When a man dies the first death he rests in the grave(Acts 2:27-31,1 Peter 3:18-19, 2 Peter 2:4 , Psalm 16:10 ,Acts 2:27) and his thoughts cease, and he has no more part in anything done under the sun. (Psalm 146:4, Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, Psalms 6:5).
Acts 13:36
36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
Acts 2:29, 34
29
Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
34 F
or David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,
None of those who have died since the beginning have been resurrected, except for he who came down from heaven
John 3:13
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
Ephesians 4:8-10
8Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
9(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
10He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
When a man dies his soul/spirit lives on and sleeps in the grave(Matt 9:24, Mark 5:39, Luke 8:52-53, 1 Kings 2:10, Acts 7:60, 1 Cor 15:6, John 5:28-29, Job 7:21, Job 14:10, Daniel 12:2, 1 Thessalonians 4:13).
Strongs Concordance-5590. psuché
soul, life, self
from pneuma, which is the rational and immortal soul
C.the soul as an essence which differs from the body and is not dissolved by death
This is the definition used in Matt 10:28, Revelation 6:9, Revelation 20:4, , Acts 2:27, 31. It is referring to an essence that is separate from the body and lives on after death(after the breath of life is given up) the soul is immortal. (1 Sam 28:11-20, 1 Peter 3:18-20, Revelation 6:9-11)
The Spirit/soul of those dead are given up to be Judged at the Day of Judgment.
Revelation 20:12-13
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Christ did not free those in prison(as in resurrect them) instead he went unto them and gave them a chance to accept him by ministering unto them.
1 Peter 3:18-19
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Ephesians 4:9
9(Now that he ascended, what is it
but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
But no person except for Christ has been resurrected, which is why the apostles refer to the dead as still sleeping Acts 7:60, 1 Cor 15:6, 1 Thessalonians 4:13
1 Corinthians 11:30
30For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
And we are shown this in
Revelation 6:9-11
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal,
I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them,
that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Even after the first Resurrection of the righteous dead, the rest of the dead are left sleeping in the grave until the second Resurrection.
Revelation 20:
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them:
and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Those would be my thoughts on the matter.