Most people live in almost constant fear of death. They do not like to think that man’s days are as grass and all his glory as the glory of a fading flower (Psa. 103:15,16). They do not wish to face up to the fact that “it is appointed unto men once to die” (Heb. 9:27).

This is natural, for God’s Word declares that death is “the wages of sin” (Rom. 6:23) and “after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27) and the “second death” (Rev. 20:14). This is why I Cor. 15:56 says that “The sting of death is sin.”

Yet the Psalmist David was not afraid of death. He said: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil” — but note the reason: “for Thou art with me” (Psa. 23:4). David had come to know God and had been graciously delivered from the fear of death. But we, today, have an even greater reason to be free from the fear of death, for 1,000 years after David, Saul of Tarsus, the chief of sinners, was saved by grace and was sent forth to proclaim the “gospel [good news] of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24).

He went forth to tell men how “Christ died for our sins” (1 Cor. 15:3) and robbed Satan of all his claims against us:

“That through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Heb. 2: 14, 15).

When the Apostle himself neared death, he said: “To die is gain” (Phil. 1:21), “to depart, and to be with Christ… is far better” (Ver. 23), and “the time of my departure is at hand… henceforth there is laid up for me a crown…” (II Tim. 4:6-8).

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

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