Heaven & Hell

I am often asked where we go after we die. I had Heaven pretty much nailed, but Hell was always a bit iffy when it came to those that died during the Old Testament vs. those that die during the New Testament. I finally decided to get to the bottom of all of it so I could speak clearly on the subject. But before we go there, it is important to discern what makes someone righteous vs. wicked. To put it simply:

Righteous = Believers. For Old Testament believers, it means they did their best to follow God's laws and atoned for their sins with animal sacrifices. For New Testament believers, it means they have given their lives to Christ, have formed a personal relationship with Him and believe He is their Savior.

Wicked = Non-believers. For Old Testament non-believers, it means they led a sinful life and chose not to follow God. For New Testament non-believers, it means they did not give their lives to Christ and do not recognize Him as God or their Savior. Being a good person doesn't count. 
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand and that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10.

The first thing to know is that there is more than one location where the righteous and the wicked go. We all end up in the same place(s) in the end, but until the final judgment happens, we'll find souls in different places. 

HEAVEN
We'll start with the nice places:

Sheol - this is where the righteous are that died during the Old Testament. Although they sacrificed animals to atone for their sin, it wasn't enough to cover their sin completely. Since God cannot look upon imperfection, He prepared a place of paradise for them until His plan was fulfilled and the occurrence of the Rapture.

Heaven (aka; the Mansion) - Before Christ died, He told the apostles: 
"In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." John 14:2 
The souls of those that have died or will die during the time of the New Testament go directly to Heaven.

HELL
Hell has a just a few more locations:

Tartarus - This is not the version that you may have learned of in Greek mythology, but there's definitely a story behind it. When God cast Satan and his fallen angels to the earth, the fallen angels took wives among the humans. This was Satan's plan for polluting the blood line that would eventually produce Jesus Christ. If he could pollute that blood line, he could prevent the salvation plan that God had set into motion the moment Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit. The offspring produced from these unions were called the Nephilim. (I'll cover the subject of the Nephilim another time.) When God instructed Noah to build the ark, it wasn't only to rid the world of the wicked, but to also cleanse the blood line. Since Noah's blood line was not corrupted, he and his family were spared from the flood and were chartered to repopulate the earth. Tartarus was the place God prepared for the fallen angels. All other wicked went to:

Hades - Again, not the version from Greek mythology. Hades is located next to Sheol, but there is a gulf that divides them. They can see each other, but they are unable to cross over from one side to the next. The wicked from the Old and New Testaments will remain here until the final judgment.

Bottomless Pit - This is a place reserved for Satan and the False Prophet. They will be cast here when Christ returns to establish the Millennial Kingdom on earth. At the end of the Millenium, Satan will be loosed one more time. The reason for this is, there will be new believers born during the Tribulation period after the Rapture that will not have been transformed. In other words, they will still be human and corruptible. This is the last filter that man will go through and even after they've lived in absolute paradise, there will be those that turn against Him. At the end of the Millennial Kingdom will come the final White Throne Judgment. Those that were transformed during the Rapture and those that did not rebel at the end do not go through this judgment. It is reserved only for the wicked. Satan, the fallen angels and wicked men will be cast into:

The Lake of Fire - (aka, the final Hell - this is it.) The eternal resting place for the wicked where they will be engulfed in eternal flame. They will be in torment and thirst day and night for all eternity.

GLARINGLY MISSING
There is one place that has been taught about that simply does not exist, nor a place that fits its description. There is no purgatory or limbo. God did not create a place to store wicked people so others could "pray them out and into Heaven". We do not have the power nor the authority to make such an effort. Just as we cannot condemn someone to hell, we cannot reward them with heaven. That authority is for God and God alone. There simply are no second chances after death.
"And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To this who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation." Hebrews 9:27-28

THE RAPTURE
It is at this point that the dead are risen up along with the living to forever be with the Lord. It is also at this time that we are transformed from our natural state into spiritual beings. No limited bodies fraught with defects or pain. We will be as God always intended us to be until that darn original sin happened. But most importantly, it is the time of great celebration as Christ will marry His Bride (us) and we will be rewarded for our works on earth. This is the only 'judgment' that believers will go through. We will continue to live in Heaven until Christ returns to the earth with us to take it back and establish His Millennial Kingdom.

TIMELINE
I've created a timeline (of sorts) to explain all of this graphically:

Click to enlarge

WHAT IS THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM?
We will reside with Jesus on earth for 1,000 years until the New Earth and the New Jerusalem are created. Christ will take His rightful place on the throne as King in Jerusalem. At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will be loosed one last time, but his rebellion will be crushed. The final Great White Throne Judgement occurs at this time and Satan, the unbelievers, the fallen angels - all wickedness - will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

THE NEW EARTH AND THE NEW JERUSALEM
At the end of the Millennial Kingdom, the earth will be transformed into the final paradise for all of those that remain after the last judgment. Those that survived the Tribulation will be transformed at this time. There will be no seas or oceans - only the Living Waters that God provides. There will also be no night as God and Jesus will walk among us and They will provide the light. There will be no temple as God and His Son are the temple. The New Jerusalem is the New Heaven and we will be able to go between the New Earth and the New Heaven for all eternity. Words inadequately express the beauty of the New Heaven, but to get a peek, go here:

Revelation 21 - 22

And there you have it. A slightly more complicated explanation than what you may have thought, but what a great explanation it is!