Short takes to see if the NT really does speak about death as “sleep” instead of being “Alive in Christ”.
1Thess 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
Notice here the entire purpose of the 1Thess 4 information on the resurrection of the dead at the return of Christ - is explicitly to address the issue of Christians who are grieving over the loss of friends/relatives who have died. In this context it appears that they are concerned for the welfare of those "dead in Christ".
1Thess 4:
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.>>
John 11:
11 This He said, and after that He said to them, ""Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.''[/b]
12 The disciples then said to Him, ""Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.''
13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.
14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, ""Lazarus is dead,
1Cor 15:16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;
17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.
…
48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.
49 Just as We have borne the image of the earthy, We will also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; WE will not all sleep, but WE will all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and WE will be Changed.
53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 But When this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, Then will come about the saying that is written, "" DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.
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Lazarus
If it is the “Person that is Dead, that is the Friend of Jesus and that is In the Tomb is the one that is Asleep” instead of the Person being “Alive in Christ” at death -- then we would expect to see..
John 11
1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair,whose brother Lazarus was sick.
3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, "" Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.''
…
11 This He said, and after that He said to them, ""Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.''[/b]
12 The disciples then said to Him, ""Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.''
13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.
14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, ""Lazarus is dead,
15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.''
16 Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, ""Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.''
17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off;
19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother.
20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house.
21 Martha then said to Jesus, "" Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 ""Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.''
23 Jesus said to her, ""Your brother will rise again.''
24 Martha said to Him, "" I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.''
25 Jesus said to her, "" I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,
26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?''
But if it is only the Corpse of the person that is dead, and that is in the tomb and that is the friend of Jesus while the Person of Lazarus becomes “Alive in Christ” at death by contrast -- then we would expect to see,,
John 11
1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
2 It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair,whose brother Lazarus was sick.
3 So the sisters sent word to Him, saying, "" Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.''
…
11 This He said, and after that He said to them, ""Our friend is alive in Christ in haven but the Body of Lazarus, has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken IT out of sleep.''
12 The disciples then said to Him, ""Lord, if IT has fallen asleep, he will recover.''
13 Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.
14 So Jesus then said to them plainly, ""Lazarus’ body is dead,
15 and I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, so that you may believe; but let us go to him.''
16 Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, ""Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.''
17 So when Jesus came, He found that IT had already been in the tomb four days.
18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off;
19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother’s Body.
20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house.
21 Martha then said to Jesus, "" Lord, if You had been here, my brother’s Body would not have died, and my brother would not be in heaven Alive in Christ now.
22 ""Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.''
23 Jesus said to her, ""Your brother’s Body will rise again.''
24 Martha said to Him, "" I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.''
25 Jesus said to her, "" I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will have his body live even if his Body dies while he is alive in Christ in heaven,
26 and everyone Lives forever but those who live and believe in Me will have Bodies that never stay dead. Do you believe this?''
1Thess 4:
Again – here is 1Thess 4 as it would be written if the PERSON is the one sleeping in death instead of the Person becoming “Alive in Christ” at death.
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.>>
Again – lets “rewrite” this so that the person does not sleep – only their decaying flesh is “sleeping” while the Person becomes “Alive in Christ” at death by contrast.
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are Alive in Christ in heave while their corpses are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those whose are alive in Christ and yet have corpses that have fallen asleep in Jesus.
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who have bodies that are still alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who are in heaven alive in Christ and yet have decayed corpses that have fallen asleep on earth. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead corpses in Christ will rise first.>>
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How would 1 Cor 15 be written IF it was the Person that sleeps in death instead of the Person being “Alive in Christ” at death?
1Cor 15:16
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;
17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.
35 But someone will say, ""How are the dead raised? And WITH what kind of body do they come?''
Now let’s Rewrite this to see how it would be written to show that only the bodies are “asleep” while the Person becomes “Alive in Christ” at death by contrast.
For if the dead bodies of the Alive in Christ are not raised, not even Christ has been raised;
17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.
18 Then those who are alive in Christ in heaven at death will have their decaying corpses (asleep in Christ) perish instead of merely sleeping.
19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.
20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those Alive in Christ who have decaying corpses that are asleep.
35 But someone will say, ""How are the dead bodies raised? And WITH what kind of body do the dead bodies come?''
The “really fascinating” part of this is that 1Cor 15 DOES have a segment that IS just focused on the BODY of the saints. So Finally we have a text that does NOT need to be rewritten so that it applies Only to the body – the decaying corpse of the Person. Here it is…
1Cor 15
35 But someone will say, ""How are the dead raised? And [/b]With what kind of body do they come[/b]?''
36 You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless IT dies;
37 and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else.
38 But God gives IT a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish.
40 There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another.
41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. IT is sown a perishable body, IT is raised an imperishable body;
43 IT is sown in dishonor,IT is raised in glory; ITt is sown in weakness, IT is raised in power;
44 IT is sown a natural body, IT is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
45 So also it is written, ""The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL.'' The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.
47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.
49 Just as We have borne the image of the earthy, We will also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; WE will not all sleep, but WE will all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and WE will be Changed.
53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.
54 But When this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, Then will come about the saying that is written, "" DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.
55 "" O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?''
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;
In all cases Sleep is being done by “the person” not their decaying dead corpse as it returns to dust – not by their body at all.
NE. Therefore you aren't really sinning, just wasting your time. Just pray to God. The dead people aren't in heaven yet, and they cannot hear you. When those prayers are answered it is because God sees your ignorance, and winks, and sees the sincerity of your heart and honors your prayers to them, as if they were His own. But He is jealous, and He is calling you to repent. 
