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God thinks of His children as being asleep when they die. However, He considers only the physical part of the believer to be asleep. The spirit is still alive. When it was reported to Jesus that his friend Lazarus had died, He said, "I'm going to wake Lazarus out of his sleep" (John 11:11). When Jairus' 12-year-old daughter was reported dead, Jesus said that she was not dead, but was asleep (Matthew 9:24). Although Christians naturally suffer feelings of loss a the passing of a loved one, they should not despair or feel hopeless. If that loved one is in Christ, they will see them again. Since God says when Christians die they are asleep, that means they will awake and there will be no more death.