This is one issue that Christian scholars and Pastors never agree on.While it's most widely accepted that one's spirit leaves the body n he joins God in heaven, some Christian writers like Doug Batchelor strongly oppose the notion and advance a different one which suggests that on death one goes into a state of stillness until the second coming of Christ when the dead shall be raised in readiness for judgment

Allow me to put some literature ave read in past few day here...i think it gives an insight into the whole issue quite well.
Within the Christian faith, there is a significant amount of confusion regarding what happens after death. Some hold that after death, everyone “sleeps” until the final judgment, after which everyone will be sent to heaven or hell. Others believe that at the moment of death, people are instantly judged and sent to their eternal destinations. Still others claim that when people die, their souls/spirits are sent to a “temporary” heaven or hell, to await the final resurrection, the final judgment, and then the finality of their eternal destination. So, what exactly does the Bible say happens after death?

First, for the believer in Jesus Christ, the Bible tells us that after death believers’ souls/spirits are taken to heaven, because their sins are forgiven by having received Christ as Savior (John 3:16, 18, 36). For believers, death is to be “away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23). However, passages such as 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 describe believers being resurrected and given glorified bodies. If believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, what is the purpose of this resurrection? It seems that while the souls/spirits of believers go to be with Christ immediately after death, the physical body remains in the grave “sleeping.” At the resurrection of believers, the physical body is resurrected, glorified, and then reunited with the soul/spirit. This reunited and glorified body-soul-spirit will be the possession of believers for eternity in the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21-22).

Second, for those who do not receive Jesus Christ as Savior, death means everlasting punishment. However, similar to the destiny of believers, unbelievers also seem to be sent immediately to a temporary holding place, to await their final resurrection, judgment, and eternal destiny. Luke 16:22-23 describes a rich man being tormented immediately after death. Revelation 20:11-15 describes all the unbelieving dead being resurrected, judged at the great white throne, and then being cast into the lake of fire. Unbelievers, then, are not sent to hell (the lake of fire) immediately after death, but rather are in a temporary realm of judgment and condemnation. However, even though unbelievers are not instantly sent to the lake of fire, their immediate fate after death is not a pleasant one. The rich man cried out, “I am in agony in this fire” (Luke 16:24).

Therefore, after death, a person resides in a “temporary” heaven or hell. After this temporary realm, at the final resurrection, a person’s eternal destiny will not change. The precise “location” of that eternal destiny is what changes. Believers will ultimately be granted entrance into the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1). Unbelievers will ultimately be sent to the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15). These are the final, eternal destinations of all people—based entirely on whether or not they had trusted Jesus Christ alone for salvation (Matthew 25:46; John 3:36).
You can read more in the book “The Wonder of Heaven: A Biblical Tour of Our Eternal Home” by Ron Rhodes.

can u please tell us y u think so? It might help in understanding u point better.

When you die, you (your soul) either go to heaven (paradise) or to hades (hell - is different from the 'lake of fire' but in close proximity).

@kadonye. When Jesus died and the thief died later that day (presumption...), they meet in paradise. (the holding place for the souls of believers.

@Kadonye..In the statement“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43), Jesus is assuring one of the criminals on the cross that when he died, he would be with Jesus in heaven. This was granted because even at the hour of his death, the criminal had expressed his faith in Jesus, recognizing Him for who He was (Luke 23:42).
When we die,the body goes back to where it came from,the earth.Your Soul awaits judgement(your soul is the real you),and your spirit,to either hades or paradise.
@Pablo,whats your take,since you dont believe only those who accept Jesus will go to heaven?.

Who told you its Him alone who admits?
Maybe ita a pannel of Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, etc

Why would you believe its only christians who will go to heaven?

I am not saying they wont go but I am sure I will also meet Mahatma Gandhi and all those babies who died at birth.

Tell me what happened when you were not born, and I will tell you what will happen when you die.

To confess though, when I was very little, before I heard of any life-after-death myth (or I was probably aware of my traditional belief that the spirit quits the body at death and goes into the environment ... the air, trees, rocks and water from whence it communes with us), I imagined and found it quite straight forward that life gets recycled ... I would always hope (pray) not to come back as a donkey. We had one hell of a stubborn donkey, and because we had to beat him quite severely every time, I feared the same would happen to me when if I come back as a donkey. I have not prayed for the blockages of such an outcome since I was a kid, but I am not sure I have totally dismissed the possibility that life cycles between people, donkeys, worms, crockodiles, etc.

@ALL..
This post is not about who will go to heaven and who will be thrown in the hell fire. or rather who is to decide who will be burned and who will be spared....NO.. I / WE r just curious to know what ur religion says about "After Death" .. u might b a chriastian , Muslim, Budha, Hindu, Harekrishna, Akorino etc and all have their own way of teachings. A pagan also has his own understanding on what happens after death ...so.. Just tell us what ur religion says about it and what do u as a person think?Do u agree with ur religion or not? Then let everyone compare notes and decide by themseves...
otherwise I like what I am reading..

When you die.The same as a GOAT spirit when it dies. or the spinach spirit I ate Yesterday

Al alwez be in defense of my faith,and openly share my thougts.I know that there is life after death,just because He lives.
@Pablo,The existence of so many religions and the claim that all religions lead to God without question confuses many who are earnestly seeking the truth about God, with the end result sometimes being that some despair of ever reaching the absolute truth on the subject. Or they end up embracing the claim that all religions lead to God. Of course, many also point to the existence of so many religions as proof that either you cannot know God or that God simply does not exist.

Romans 1:19-21 contains the biblical explanation for why there are so many religions. The truth of God is seen and known by every human being because God has made it so. Instead of accepting the truth about God and submitting to it, most human beings reject it and seek their own way to understand God. But this leads not to enlightenment regarding God, but to futility of thinking. Here is where we find the basis of the “many religions.”

Many people do not want to believe in a God who demands righteousness and morality, so they invent a God who makes no such requirements. Many people do not want to believe in a God who declares it impossible for people to earn their own way to heaven. So they invent a God who accepts people into heaven if they have completed certain steps, followed certain rules, and/or obeyed certain laws, at least to the best of their ability. Many people do not want a relationship with a God who is sovereign and omnipotent. So they imagine God as being more of a mystical force than a personal and sovereign ruler.

The existence of so many religions is not an argument against God's existence or an argument that truth about God is not clear. Rather, the existence of so many religions is demonstration of humanity's rejection of the one true God. Mankind has replaced Him with gods that are more to their liking. This is dangerous . The desire to recreate God in our own image comes from the sin nature within us—a nature that will eventually “reap destruction” (Galatians 6:7-8).

Question,…do all religions lead to God? Actually they do. All but one leads to His judgment. Only one—Christianity—leads to His forgiveness and eternal life. No matter what religion one embraces, everyone will meet God after death (Hebrews 9:27). All religions lead to God, but only one religion will result in God's acceptance, because only through His salvation through faith in Jesus Christ can anyone approach Him with confidence. The decision to embrace the truth about God is important for a simple reason: eternity is an awfully long time to be wrong. This is why right thinking about God is so critical.