Fear of Death

It would seem Covid has elevated the fear of dying above the norms that this phobia already enjoys. Anyone in the counseling, therapy, ministry areas already realizes that the human fear of death is potent and is a driving force in many decisions people make as they go through life. Some more than others. Some much more than others.

The fear of death always percolates beneath the surface, haunting many, many people but Covid-19 has propelled the fear of death even further than normal in our society.
This fear spills out into everyday life and is now a common theme (more than previous) in many therapy sessions. It isn't and shouldn't be ignored.
As a wealthy culture, we don't visit the subject of death as often anymore, so suddenly - for many people - they are coming face to face with life and death - some front and center.

All of us should aim to help those who struggle with this centrality of human existence, and right now a vaccine is certainly an aid mentally, not just physically.
A person finds hope in their answer of being vaccinated and that's understandable, even as facts are still being discovered.
It's where our nation, and our world is currently.

The good news may be that a reality check oftentimes spurs the apathetic to live fuller lives! Many times the terminal cancer patient is the one smiling as those around them are doom and gloom! Why is that? Because they realize life isn't all about the stuff we make it about everyday and they are determined to throw the ilk over the side, even if for a short while and smell deep of the blessings of life they do have.... a bit more time.... rather than stress and fear of what they don't have.... a guaranteed tomorrow.

God will bring us to our knees oftentimes to open our eyes, but mostly our hearts.

May God Bless us all as we aim to help those around us.
Blessings,
Mark

Very well said!!!!

God Bless.

B

I don't believe it's death that scares me but not being there to provide and take care of my family any longer. After all what's Scarry about heaven? My only fears are my family's well being.

I don't want to die in a knife fight, other than that, I don't have much fear of it. I ponder chest pains more than I used to.

I don’t want to die painfully. Other than that the only thing that comes to mind when I think of dying is the pain my wife and kids and others who love me would feel if I died.

My wife was that way the day she tested positive. She couldn’t understand my lack of sympathy. I told her I seriously doubt either of us are in that 3% range, and if I am then they would be well taken care of. Between life insurance, SS, and retirement, I’m worth more dead than alive, lol.

God will take care of your family if you die. I lost my dad when I was 9. My mom raised 5 kids 4-19 years old with God providing.

Great post Mark right on 100%.

We don't know when God steps in with angelic help but as it was for Daniel and for Christ in Mark 1:13, it happens and it's a blessed assistance each and every time it happens.
Many have powerful testimonies on how they were guided and helped by angelic nobles.

Blessings,
Mark

Most people are afraid of living.

I believe that the Virus is and only has been used as a ploy to control us, through the manipulation of fear of it through the descriptions given us by those who are using it, in it's lethality or death as you bring up.

If people are educated and have the strength to investigate things, they would become so much more at ease with many things in this world that are confusing when used against them for others gain, they would be prepared as you mention to be at ease with things they don't understand or can't comprehend prior to that new understanding.

Education is a strange thing though, because it has to be done with an open mind and not one lost to emotionalism or peer pressure, both of which are being used for nefarious reasons with this virus.

I don't fear death having been involved with it many times and know why it happens in most case's, its the leaving the others behind and not knowing how they will fare without my being with them, that bothers me.

I guess thats the egotiscal part of understanding things that make you comfortable in your being alive !

Here's a good book to read if your afeared of Death.

I am not afraid of dying. I know where I’m going and my great grandma is there waiting for me. But drowning, burning on a fire, and being stabbed to death scares the crap out os me!

I want to go the same way Mary went.

This^

Elijah got the curb side pick up we'd all marvel at

Enoch got the Star Trek transporter.

Mark, interested in your take on the book of Enoch. I've not read it and not sure if it's something I want to read.

I've not read it bleeohio, as we dive deep into canonical texts. Well, I should say I've not "read" it. I've read bits and pieces of Noah's grandfather's writings. I had to do a bit of exegesis on Ethiopian theology and I referenced it a couple times, but that's about all.

