Solomon in Ecclesiastes 7:1 declares that the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth. This reflects the ideal outcome, though in reality, it is not always so, as some waste the precious gift of life from God, leaving no hope at their passing. The better conclusion to life hinges on the choices made during one's lifetime, emphasizing the importance of living in alignment with God's purpose. A pervasive fear of death influences attitudes and conduct, stemming from a spiritual source that binds humanity in bondage to sin, driven by Satan's deceptions about death. Many fail to connect their personal sins to their mortality or recognize Satan as their spiritual captor, thus remaining in ignorance and fear. However, through Christ's sinless life and substitutionary death, He defeated Satan, stripping away the weapon of death that once hung over us. As we are one with Christ, this fear no longer holds power, and we are freed to turn to God in obedience, looking forward to an ever-growing liberty to live according to His will. Solomon encourages sober yet joyful reflection on these truths, even in mourning, as they embody our hope and the immense lengths to which God went to secure our freedom.

The timing of an individual's death receives particular attention through the lens of Ecclesiastes, where Solomon declares that there is "a time to be born, and a time to die," establishing that life and death are inseparably connected within the same person's timeline. Mankind has no control over the timing of birth and little control over the timing of death, yet Solomon also warns in Ecclesiastes 7:17 not to be "overly wicked" or "foolish," asking, "Why should you die before your time?" This suggests that foolish or wicked behavior can alter what might otherwise have been a more normal length of days, showing that cause and effect can influence the day of one's death even while it remains true that no one dies apart from God's allowance, especially not those whose lives are hidden in Christ. This principle connects to a broader observation about shortened lifespans since ancient times, attributed not to the Flood itself but to the growing evil in the world, after which God set a general limit of "threescore and ten" years. What appears random in the timing of death may not be as random as commonly assumed, given God's sovereign oversight. Christ's words to His disciples in Matthew 10:29-31 reinforce this theme: not even a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father's will, and believers are "of more value than many sparrows." Luke 12:6 adds that not one sparrow "is forgotten before God." These assurances, given to disciples facing potential danger in their gospel-preaching mission, reveal a distinction between how God generally allows death among humanity and how He specifically watches over His called-out ones, much as He protected national Israel with the cloud and pillar of fire. Spiritual Israel today experiences this same divine oversight through the Holy Spirit, being kept as "the apple of His eye." This sovereignty over death's timing flows from God's identity as Creator. Since He alone possesses the power to bring life from dust, it follows that He remains aware of and sovereign over the reverse process, when "the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7). His word, once spoken, "shall not return to Me void" but "shall accomplish what I please" (Isaiah 55:10-11), confirming that all of creation, including the timing of each person's death, remains folded within His purpose and sovereign rule. Ultimately, Christ's declaration in Revelation 1:18, "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore... and I have the keys of Hades and of Death," identifies Him as the One holding governmental authority over the timing and judgment of death itself. Having experienced death Himself, He alone possesses the authority to make all judgments concerning Hades and death, offering assurance that even the sting of mortality and its timing remain firmly under divine control rather than random chance.