Luke 23:42-43 (Soul Sleep, Intermediate state), “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
2 Cor.12:4, Rev. 2:7,Phil.1:21, 2 Cor. 5:6,1 Thes 5:10
The Intermediate state is not what some call soul sleep, but conscious existence with the Lord. We await the resurrection of the body, but remain in the presence of God while we wait for that day.
Interesting thought: We walk by faith now, but we have fellowship with Christ. If the intermediate state is not conscious fellowship with Christ, how is it said to be better in Phil 3:21? “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” – What gain? If leaving here is to go into non existence, or soul sleep, that is certainly not better than having conscious fellowship with Him now.
That should make it very clear that there is no such thing as soul sleep. To be away from the body is to be home with the Lord.
1 Thess 5:10 says “…that whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him.”
2 Cor. 5:6-8
Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are home in the body we are absent from the Lord – for we walk by faith, not by sight we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.
The most clear meaning is that we go directly into Gods presence at death.