Do you believe you go to heaven immediately when you die? If not, what happens to your soul until the resurrection? Do you believe in the concept called "soul sleep"?
{Q} "Do you believe you go to heaven immediately when you die?"
{A, Scripturally} No.
We return to dust, and the breath of God returns unto Him which gave it, for it is His, not ours {Gen 2:7, 3:19, 18:27; Job 4:19, 10:9, 17:16, 20:11, 21:26, 34:15, 40:13; Psa 104:29; Ecc 3:20, 12:7}, and there it is into the grave {1 Sam 2:6; Job 14:13, 17:13, 21:13,32; Psa 6:5, 49:14; Ecc 9:10; Isa 14:11, 38:18; Hos 13:14; 1 Cor 15:55} and thus we "sleep" {Deut 31:16; Job 3:13, 7:21, 14:12; Psa 13:3; Acts 7:60, 13:36; and so on} as the Bible calls it, knowing nothing, experiencing nothing, all of our thoughts perished {Psa 146:4}, until our respective resurrection at the last day {Jhn 6:39,40,44,54, 11:24}, of which could be, depending, upon the person, one of 3 remaining resurrections to yet take place,
{1} The Special Resurrection just before Jesus comes, about a week before, there is a resurrection of both righteous and wicked in this one, this is not all peoples
{2} The Great First Resurrection, Resurrection of Just/Righteous, which basically begins the 1,000 year period of Rev 20, all who lived Godly since Abel's time
{3} The Great Second Resurrection, Resurrection of Condmenation/Damnation/Unjust/Wicked, which takes place after the 1,000 years of Rev 20, all who lived ungodly since the beginning.
*The Day of the Lord, the final 1,000th year period, the 7,000th year, aka Millennium {2 Pet 3:8, Rev 20, and so on}
*There are some who will not need to be resurrected.
{Q} "If not, what happens to your soul until the resurrection?"
{A, Scripturally} Temporarily ceases to be, except as known of God and as written in Heavens records books {Psa 139:16, &c}, and the Bible calls this 'state' "sleep" and 'unclothed' {2 Cor 5:4}, since the "living soul" is the combination of dust of the ground and the breath of the life of God {Gen 2:7}.
{Q} "Do you believe in the concept called "soul sleep"?"
{A, Scripturally} Yes, I must, in order to believe the doctrines of God/Jesus.
[sleep, asleep, sleepeth] Deut 31:16; 2 Sam 7:12; Job 3:13, 7:21, 14:12; 1 Kings 1:21, 2:10, 11:21,43, 14:20,31, 15:8,24, 16:6,28, 22:40,50; 2 Kings 8:24, 10:35, 13:9,13, 14:16,22,29, 15:7,22,38, 16:20, 20:21, 21:18, 24:6; 2 Chron 9:31, 12:16, 14:1, 16:13, 21:1, 26:2,23, 27:9, 28:27, 32:33, 33:20; Job 14:12; Psa 13:3; Matt 27:52; Jhn 11:11-13; Acts 7:60, 13:36; 1 Cor 15:6,18,20,51; 1 Thess 4:13-15; 2 Pet 3:4; [awake] Job 14:12; Psa 17:15; Isa 26:19; Dan 12:2; Jhn 11:11-13; [grave/bed] Job 17:13; Psa 139:8; Luke 17:34; [fathers and prophets are dead] Jhn 6:49,58, 8:52,53; Acts 2:29,34, 13:36; Heb 11:4,13,16,40
[knowing nothing] Gen 27:4, 45:28; Ruth 1:17; Job 3:17-19, 7:8-10, 14:21, 21:32; 2 Kings 22:20; 2 Chron 34:28; Psa 6:5, 28:1, 31:17, 88:4,10,11, 115:17, 143:7, 146:4; Ecc 9:4,5,6,10; Isa 14:11, 38:18; [reserved] 2 Pet 2:9; [He goes to prepare a place, so that when He comes again, 2nd Advent, He will raise us and receive us] John 14:2-3
