The Bible repeatedly uses sleep as the picture for death: the dead "know nothing," their thoughts perish, and Jesus described Lazarus's death as sleep before raising him. This does not diminish the reality of loss or grief, but it does reframe the timeline of the afterlife: the next conscious moment a believer experiences is the resurrection at Christ's return, when the dead in Christ rise first. This teaching offers comfort rather than fear, removing anxiety about the dead being tormented or watching over the living, and it points hope forward to a real, bodily reunion at the resurrection.
The great controversy reveals God's character as Christ ministers as our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary. The dead await the resurrection, Christ's return will be visible and personal, and prophecy calls believers to faithful mission rather than date-setting or fear.