Fear of Death

(Hebrews 2:14-15 – Fear of Death)

This scripture gives us a good insight into the death that Jesus went through. It also shows that the reason He died was to set us free from the fear of death.

Fear of death is the one thing that affects every person on this earth. Everyone knows that death is inevitable. It is estimated that there have been around fifteen billion people who have lived on this planet since man was created, and with two exceptions all of them have died. The two exceptions were identified in the Bible as the prophet Elijah and Enoch, who lived seven generations after Adam and Eve. Both of these men were recognised as pleasing God and were taken directly into heaven.

So, the one thing every person knows is that they will die. Death is inevitable. It is the great unknown and people typically fear what they don’t understand or know about. But do we have to remain enslaved to this fear of death?

What is fear of death?

Fear of death is basically a fear of the unknown. We know that people die, but then what? Is there life after death? Are we reincarnated in a different body, as some believe? Or, do we come back as an animal of some kind as is taught in Hindu religions? Do we go to a place called purgatory to wait to ascend into heaven? Does our spirit live on in Paradise or in hell, depending on how we have lived? Or is death just the end of all things and after death there is nothing?

Let’s face it, there are countless beliefs about what happens after death. But these differing opinions don’t help. They just feed the fear of death that everyone already holds.

When we learn what death is really all about and have a belief based upon the truth, then we find that fear of death is irrational. Like any fear of the unknown, knowledge and understanding take away the fear. As the Bible says in John 8:32, “The truth will make you free.”

What does the Bible say about fear of death?

This scripture today speaks about the greatest fear held by all mankind. The lifelong bondage to the fear of death. This is what it says.

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage.

(Hebrews 2:14-15

There is no need to fear death if we are with the Lord. There is also no need to be in this lifelong bondage to the fear of death. We learn in Christ that death is just a transitional stage. It is not the end of our lives. Certainly it is the end of our physical life on this earth, but the spirit lives on. The scriptures help us to understand death, so what does the Bible say about fear of death?

”And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgement…” (Hebrews 9:27)

This is the first key point to tell us what does the bible say about fear of death. This verse answers and removes all of the questions about whether we come back in a different form.

People live, they die, and then they await judgement. That is the full sum of life on earth in one sentence. Furthermore, Jesus didn’t even recognise what we call death as being death at all.

49 While he was still speaking, a man from the ruler’s house came and said, “Your daughter is dead; do not trouble the Teacher any more.” 50 But Jesus on hearing this answered him, “Do not fear; only believe, and she shall be well.” 51 And when he came to the house, he permitted no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child. 52 And all were weeping and bewailing her; but he said, “Do not weep; for she is not dead but sleeping.” 53 And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up at once; and he directed that something should be given her to eat. 56 And her parents were amazed; but he charged them to tell no one what had happened. (Luke 8:49-56)

The people all believed that this young girl had died. From a human perspective, she was indeed dead. They were in a process of mourning her death and preparing her for burial.

But the father, who was a ruler of the Jewish people, had faith that Jesus could still save his daughter. It was because of his faith that Jesus went to the house.

Note the words Jesus spoke to the crowd. “…for she is not dead but sleeping.”Jesus did not consider death as we know it to be an actual death. He understood death at a deeper level than humanity does. He knew that death was just a separation of the spirit of a person from the physical body of flesh.

But Jesus has the power over death as we see here. That is why He could speak the words, ”Child, arise” and the girl got up. We note in verse 55 that when He spoke these words, ”…her spirit returned, and she got up at once.” The young girl’s spirit that had been separated from her body, returned to her body.

It is the spirit that holds the life of a person, not the flesh. In truth, we are spiritual beings that live in flesh. But it is the spirit within us that gives us life. What Jesus did in this example is that He commanded the spirit to be rejoined to the young girl’s body of flesh. Death as we know it is just the reverse of this process. Death occurs when the spirit of a person leaves the body to go somewhere else.

When we understand this aspect of life and death, it helps to remove the fear of death. Death is no longer an unknown. And the Bible gives even more insight as we are told what happens to the spirit after death.

What will happen when you die?

Now, what happens after death, and what will happen when you die? The Bible answers these questions in the words of Jesus, and this should help to further remove the fear of death.

The fear of death exists because it is an unknown. No-one has ever gone through death and come back to explain the truth of it so that we can have the fear of death taken away. No-one, that is, except for Jesus. He has given us a tremendous insight into what happens after death so as to remove the fear of death.

19 “There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Laz’arus, full of sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Laz’arus in his bosom. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Laz’arus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Laz’arus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house, 28 for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.’” (Luke 16:19-31)

Jesus told us this parable for the express purpose of describing what happens after death. There is a lot of information about death and what will happen when you die in these words. They give so much insight that we should be able to find that place where we no longer need to have a fear of death.

Both the rich man and Lazarus died. It is evident from Jesus’ words that Lazarus was a man of faith, despite his abject poverty. Conversely, the rich man who had everything this life could offer, did not have faith.

When Lazarus died, he went to the place where the good and the faithful go. This place is called Paradise, and he was comforted by Abraham, the great patriarch of the people of Israel.

