Adam and Eve lived their lives without fear for there was nothing of which they had to be afraid.  Sin was absent, so they did not have to fear its consequences.  Death was unheard of, so they did not have to fear dying.  They enjoyed perfect fellowship with God, so the wrath of God was never a problem.  Fear was simply nonexistent.

That all changed, however, when they decided to sin.  For the first time, they were afraid.

Genesis 3:8–10 (ESV)
⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Mankind has been dominated by fear ever since.  You name it, there is a phobia for it.  Most fear is unwarranted and, quite frankly, silly; however, some fear is legitimate.   To fear death is justified for the average person in the world.  After all, what comes next is terrible.

Luke 16:22–24 (ESV)
²² The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, ²³ and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’

Anguish in a fiery affliction is what comes after death for every person who does not obey the gospel of Christ.  Ironically, most who fear death do so for the wrong reasons.  They fear death because what comes afterward is a mystery to them.  Most people are afraid of the unknown.  They also fear death because of their attachment to this world.  They do not fear any punishment that follows death because they, for the most part, do not believe in such.  But their ignorance will not help them.

1 Thessalonians 5:2–3 (ESV)
² For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³ While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Do you know who sudden destruction will not come upon?  Those who have obeyed the gospel.  We do not have to fear death because we are overcomers.  We have overcome Satan and sin by our faith in Christ Jesus and so we do not have to worry about what comes after death.  We already know—paradise (Luke 16:22, 22; 23:43).   For us, death has lost its sting (1 Corinthians 15:55-56).

Going hand in hand with this is the fact that we do not have to fear the wrath of God.  By the blood of Christ, we have been saved from it.

Romans 5:9 (ESV)
⁹ Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Can you see, if you are a Christian, that we are right back in the glorious position that Adam and Eve were in before they sinned?  We do not have to hide from God because, on the cross, Jesus undid all the damage caused by Adam and Eve in the garden, making it possible for us to live without fear of the judgment to come (1 John 4:17-18).  Thank God that we, as His children, have overcome fear.

Romans 8:14–15 (ESV)
¹⁴ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.