For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Penny Guglielmini
I believe that Cliff's answer is the most accurate. I'm am well aware of the verses from Ecclesiastes and am confident of their meaning in relation to other bible verses pertaining to "death" and "sleep". Many people think that the story of Lazarus and the beggar is a parable.
This cannot be true because Jesus used a specific name (Lazarus). All parables mention non-specific people. The beggar, after his death, was placed in what the bible calls Abraham's Bosom. This is the same paradise Jesus refers to while hanging on the cross between two real criminals. The one that repented was told by Jesus that he would be walking with Him in paradise that very day. Jesus didn't call it heaven, just paradise, which I believe is the same word used when talking about the beggar.
At death, Christ descended to this paradise to release all the Old Testament saints and it is mentioned in Matthew 27, I think. The false belief in "soul sleep" is just as prevalent and harmful as the "rapture" fable. Study scripture prayerfully and question all things that deviate from God's written word.