Some day perhaps?
Have you read it?

Blessings,
Mark

How was that? I haven't read it in the Bible

Body and soul

No sir, I've not read it. But knowing that Enoch walked with Adam and he is mentioned as having favor with God, I can't help but wonder why his book was not included?

I wanna be shot by a jealous husband when I'm 99.
Or instantaneously vapourized in a nuclear blast.

A discussion not for this thread, but suffice to say, it was never a question of Enoch's status before God, but rather his writings were not inspired to reveal God character anymore than what we have today.

Or in a brawl with Bigfoot over a beaver

The big unknown does scare me some, I have faith but I'm not the judge

For some death is only leaving this world for eternity with the lord, For others, death is a place of uncertainty.

Billions have gone before us so we know it's doable.

If you believe in God and know you are destined for heaven what's to fear?
If you don't believe in God and do not worry about hades what's to fear?

I have come close to death multiple times, both injury and disease have nearly taken me. I never had much fear of it. When I was married we thought for awhile my wife was pregnant, it gave me me a near instantaneous fear of death, I still climbed trees but I was more careful and thoughtful.

Upon my divorce I nearly completely lost my fear of death, nothing phased me, I got knocked out cold in a tree (being wreck less) and when I woke up with an obvious concussion I went straight back to work, I didn't come down from the tree until it was done.

I recently met a girl who is excellent, someone who I could see having a family with someday, my fear of death has started to return.

My fear of death seems to be tied in with my potential legacy and from a biological and evolutionary perspective it makes alot of sense.

The answer to both is (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman)

The fear stems from the unknown perhaps. The list we can conjure being able to control is shorter than the list our mind develops as to "what might happen."
Covid has opened a can of "what if's" that continues to prosper.

Humans have this cursed sense that we can control our destiny. Some go so far as to freeze their corpse for a future date thinking humans will develop the elixir of immortality.
That's a sure way to live less than 100 years.

Not afraid of dying , just hope I live long enough to enjoy some retirement.
Reading other posts , makes a guy think I can relate.
Company I work for has pretty healthy amounts of life insurance on
Everyone here so yes I'm worth more died than alive. (Crazy but true)
But for now I'm glad to be alive.
Very good post Mark

I hope our legacy isn't wrapped around money. Rust and moths.
150 years from now, who will remember how much you left behind? No one you know. And no one they know. And most won't know your name 30 years after you die.

For millennia our faith prepped in this life for the next and now -
Atheists suggest we swap our soul in this life for goodies that we can assure our kids and gkids to swap their souls in their lifetimes also?
Not on this dude's watch.

Blessings,
Mark

Boy howdy isn’t that the truth!

Well said Mark

I think knowledge of our inevitable demise is what separates us from the beasts... Animals flee that which is immediately dangerous to life or health, but I see no indication that they instinctively know that "one day..." We learn it fairly young and it shapes the course of our lives.

The biological imperatives boil down to 3 basic rules:

A) Stay alive

B) Make copies of yourself

C) Keep the copies alive long enough to make copies of themselves.

I think that's why a lot of folks instinctively have trouble with matters of faith. If you have faith you can ignore the 3 basic rules because you know something larger is at play... In fact, faith often instructs you to ignore or overcome many of the baser instincts.

There's no getting around it... It's inevitable. I just hope mine isn't long and painful. And I hope I meet it well.

Mike

I'm not afraid of dying. I'm afraid that after death my wife will sell my stuff for what I told her I paid for it.

Actually I'm more afraid that I won't have left my wife with enough to live on. Although her retirement plan is much better than mine.

I witnessed to my father and mother about Christ shortly after I became a Christian. I wanted to, but also felt I needed to. My mother looked at me like I was crazy and my father was so offended he wouldn't talk to me for months.

