“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 NIV).
This passage employs the word “sleep” as a figure of speech that helps make an unfamiliar concept easier to grasp. In this instance, sleep is used as a metaphor to represent the physical death of those who are in Christ.
To help explain this comparison, let’s take the example of someone who retires to bed in the evening and later awakes to the dawn of a new day. In this respect, the act of going to sleep involves a transition from one day to another. In a similar manner, death (like sleep) is a transitional state for those who follow Jesus. But unlike the act of sleeping through the transition of one day to another, death involves our transition from this temporary, physical life to eternal life with God.
In this respect, it has been said that our friends and loved ones in Christ who pass from this life are not unlike a group of companions who have left us to depart for a lengthy trip. While we look forward to reuniting with them in the future, there may be great sadness over the fact that our reunion might not take place for quite some time.
We can also look to Jesus’ example in responding to the loss of a loved one. When Jesus’ friend Lazarus passed away, John 11:35 describes His reaction: “Jesus wept.” In much the same way, we may bereave our loss or mourn the fact that we no longer have the ability to enjoy the company of those we love. Nevertheless, we should not “…grieve over them and be like people who don’t have any hope” (CEV).
When a man or woman in Christ passes from this life, our sorrow should be tempered by the knowledge that our separation is temporary. In the words of one source, “Knowing the bright future of believers who have died gives hope in the midst of grief. Paul did not deny that the death of a believer brings grief to his or her loved ones (cf. John 11:35). Nevertheless he insisted that Christians need ‘not grieve’ as those ‘who have no hope’ grieve.” (1)
(1) Dr. Thomas L. Constable, Notes on 1 Thessalonians 2020 Edition [4:13], https://www.planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/html/nt/1thessalonians/1thessalonians.htm