What is the ultimate fear for most people?
 |
| Pixabay.com /Public Domain |
Death and dying. The
term Thanatophobia refers to
the abnormal fear of dying.
People fear to die
for many reasons but mainly:
* Fear of not having done what you wanted needed to do
* Not being accepted
by God
* Being unsure of
what awaits them on the other side of life on earth
There are also some
that don't want to die since they crave power and the many possibilities that
immortality brings.
The website www.verywell.com gives interesting statistics,
done through research, as to the reasons why people fear death and who fears to
die:
*Females have been shown to be more fearful of dying than
males
*Age does not diminish the fear of death:
'While some
researchers will argue that young people fear death more than the elderly, one
study conducted among dying people in Taiwan and published in the Journal of
Pain and Symptom Management showed that the fear of death actually did not
decrease with increased age. In addition, the same study showed that a
patient's fear of death decreased after they were admitted to hospice care,
which possibly resulted from the education and holistic emotional/spiritual
support patients receive from members of the hospice team, such as a hospice
case manager nurse.' 1
According to research 2 that was done, people fear
death because of pain and suffering they may experience, fear of the unknown
and non-existence, fear of loss of control and eternal punishment and the fear
of not knowing what will become of loved ones left behind.
These are all very real, very valid concerns for those
facing death.
The Bible, God's written word, offers us answers to all of
the above concerns.
If an individual has accepted God's plan of salvation they
need not fear death or dying since God promises if we invite Jesus into our
lives we will be saved (Rom 10:9-10). The following scriptures reassure us that
God will not leave us abandoned and that we have hope in Christ (Rom 6:5, 1
Thessalonians 4:13-14,17; Heb 2:14-15; John 11:25-26; Psalm 116:15). God
promises amazing things for those who put their trust in Christ, God's plan for
the salvation of mankind (1 Cor 2:9-10).
The word of God also reminds us that when we are assured, by
faith, that God loves us, we will not experience fear (1 John 4:18). Fear of death and dying comes as a result of
being unsure of what will happen to us when we die. Fear being the opposite of
faith means that when we feed our faith and not our fear we will be at peace
and be assured that when we die, in Christ, we will be received into an
everlasting heavenly kingdom prepared for us where there is no pain, sorrow,
death or any evil present.
Assurance of salvation is key.
Make sure today, that you are in right standing with Jesus.
Stay blessed in hope and in peace.
Pr Paddick Van Zyl
LDMI
1-2 https://www.verywell.com/scared-to-death-of-death-1132501
picture:
https://pixabay.com/en/cemetery-forest-grave-stones-1697469/ (Public Domain)
© Paddick Van Zyl - LDMI - 2016
