Do we immediately go to heaven?

from the old testament

• The Old Testament doesn’t provide much clarity on life after death but indicates that both unbelievers and believers are conscious during that period. Isaiah paints a picture of “Sheol” (a generic term for death, the grave, or the nether region) as alive with activity when the king of Babylon dies. Isaiah 14:9-10 reads, “Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come; it arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth; it raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones. They will all respond and say to you, ‘Even you have been made weak as we, you have become like us.’” The picture of this passage and following is that of the dead being aware of what is happening and mockingly “welcoming” the once proud king.
• Ecclesiastes 12:7 indicates that after death, “the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). “Dust” refers to the physical body, whereas “spirit” refers to the immaterial part of men and women.
• Those who are currently dead will not remain where they are. There will be a future judgment. The book of Daniel ends, “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt” (Daniel 12:2). That judgment will lead to the final destination of the dead.
• For the believer, the expectation is life with God. Job said, “Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God” (Job 19:26). He anticipated a time after death where, back in his body, he would see God.

from the new testament

• The New Testament provides more information about life after death. It teaches that believers will be with Jesus as soon as they die. For example, while on the cross Jesus told one of the thieves, “today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Likewise, Paul mentioned the benefit of dying was to be immediately with Jesus (Philippians 1:23) and that to be dead, away from the body, was to be alive with Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:8).
• Luke 16 records Jesus' story about two individuals and their immediate entry into the afterlife upon death:  an unnamed rich man who was "in Hades . . . in torment" after death (Luke 16:19) and a poor man named Lazarus who "died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side" (a place symbolizing rest) (Luke 16:20–23).
• Luke 16 describes an “intermediate state,” i.e., temporary. The  rich man was in a place called Hades, whereas no name is given to the place where Lazarus was resting. Hades is not the final location for unbelievers as even Hades will be thrown into the “lake of fire” in the future (Revelation 20:14). Many  descriptions we think of for heaven (such as golden streets and pearl gates) describe the new heaven in the future (Revelation 21:18–21). So, while we may colloquially refer to Hades as “Hell” and Lazarus’s place of rest as “Heaven,” theologians have recognized that there are some differences.
• However, being temporary doesn't mean the intermediary state doesn't express what eternity will be like. Though Revelation indicates a future, final judgment, the rich man in Jesus' story began his torment immediately. Likewise, though we know that believers will one day be raised and live in the new heavens and new earth (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17; Revelation 21:1–7), Lazarus immediately began to experience joys and blessings, a precursor to the eternal blessings he will have once God completes His work of salvation and restoration.
• The Luke passage also shows that when people die, their eternity is fixed.  In Luke 16, the rich man spoke with Abraham in hopes of finding relief. Abraham replied, “between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us” (Luke 16:26). The time for repentence was over. Hebrews reinforces this point: “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Judgment begins after death.

implications for today

"I'll do it later." We've all said that or heard it. Procrastination aside, some things can't wait until later. Telling others about Christ is one. The Bible teaches that immediately after we die, our eternity is set in stone. The time to repent is over at that point. There's no going back.

That's why believers must tell unbelievers in our sphere about Christ. None of us is guaranteed the next day, the next hour, the next minute. When we close our eyes in death, we  will open them—either to comfort or to torment that will last an eternity. Christians are called to tell others about the God who loves them and His Son whom He sent to save them. They need to know that if they repent and trust in Him, God will consider their judgment as already paid. Then, when they die, they will join all believers who are immediately ushered into the start of their eternal joy.