Why Do People Have Fear of Death?

 There is an old saying, “Young men fear death, old men fear dying.” Most people are afraid of death, mainly because of a fear of the unknown. Perhaps the greatest concern is, if there is an afterlife, what kind of existence will we have there? Will be a place of bliss or a place of torment; will family and friends l be recognized, will we experience anything familiar to us?

There is much more about this fear of death to be found in the Bible. God reveals that death is our greatest enemy, the consequence of rebelling against Him. The result is that every human has upon him or her a sentence of death from the very beginning of life (Romans 3:23). Death respects no one. It can come suddenly or gradually. It can inflict much pain over a long period of time or be instantaneously. Inevitably, death comes to everyone regardless of age, status, wealth or power.

The Bible informs us that judgment awaits every human after death (2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 9:27). The Bible also promises that those who trust Jesus Christ to forgive them of their sins will enjoy eternal life in the presence of the Creator God.

As the book of Hebrews points out, Christians need have no fear of death: “Since the children have flesh and blood, he (Jesus) too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil — and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the key event that signals God’s victory over death on behalf of his people (1 Corinthians 15:55-56). It means that his disciples can have confidence and assurance in spite of death, anticipating eternal life with Christ (Revelation 21:4). Nothing, not even death, can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:37).