I understand he finally "accepted" Christ just days before he passed. I wasn't there and can't speak to whether the transformation was real or not but his lifelong conviction of the afterlife passed just before he did. Was it the fear of the unknown? I don't know. My mother never did give any indication of changing her opinion.

They say most people die much they way they've lived.

If he got final rites he's all set.

Faith at its core is a transference of trust.

FYI - More and more Christian funerals are moving away from the Roman pagan era garb of black and despair over someone's ultimate death and burial,
to the historic orthodox funerals where Christians dress in white and rejoice at the end of one life as the next begins. Still sad but hope is eternal with the Lord.

Blessings,
Mark

I guess to me, death is part of life. Everyone gets a turn.

What's the answer to fear?

Reality

Faith

I don't fear death I won't be alone. What I do fear is nursing home and a poor quality of life at the end. I want to just drop in my happy hunting grounds some place.

Im afraid our government is going to try and stop our way of living. Not political, a valid fear.

All struggle with a lack of faith.
Unbelievers.
Believers.
Even Christ's disciples.

Ever worry? Why? God says don't.
Ever complain? Why?
Ever fear? Why? God has this.

When we say God can't or God won't or I can when God says I shouldn't....
it's called lack of faith.
Usually grounded in our age old self-righteousness.
We all struggle against it.
We all struggle with it.

A bit of perspective often bears fruit.

Blessings,
Mark

I don't fear death I've flat lined 3 times already I have a device in my chest that keeps me alive. I live with a incurable disease that is eating away at my muscles. I have been given a gift that has removed all fear from my heart yes I have fearful thoughts of dieing but in my heart I have peace.

I find that very insightful. I think we all struggle in our initial approaches to God trying to justify ourselves in some way. We can't and the harder we try, the worse things appear. We appeal to the law when we need to appeal to grace.

The second death is what to fear...unless Grace abounds.

To function without fear you must accept that you are already dead.....and go about your business. None of us are getting out of this alive.

I have a different take on this subject. I don't believe it is Death that most people are afraid of. Rather, I think it is the unknown dying process that someone will have to face going through. Will I die quietly in my sleep when I am 100 years old and in good health ? Wil I die in a horrible Car accident ? Will I die a long , lingering painful Death; after suffering through years of various Cancer treatments and surgeries to stop the Cancer; only to find out that it was all for nothing.

The best that one can hope for, is to live their life to the best and fullest that they can. Enjoy every day. Try to treat the people around you good. Yesterday is gone. We only have today. Tomorrow is never guaranteed. Use the past as a guidebook. to chart your way through life in the future.

With all respect CB, your assessment would have been discarded as a fool's dream prior to about 200 years ago in all of human history.
The best one can hope for has throughout human history - been more than this life. Only since post-Renaissance (> 1500's) on into what is termed the Enlightenment Era (post 1700's) has mankind in our Western world deemed the afterlife irrelevant and God right along with it, no matter what god you're discussing.
We don't think about that much anymore, and they sure don't teach it in secular school, but that doesn't make it so. Much of what is taught now in school isn't truth, it's preparation for a life of productivity in a society aimed inward.

Anyone who cares for the psyche (mental) of people knows that the theme of death is front and center, and the theme of "how will I die?" is cloaking for I prefer not to. I learn much from those with months, weeks, days, or hours to live. I learn mostly that the facade comes off and the real begins. Every time, unless the person is coerced by those around them to "hang on," for those around them who selfishly live their lives, even as a person they know is about to die. We are not, as a people, very well prepared for death and so the reality of it stings deep. As Satan would have it.

When I minister to those who are close to death, there is typically a spiritual battle raging in that person. The will to live is as strong as anything we know, or think we know, and since we're made in His image, I offer to the dying person it appears there's a Holy purpose for all of it.

