If and why we fear death.
Why do we fear death? Is it because we fear the unknown? Dying is crossing over into the unknown, isn’t it? We really don’t know what awaits us on the other side. I think anticipation is the root of most fear of dying. If you have a belief in God and what He has provided for each of us there should be no fear. His word says, “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” (2 Cor. 5:8).
If we believe there is a God and He loved us enough to send His Son to this earth so we may have eternal life, then we should have no fear. Love is the key, perfect love casteth out fear. (1John 4:18).
Now the person that does not believe in God has a lot to fear. Eternity without God is a fearful thing. If you don’t believe in God just look around you. How can a person look at all the beauty on this earth and in the heavens and believe this is all by accident. I’ll not debate that issue here.
There is no way back, Luke 16:19-31 tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus. In hell the rich man looked across a great gulf and saw Lazarus and Abraham. He wanted a drink of water but could not get it because no one could cross the gulf that separated them. The rich man had brothers that he wanted someone to go tell not to come to this place. He could not get in touch with them. He was stuck in his torment. This should be a scary thought for us. Knowing you are in a place of torment and knowing you have friends and family that believe the same way you do but can’t get to them to tell them any different.
How many loved ones do you think have died in the past and are in this place of torment because they refused to believe and acknowledge what Jesus did for them on the cross. Do you think maybe they are in that torment begging someone on the other side of the gulf to come and tell you not to come to that place?
Fear is defined as an emotion excited by danger, evil, or pain. Hell is a place of danger, evil and pain. It is a place of darkness, a place of eternal torment.
The fear of a lost soul is not death itself, but what is going to happen to after death. The minute we die we step into eternity. For an unsaved non-believer that will be a terrifying step. For a saved believer that will be a glorious step. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord is a wonderful thought.
