Answers
By BGEA Admin • January 2, 2024 • Topics: Death
Q:
Before my cousin slipped into a coma, he said that he was ready to die and did not want life-support measures taken. The doctors tell me that there may be a possibility he will come out of the coma and live. Does the Bible speak to the possibility of death being diverted and life extended beyond what seems possible?
A:
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
The definition of physical death is complicated to many. We know God may occasionally add time to a person’s life, even when others determine life is over. What some may think is the conclusion of a life may only be the closing of a chapter, not the end of the book.
For instance, in the Old Testament, King Hezekiah was mortally ill, but the Lord said He would heal him and add 15 years to his life. Jesus brought the daughter of Jairus back to life, and Lazarus was raised from the dead after being in his tomb for four days.
God may allow physicians to use modern technology to extend physical life today in a way that is unprecedented in human history. It is amazing to hear stories of tenacious qualities in the human spirit, and also of the ability of skilled physicians to treat crisis after crisis and somehow manage to pull patients through. However, what is more important on Earth is to know where we’re going when death knocks at our door.
Christians find comfort in knowing that death here is not the last of us. We have assurance of eternal life that the Bible speaks about: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21, NKJV).
The testimony of a believer at the time of death can teach others how to die with hope. The resurrection of Jesus Christ alone blasts apart the finality of death, providing an alternative to the stifling, settling dust of death, opening the way to new life.
(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