And I typically share the parable written, recorded and blessedly revealed to us all from the Gospels of Jesus; teaching the parable of the laborers in the vineyard.
The vineyard landowner (God) agrees to hire laborers for a denarius a day and sends them into his vineyard to labor (making of the Old Testament covenant with Israel). They agree to this proposition. Then there's the scene of laborers "standing around" at various hours and finally the landowner (God) offers to idle laborers the chance to go into the vineyard at the 11th hour and be hired for the same wages (offering of the New Covenant of Jesus Christ) as the first laborers. As the day ends and all line up for payment, the laborers who worked longer hours think it unfair that those who came in and worked for a shorter time than they did are paid the same rate! What? Not fair they say! Look what I did!

This is the group (most of us) who love "works" and expect to be paid for "I did the best I could, look at how I treat others, I'm a good person, I did more than them, who are they compared to me!..... that kind of thinking that afflicts us all," .... but the landowner (God) pays them all the same as he has the right to do. It's his vineyard and God will do as God wants because it's all His.

I always read the last lines of that Matthew 20 passage and it's generally at this point that eyes tear up (our soul recognizes even as our mind rebels), as I read the last portion;
"Take what is yours and go, but I (God) wish to give to this last man (11th hour) the same as to you (those who came to faith many years ago). 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your way envious (evil) because I (God) am generous (good)?' So the last (New Covenant - Jesus - believers) shall be first, and the first (those sticking with the Old Covenant Law (Judaizers) and anyone who stakes their self-works as their witness before God = those who reject Jesus - unbelievers) last"

Don't you just enjoy a good True story from the Creator? I know a lot of Hospice patients that sure do, even if it's moments before they close their eyes for a final time in this life.

Blessings,
Mark

Philippians 1:21 - before I go I pray I bring more along. I choose daily to rebuke Satan and fear. I will praise the Lord in all things now in preparation of my eternal life with Him.

turning your life over to Christ and let him deal with it.

With a little lamb .Couldn't resist

Faith is expecting God to move.

Fear is expecting the devil to move.

Faith might be more aimed at: trusting God's Will be done.

Testing God is one of the biggest producers of atheists according to Barna research.
I expected God to do this and He didn't = no God.

What we concur is just that.... what we concur.

Blessings,
Mark

It is interesting that a counselor that I know spent most of their time and practice working with those who were suicidal. Now those same people have a very strong fear that COVID will kill them. My initial reaction was shock but reflection leads me to believe that both situations are results of mental demons that still have their way with some.

However, I think the word fear has become the most passive aggressive term in the English language. i.e. " Well I'm not scared of COVID, I don't have the same fear your do." This ultimately implies the fearful one is weaker and has less intestinal fortitude than the person speaking. As it stands if someone chooses to wear a mask or get vaccinated many will say it's because they are scared.

Many of the folks who chastise others rely on their religious affiliations to justify this language stating the Bible tells them not to be afraid and not to worry but pray. I agree with these suggestions as I am too a follower of Christ. However, it was not until I worked out my salvation with FEAR and understanding that I came to terms that fear can result in positive changes. You see as a Christian I accept that FEAR of the Lord can be a good thing as it causes me to seek His face and live a way the He would want me to live. In turn those who have had fear of a virus may also have chosen to do things that might, in their mind, mitigate their risk or perhaps even mitigate yours.

Ultimately, I think COVID is just another one of millions of ways to leave this life. In turn I recognize that the fear some have is an opportunity to help usher in the lifted burdens that come with a walk with Christ. A pathway, if you will, to show grace and love instead of judgement or condescending use of words to describe the emotion they are feeling. (Mark not saying this is what you have done just spouting my 2 cents)

What if they aren't Catholic?? They won't receive last rites.

Some prayers are answered, some are not. God’s will not ours. Also God’s timing not ours. It’s all about Jesus not me. Less of me more about Jesus.

X2 I want to go pulling my last beaver trap, that way I have all traps pulled and don't have to skin'um. Lol

Some have deep dived into the English definition of fear and then transitioned to a religious context. That'd shift the meaning as the theology of the term in Hebrew, and Greek in an orthodox sense would land closer to the English word; "Obey." As in fear the Lord your God meaning obeying Him. It's a whole doctrine so that's sure a 30,000 view but a secular meaning of the English word fear = phobia, was more of what I was aiming at in my OP.

