Are Deathbed Confessions Real?
Over the past 10 years or so, I have debated with several friends over the question: Are deathbed confessions real? I must confess that I have tended to lean toward the idea that you can’t wait until the end and be saved at the last minute. I love listening to an old-time preacher named Rolfe Barnard and he used to say something along the lines that you can’t blow the smoke of your rebellion in God’s face and then have God receive you at the last minute. Some Bible verses that back up this position would be that God will not always strive with man (Genesis 6:3) and Romans 1:28 where it says that God turns some people over to a reprobate mind. You run so far, so long and so hard away from God and He allows you to continue to reprobation – basically to a point of no return.
So is there no hope for those who are near death? Does God reject you if you blow the smoke of your rebellion in His face your whole life and there’s no chance of Him calling you to Himself? Chances are that not every deathbed confession is real. Maybe some people will say or do anything at the last minute to keep from dying or on a whim – as a just in case. They may even say what others want them to say, even if the person dying doesn’t really believe it. Obviously, if God is not drawing you to Himself, then you can’t be saved. No one comes to Jesus unless the Father draws them (John 6:44). Jesus is the only way of salvation (John 14:6). Oh, but when God draws a lost soul to Himself, that’s when they shouldn’t reject such a great salvation. Salvation is of the Lord (Psalm 37:39). When God convicts you over your sins, when He shows you your sinfulness and reveals His Holiness to you, that’s the time to repent and believe the Gospel – deathbed or otherwise. The Bible says today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Laborers
So does the Bible talk about deathbed confessions? Why yes it does. The first one is a parable Jesus told. Matthew 20:1-16 states: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’
“So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”
The Last Will Be First
The last will be first and the first will be last. Many are called, but few are chosen. This parable isn’t about money, it’s about salvation and it isn’t for the Jews alone. No, salvation is also for the Gentiles. Whether we labor long for the Lord on this earth or a very short time, a saved life is a saved life. Those who are merely saved for minutes or days, miss out on the peace and comfort of walking with the Lord, but their salvation is just as real as those who have been saved a long time.
The very best example of a deathbed confession is the thief who died alongside Jesus; the one who repented of his sins and put his faith in Jesus. That was a true deathbed confession! Luke 23:32-43: There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death. And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
Do You Not Even Fear God?
And they divided His garments and cast lots. And the people stood looking on. But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God.” The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.” And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.”
But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Again: Are Deathbed Confessions Real?
Are deathbed confessions real? They obviously can be real. The one thief was saved while hanging on the cross, merely hours from death. That is, after the thief repented and put his trust in Jesus. The Lord told him that he would be with Him in Paradise that very same day. The one thief was saved while hanging on the cross, right next to Jesus. You couldn’t cut it much closer than that.
Yes, deathbed confessions can be real. The Bible proves it. Not only that, but I recently witnessed a deathbed confession with my own eyes. I shared the Gospel with a young man recently and he shook his head yes when I asked him if he wanted to put his faith in Jesus. He was on a breathing tube, so he couldn’t talk. But I could see the sincerity in his eyes and on his face that he truly understood the glorious Gospel. The young man recognized that he had sinned against our Holy God and that there was nothing that he could do to save himself. He put his faith in the Lord Jesus.
Prostitute Shot At 1 AM Or 2 AM
Would a person with a reprobate mind surrender their life to Christ? I don’t believe so. The preacher I mentioned before, Rolfe Barnard also used to tell how he was a preacher in a wildcat oil town in Texas. The town was full of saloons and houses of prostitutes. One young lady was a well-known prostitute who Rolfe had witnessed to many times. One night she got shot and called for “the preacher” at 1 or 2 am. Rolfe went over and shared the Gospel with her one last time. Even though she heard what he was saying and she knew that she was about to die, with tears in her eyes she said, “I just can’t”. Then she rolled over and turned her back to brother Barnard and died, right before him.
Did she die as a reprobate? It surely looks that way. So today, if Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, are you going to continue down the broad road to destruction until your mind is reprobated? Are you going to continue hardening your heart and rejecting such a great salvation? Are you going to die in your sins and split Hell wide open? Or are you going to be like the young man who repented and put his faith in Jesus? If your sinfulness bothers you, if your conscience is not seared over, then I have great news for you. Your mind is not reprobated. If you understand that your sins are a stench in God’s Holy nostrils, then you are not a completely lost cause. There is hope for you and the only hope for mankind is in Christ Jesus alone.
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
Oh, if God is convicting you over your sins and revealing His Holiness to you, cry out for God to save you. Repent and believe the Gospel. Repent of your sins and put your faith in Jesus. The young man that I mentioned died three days after putting his faith in Jesus. Are deathbed confessions real? They can be. But don’t wait until the last minute. Don’t foolishly wait until it is too late. Now is the time to get right with God. I will ask the same question that I asked the young man: Do you want to put your faith in Jesus? If so, repent of your sins and surrender your life fully and completely to Jesus Christ the Lord.
Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is Lord of all. One day, every knee will bow. But don’t wait until Judgment Day to do so. On that great and terrible day of Lord, Jesus will have His servants cast you into the lake of fire and brimstone if you wait until then to bow to Him. Willingly, gratefully bow your knee to Jesus. Do this today. Submit your life to King Jesus and receive everlasting life. Repent and believe the Gospel. Be saved. Be saved today. Don’t wait until your deathbed; it may be too late. Plus, you may die suddenly and never make it to a deathbed. Repent and trust Jesus for your salvation.
(This message was lifted up in downtown Springfield, MO on June 5, 2020)