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... the undiscovered country, the fourth horseman, Samael, Azrael, the Sandman's sister ... there are many names, but ultimately, I'm talking about death. Yeah, touchy subject, I know, but I'm looking for people's views (spiritual or secular, private or public) on this.

And I'm not picky.

Is there an "Angel of Death"? Is death an enemy, or the last step we take on our journey to be with God? Is the death of a loved one something to be mourned, or cause for rejoicing? (That's not as cruel as it sounds.) What do we know, really know, from the Bible, about the fate common to all mankind?

I keep coming back to "For the wages of sin is death" on this one.

No, that's Death 1½, between the first and the second (second being the one listed in Revelation, where certain people take a swan dive to the ultimate hot spring). But yeah, I imagine a lot of us are going to be falling on our faces at that time ... falling on our faces and wishing there were something or someone we could hide behind.

But that raises another point; the multiple deaths. First, of course, the physical, the body stops working. The second is the Lake of Fire.

Let me run an idea past you people. I recall hearing at some point ... probably in my youth ... that in the Bible, "death" translated as "separation" (separation from the body, separation from God). I'm kind of iffy on that one, and I don't know enough Aramaic to even guess at its accuracy. Any thoughts?

I have heard that the Second Death is basically separation from God, and God's Wrath in its fullest.

I was caregiver to my Father who was in the middle stages of Alzheimers. He was a tall man 6' 3-4" and bumped his head getting into my car. He developed a brain bleed and I had to take him several cities away for surgery that wasnt available here. He had a double craniotomy (brain surgery). He was recovering well, alert and eating, and was out of IC for about three days. I decided that it was time for me to take a break as I had been spending all day, into the night at the hospital so I made the two hour trip home. As soon as I got home I was greeted with a phone call telling me I needed to come back (they wouldn't tell me why) My Dad had been hopitalized before so I was used to these calls (it was usually because he was trying to sneak out of the hospital to preform some important task like deliver mail in Elpaso (where he had never been)or his help was needed taking bodies of the ship-WWII) Anyway as soon as I walked into the hospital I heard the sound of caisons. (Most of you are probably too young to remember JFK's funeral but that's the sound I heard) I went to Dad's room to find He was in a coma (later found out he had thrown a blood clot) He was not on life support but the nurse told me that he could linger like that for weeks. As soon as she left the room I started praying. Then I took my Dad's hand in my own and said "Jesus come and help my Daddy go home." The room filled with a bright golden light and my Dad took one last breath, and was gone. The peace in the room was indiscribable! I sat with him for a few minutes praying and watching the color of his skin shift from pink to yellow as the blood began to pool to his backside. And then got a nurse, who was in shock that he had gone so fast. I cried no tears because of the peace in the room and the assurance I had over where he had gone. For me it truly was a sacred experience.

Some say that some of the acts in the OT can be attributed to the "Angel of Death" but others atrribute those same things to Satan. But no where in the "translated" Bible is the name "Angel of Death" used. We know in Revelation that Death rides on one of the horses...but he is not referred to as an angel.

I do not believe that there is an angel that comes to earth to take us to heaven, or in the Grim Reaper of folklore and Halloween fame..

But there is a little kitty that has been very successful in predicting/ or helping people in a nursing home, leave the earth. He is up to like 20 so far. smile

First...as a breast cancer survivor I want to say BLESS YOU for your volunteer work in a cancer center.

2nd I think you have a point there about God sometimes giving people a chance to get it right at the last minute.

My son had a childhood friend who was in and out of trouble, and in and out of jail. A very, very rebellious, and troubled young man. Something happened during his last stint in jail and he was saved, He came out a different person, so it wasn't "jailhouse" salvation", trying to beat the system.

It wasn't a week after he got out of jail, that he was killed in a car crash. It brought a lot of peace to his family knowing that he died on the "right side of God."

Unfortunatly, not everyone is given that last minute chance, which is why we must be perisistant in sharing the Gospel, and diligent in making sure that we are right with God.

Haha, Oscar, "the Grim Reaper's kitty-cat herald"! Yeah, I know about him; there's even a book about that cat's career.

As far as a personified Death ... well, I have to admit, Gaiman's creation is my favorite, but ... from the Bible, yes, there's Death riding the pale horse, then there's Death, "the final enemy", being thrown into the Lake of Fire "reserved for the devil and his fallen angels" (if I remember the line aright). So there's some basis for picturing Death as a person -- maybe not the skeleton with the hood and sickle, and certainly not a blue-haired cutie riding on a giant oar, but the concept is there.

And since death (small D) didn't apparently exist until after the Fall (as a few verses in the New Testament indicate), it stands to reason that, if there is an angel of death ... he probably works for (or with) Satan.

Death is the result of sin, so it makes sense that Mr. Mortality would work hand-in-hand with the Devil.