The fear of death Part-2

 In the first part of this series, we talked about how fear is part of our human condition and also how each one of us experiences different kind of fears that are probably developed through out our lives due to traumatic experiences or some other underlined root. Moreover, we talked about one specific fear that, in my opinion, almost every human being has experienced, and that's the fear of death. We parked on this subject and Paul gave us one reason or encouragement for us not to be fearful of death. That encouragement is that "we have the certainty that those who have already departed (fallen asleep) are secured in the Lord and so are we. Being secure in Jesus should alleviate the fear of death because, in the end, we, His children,  will be with Him forever. That takes us to the second encouragement. Paul says in verse 17: "We will always be with the Lord". When we depart this earth, we will have a home, and that home is heaven. The apostle John, in the fourteenth chapter of his Gospel, in verses one to three, writes: "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also."  If we have a room in the Father's house, no matter what type of death awaits us, we'll be certain that we'll have a place reserved for us in heaven and there can't be a better encouragement than that! We will be with Jesus in His Father's house, worshipping Him and giving Him glory for all eternity. What a joyous moment, what a joyous place! That should ease our fear of death. That should give us peace!

The third encouragement, although Paul mentions it too, is ,in the words of John, that Jesus will take us to Himself. Not only we'll be with Jesus forever. He will also pick us up if, by any chance, we're still alive when He comes in the clouds. Paul puts it this way: "The Lord Himself will descend from Heaven". The dead in Christ will rise first and those of us who are still alive will be caught up and meet with Jesus  in the clouds. Look at it this way. It's a win-win situation. If we are asleep, we will rise first and be with Jesus. If we are alive, we'll be caught up and be with Jesus as well. No matter what situation we might be in, we'll end it up with Jesus in our own glorified bodies. We cannot lose!

But let's remember a fourth encouragement that will take away our fear of death more effectively than the others. It is not in this epistle but in another one. It's  in 2 Corinthians 5:8 when Paul says: "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." (NKJV). This fourth encouragement is that "as soon as we die, our very souls will be in the very presence of Jesus". First, let's clarify something very important. Some of you might be thinking the following question in your minds: " If my soul is in the very presence of God right after I die, why is he coming to pick up His children who have already died? Very good question! The answer is that when Jesus comes back during the rapture, every one of us, whether dead or alive, will receive a glorified body. Those who have been risen from the dead, during the rapture, somehow will reunite with their souls and receive a new glorified body that will be with the Lord forever. Second, please know that as you soon as we give our last breath and close our eyes, we will open them again in the very presence of Jesus. We will pass from one life to the other in an instant. The Lord Jesus Christ will receive you with open arms in His Father's house, now, your house too. So, why keep wasting our lives dwelling on the fact that one day we'll die, when in reality, that'll be the best day of our lives because we'll be with our Lord. If that doesn't take away our fear of death, I don't know what will! Believe me, I've done my share of  dwelling on this type of fear because our unredeemed flesh is still there. But, our focus should be on one thought. Paul gives it to us in Philippians 1:21; "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain". If we start thinking that to die is gaining the great honor of being face to face with Jesus and enjoying His presence, then and only then, our fear of death will start being overpowered by that very thought. Therefore, we will experience an unimaginable peace that only the Prince of peace can deliver. I truly want that peace! Do you? I hope these words somehow will help diminish your fear of death. I hope that, through God's grace, you can find that inner peace that only He can give. Be blessed!