Hi Magenta, the Lord said other things that have led the entirety of the Christian church (Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Baptists, Lutheran, etc.) to speak as one voice in holding the sleep of the soul as a heretical doctrine.
Here are some of the things that has led the church to believe that our souls are alive/conscious in the Intermediate State (between our death and our resurrection):
Matthew 17
1 Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and *led them up on a high mountain by themselves.
2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.
3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.
4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
6 When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified.
7 And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.”
8 And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.
2 Corinthians 5
6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord
7 for we walk by faith, not by sight—
8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.
Philippians 1
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.
23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better;
24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
Revelation 6
9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;
10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
So, if our souls lie interred with our bodies in the ground upon our deaths,
1. Was an exception made for Moses? (Elijah never died as you may remember, rather, has was taken to Heaven directly on a chariot of fire)
2. What does the Apostle mean when he speaks of being "absent from the body"?
3. How could we possibly make "pleasing God" our "ambition" in death as well as in life, if we (our souls) are not alive (and conscious) after we die?
4. How could the Apostle think that dying (rather than continuing on in fruitful service here, to both God and the church) could be some kind of "gain" (or that it is "very much better" than living on would be)?
5. Was an exception made again for the souls of the martyrs? If they remained with their bodies in the ground, how are they found in Heaven crying out in a loud voice to the Lord?
Thanks!
~Deut