Well all that means is that they are now spirits. As to whether or not they are resurrected at this moment, it doesn’t say. What constitutes being “present with the Lord”, I don’t know. Other scripture asserts that “the dead know nothing”.
Well, the passage quotes Christ as saying the “dead” are like angels...and angels interact with humans a lot in the Bible.
Good point. We really can’t just take one scripture and make a statement about it. We need to know the whole counsel of God and see what other scriptures say about that subject.
Anything like that in the New Testament? Even of sheol, it was disputed among the Jews. Of course, Catholics believe the "Harrowing of Hell" made a real difference in the status of human souls vis à vis heaven -- Protestants seem to be all over the map on it, so I can't guess where you are.