27 Feb
Do You Fear Death?
Death.
Some see it as the end of everything, subscribing to the notion that there’s no heaven nor hell nor any afterlife.
Some believe that they will come back reincarnated into another being, and what they come back as depends on how much good versus evil they’ve done in the current life. Looking at the world around us today, I can’t imagine why anyone would want to be reincarnated, really.
Some are just plain unsure of what happens, or believe that no matter what they’ve done or believed in, heaven is their destination.
And then there are those hell-bent on going to hell, thinking that they will be reunited with their friends and all the ‘cool’ people and forever be away from the Christian ‘fundies’.
No matter their belief, one thing is certain: most people fear death.
How about you? Do you fear death?
I did, when I was a non-believer. It is not so much the fear of life ending but rather the uncertainty of what happens after. I followed the religion of my parents then, and believed that I’d come back reincarnated as another human being or, worse, some animal to be slaughtered and eaten or even some revolting pest.
At one point in time, I even believed that you’d go to whichever heaven or state depending on what you believed in, i.e. you get reincarnated if you’re a Buddhist/Taoist/Hindu, go to the Christian heaven if you’re a Christian and the Muslim heaven if you’re a Muslim.
Yes, quite laughable, but when you look around you, it’s not difficult to find out that there are some who believe what I used to believe.
Since becoming a Christian, I realized that as Christians we should not fear death, but shall look forward to it instead.
I’ve just read this excerpt from a sermon by Thomas Watson, the Puritan pastor and writer, on death and its merits from a Christian perspective. In it, he gives us nine reasons to look forward to the day when we pass on from this temporal state to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ:
“I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far!”
It is the desire of a true saint to be gone from this present world, “I desire to depart.” What a wicked man fears — that a godly man hopes for! The worldling desires to live in this present world forever; he knows no other heaven but earth–and it is death to him to be turned out of his heaven. A wicked man does not go out of this world — but is dragged out!
But a soul enlivened and ennobled with a principle of grace, looks upon the world as a wilderness wherein are fiery serpents, and he desires to get out of this wilderness!
The bird desires to get out of the cage, though it is made of gold. Just so, the saints of God have looked upon themselves as imprisoned in the body, and have longed for a jail-delivery.
“Oh, that I had wings like a dove, that I might fly away and be at rest!”
It is no wonder that a true saint is so earnest to be gone from this present world — if we consider how beneficial death is to a child of God. Death puts an end to all his evils! In particular, there are nine evils which death will put an end to:
- Death will put an end to a believer’s SINS.
- Death will put an end to a believer’s TEMPTATIONS.
- Death will put an end to a believer’s FEARS.
- Death will dry up a believer’s TEARS.
- Death will put an end to a believer’s TROUBLES.
- Death puts an end to a believer’s CARES.
- Death will put an end to all our NATURAL imperfections.
- Death will put an end to the imperfections of GRACE.
- Death will put an end to a weary PILGRIMAGE.
Though death is a bitter cup, there is sugar at the bottom. Death is the believer’s best friend; for it brings him to Christ, which is far better. “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far!”
I love how he set forth the truth of what death is to the Christian so succinctly — that while ‘… death is a bitter cup, there is sugar at the bottom.’
Amen!
HT: Chris
Photograph “Striations, Death Valley, CA” by ImagebySP.
Tags: Buddhism, Death, Fear, Hinduism, Islam, Puritan, Reincarnation, Sermon, Taoism, Thomas Watson
Posted by Mark Goodyear on 27.02.08 at 18:00
This is a tough question. Love that last quote–a bitter cup with sugar at the bottom. Of course, I love coffee and bitter drinks anyway.
For me, the fear of death is tied up with my family. I fear the pain my wife and children would experience.
Thanks for your interest in HighCallingBlogs.com. I can tell we’re going to need to create smaller logos in order to fit in with your current blog communities!
Posted by Karl on 27.02.08 at 18:00
>> Death will put an end to a believer’s FEARS.
Our fears should already be at an end IF we walk in step with the Spirit of Holiness.
>> Death will put an end to the imperfections of GRACE.
Care to elaborate?
Posted by Carol on 27.02.08 at 18:00
You know how a false Christian THINKS he’s a Christian but will find out one Day that he wasn’t? He’ll know he is deceived?
Well even though I KNOW I’m a believer and follow and believe the ONLY Christ in the Bible etc. there is still a part of me that fears that I have deceived myself in my own belief. Does that make sense? Probably not…I’ll try again. I KNOW that I believe, but that doesn’t make it so. In other words I don’t trust my belief that I believe! I’m afraid the Lord is going to find a pocket of unbelief - enough to get me disqualified yet I know that I believe. I’m so worried about being deceived that I don’t trust myself, my feelings, my belief in my belief.
It makes perfect sense in my head but I’m having a hard time conveying this to you all. I hope you get it.
So that said, I want to get out of this world because I hate everything about it. I want to be a citizen where there is perfect justice, and a perfect Ruler. No more dual natures but only glorified bodies without sin. Everything in this world will pass away and I can’t wait!!!
Posted by Chris on 27.02.08 at 18:00
Carol,
What you are saying makes perfect sense to me, in fact I have had some of these same fears myself. The Bible tells us that our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked, and I have often wondered if I have just been deceiving myself and have not really repented and believed. We just have to trust that what Jesus said is true, and that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Posted by Chris Jones on 27.02.08 at 18:00
I know some people who want to go to hell because they think it’s going to be a place for non-belivers to indulge in sexual immorality.
