Fear Not Death

By Ronnie Lowe

Man has always been horrified by the thought of death. Death seems so final and so lasting as we leave behind all that is familiar. Concerning death, David wrote, “My heart is severely pained within me: and the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me. And horror has overwhelmed me” (Psalm 55:4-5). Job’s companion, Bildad, stated that this most certain of all events was the “king of terrors” (Job 18:14). But death need not be viewed as an end, but rather as a new beginning. It is like the time of birth when the infant comes forth from the cramped confines of the womb into a bright and wonderful world. Death can and should be viewed in the same fashion. We rejoice at the birth of a child, and we lament at that same person’s passing. But Solomon has instructed us, “A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth” (Ecclesiastes 7:1).

Man has always had the desire for immortality. The Bible is the only book that truly reveals eternal life. Most cultures have beliefs regarding life after death, but only the Holy Bible provides us with the true picture and thus gives us lasting hope. It is this hope of living again that makes life special.

We must remember that man is a creature possessing body, soul and spirit. At death, that temporal body is cast aside as a worn-out garment, while the real person lives on through eternity. During the fall season (autumn) each year in many parts of the world, the cold wind sweeps across the land bringing an appearance of death to nature. But with the coming of spring, vegetation is “resurrected” to a more beautiful and fragrant life. If God has the power to restore the life and beauty of vegetation each spring, we should never doubt His ability to resurrect man and to clothe his spirit with a new body that is suited and adapted for our heavenly habitation (2 Corinthians 5:1).