[grave, sepulchre, tomb, pit, hell [ie Hb: sheol; Gr: hades; grave]] Gen 23:6, 35:20, 37:35, 44:29,31, 50:5; Exo 14:11; Num 16:30, 19:16,18; Deut 34:6; Judges 8:32, 1 Sam 2:6, 10:2; 2 Sam 3:32, 4:10, 17:23, 19:37, 21:14, 22:6; 1 Kings 2:6,9, 13:22,30,31, 14:13; 2 Kings 9:28, 13:21, 21:26, 22:20, 23:6,16,17,30; 2 Chronicles 16:14, 21:20, 24:25, 28:27, 32:33, 34:4,28, 35:24; Neh 2:3,5, 3:16; Job 3:17-19,22, 5:26, 7:8-10, 10:19, 11:8, 14:12-14,21, 17:1,13,16, 21:13,23-32, 24:19, 26:6, 30:24, 33:22; Psa 5:9, 6:5, 18:5, 28:1, 30:3, 31:17, 35:7, 49:14,15, 55:15, 86:13, 88:3,4,5-12, 89:48, 94:13, 115:17, 116:3, 139:8, 141:7, 143:7; Prov 1:12, 5:5, 7:27, 9:18, 15:11,24, 23:14, 27:20, 30:16; Ecc 6:6, 9:10; Song of Songs [Solomon] 8:6; Isa 5:14, 14:9,11,15,19, 22:16, 28:15,18, 38:10,18, 53:9, 57:9, 65:4; Jer 5:16, 8:1, 26:23, 20:17; Eze 26:20, 31:15-17, 32:18,21-27, 37:12,13, 39:11; Hos 13:14; Amos 9:2; Jonah 2:2 [<- figurative, typological]; Nahum 1:14; Hab 2:5; Matt 8:8, 11:23, 23:27,29, 27:52,53,60,61,64,66, 28:8; Mark 5:2,3,5, 6:29, 15:46, 16:2,3,5,8; Luke 8:27, 10:15, 11:47,48, 23:53,55, 24:1,2,9,12,22,24; John 5:28, 11:31,38, 12:17, 19:41,42, 20:1-4,6,8,11; Acts 2:29,34, 7:16, 13:29,36; Rom 3:13; 1 Cor 15:55; Rev 1:18, 11:9, 20:13,14
[resurrection] 1 Sam 2:6; Job 14:12-14, 19:26; Psa 16:10; Hos 13:14; Matt 22:23,28,30,31, 27:52,53 [special firstfruits resurrection; see also Isaiah 26:19; Ephesians 4:8]; Mark 12:18,23,25; Luke 14:14, 20:27,33,35,36; John 5:29, 6:25,28,29,39,40,44,54, 11:24,25; Acts 2:27,31, 4:2,33, 17:31,32, 23:6,8, 24:15,21; Rom 1:4, 6:5,8; 1 Cor 15:12,13,16,20,21,23,29,32,35,42,43,52-55; Eph 1:20, 4:8 [special firstfruits resurrection; see also Isaiah 26:19; Matthew 27:52,53]; Phil 3:10,11; Col 3:3; 2 Tim 2:18, 4:1; Heb 6:2, 11:35; 1 Pet 1:3, 3:21; Jude 1:9 [Moses resurrection; combine with Matthew 17; Mark 9; Luke 9; 2 Peter 1:16; Romans 5:14]; Rev 1:5,18, 20:5,6,13; [translations] - Enoch [Gen 5:24; Heb 11:5]; Elijah [2 Kings 2:1,11; Matt 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30,31] and some at Jesus's 2nd Advent/Coming [1 Thess 4:13-17]; other special resurrections that took place - Elijah raises the Widow of Zarephath's [1 Kings 17:17-24]; Elijah raises the son of the Shunamite Woman [2 Kings 4:18-37]; A man and Elisha's Bones [2 Kings 13:20-21]; The Valley of Bones, the Resurrected Army [Eze 37:1-14]; Jesus raises the Widow of Nain's Son [Luke 7:11-17]; Jesus raises Jairus's Daughter [Matt 9:18,19,23-26; Mark 5:22-24,35-43; Luke 8:41-42,49-56]; Jesus raises Lazarus [John 11:[FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]1-47]; [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Peter raises Tabitha [Dorcas][/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] [Acts 9:36-42]; [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Paul raises Eutychus[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] [Acts 20:9-12]; [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Paul himself may have been raised, or at least miraculously healed from stoning [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif][Acts 14:19-20]; [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]a