The State of the Dead

Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Notice the math: dust + breath = soul. The soul is not something humans have. The soul is what humans are. When the breath leaves, the soul does not float away — the soul ceases.

and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

At death the dust goes back to dust and the breath ("spirit," ruach) goes back to God. The Bible never describes a conscious person floating off — only the body returning to earth and the life-breath returning to its Giver.

For the living know that they will die, but the dead don't know anything, neither do they have any more a reward; for their memory is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy has perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.

The dead "do not know anything." It is hard to read this any other way than the way it is written.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor plan, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, where you are going.

No work, no plan, no knowledge, no wisdom in the grave. This is the consistent witness of the Old Testament.

Don't put your trust in princes, each a son of man in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, and he returns to the earth. In that very day, his thoughts perish.

"His thoughts perish." Whatever the dead are doing, they are not thinking.

The dead don't praise Yah, neither any who go down into silence;

If the righteous dead were in heaven praising God, this verse could not be true. They are not — yet. The praise comes at the resurrection.

so man lies down and doesn't rise. Until the heavens are no more, they shall not awake, nor be roused out of their sleep.

Job's description of death is sleep — and a sleep that lasts until the heavens are no more, that is, until the Second Coming.

He said these things, and after that, he said to them, "Our friend, Lazarus, has fallen asleep, but I am going so that I may awake him out of sleep." The disciples therefore said, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover." Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he spoke of taking rest in sleep. So Jesus said to them plainly then, "Lazarus is dead."

Jesus calls death sleep. If Lazarus had been conscious in heaven for four days, Jesus would not have called Him back — that would be a downgrade. The point of the resurrection is that Lazarus had been nowhere.

Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

The dead "sleep in the dust" — and they "awake" at the resurrection. The image is consistent.

But we don't want you to be ignorant, brothers, concerning those who have fallen asleep, so that you don't grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left to the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God's trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever.

Paul comforts grieving believers — not by saying their loved ones are already in heaven, but by promising the resurrection. If the dead were already in heaven, the resurrection would not be the hope.

Behold, I tell you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this corruptible must become incorruptible, and this mortal must become immortal. But when this corruptible will have put on incorruption, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then what is written will happen: "Death is swallowed up in victory."

Immortality is "put on" at the last trumpet. We are not naturally immortal — God grants immortality at the resurrection.

which in its own times he will show, who is the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light;

God alone has immortality. That is the verse. We do not have it. We will be given it.

Don't marvel at this, for the hour comes, in which all that are in the tombs will hear his voice, and will come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.

All in the tombs. They are in the tombs, not in heaven and not in hell. They come out at His voice.