Good insight from many of here.

Blessings,
Mark

Philippians 2:12

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,


Obey doesn't fit as well here. so many things lost in translation or even punctuation for that matter. Glad to able to speak on it though. "As iron sharpens iron....."

The original Koine Greek is more precise;

"obeyed" is akousate in Greek meaning "listened to" and the word fear is phobou in the Greek tense aligning very well with yirâ in Hebrew meaning "reverence."

Or godly fear or fear of displeasing.

"Wil I die in a horrible Car accident ? Will I die a long , lingering painful Death; after suffering through years of various Cancer treatments and surgeries to stop the Cancer; only to find out that it was all for nothing."


Pastor Mark, have you ever watched someone you loved dearly and have spent a life time with, suffer for several years as cancer ate away their body? Have you cared for that special someone, taking care of all their needs and watching them suffer? Have you spent hours listening to them moan guttural, painful, sorrowful sounds? Have you ever spent hours, months and years praying to have your prayers unheard and unanswered?

If you had experienced such things you might have a different perspective on a lot of things and how they actually work.

Yep sure have.My father and uncle and grandfather.

Mac,
I'm not a pastor. I'm a theology student who interns with hospice patients currently. Hospice as in: they're dying.
Curious why the harshness?
Was this thread a threat of insensitivity somehow?
Are you irritated with me or are you irritated with God? Not sure as I read your post.
I'm curious what perspective you'd inject into me to give me a different perspective?
I welcome your thoughts.

Blessings,
Mark

Neither do I fear death, or rush the coming of the event. Planning for many years here and eternity there.

Death to me is an end point of one aspect of one's life, so to me I don't fear death but the process of getting there sure can be painful, fearful, eventful for many and from my experience those closely related to the deceased or soon to be deceased more so then the dying person. Fear, like anger, joy etc. is a human behavior, how we deal with our God given human emotions and feelings to me is the important aspect.

Bryce

Little deviation if you don't mind. How is our faith tested when we cross the divide, is Satan there waiting for us to contest our right? Does our testimony overpower him? Something I've pondered from time to time.

All men die. Not all men truly live. " I think that's from " brave heart"

" God is within us. The devil is within us"! I can't remember where I read that.

We are free to act and receive either the rewards or the punishment of our actions.

"Lust of the flesh, wanting things of this earth then your heart doesn't have God in it"!

We had a scholar from the field of psychology today speak at today's chapel and she made a number of worthy statements based on research of those who are terminal and "suffering."

In a summary of what was a deep topic she said the vast >95% of friends, family, loved ones, etc. of the one diagnosed with terminal illness who was experiencing immense suffering during their illness asked one question, and usually only one question, "Why?"

The patient themselves, or at least > 60% of the sufferers never wonder about the "why?" She said that's a cultural narrative from the motion picture and entertainment industry.
In real life, in robust psychology research, the norm for these people is that they relay they have an unexplainable feeling on the clarity of life, it's place, it's value, and it's worth.
Often mentioned is the hope that they hold onto that feeling until they pass. Many worry meds will cloud it and often meds do cloud it.
Early Church Father Augustine called it "the sweetness."

Fascinating how the living worry about the what ifs, yet those who are in the actual seat called terminal illness, and who suffer, often say that matters not at all.
I can link that chapel later as it's posted if anyones interested.

Blessings,
Mark

Well said Mark

When my mother was passing from cancer. I asked her 2 ?s. Have you spoken to God. What did he say. Her answer to my first ? Was yes. The answer to my second ? Gave me peace. She told me God is not finished building my house. Until my house is finished I will have too wait. To this day I recollect that day. I smile every time I think of that moment. So no I have no fear of death. I do hope and pray that I am worthy though to enter the kingdom.