Who are those who have fallen asleep (1 Thessalonians 4:13)?

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, the apostle Paul conveys a message of hope to believers who are experiencing sorrow and grief. He begins, “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:13–14, NKJV).

Those who have fallen asleep refers to believers in Jesus Christ who have died. In both the Old and New Testaments, as well as in broader ancient Jewish and Graeco-Roman literature, sleep was commonly used as a euphemism for death (see Genesis 47:30; Psalm 13:3; John 11:11–13; Acts 13:36; cf. 2 Maccabees 12:45; Homer, Iliad 11.241). Just as one might say today that a person has “passed away,” in Bible times, “fallen asleep” was a gentler, more sensitive way to express that a person had died.

Evidently, some of the Thessalonian believers were concerned about death and the return of Christ. These were likely young or immature Christians, and Paul did not want them “to be uninformed about those who sleep in death” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Perhaps they were grieving over lost loved ones and feared these deceased Christians might miss out on Christ’s second coming and the future kingdom of Christ. They may have been influenced by false teachers who denied the resurrection of the dead (see Matthew 22:23–33; Acts 17:32; 1 Corinthians 15:12–19).

Paul reassured the Thessalonians that, when Jesus returns, “God will bring back with him the believers who have died. . . . We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:14–17, NLT).

Those who have fallen asleep emphasizes the temporary nature of death for Christians. Ultimately, all believers, whether departed or still alive on earth at the time of Christ’s return, will experience resurrection life. For Christ is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep,” and all who are in Him “will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:20–22). Christians whose physical bodies have already perished are still “in Christ.” Once we belong to Jesus, nothing can separate us from Him (see John 10:28–29; Romans 8:38–39). Not even death, for one day we will awake from sleep. Our future resurrection is assured.

Followers of Christ can face death with hope. We can also face grief and loss with hope. For “we know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with” every born-again saint (2 Corinthians 4:14, NLT).

Paul received unique insight from God about death, the resurrection, and Christ’s return at the rapture. In 1 Corinthians 15:51–54, he discloses this “wonderful secret,” explaining, “We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die. . . . Then . . . this Scripture will be fulfilled: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’” (NLT).

Jesus Himself assured Martha of life beyond the grave for those who have fallen asleep in Christ. As her brother Lazarus lay dead in his tomb, Jesus told the grieving woman: “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?” (John 11:25–26, NLT). Christians need not fear death or be anxious about the future, for they “have already passed from death to life,” and will one day “rise to experience eternal life” (John 5:24–29, NLT).