Paradise is a waiting place for the spirits of people who have died who were people of faith, just like Abraham was a great man of faith. Jesus mentioned this place at the point of His death when one of the criminals who died with Him spoke words of faith to Jesus.

39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:39-43)

We see here that this criminal believed and had faith in Jesus. He recognised the innocence of Jesus, and his faith was rewarded. Jesus promised, even in His own death throes, that this criminal would go into Paradise and be with Jesus there that day.

So, Paradise is a waiting place for the people of faith.

How do people get to Paradise?

If we look back at the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, we gain insight into how a person gets to this heaven called Paradise. We also see how people go to hell.

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus gives us a detailed insight. This parable was given specifically to teach us about these things, so that we would not suffer the lifelong fear of death.

As mentioned, both the rich man and Lazarus died. The rich man went to Hades while the poor man went to Paradise. Does that mean that you have to be poor to get into Paradise? Not at all. But we are shown in many scriptures that it will be harder for a rich man to enter life because their minds are set on their worldly wealth. But even so, is not impossible.

We see that the poor man, Lazarus, died and was ”…carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom.” But when the rich man died, he was buried and descended into Hades.

From this we can see that people of faith are carried to Paradise by the angels of God. Whereas those who go to Hades are not carried, they simply descend into Hades.

Hades is an interesting place. Basically it is the same place as Sheol in the Bible. Hades is the Greek word and Sheol is the Hebrew word for the same place. Both of them essentially mean or refer to the “place of the dead.”

There are a number of scriptures that point to where Hades/Sheol is. And note that it is the place of the dead

Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home. (Psalm 49:14)

And;

Though they dig into Sheol, from there shall my hand take them…” (Amos 9:2)

From the first of these two verses we see that when evil people descend into the grave they are descending into Sheol. Also we see in the second verse that you can “dig into Sheol.” The only place we can dig into is the earth and of course graves are dug into the earth.

This suggests that Sheol or Hades is beneath the surface of the earth.

Which brings me back to Lazarus and the rich man. When the rich man died he descended into Hades. It is described as being a place of torment and flames. What we know of the inner core of the earth is that it is extremely hot, where rock melts to magma and lava. This again suggests that Sheol or Hades are deep below the surface of the earth.

However, Lazarus was carried by the angels to Paradise. It would appear from these words that the spirits of the dead simply sink into the depths of the earth unless they are specifically picked up and carried away by the angels.

So, when it comes to how a person gets to Paradise, it is clear that they need faith. Faith like Abraham, who was in Paradise. Also like the man who was put to death with Christ. He didn’t have much faith, but he had enough for the Lord to accept him into Paradise that day. That is important too. We don’t need a lot of faith to be saved from the hell of death, but what faith we do have must be genuine.

If you don’t want to go to hell or Hades/Sheol, then seek the Lord and believe in Him. Seek the ways of the Lord to be assured of your place in His kingdom and a place in Paradise.

How do I overcome my fear of death?

The fear of death can be a powerful and debilitating thing for many people. The best way to overcome any fear is through knowledge. When it comes to the fear of death, only the knowledge of the Lord and His insights into what death really is can lead us to a place where we do not fear death.

I should add also that in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, we still retain all of our memories. The rich man recognised Lazarus from afar and also remembered his brothers who were also destined for Hades if they did not change their ways. We lose nothing of what we have learned in this life at death. It is just the spirit that leaves to body for a time until the great resurrection at the end of the age.

There is another great blessing from the Lord for those who seek His ways. There is the ability to pass through judgement and go straight into eternal life in the kingdom of God. Consider these words.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life; he does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life. (John 5:24)

When we listen to the words of Jesus and accept God with faith, we can pass from death to life and bypass judgement. And this is not just about this life, but the eternal life offered to those who believe in what God has done through Jesus Christ. We see this mentioned again in the following words.

5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:5-6)

Those who come to Christ and believe, those who follow Christ and learn His teachings will go into the first resurrection. And as we see here, those who enter the first resurrection have life eternal. The second death, which is the death of the spirit of man and occurs after the Final Judgement, does not affect the true believers.

So, if you have ever asked, “How do I overcome the fear of death,” then seek the Lord. Seeking God through Jesus Christ is the answer to that question. As we grow in the Lord, learning His ways, the fear of death has no power over us. It dissipates until it becomes meaningless to us. It is clear that the Apostle Paul reached that place when he wrote these words:

21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. (Philippians 1:21-24)

Look at what Paul had to say here. He felt that to die was to “gain.” Most people think of death as a loss. But Paul had no fear of death and saw it as a positive because death would take Him to Paradise to be with the Lord.

Paul understood that death as we know it in the world is just a separation of the spirit from the body. He knew it was unimportant because he knew that our real lives are not about this age, this world or these times. Our real lives are what will come to pass in God’s eternal kingdom where there will be no sin, no evil, no sickness, and no death. Death is not an ending, it is a new beginning and that is how we ought to look at it too.

Have no fear of death. Instead fear God who has the power of life and death and who can give you life eternal through salvation in Jesus Christ, or can destroy even our spirits in the second death.

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