Devotionals
Why Are People Afraid of Death?
People fear death…why? I believe it is because they fear the unknown. The unanswered question, "Where am I going to spend eternity", may be the reason most avoid talking about dying.
I do not fear death or dying, and it might be because I realize that dying is really just the gateway into heaven for those of us who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
I’m what you would call “elderly” at age 65, so I should really be afraid of dying, right?
Perhaps because I wrote the book – Heaven-How Do I Get There, and devoted the entire first chapter to describing what the approach to heaven will look like, and once we are inside of those twelve open gates on the 280’ tall walls….what the city and surroundings will look like. The chapter is a colorful guided tour of the place that those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior will go the second they die.
So, the fear of dying is associated with the fear of the unknown. Knowing what heaven looks like helps me to appreciate the place where God has designed for us.
If I was not a born-again believer - that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He came to earth for one purpose, and that was to be a one-time sacrifice for all the sins of mankind, and that He died a horrible death on the cross for you and for me, then I would be afraid.
When I was eleven years old, at a camp for "church-going kids" in Steep Falls, Maine, I accepted that Jesus rose again on the third day after dying on that cross, and that He spent the next 40 days with His apostles to tell them all what they should write to complete the prophecy of the Old Testament. We call those writings The New Testament. Paul, the 12th apostle hand-picked by Jesus was given the task of writing several books of the New Testament to complete it. Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus after Jesus ascended back into heaven to be with God, the Father.
I would be fearful if I was not a born-again believer because I would have to guess where I would end up for eternity, and the alternate to heaven is a place called hell.
We don’t know much about hell other than it is a complete separation from God; it is a place reserved originally for Satan and his demons who once resided in heaven; it is a place of extreme heat and fire….and a place, according to Jeremiah, the prophet – “Where the fire is not quenched and the worm dieth not”. Hell is a place of eternal torment. Why would anyone on the planet choose to go there is beyond me.
Yet, many who do not know Christ as their Lord and Savior - because they never asked Him to come into their life to save their soul from this place called hell, have to be living in constant fear of that unknown place.
They could easily cure that fear by saying a prayer similar to this:
"Dear Jesus:
I know that I have sinned...so I agree with God that I am a sinner.
I'm sorry for those sins that I have committed, and want to ask Jesus to save me and forgive those sins like he promised he would.
I want to ask you, Jesus, to come into my heart and save my soul.
I believe that you are the Son of God. I believe you died on the cross for my sins.
I believe you are God's Son. I believe you rose from the dead like you said you did,
and I believe you are now in heaven.
Please come into my life now and save me."
Once a soul chooses to ask Jesus to save them, God has given them a promise, and that promise is found in Romans 10:13 – “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord SHALL be saved.”
As I pointed out to one reader whom I shall call “Pat”, the word SHALL is a legal term meaning it SHALL happen….God SHALL save you. It is not a MAYBE you will become saved, or there is a good chance you will become saved if you stop sinning (which is impossible)….it means YOU SHALL BE SAVED.
I would invite my readers to say the above prayer, but mean it sincerely because God doesn’t just write a free pass to keep you out of hell. He wants you to sincerely ask Jesus to come into your heart and to send His Holy Spirit to live within you…to guide you….to become your conscience...to keep you on the right pathway in life.
Once you are saved, or "born again"...a new member in the family of God, you SHALL inherit all that Jesus has in heaven. We become joint-heirs with Jesus.
Heaven is a place we want to be when we die. Here is part of what I wrote in Heaven-How Do I Get There?:
ARE YOU READY TO ENTER THE CITY? LET’S GO!
Once we peek inside, to get a glimpse of what the city itself will look like, we are immediately awe struck. The city itself is made of pure gold!
You’ve just been mesmerized by the walls, foundation, angels, gates, and now you are looking at God’s reflective light from within the walls - bouncing off the pure gold city. The gold reflections are bouncing back and forth from the white walls as seen from the inside.
If you could, try closing your eyes for a moment or two and imagine seeing streets of pure, translucent gold, pure white walls, and the light of God bouncing from walls to streets to city walls.
