The dead are asleep, they're resting in peace, until the day of judgement or the resurrection to life and resurrection to death. The soul is also not immortal (Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Matthew 10:28).
>1 Thessalonians 4:13-15 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 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.”
Who would sorrow for someone taking a nap? Not much clarifying needed here
>Ecclesiastes 9:10 “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might; for [there is] no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”
No work, device, knowledge, wisdom in the grave
>Job 14:10-19 “But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where [is] he? [As] the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens [be] no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me! If a man die, shall he live [again]? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands. For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin? My transgression [is] sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity. And surely the mountain falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place. The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow [out] of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.”
A man dies, wastes away, then it's referred to as a sleep and being raised out of sleep.
>Psalms 76:6 “At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.”
>Psalms 88:5 “Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.”
>Psalms 6:5 “For in death [there is] no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?”
A sleep of death, no remembrance or praise even to God, this would be like going to sleep at night and before you know it you've already woken up the next morning but after death is the judgement and there's no going back to get it right.
>John 11:11-14 “These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
Christ calls death a sleep but had to clarify since they didn't understand him
>Revelation 15:8 “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.”
Can't enter heaven until the plagues are done
>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.”
Raised out of sleep to everlasting life or everlasting contempt.
>Daniel 7:10 “A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.”
>Revelation 20:12 “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.”
Books aren't opened until the dead, small and great, stand before God