Die and go straight to heaven?

In one of the forums, there was a debate about whether people go to heaven when they die or not. Some participants say that they do while other say sleep until Jesus returns. None of the participants referenced any Bible verses.

I found the following verses:

Luke 16:19-31 seems to imply that Lazarus the beggar went straight to heaven before Jesus returned.

However, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 seems to say the opposite:

According to the Lords own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

If that's the case, there's the question of "Where's the souls of the dead believers during the time between them dying and when Christ returns?"

I dare to suggest the answer is "Nowhere".

They don't have to be anywhere during that time duration.

God's perspective transcend time.

So they can just as well die and rise up immediately at the time when Christ returns.

Thus, they can do both. die and go straight to heaven after dying and go to heaven at the time when Christ returns.

Pure speculation from a physics person... :-)