special resurrection that will take place before the Great First Resurrection of the Righteous[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] [[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Dan 12:2,12; Matt 26:64; Mark 14:62; Rev 1:7, 14:13[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]]; [/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Jesus' Resurrection[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, sans-serif] [[/FONT]Matt 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-53; John 20:1-31]
[a special resurrection, some righteous, some wicked - to witness Christ coming in Power in Glory to fulfill His Word] Dan 12:1-3,12; Matt 26:64; [FONT=Verdana, sans-serif]Mark 14:62; Rev 1:7, 14:13[/FONT]
[[first great] resurrection [of the saints, just, life, before/at start of the 1000 years when Christ Jesus returns in Power and Glory], raised] 1 Sam 2:6; Job 14:12-14, 19:26; Hos 13:14; Matt 22:31; Mark 12:18,23,25; Luke 14:14, 20:35,36; John 5:29a, 6:25,28,29,39,40,44,54, 11:24,25; Acts 4:2, 17:31,32, 23:6, 24:15a,21; Rom 6:5,8, 8:11; 1 Cor 15:12,13,16,20,21,23,29,32,35,42,43,52-55; Phil 3:10,11; Col 3:3; 1 Thess 4:16-17; 2 Tim 2:18, 4:1; Heb 6:2, 11:35; Rev 20:5b,6; [All the Holy "Clouds" of Angels [the "reapers"] with Him] Psa 68:17, 104:3; Isa 66:15; Matt 13:39,49, 16:27, 24:30, 25:31,51, 26:64; Mark 8:38, 13:27; Luke 9:26, 21:27; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thess 3:13, 4:16-17; Heb 1:7; Rev 1:7, 12:7
[2nd Advent/Coming in Power and Glory, with all the holy angels, even unto the 3rd] Zech 14:1-7 [3rd]; Dan 2:35,44,45, 7:14,22,27, 8:25, 12:1-3; Matt 19:28, 24:30, 25:31; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27; 1 Cor 15:43; 2 Thess 1:9
[[second great] resurrection [of the wicked, unjust, damnation, at the end/close of the 1000 years, when Christ Jesus and all of the Saints [then immortal] descend to Earth in New Jerusalem upon the Mount of Olives, and the Great White Throne Judgment takes place; Zechariah 14; Revelation 20]] John 5:29b; Acts 17:31, 24:15b; Rev 20:5a
[resurrection of unjust/damnation takes place on earth after the 1,000 years {Millennium}] Rev 20:5,7-15
[man is mortal, mortality] Gen 2:17; Job 4:17; Rom 6:12, 8:11; 1 Cor 15:53,54; 2 Cor 4:11, 5:4
[dust, clay, earthen] Gen 1:24,25, 2:7,19, 3:14,19, 18:27; Job 4:19, 7:21, 10:9, 13:12, 17:16, 20:11, 21:26, 30:19, 33:6, 34:15, 40:13; Psa 22:15,29, 30:9, 103:14, 104:29; Ecc 3:20, 12:7; Isa 26:19, 29:16, 41:25, 45:9, 64:8; Jer 18:4,6; Lam 4:2; Dan 12:2; Mal 4:3; John 9:6,11,14,15; Rom 9:21; 2 Cor 4:7; 2 Peter 2:6
[God alone is inherently immortal] 1 Tim 1:17, 6:14-16
[God alone has inherent unborrowed life, original, eternal] John 1:4
[mankind is created as "dust" + "breath of life" of God, neither of which we own, and is no different in that respect than the beasts, thus in the first death; returning to dust which we are, "breath of life" of God returns to God, for it is His, not ours] Gen 2:7, 6:17; Job 34:14,15; Psa 104:29; Ecc 8:8, 12:7; Acts 17:25
[Jesus, Himself says that the first death = "sleepeth"] Matt 9:24; Mark 5:39; Luke 8:52; John 11:11