By Peter Kennedy
“Then I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.’” – Revelation 14:13
The image of death differs from culture to culture. Sometimes this personage is dressed in white, sometimes in black. In Germanic/English folklore he is male; in Latin folklore death is female. In Roman Catholicism, the archangel Michael is viewed as the angel of death as he carries the souls of the deceased to Heaven.
On one of the Tarot cards, the Tarot of Marseilles/Mar-say, there is a skeleton with a scythe. In the Hindu scriptures known collectively as 'Vedas', the lord of death is called Yama, or Yamaraj (literally "the lord of death"). Yama rides a black buffalo and carries a rope lasso to carry the soul back to his abode.
In Mexico, a popular Catholic "cult" regards the personification of death as a saint, known as Santa Muerte. One image in America is the Grim Reaper, who is hooded, black-robed, with a sickle in his hand.
In 1976, the rock band Blue Oyster Cult released their biggest hit was Don’t Fear The Reaper. For Christians, we should not fear death, for we will be with Christ.
Death awaits us all, but as we pass through death, Christ greets us. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that He has conquered death and with Him we are conquerors.
“It ought to be placed in the forefront of all Christian teaching that Christ's mission on earth was to give men Life. "I am come," He said, "that ye might have Life, and that ye might have it more abundantly." And that He meant literal Life, literal spiritual and Eternal Life, is clear from the whole course of His teaching and acting.” - Henry Drummond
God’s Word: “who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:10
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