COVID-19 and the Fear of Death

The headlines in our local newspaper stated the grim facts:

“Death toll reaches 2 million.”

The article then began with these disturbing words: “The global death toll from COVID-19 topped 2 million Friday, crossing the threshold amid a vaccine rollout so immense but so uneven that in some countries there is real hope of vanquishing the outbreak, while in other, less-developed parts of the world, it seems a far-off dream.”

How do you react to news like that?

Do you ever think about death? It’s been in the news for the past year in a way I’ve never seen in my lifetime. We hear about it constantly. The media keeps telling us, every day, how many people died the day before.

It’s also one of the main themes of the Bible.

“People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

Jesus talked about death repeatedly. “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins” (John 8:24).

The purpose of this blog post is to ask you this question:

Are you afraid to die?

Fear of death is a common experience. It’s part of the human condition.

But thanks be to God, Jesus came to save us from both death itself and the fear of death.

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of 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).

Many people are slaves to the fear of death. Wow. That’s quite a statement. And the events of the past year bear witness to that reality, don’t they?

How about you? Are you afraid to die?

I pose that question because I care about you and your eternal destiny.

I had the opportunity to pose that question to one of my closest friends.

You can read the story of that conversation here:

God’s Answer to Man’s Ultimate Question
https://godwrotethebook.com/mans-ultimate-question/

In closing, here is Resolution #9 from Jonathan’s Edwards famous list of 70 resolutions.

“Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.” Thinking much about death motivates me to think much about living each day as if it will be my last. It may be.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post is the first in a series of 6 articles that answer the question, “How can I be set free from the fear of death?” Here are the links to all 6 articles:

God’s Answer to Man’s Ultimate Question
https://godwrotethebook.com/mans-ultimate-question/

What Does It Mean to Be Saved?
https://godwrotethebook.com/meaning-of-saved/

How to Receive Salvation
https://godwrotethebook.com/meaning-of-grace-and-faith/

The Meaning of “Not By Works”
https://godwrotethebook.com/meaning-of-not-by-works/

The Meaning of “Good Works”
https://godwrotethebook.com/meaning-of-good-works/

Does Jesus Contradict Paul?
https://godwrotethebook.com/does-jesus-contradict-paul/