Sad
P.S. love the template
Posted by Sicarii on 27.02.08 at 18:00
Karl, I think Carol articulated all that in her own way, and I so totally get what she means! I’d have said the same things, just probably not as precise, lol!
Shalom!
Posted by Sicarii on 27.02.08 at 18:00
Carol, you made perfect sense — I guess all of us have those fears on a certain level if we are truly honest with ourselves.
Shalom!
Posted by Sicarii on 27.02.08 at 18:00
Hey CJ, good to see you again. :-)
You’re right — I do remember back when I was an unbeliever having read some comic and there was a mention of hell where it was this really sexually depraved place where everyone would be in some orgy or another. The realization that it is hell after all comes when they’d try everything they know but never be able to reach sexual orgasm.
Thanks for your kind words on the template; it’s not my work though, lol! I’m helping to give out memberships to the premium theme club if you’re interested — it’s in the post just before this. :-)
Shalom!
Posted by Sicarii on 27.02.08 at 18:00
Mark,
Thank you for the visit.
I agree with you that we do worry about the pain of our loved ones on realizing that we’ve passed on. That’s the human aspect that we can in some ways address by making sure we share our faith with our family members so they know that death is not the end, but that one day we’ll all be reunited where there’s no more tears and sorrow.
Ha ha, don’t worry about the smaller logos. I already have in mind where I can put the logo if my blog should be accepted. :-)
Shalom!
Posted by Carol on 27.02.08 at 18:00
Before I was a believer, I had the crazy idea that in hell, you would be doing whatever you loved when you were alive (that was sinful) but it would never end, so you’d be sick of it and be tortured forever. Don’t ask me where I got that from.
I’ve always had a morbid curiosity about death, decomposition and even autopsies. (still do) But before I was saved, even though I was wrong about hell, I knew it wasn’t a place I wanted to be so I simply ignored it. That was easier than facing it.
Posted by Sicarii on 27.02.08 at 18:00
Ha ha ha, Carol. You know what? That’s what I thought too at a certain stage! I am of the opinion that that thought came from popular culture, and it seems likely though I am lazy to actually verify that now.
Hmm… I don’t know if it’s comforting or just plain disturbing to know that we two are alike in the morbid sense. I once watched a sped-up process of the decomposition of a human body and didn’t cringe one bit. I only was thankful that I’d be dead and not feel all those creepy crawlies on my body!
Posted by old school calvinist on 27.02.08 at 18:00
Hi Carol and Sicarii,
The issue you have brought up is one of Assurance. All Christians face that from time to time and different denominations teach different things. The worst of the lot is the Roman Catholic belief which withholds Assurance so that the poor person is glued to the 7 sacraments and yet still end up in purgatory. Obviously, the Word teaches true assurace (”And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
1 John 1:4)
However, assurance is vital to the true believer. Recently a relative of mine was nearing his death (old age) and he had wonderful assurance that he was going to a better place - nothing left for him to repent and no unfinished buisness.
No one taught him these things, he was taught by the Lord.
Posted by Scizyr on 27.02.08 at 18:00
I was linked here in reference to someone’s argument that Christians look forward to death. A very preposterous idea, I thought, then I read this blog and comments underneath and was left dumbfounded.
John 3:16(you all probably have this one memorized, how did you forget about it in this blog?)
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Maybe I’m completely wrong about this, but this is what I truly believe. I believe Jesus died and then beat death and resurrected. I thought that was one of the core beliefs of Christianity. There is no reason to fear death because it has no power anymore.
I don’t fear death because it is not real. I’m still alive and I will be tomorrow.
Posted by Lincoln on 27.02.08 at 18:00
I am absolutely terrified of death, not so much because of the transition itself, but at the thought that I may wind up spending eternity with a bunch of snotty calvinists.
Posted by old school calvinist on 27.02.08 at 18:00
Hi Lincoln,
“snotty calvinists”?
I know such people exist, but that phrase is a misnomer.
Posted by Lincoln on 27.02.08 at 18:00
Misnomer?? If you looked up the word calvinist in the thesaurus two of its synonyms would snotty and snooty, though not necessarily in that order.
Posted by old school calvinist on 27.02.08 at 18:00
Hi Lincoln,
I think you must be joking, right? Which Thesaurus?
Calvinism is a theological word, and one should not get its definition from the Dictionary, or a Thesaurus.
OK, we should end it here… Sorry Sicarii.
Posted by Sicarii on 27.02.08 at 18:00
Scizyr:
I think you misread the post or I don’t write clearly enough: I am talking about physical death here. Christian or otherwise, we all are appointed to die once as the Bible tells us.
“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”
– Hebrews 9:27-28
Shalom.
Posted by Sicarii on 27.02.08 at 18:00
Lincoln:
I know you’re just dying (pun fully intended) to be with your own kind. ;-)
Shalom!
Posted by Sicarii on 27.02.08 at 18:00
old school calvinist:
Don’t worry about it; there have been worse debates here sometimes. I can’t speak for Lincoln, but I think he might be jesting.
Online communication doesn’t afford us other clues besides what is written so misunderstandings quite often stem from that.
Thank you for taking the initiative to stop it. I really appreciate that.
Shalom!
Posted by Richard on 27.02.08 at 18:00
I just found out that I have only 12 years of living left and in my next life I’ll be a Panda :-))) –> http://oracle.deathdate.info