Fear of Death

“Everyone wants to get to heaven, but no one wants to die!”

This statement speaks a lot about our collective human nature, namely our desire to live forever, contrasted with our inherent fear of death. This tension exists in secular culture and theological discussions, particularly in Christianity, where the promise of heaven is a core belief of our faith.

The Desire for Heaven

For Christians, heaven is the ultimate reward for those faithful to God, a place of eternal life in the presence of God. The Bible reveals various aspects of heaven that emphasise peace, joy, and the absence of pain suffering, death and sin. Revelation 21:4, tells us:

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

For believers, heaven is the reward of those clothed in the righteousness of Christ who live their earthly lives faithful to Him while longing for wholeness and peace with the Almighty. Our natural Christian desire is for eternal life in the presence of God, where we will be free from pain, sin, the trials of this earthly life, and even death itself. 

The Fear of Death

However, while heaven is our ultimate goal, death is the mechanism by which it is reached. Our fear of death is deeply ingrained in human nature because death is associated with uncertainty, loss, and separation from the physical world. Even in Christianity, where death is viewed as a passage to eternal life, there remains an understandable apprehension and hesitation. Hebrews 2:15 describes this as the fear of death that grips all humanity:

“and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death”

This fear is not merely about the act of dying but about the uncertainty of the unknown that follows. It’s part of our natural human survival instinct to want to cling to life, even in the face of our Christian belief that life after death holds something far greater for us!

But it wasn't always like this, for the early Church endured persecution by the Roman Empire. The startling thing is that during this period the believers then, man, woman, and child clung to their faith demonstrating an absence of the fear of death!

Eusebius in his “History of the Church” records many accounts of the horrific deaths faced by the fearless martyrs:

Nothing could be more amazing than the fearless courage of these saints under such duress, the stubborn, inflexible endurance in youthful bodies. You would see a youngster not yet twenty standing without fetters, spreading out his arms in the form of a cross, and with a mind unafraid and unshakable occupying himself in the most unhurried prayers to the Almighty: not budging in the least and not retreating an inch from the spot where he stood, though bears and panthers breathing fury and death almost touched his very flesh. Yet by some supernatural, mysterious power, their mouths were stopped, and they ran back again to the rear. Again you would have seen others- there were five altogether- thrown to an infuriated bull. When others approached from the outside he tossed them with his horns into the air and mangled them, leaving them to be picked up half-dead; but when in his fury he rushed head down at the lonely group of holy martyrs, he could not even get near them, but stamped his feet and pushed with his horns in all directions. Poked by the hot irons he breathed rage and threats, but divine providence dragged him back. So, as he too did his intended victims no harm whatever, other beasts were set on them. At last, when these animals had launched their terrible varied assaults, the martyrs were one and all butchered with the sword, and instead of being buried in the earth were given to the waves of the sea. [1]

There are many more accounts of people being decapitated, crucified, burnt at the stake, quartered, flayed, and flogged, all while being called upon to renounce their faith in Christ beforehand to be spared. Yet the majority declined the offer, their faith remaining true to the end because for them death held no fear. (Wouldn't it be wonderful to have such certainty of faith?)

John wrote in his Revelation that Jesus defeated death in his resurrection, he wrote in Rev 1:18  

I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Bishop Stuart Bell explains in his book ‘Jesus Now’ (a wonderful meditation on John's vision of Jesus, buy the book, it's well worth it!)

Hades is the place of departed spirits. It’s where Jesus went whilst his body was still in the tomb. At the point of death there is a separation between the spirit and the body. The body remains here and gradually decays. For the Christian, the spirit leaves the body and is immediately secure in the presence of the Lord. Hades is not Gehenna which is the place of torment, but it is the place of the spirits of the dead. Jesus holds the keys to death and Hades, and as a result, he is able to guarantee our destiny beyond the grave as we head towards our own resurrection, our new heavenly body, and the certainty of eternity with him.

Our experience of life tells us that death is a door that only opens one way. It has a sign over the top of the doorway which says, ‘Exit Only’. We see people going through but never coming back again,,,

But Jesus says to John ‘I’ve got the key to that door’ In fact , John knows that he has the keys to that door because he has seen Jesus go both ways. He saw Jesus die, leave, and be buried. But then he also saw him raised coming from the grave.[2]

Jesus is the keyholder and no door is locked against Him!

(Buy the book!)

The Hope of Resurrection

Christian teaching offers comfort in the face of death with the promise of resurrection. In John 11:25, Jesus says:

 “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die”

This promise is central to our faith. Though the transition from life to death may be feared, believers are reminded that death is not the end but the doorway into a new life with Christ. The resurrection of Jesus serves as a cornerstone for this hope, showing that death has been defeated and no longer holds ultimate power over those who believe in Christ.

The Call to Die to Self

Interestingly, the Bible also speaks of another kind of death that we believers are called to embrace which is the death of self and sin. This ‘spiritual’ death is a central aspect of our Christian journey. Luke 9:23-24 records that Jesus said:

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.

In this, Jesus is teaching us that to truly live (both in this life and the next), we must die to selfish desires, pride, and worldly attachments. This spiritual death mirrors the paradox in the phrase "everyone wants to go to heaven no one wants to die" because it speaks of our need for our lives to be transformed—in this we die to self, a "spiritual death" that leads us to eternal life.

The tension between the desire for heaven and the fear of death reflects a deeper spiritual truth: while death is daunting, it is necessary for the fulfillment of God’s promise of eternal life. As believers we are called to trust in God’s promise of heaven whilst in this life we are called to undergo a spiritual "death"—a surrendering of self in order to follow Christ and live like Him.

Ultimately, like the early Christians our faith will overcome the fear of death, which is our faith in the resurrection of Christ Jesus and the hope of eternity with God. So while "no one wants to die," for those of us who believe, death is the gateway to the ultimate hope and reward: life eternal in the presence of God.

Have a super week, and God bless.

Trev.

[1] ‘Eusebius The History of the Church’, ISBN 978-0140-44535-0

[2] Jesus Now, Bp Stuart Bell. ISBN 9798868029851