Please excuse me for editing your post, as I did love it all, finding it very sincere and incredibly touching (as are many if not all of your posts)... but it is simply this I wish to respond to here, for I find it interesting that the dead (who know nothing) are always referred to as being dead, and you have eloquently and quite succinctly described the condition (born in Adam) and pointed to the solution: the need to be born again of the Holy Spirit of God (Jesus said, "You must be born again.") to attain to life ever after. Through such a rebirth and being sealed unto the day of redemption, when the perishable clothes itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality via the indwelling of God's indestructible eternal Holy Spirit and the fulfilment of His promises following the resurrection and judgment of all, the dead, who have always been dead, pass into the second death in the Lake of Fire, from which there is no return, and hell is also thrown into the LoF, as well as death itself, for as Scripture says, death is the last enemy to be destroyed.
Isaiah 14 proves that the dead are alive. The proof text for knows nothing has to do with not knowing what is going on on this side of the grave.
Isaiah 14
A Song About the King of Babylon
4 At that time you will begin to sing this song about the king of Babylon:
The king was cruel when he ruled us,
but now his rule is finished.
5 The Lord breaks the scepter of evil rulers;
he takes away their power.
6 In anger, the king of Babylon beat the people.
He never stopped beating them.
He was an evil ruler who ruled in anger.
He never stopped hurting people.
7 But now, the whole country rests and is quiet.
Now the people begin to celebrate.
8 You were an evil king,
and now you are finished.
Even the pine trees are happy.
The cedar trees of Lebanon rejoice.
They say, “The king chopped us down,
but now the king has fallen,
and he will never stand again.”
9 The place of death is excited
that you are coming.
Sheol is waking the spirits
of all the leaders of the earth for you.
Sheol is making the kings stand up
from their thrones to meet you.
10 They will make fun of you, saying,
“Now you are as dead as we are.
Now you are just like us.”
11 Your pride has been sent down to Sheol.
The music from your harps announces the coming of your proud spirit.
Maggots will be the bed you lie on,
and other worms will cover your body like a blanket.
Isaiah 14:4-11
Good News Translation
4 When he does this, they are to mock the king of Babylon and say:
“The cruel king has fallen! He will never oppress anyone again! 5 The Lord has ended the power of the evil rulers 6 who angrily oppressed the peoples and never stopped persecuting the nations they had conquered. 7 Now at last the whole world enjoys rest and peace, and everyone sings for joy. 8 The cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon rejoice over the fallen king, because there is no one to cut them down, now that he is gone!
9 “The world of the dead is getting ready to welcome the king of Babylon. The ghosts of those who were powerful on earth are stirring about. The ghosts of kings are rising from their thrones. 10 They all call out to him, ‘Now you are as weak as we are! You are one of us! 11 You used to be honored with the music of harps, but now here you are in the world of the dead. You lie on a bed of maggots and are covered with a blanket of worms.’”