I'm not afraid to die but,

Mountainmanbob said:

I'm not afraid to die but, I don't want to die.

I heard a couple of Christians say this same thing a while back.

I've been working on getting to this point.

I will admit I have some fear of dying.

Paul of the Bible did not seem to have this fear?

Your thoughts please?

M-Bob

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Paul lived a pretty extreme life as a Christian, he was chosen by the Lord for a particular task and he fulfilled it, mind, body and soul. He lived through beatings, imprisonment, hunger, shipwrecks, intense psychological and emotional pressure that few people could withstand and still keep going. He was living for the kingdom in a way the rest of us can only imagine. Did he feel some fear at facing death? It seems likely that he must have on some level, but he was so invested in the kingdom that in a way it appears that he saw himself as already dead to this world and the needs of ‘the flesh’. Seems like his faith in and commitment to Christ are what made his challenging life and the prospect of death seem ‘light and momentary’.

Tom Farebrother said:

He lived through beatings, imprisonment, hunger, shipwrecks, intense psychological and emotional pressure that few people could withstand and still keep going.

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That's even more painful than death......

I'd be surprised if Paul had even the least bit of fear of dying.

Mountainmanbob said:

Paul of the Bible did not seem to have this fear?

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Also, as Jesus appeared to him on a couple of occasions, in prison etc, it would have strengthened his faith immensely and removed a lot of the fear of dying.

When I read Foxe's Book of Martyrs, I got the impression that, very often, the Holy Spirit would bestow a type of peace when it was time for His people to die.

Mountainmanbob said:

I heard a couple of Christians say this same thing a while back.

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I've also heard the same thing from some Christians I know.

Some of these even goes far to say hoping that Jesus doesn't come yet to end the world.

These Christians have a good and easy life in this world. Nothing more than petty and few relationship problems and everything is in place. They have good place, financial stability, all needs taken cared of, some enjoying retirement.

Their life is virtually heaven in this world....I mean the prospect of meeting the unknown could be scary and the nagging feeling, they might have done something not right. They actually dread the idea of dying.

On the other hand, people who have their Christian life full of difficulties, persecutions, have no fear of dying.

The distinction is very clear.

We have a hope that will only be filled if we believe in a life after death. Life here can be what it is, good or bad. Our essential hope is in things after it. That's why some people seem to be waiting for it so much. It almost seems like they don't care about life now. I sometimes found myself disturbed by that too, because I enjoy life now as well, which I don't think is wrong. I want to live a full, long life knowing what comes after it, and waiting fir it to happen. And I also want to take the good tjings in life as what they are - goid and enjoyable. That's what they were created for as well.

Mountainmanbob said:

I'm not afraid to die but, I don't want to die.

I heard a couple of Christians say this same thing a while back.

I've been working on getting to this point.

I will admit I have some fear of dying.

Paul of the Bible did not seem to have this fear?

Your thoughts please?

M-Bob

Click to expand...

I actually have no fear of death, because I know that Jesus will set me free from this world once I die. What comes after is far better. There is nothing in this world that could come close to what God has in store for us.

But I am afraid of not doing as much as I can for God while I'm still on Earth. But only God knows what that is, and when I will be done, and I trust that everything will be according to His plan.

To live is Christ, to die is gain.

Sabertooth said:

When I read Foxe's Book of Martyrs, I got the impression that, very often, the Holy Spirit would bestow a type of peace when it was time for His people to die.

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This may say it best.

Even the thought of this is somehow comforting.

Mountainmanbob said:

I will admit I have some fear of dying.

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.
It seems, during the dying process, the natural body's immune system will produce painlessness and peacefulness through the secretion of GABA and endorphins - similar to the Fight-or-Flight immune response when the person is facing an emergency situation like a serious injury from a car accident = suddenly has super-human strength, painlessness, confidence, etc through the secretion of adrenaline, endorphins, etc. This is likely how the merciful God created humans.

Also, it seems, the dying person will "see or feel" demons around him/her, preparing to feast on the dead body, as per GENESIS.3:14-17(= "eat dust" & "to dust you shall return"). Hence, ... 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”(MATTHEW.27:46)

Mountainmanbob said:

I'm not afraid to die but, I don't want to die.

I heard a couple of Christians say this same thing a while back.

I've been working on getting to this point.

I will admit I have some fear of dying.

Paul of the Bible did not seem to have this fear?

Your thoughts please?

M-Bob

Click to expand...

My experience is that God shows up right at the correct time, every time in real matters .. The problem is until we get to that time .. I've seen the peace of God rest on folks and they were the most ready, calm and satisfied of all that were involved ..

Mountainmanbob said:

I'm not afraid to die but, I don't want to die.

I heard a couple of Christians say this same thing a while back.

I've been working on getting to this point.

I will admit I have some fear of dying.

