Fear Of Death
Are scared to death of death? Philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote, “Since men could not do away with death, they decided not to think about it.” The fact is we do think about it.
It is said to be one of the three most thought about subjects in America and one of the least talked about. Fear of death has been classified as one of the basic fears.
An ancient inquiry echoes through the ages: “If a man die shall he live again? As certainly as that “if” means “when,” the “shall” means “he will.”
It being inevitable our attitude related to it needs to be proper. The resurrection of Christ put it in perspective. The day He arose from the dead He turned a death dirge into a day of delight, and transformed a funeral into a festival.
For His follower death is the end —-the front end of glory.
Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross described five basic stages through which one goes if confronted with advance knowledge of his or her approaching certain death. These stages are: denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
If the meaning of death can be understood the fact can be better accepted. There are only three reasons a Christian dies.
One is the person has finished his or her earthly mission and God allows him or her to come home and get the awaiting reward. A full life cannot be determined by chronology, but by character.
A second reason is martyrdom that advances the cause of Christ.
The third reason is that the Christian has sinned the “sin unto death.” This is not a specific sin but anyone that so impairs the persons witness their death bring more glory to Christ than their continuing to live in a state of rebellion.
In either of the first two there is dignity and honor. A person faced with either of them as well as a family whose loved one has so died can avoid denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, and depression. Thus, death is more acceptable.
A lovely young woman who had just been informed of her impending death spoke cheerfully, “I have lived all my life preparing for this, therefore, I am ready to go home.” She did so in a few weeks rejoicing.
The apostle Paul wrote what is translated, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” Were an American teenager translating that Greek text it would read, “The moment you die you are eyeball to eyeball with God.”
The glory that awaits cannot be comprehended. A hint of the superiority of that home would be as though all the fetus in all the wombs of all the women of the world could communicate. At the birth of one of them named Sam, others yet unborn could be heard to say —- “Poor ole Sam passed on.”
The imperative is that a person live prepared for the inevitable. Prepare a will, arrange your finances, be certain of relations with others, and above all be absolutely positive you have established the right relationship with Christ as Savior.
If you haven’t do so at once. There are only two answers to the question of “What will you do with Christ?” They are “yes” or “no.” Some want to say “later.” Because of the “X” factor, death, a “later” is a “no.” Settle it now.
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man the things which the Father has prepared for those who love Him” (I Corinthians 2:9).