Why do we 'fear' death?

[Hobie]

I have had several friends lose their parents or others close to them within the last few months, and now some who are close to me are facing death and suddenly I am 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?.......

 

[Kaatje]

Even the most secure, devout believer can have occasions when he fears death. It is hard-wired into our systems to avoid death. Death was not an original part of God’s plan for His creation. We were made to be whole and holy, living in paradise in communion with Him. The introduction of death was a necessary response to the admittance of sin into the world. In a sense, it is a grace that we die. If we didn’t, we would have to live in a sinful world for all eternity.

Even with the knowledge that death serves a purpose, we have a visceral reaction to the thought of our own mortality. The fragility of our physical bodies and the sudden cessation of life are stark reminders of our lack of control in a large and dangerous world. We do have the great hope that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4), and the One who loves us did go to prepare a place for us so we could join Him someday (John 14:2). But, in overcoming a fear of death, it might help to consider the following:

First, what is the actual fear that we face? There are several aspects of death that can potentially cause fear. Fortunately, God has an answer for each of them:

Fear of the unknown
What exactly does it feel like to die? What can you see as your life leaves your physical body? How will it come about? Is it anything like people have reported—a bright light? A group of relatives?

No one knows for certain what it feels like to die, but the Bible does describe what happens. Second Corinthians 5:6–8 and Philippians 1:23 say that, when we leave our body, we are at home with the Lord. What a reassuring thought! Then we have the promise of bodily resurrection, at which time we will be given new, glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:20–22; 6:14).

Fear of loss of control
By the time humans reach adulthood, they have a pretty good idea how to interact with the world around them. They know how to find what they need, get to where they want to be, and interact with others in a way that fulfills their intent.

Many, though, even those who profess a trust in God, are so fearful of not getting what they need that they try to manipulate their surroundings and the people around them to their benefit. Some abuse others and take advantage of them, grasping for control. They don’t trust God to provide for their needs, so they take care of things themselves. They don’t trust others to give them consideration, so they demand what they think they need.

These people must certainly fear the loss of control upon their deaths. The apostle Peter showed a fear of death when he denied Jesus three times. Later, Jesus forgave Peter and encouraged him in service. After Jesus returned to heaven, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit, and all fear of death was gone. His passion for boldly preaching Christ’s message far outstripped his need to control his surroundings (Acts 5:17–42). The Holy Spirit alone gave Peter the strength to endure the challenges he would face.

Fear for those left behind
The Christian view of death is that it involves separation. Ultimate death is eternal separation from God. In physical death, we are separated from our bodies and from our loved ones on earth for a time. If our loved ones are also believers, we know that the separation will be a blink of the eye compared to eternity in heaven. If they are not believers, the separation will be permanent. Our mission, then, is to use our time together to pray for our loved ones and talk to them about eternity. Ultimately, we commit our loved ones into God’s hands.

Fear of the act of dying
Few ever know how they will die. Some deaths are quick and painless; others face a long, drawn-out illness. The mystery surrounding death and, in most cases, the inability to prepare for it can be frightening. Even if we do know the manner our death will come—we’ve been diagnosed with a terminal illness, for example—we must still overcome certain fears.

But death itself is only a moment in time—a moment nearly everyone has experienced or will. When that moment is over, we will claim Philippians 3:20–21: “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”

Often, being informed of and actively participating in matters related to our own end of life can help assuage fear. You can take steps to prepare yourself and those around you.

Overcoming the fear of death — Practical steps
Many people believe they shouldn’t die because they have too much to live for. Often, this means they have responsibilities and unfinished business that would be neglected if they were gone. Doing what you can now to make sure your responsibilities and tasks are taken care of then can alleviate fear.

If you have a business or children or other dependents, consider their care. Decide who will take over your role, and work with that person to come up with a plan. Prepare a will or a trust. Make sure all your necessary paperwork is organized and easy to find. Reconcile broken relationships while you can. But don’t live for dying. Just take reasonable steps to put things in order.

Overcoming the fear of death — Legal steps
Part of planning ahead involves deciding what will happen in the event you become incapacitated. It’s possible that, during the course of an illness or injury, you’ll lose control of the situation and be unable to make your wishes known. To prevent confusion and possible turmoil, many people opt to set up an advance directive such as a living will or power of attorney. At any rate, it’s wise to let those closest to you know what you want—at least tell them where it’s written down.

Overcoming the fear of death — Spiritual steps
The most important thing to remember regarding death is the truth about life. You love your family and care for them, but God loves them more. You may worry about your earthly legacy, but God is more concerned with an eternal, kingdom perspective. All the paperwork in the world won’t bring the peace of mind that comes with abiding in Christ.

Living in this world, it’s difficult to keep in mind that this is just a temporary condition. First John 2:15–17 helps us to maintain the proper perspective: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” Staying in the truth of God’s Word and believing what He says about us and the world around us will give us the proper perspective and take away fear.

In overcoming the fear of death, we cling to 1 John 3:1–2: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”

How can I overcome the fear of death? How can I stop being scared of dying? | GotQuestions.org

How can I overcome the fear of death? How can I stop being scared of dying? Why, when we are promised Heaven, still have a fear of death?

www.gotquestions.org

 

[Tall Timbers]

Why do people fear death?

Some for a concern of the unknown. Some concerned for physical pain during the process. Some hurt for the coming separation from loved ones. Some do not fear death so the question in the OP could be considered poorly phrased.

The good news is those who die in Christ will find themselves in heaven in the presence of Jesus, while they await their new imperishable bodies.

On the flip side of the coin, those who die who haven’t received the free gift of atonement from Jesus will find themselves in what I call a holding tank, Hades, located across a divide from the now empty Abraham’s Bosom. Those unfortunates will eventually find themselves judged and cast into the eternal lake of fire will they will remain forever.

 

[Kem]

I remember my sister in law with surprise in her voice, telling me that my dad actually seemed excited that he would soon die. He died praising the Lord.

 

[Tall Timbers]

He died praising the Lord.

I've been at that door a few times, and was always at peace about it.

 

[AnyMinute]

I have had several friends lose their parents or others close to them within the last few months, and now some who are close to me are facing death and suddenly I am 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....

Hi Hobie, some great advice was shared up thread.
I would also add that I believe scripture gives us plenty of evidence that we can know we are eternally secure and that knowledge should help with the fear of death.

We can trust that from the moment we place our faith in Christ alone, trusting in His substitutionary atonement and His resurrection, we too can know that we will be either raptured alive or resurrected after physical death.

I don't know for sure your personal position on eternal security though I believe Adventists don't hold to OSAS.
Do you trust in the security of the believer? If not, I'm sure many here would be willing to help you understand the biblical doctrine of Eternal Security.

1 John 5:12-13
12Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 13I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Scripture such as John 3:16 , Romans 10:9-10, Acts 16:31 and many others show us what is required to be saved.

Ephesians 1:13-14 shows us that once we trust in the gospel of salvation, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit at that very moment. He is among many things, the guarantee of our salvation and inheritance, we can in full confidence know we are permanently saved and sealed until we are raised and Glorified.

13In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14who[d] is the [e]guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Now it is God who establishes both us and you in Christ. He anointed us, / placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come.

 

[Baby Yoda]

I'm not afraid of being dead, I'm afraid of the 'dying' part.

 

[Batman]

They either do not know or do not believe who the Triune Godhead is, what They have promised, and how They are in full control of ALL things.