As we pass through life, death is a line we must eventually cross. It is real and definite, but Jesus teaches us it is not ultimate.
Death and life are not separate, and the living and the dead are not so far apart; we are all still abiding in the presence of God.
Thus, the dead are not really “gone” but have “gone forward” to be with God.
Matthew 22:31-33, John 11:21-27