Greetings JesusLives,
The statement I changed to red..... This is proof that a lot of people believe the lie satan told Eve in the garden.... That you will not die.
Brother, your on-going error is not understanding the scriptural definition of death, which is not annihilation or extinction. Also, as long you continue to define death in this way, you will not understand. Life and death are both conscious states of existence, with the reference to death relating to one's separated and unreconciled status in relation to God. For those who take part in the second death it is their status of separation from God which constitutes the state of death.
The rich man of Lazarus fame is a good example of state of death. Both the rich man and Lazarus died, yet their spirits departed from their bodies and were down in Sheol/Hades. The state of the rich man is death, which is characterized by his separation from God and being in torment in flame. After the thousand years he will be resurrected at the great white throne judgment and will then be thrown into the lake of fire, which is the second death, where he, along with everyone else, will be conscious and aware in the lake of fire.
When you are alive you live when you are dead you are dead and don't know anything. Body resting in the ground or cremated until called in the resurrection.
The reference to "sleep" refers to the body only and not the spirit. We have many examples of those who have died and yet are conscious and aware in their spirits after death, which I put in another post on this thread.
The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Allow me to paraphrase this for you: The reward for sin is death i.e. complete loss of eternal well being in conscious existence in separation from God.
As far as the state of a believer's spirit after death, scripture states that we depart from the body and go to be in the presence of the Lord.
"Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident,
I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. - 2 Cor.5:6-8
"For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!
I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body." - Phil.1:21-24
Both scriptures above reveal that when the body dies the spirit departs and goes to be the presence of the Lord, where they are also looking forward to the resurrection of their bodies.
I hope that this clears some things up for you.
Blessings!