Paul of the Bible did not seem to have this fear?

Your thoughts please?

M-Bob

Click to expand...

Hope in an ‘afterlife’ that seems worth living, or belief in some greater purpose, seems to be the key, which goes to show how powerful hope can be. The 2 heroes of the epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh and Enkidu, are unashamedly terrified of death, because the Sumerians believed the netherworld to be a miserable, dreadful place. It’s true also I think that actually knowing Jesus is essential in thinking about eternity. Not understanding what it means to be in relationship to God leads I think to those kind of simplistic ideas of sitting around on clouds playing a harp etc people form about heaven, leading to ideas like ‘who wants to live forever?’. Maybe it’s more psychological than spiritual, there are plenty of examples of people facing death with great courage because they believed in something bigger than themselves. Hitler for example was a courageous soldier, as was Che Guevara.

Sabertooth said:

When I read Foxe's Book of Martyrs, I got the impression that, very often, the Holy Spirit would bestow a type of peace when it was time for His people to die.

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I would agree. Consider the death of Stephen. Acts 7:54-60

Of course Jesus will be there to comfort us when we die. Especially if we die for serving Him. He is our strength.

Sabertooth said:

When I read Foxe's Book of Martyrs, I got the impression that, very often, the Holy Spirit would bestow a type of peace when it was time for His people to die.

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I also get that impression too Sabertooth, that at the moment in time, whether death or persecution that the Holy Spirit will enable us to bear all things AT THE APPOINTED time (not sooner or later) remembering that as Christians all that nothing can happen to us unless God allows. This encourages and comforts greatly as I often used to think I would not be able to endure certain things and of course in my own strength I can't but remember "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me "-Philippians 4:13.
This is a promise we must hold on to in these perilous times.

4x4toy said:

My experience is that God shows up right at the correct time, every time in real matters .. The problem is until we get to that time .. I've seen the peace of God rest on folks and they were the most ready, calm and satisfied of all that were involved ..

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This is very reassuring.

Heavenhome said:

I also get that impression too Sabertooth, that at the moment in time, whether death or persecution that the Holy Spirit will enable us to bear all things AT THE APPOINTED time (not sooner or later) remembering that as Christians all that nothing can happen to us unless God allows. This encourages and comforts greatly as I often used to think I would not be able to endure certain things and of course in my own strength I can't but remember "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me "-Philippians 4:13.
This is a promise we must hold on to in these perilous times.

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Yes, it does comfort us.

Thank you.

As Christians we should have no fear of death because we do not die. I would suggest that we have a fear of the dying process i.e. the process by which our present physical bodies deteriorate and cease to function. The end of that process, the complete shut down of that physical body that the world calls death is not a thing to fear as it is the cessation of all pain and suffering and , again as Christians, we believe that it is simply the end of one phase of our eternal life and the beginning of the next phase. The process itself is a most fearsome thing as it is often accompanied by a relatively long period of increased pain and suffering. I would also suggest that we may also have anxiety over what that next phase of our eternal life might entail as details concerning it are not fully known and the information we believe we do have does not assure us that we will be as satisfied with it as we think we should feel assured that we will be.

Thank God He is Who He is. Just recently i was meditating on this very thing, about dying and the fear of it, and i prayed for the very things that some of you posted above, about His comfort, reassurance, and grace when the times comes.

He is our GOOD Shepherd, and as i think on this, surely He would "Shepherd" us at this critical transition also, and surely wouldn't abandon us at this most pivotal time.

For me, it has been a fear of the "unknown". It used to actually be terrifying. I remember when i was about 7 and i was crying about the inevitable death "looming" ahead, and struggling with my last breath, etc. Even my big sister wasn't able to comfort me.

I mean who wants to die, right?

Mountainmanbob said:

I'm not afraid to die but, I don't want to die.

I heard a couple of Christians say this same thing a while back.

I've been working on getting to this point.

I will admit I have some fear of dying.

Paul of the Bible did not seem to have this fear?

Your thoughts please?

M-Bob

Click to expand...

Paul was sold out to God ("I long to depart to be with Christ, which is better.."). Don't worry about dying, Sir. Let it do the worrying.

Mountainmanbob said:

I'm not afraid to die but, I don't want to die.

I heard a couple of Christians say this same thing a while back.

I've been working on getting to this point.

I will admit I have some fear of dying.

Paul of the Bible did not seem to have this fear?

Your thoughts please?

M-Bob

Click to expand...

Jesus said in Matthew 10:28 says; "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." But to come to this place would take some maturity. So as a goal it would be a good thing, but it would take growth and I imagine a bit of it. So the fact that your not there yet, like so many of us, just means that we need to grow more. To come to the place that Paul was at, where he said "to be with Christ is better, but to stay here with you is more expedient for you." Would be a great thing, but we know where the finish line is.

in Christ, Not me