Why do we 'fear' death?

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Reddogs

Active member
Sep 17, 2025
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We've had several friends lose their parents or others close to them especially during the pandemic, and some who are close to us are getting close to the grave or being given limited time by there doctors or medical specialist. And it seems we are gripped by a strange sense of 'paralysis' or 'numbness' from this life/death state of limbo they are in which I can only describe as fear of encroaching death, and yet Gods Word has this....

The Resurrection Body
35But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" 36How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
42So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"[e]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we[f] bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

50I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."[g]
55"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"[h] 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

If we have faith in Christ why are we gripped by these types of feelings when death comes near?.......
 
If we have faith in Christ why are we gripped by these types of feelings when death comes near?.......
Precious friend, this should Not be for Grace believers, eh?:

"Therefore, being Justified By faith, we have​
Peace With God Through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (Romans_5:1 AV)​
+
"Therefore we are Always Confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home​
in the body, we are absent From The Lord!...We Are Confident I say, and​
willing Rather to be absent from the body, and To Be Present With The Lord!"​
(2_Corinthians 5:6, 8 AV)​
​
"For to me to live is Christ, and to die Is Gain! ... For I am in a strait betwixt​
two, having a desire to Depart, and To Be With Christ; Which Is Far Better!"​
(Philippians_1:21, 23 AV)​
​
+ Joyful Expectation / Comfort Of God's Great GRACE Departure! {aka rapture}:

Gods_Great_GRACE_Departure_FINAL.png

Amen.
 
We've had several friends lose their parents or others close to them especially during the pandemic, and some who are close to us are getting close to the grave or being given limited time by there doctors or medical specialist. And it seems we are gripped by a strange sense of 'paralysis' or 'numbness' from this life/death state of limbo they are in which I can only describe as fear of encroaching death, and yet Gods Word has this....

The Resurrection Body
35But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" 36How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
42So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"[e]; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we[f] bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

50I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."[g]
55"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"[h] 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

If we have faith in Christ why are we gripped by these types of feelings when death comes near?.......

The reason we do not want to die is because God wants us to choose life, both temporal and eternal.
The desire for eternal happy life is the proper motivation for seeking to be saved from earthy misery and hell.
 
Why do we 'fear' death?

For the unsaved it is the end of the party
For those with weak faith it can be a fear of the unknown
For those with strong faith love replaces fear.

1Jn_4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
 
If we have faith in Christ why are we gripped by these types of feelings when death comes near?.......

Your answer is in the first word ... "IF". Unlike the Greek our English "if" is always maybe yes/maybe no. So the question needs to be asked if we are afraid of dying do we really have faith in Christ or at least how much faith do we have? Faith is not static, believing the Gospel is only the beginning of the faith journey.

Not all of us are afraid of dying even when facing a terminal illness. I know of those who were content right up until their last breath and overjoyed to be going home at the last. :)
 
Not all of us are afraid of dying even when facing a terminal illness.

And not all Christians are skillful in the Word of Righteousness to know how to prevent the devil from tricking them in to believing for and accepting terminal illnesses which is sad.
 
Your answer is in the first word ... "IF". Unlike the Greek our English "if" is always maybe yes/maybe no. So the question needs to be asked if we are afraid of dying do we really have faith in Christ or at least how much faith do we have? Faith is not static, believing the Gospel is only the beginning of the faith journey.

Not all of us are afraid of dying even when facing a terminal illness. I know of those who were content right up until their last breath and overjoyed to be going home at the last. :)

And we all are facing a terminal death.
 
Your answer is in the first word ... "IF". Unlike the Greek our English "if" is always maybe yes/maybe no. So the question needs to be asked if we are afraid of dying do we really have faith in Christ or at least how much faith do we have? Faith is not static, believing the Gospel is only the beginning of the faith journey.

Not all of us are afraid of dying even when facing a terminal illness. I know of those who were content right up until their last breath and overjoyed to be going home at the last. :)
I saw my father breath his last, and no matter what, I never want to see that again. It left me with deep sensation of missing him, hearing his voice, and seeing his face. It causes a terrible pain as we saw when Jesus wept....
 
That is true but not all face imminent death with the joy that makes you strong.

True. I was blessed by not having to experience tragic illness and death for most of my life, even while serving as a military chaplain.
My parents lived healthy lives into their 90s and were able to die of old age peacefully in their own home, which we all viewed as answered prayer and so I rejoiced. I wish this was everyone's experience. In my own case, I hope to follow in my parents' footsteps,
and I contemplate the possibility of dying daily, which motivates me to smell the roses.