LLLV17 10-16-2017 Choose Thanatophobia or Faith
“Thanatophobia,” the fear of death, is prominent in the list of human fears. This fear of the inevitable is mentioned repeatedly in the scriptures. We are assured in
1Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive”.
Enoch and Elijah are the only two humans of whom it is stated that they did not die! Several others were raised from the dead, to face the valley of the shadow again, among them Lazarus.
Jesus Christ offers eternal hope in this passage:
Hebrews 2:14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (NKJV).
While “Thanatophobia” is a common human fear, there is something worse than death that most fail to consider. My cousin and dear friend sent this thought to me:
“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” Sent by Melvin Branham. This is detailed by Paul in his letter to a young[LL1] pastor:
1Timothy 5:6, “But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives.” (NKJV).
The thought is addressing the terrible dereliction of a lady of the night. Down deep inside, the loss of hope or the rejection of true hope, causes something that makes life worth living to become seared over, callused to the point of being unable to feel and have an abiding hope, a hope that according to the lyrics of a song, “is steadfast and sure since Jesus came into my heart.”
The prima facie evidence in scripture is that the spirit survives what we call death, therefore we must through hope survive the often-brutal hurts of life and become the great souls God intends.
Copyright © 2017 Larry Lilly
For great IT Work. Oral Deckard
“Thanatophobia,” the fear of death, is prominent in the list of human fears. This fear of the inevitable is mentioned repeatedly in the scriptures. We are assured in
1Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive”.
Enoch and Elijah are the only two humans of whom it is stated that they did not die! Several others were raised from the dead, to face the valley of the shadow again, among them Lazarus.
Jesus Christ offers eternal hope in this passage:
Hebrews 2:14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (NKJV).
While “Thanatophobia” is a common human fear, there is something worse than death that most fail to consider. My cousin and dear friend sent this thought to me:
“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” Sent by Melvin Branham. This is detailed by Paul in his letter to a young[LL1] pastor:
1Timothy 5:6, “But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives.” (NKJV).
The thought is addressing the terrible dereliction of a lady of the night. Down deep inside, the loss of hope or the rejection of true hope, causes something that makes life worth living to become seared over, callused to the point of being unable to feel and have an abiding hope, a hope that according to the lyrics of a song, “is steadfast and sure since Jesus came into my heart.”
The prima facie evidence in scripture is that the spirit survives what we call death, therefore we must through hope survive the often-brutal hurts of life and become the great souls God intends.
Copyright © 2017 Larry Lilly
For great IT Work. Oral Deckard