As for that which is taught in the Bible, well such a dimension is beyond the comprehension of the living. There are allusions and stories of heaven and hell which are not places but rather states of being. So I'd have to say that all the descriptions of the afterlife that are in the Bible are an attempt to describe something that is beyond description so I don't think about that as being in any way literal.
We all end up in the same place after death and our state, condition to progress spiritually towards God will be dependant on what we have learnt in this life, the virtues we have developed, the deeds and sacrifice we have made for others, how free we are of prejudice, how just we have been, etc, etc.
