1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

v13: There are some things about those who die in the Lord "that we need not and should not be ignorant of."  Though "we may weep for our own loss," we do not weep for relatives and friends who have died in the Lord.  For them, death is gain, as "they are now with God and are therefore better off where they are than when they were here."  This is the certain hope we have for them.

v14: "The doctrine of the resurrection and the second coming of Christ is a great remedy for the fear of death and excessive sorrow for the death of our Christian friends."  Christ, having been raised from the dead, is the first fruits of those, who, having died are now asleep "under his special care and protection," will one day, like Him, "be raised from the dead and woken up from their sleep" and "when God comes he will take them with him."