Hi Steve,
The tricky part of all this is that you can't really "know" there's an afterlife until after you accept Christ. You can speculate, imagine, hope for, or fear one, but until you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, it doesn't really mean much. You don't get "peace" about this stuff until you come to Him.But after you do, you'll be sure there's a heaven to hope for , and a hell to avoid, because you'll trust The Master, and believe what He tells you in His Word!