Some are dead/ASLEEP IN CHRIST, others alseep in the dust of the earth, and others know not any thing and are perished.

[1 Thessalonians 4:16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

We shall not all sleep means we shall not all die, so sleep is a term describing death.

[1 Corinthians 15:51] Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

The Old Testament saints who will awake to everlasting life, are not "dead in Christ" but sleep in the dust.

[Dan 12:2] And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Genesis teaches the basic view that people return to the dust when they die, and this theme is continued in scripture.

Genesis 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Job is hoping to die, and affirms Genesis 3:19... his statement "I shall not be" is that he is hoping to be dead by moring.

Job 7:21 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.

Next, is a close parallel of Genesis 3:19, made from the earth/dirt/clay/dust, returning to the dust.

Job 10:9 Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again?

Psalm 104:29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.

Ecclesiastes continues the theme of how men turn to dust when they die and are like being unconscious, alseep, knowing nothing, and their spirit returns to God.

Ecclesiastes 3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

Next, the point is clearly made that the living are in a much better state than the dead.  Further, the dead know nothing, not even emotions.  This is fitting with the Bible's theme of returning to the dust, and being asleep.

Eccl: 9:4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God
who gave it.

I ASSUME, yes, assume from the bulk of the scriptures which say the dead are alseep, and know nothing, to be consistent with that...  that just as we knew nothing prior to being born when our spirits came from God, going back to God does not imply being awake.

In contrast, those asleep in Christ are NOT perished, as in Eccl 9:6, but note, they are still ASLEEP...

1 Cor 15:17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

I hope that Thirteen scriptures given above is enough on the concept.  And there are 12 more verses below!   I believe the example of
Abraham's bosom, which I do not quote, is an example of the ultimate fate of all people once all will finally be raised.  Because there is the resurrection of EVERYBODY in due time.  Currently however, people are not conscious in the afterlife, but asleep.

There is one story in the Old Testament that I have found quite interesting.  Saul, I believe, calls on the departed soul of Samuel.  I believe he wakes him up to do it!

1 Samuel 28
15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.

Question:  For those seven years that the Rapture saints are in Heaven, where are the dead who were not Raptured?

Those who are dead and not raptured are still asleep in the dust.   They are not raised to life until AFTER the 1000 years, or until the first resurrection which is at the end of the tribulation.

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

These two resurrections separated by a 1000 years are spoken of in the following verses which also make the contrasts between good and bad people, but do not mention the 1000 year gap between the two resurrections.

Acts 24:15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
John 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Daniel 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

This last resurrection at the end of the millinnium, at the "great white throne" judgment, shows people coming up.

Rev 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
 
 

Question:  And where are those who die during the Tribulation?

The saints would be under the altar of God.  The others, the masses who die in the wars, the 1/2 of the earth, would not go under the altar of God, but into the dust of the earth, to be resurrected at the end of the 1000 years as we saw.

In Rev 6, again, the theme is still much like sleep, they are told to "rest".

Rev 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Just as Abel's blood cried out from the ground, so too, do these dead cry out for vengance, even thouth they are asleep in death.

Gen 4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
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I hope I have showed you that there are definitely plans for the dead.

[1 Thessalonians 4:15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
[1 Thessalonians 4:16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
[1 Thessalonians 4:17] Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
[1 Thessalonians 4:18] Therefore comfort one another with these words.
 

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