sects who believe that there is no afterlife and that somehow after the second Coming of Jesus, those who are saved will be physically resurrected and so on and so forth.

The conceptions of Heaven and Hell is quite nebulous in the imagination of most people and nothing concrete has formed in the minds of anyone as to what these places look like and what kind of experiences these places engender.

There is no clear idea of anything and if more closely questioned then people simply resort to blind faith and rigid adherence to what is learnt but not understood. In general, the prevailing conception is that when we die if we are good (believing Jesus Christ and His Church), we go to Heaven but if we are evil, that is, non-believers in the Church of Jesus Christ then we go to Hell to burn for all eternity. In some sects there is an intermediate place called Purgatory which is for those who are neither completely good nor completely bad and where they might perhaps purify themselves until they are able to proceed to Heaven. 

Where all these ideas come from nobody can tell, which leaves one to conclude that these are ideas thought out by men themselves and incorporated into the doctrines of the various sects and religions. Nobody has ever bothered to ask God what His own ideas are in these matters and whether their own ideas are actually true. After all it is only God Who can vouch for the truth of any teaching!

The lack of logic and the gaps often to be found in these teachings testify to the fact that these teachings could not have came from God because any illogical ideas or imperfect teachings cannot come from God since He is Perfect. It is impossible for any lack of logic and gaps to be associated with any teaching that comes from God because He is Absolute Perfection. It is because we are so far away from Him that it is even possible for us to imagine that the great Creator would be associated with such incomplete teachings. The inconceivable greatness of God makes that impossible.

Now the only conclusion to be drawn is that man himself has added his own ideas into things with his own imperfect outlook and logic and now imputes this imperfection to have come from God. The time is not far off when mankind will have to admit to this, forced by the Power of the Light. 

Please refer to the article: “When we die where do we go” for further explanations but it suffices to say here that all those who have died are either in the various planes in the great Beyond which corresponds to their inner attitude or in some cases some are actually still earth-bound, held close to this earth because they are suspended on threads of fate which are too closely bound to the earth either through some deed or the other or through some base propensity or the other.

Those who have died therefore are still alive ethereally in the various realms in the Beyond where experiencing continues and growth and opportunity for further development and refinement continues as long as the souls concerned make use of the opportunities.

The place we find ourselves in the Beyond depends on the way we have lived our lives on earth, therefore it is imperative, since death is unavoidable to begin to pay more attention to spiritual things in time. Appearing pious and converting in the last hour before death means nothing. The creative Laws are not fooled.