You have just entered heaven, and peered into New Jerusalem, and you are looking up at 280’ high walls with gates of pearl. That rumor you’ve heard about Heaven having “pearly gates” is true!
Now, look down at your feet. You are looking at the roadway in heaven – and it is made of pure, translucent gold. It would look like someone poured pure, liquid gold into the ground and it hardened. As far as you can see, the roads are pure gold. We will be full of amazement and wonder at how this was all created, and created for those who could answer God’s question, “Why should I let you enter into this paradise that I have built?”
Now, compare what you have already seen with the home you have here on earth. Kind of depressing, isn’t it? This is why we should want to continue looking toward that great and wonderful day when we can actually get to go there.
If we do not die between now and then, we shall hear the sound of a great trumpet calling us “home”. This trumpet will sound when we are “called up” or “raptured” or raised up to meet God in the air….enroute to Heaven.
Think about those of your loved ones who have gone on before you. They are already there if they answered God’s question correctly.
Your loved ones who have decided to get into heaven the only way possible are already there - Imagine! They are already enjoying the beauty of Heaven – God’s home.
CRYSTAL RIVERS AND HUGE FRUIT TREES?
As we walk along those streets of pure gold, we cannot help but notice the crystal clear river that runs along both sides of the thoroughfare. This river is found throughout the entire city of God, and travels to and from His very throne room.
Right in the middle of the street, we notice a huge tree….called the “great tree of life”. This tree was formerly in the Garden of Eden. It spreads outward and its branches bend toward the river on both sides of the golden streets.
The Bible tells us that there are twelve varieties of fruit on this tree, and every month there is a fresh crop! Revelation 22:2. I can’t explain why, but the Bible indicates that there are months, therefore, there must be time in heaven. Time in light of eternity, can mean nothing in so far as it affects us, so I’m not sure what the significance of it is. I’m sure there are Bible scholars who would know this answer, but I do not.
There is much, much more about heaven in the book, but I thought I’d give you a taste of how the Bible has described the place that those who trust Christ as their Savior and Lord of their life will go.
Knowing all about where you will spend eternity should take away all your fears about death and dying…if you are already born again.
Are you?
Any reader is welcome to write me and ask any question. If I don’t know the answer, I will tell you. Generally, there is an answer to life questions in God’s word…the Bible.
For example…astronomers developed the telescope in 1610. An astronomer discovered the constellations like Orion in 1611.
Yet, God told us all about Orion 1520 years B.C.
How do I know? I read the Book of Job in chapter 9 verses 8 and 9: “God alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea; He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south;” God spoke of Orion 3,131 years before the telescope was invented!
Why then do we believe that the earth and heavens were formed from the evolution of a cosmic accident? That belief requires far more faith in an accident than the faith it takes to believe that God created it all...don't you think?
God’s Word, the Bible, has much to say…yet not many Christians read it. Why is that?
When we get into God’s Word, we have a better understanding of who He is. To build any relationship, we must get to know the one whom we want to build that relationship with. God wants to have a close personal relationship with all of us who trust His Son for our salvation.
If we get into His Word, He will show us marvelous things about Himself, and He will teach us many things about life…or death, that we need to know to enjoy a peace that passes all understanding.
Who is in stress these days? Most everyone…including God’s children. Why? God tells us not to stress…not to fear. Who should we be afraid of? Only the devil himself, and he cannot hurt or dwell inside a born-again believer, so we should have no fear of anything if we are born-again believers.
I shall leave you with a tiny fraction of what God tells us. in Proverbs 3:5-6: God says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
Do you seek direction in your life while you are on the planet? Do you seek peace about where your spirit will spend eternity? Then ask Jesus to come into your heart and save your soul. He SHALL do it.
We have a "Prayer of Salvation" located at www.JohnTyler.com/Salvation.htm
John Tyler, Author of nine books.
FIVE of my books are bible-bases, so those are FREE!
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God is up to something....yours is the 2nd article I have read today discussing fear of death. The first one prompted me to submit one on the same topic, which makes 3 submissions on this subject; therefore I believe it is the spirit of God that is speaking through each of us and prayerfully it will help others not to be afraid. Thank you for sharing this timely article. GOD BLESS YOU
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