Soul Sleep?

WHEN WE (CHRISTIANS) DIE, DOES OUR SOUL SLEEP UNTIL THE RESURRECTION?
No. We are not held in a state of sleep but transferred into the presence of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Paul wrote to a group of Christians who were scared. They thought their friends were not going to make it to heaven because they died before the rapture. Paul writes to them saying, “God will bring with Him those who died with Jesus”. No one will be left behind.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.don’t worry, those that have died with the Lord will come with Him. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

We who are alive will not go ahead of them to be with the Lord. They will come too. Note that those that died and us who are alive will be joined to the Lord together. Remember God is outside of Time; to us it might seem as though dead Christians made it there before us, but in God’s view, He raptured all of us together. In heaven it will seem like we all arrived at the same time. In eternity it is always now, it is constantly the present.
Jesus used the word “sleep” as another way to say “dead”. These things He said, and after that He said to them, “Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up.” 12 Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

Luke 8:52-53 Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” 53 And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.

Paul the apostle shares something that to him is hard to understand in totality

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed — 52 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 shall be changed. We will all be changed into our new bodies at the same time. Yes us, even though we are still alive, and them, those that have died with Christ. All of us will be changed.