What is the significance of death for believers according to scripture?

Scripture presents death as a sleep for believers, a temporary state before the resurrection. In 1 Thessalonians 4:14, it is written, 'For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.' Here, death is not the end but a transition into the presence of the Lord. This perspective provides comfort to those grieving, affirming that for the believer, death is a passage to eternal life. Christ transforms death from a daunting event into a gracious homecoming, reminding us that the sting of death is overcome through His victory.