Why do some "good" people die early?

Hello everyone, I hope you are all well and had a good festive season.

I decided to write this post because of discussions among Christians I personally know in light of what is currently happening. I have come across Christians suffering from dismay because some “good” Christians that they know have died from COVID. "Why did that good person die so soon, they ask?"

I put the word good in inverted commas in the title because God alone is good. I hope that this post will bring some comfort about death.

1.1. Living in the last days

I believe that we are living in the last days, and Jesus said that there shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor ever shall be in Matthew 24:21. And Luke 21:26 also says that men's hearts will fail because of fear because of what they will see coming on the earth.

Therefore soon, we will have such great problems even worse than the current pandemic, and some people will not be able to handle what is going to happen. This will be a serious test on people's faith in God when they encounter disaster after disaster as well as never ending problems in their personal lives including finances.

I also suspect that some people might backslide and be lost because they will be depressed and unable to handle the suffering and tests and trials and tribulations that will happen soon.

1.2. God allows some people to die before a serious calamity.

Isaiah 57:1 says, "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come." (KJV)

This bible verse means that God allows good people to die so that they do not have to endure suffering or any horrible calamities to come.

Therefore, although some people are good, they will be unable to bear the trials and tribulations to come. Matthew 24: 13 says, "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." (KJV). Some will not be able to endure to the end, and I believe that God in His mercy allows them to pass away because He wants everyone to be saved. And only those who are strong enough will remain and go through the time of trouble.

Therefore death can be seen as a freedom from unnecessary suffering.

2. Sometime a good person living longer can result in detrimental consequences in the lives of others.

2.1. Example of King Hezekiah (2 Kings 20)

King Hezekiah was a good king, and his life got extended for 15 more years because he walked in truth, and with a perfect heart and done what was good in God’s sight according to 2 Kings 20:3-6.

But what happened because of the extension of his life?
  • He allowed the representatives of Babylon to come to Israel and see all their treasures. This later resulted in the people from Israel, the treasures of Israel and the sons of Hezekiah being taken by Babylon according to 2 Kings 20:15-18.
  • He had a son called Manasseh during the additional 15 years. We know this because 2 Kings 21:1 says, "Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem." (KJV) The son was evil and caused the people to do more evil than the other nations according to 2 Kings 21:2-12. This resulted in the people in Jerusalem and Judah being punished by God because of Manasseh’s influence.

If good king Hezekiah had died when he was supposed to, it would not have resulted in other people's suffering.

I suspect that this is also the case with children. Children can be good when they are young and innocent, but when they grow up, they might continue to be good or might decide to become criminals and endanger other people's lives.

Therefore I suspect that God allows some children to die young because he can see that the circumstances that they are in could result in them going to hell when they are older. I also suspect that God allows some good people to die sooner than others because He can discern that living longer can have a negative effect on others.

The longer we are on this earth, the higher the chance that we will backslide and turn away from God.

3. The Apostle Paul has a more positive view of death than we do

We, in general, have a negative view of death and see it as a horrible event and dread it.

However, we see a different perspective of death from the Apostle Paul. He saw death as a gain because death was a way to be with Christ, which is better than being alive.

Philippians 1:21-26 says, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again." (KJV)

4. Why does it take a long time for bad people to die?

Wicked people tend to live for a long time because God gives them many chances and hopes that they will eventually repent and get saved.
  • Ezekiel 33:11 says, "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?." (KJV)
  • 1 Timothy 2:4 says, "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." (KJV)
  • 2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (KJV).
5. Suffering and death are temporary.
  • Revelation 21:4 says, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (KJV)
  • Romans 8:18 says, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy of being compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (KJV)

Overall

After reading the above, you might be wondering, why am I not dead yet? Am I not good enough to die?

You are probably not dead yet because you still have a purpose to fulfil on earth, and you might have the strength to go through the trials and tribulations that will come to pass. However, it is also possible that you still need to develop your character and be a better Christian.

There are other reasons why some people die soon such as not taking good care of their health which I did not cover.

Overall, the purpose of the post is to view death from a different perspective and an attempt to comfort those who have lost loved ones and who might lose them.

And would also like to know if anyone else has read verses that show death in a more positive way then the way most of us view it.
 
? I don't know, just the same as why do babies die. Have they been bad? Do their parents not look after them enough? (I don't think so)
Sometimes, they just die because conditions are bad. Also, it is hard to survive in a world where everything wants to kill you. If you are in poverty, it's more likely you will die earlier because riches and wealth do cushion you from a lot of suffering.
 
Hello Faith First;

I don't know.
In all love, I cannot give God my timeline and justification for Him to give me a brand new day each morning, a long life on my terms, just because I'm good.

I've accepted the Truth that when God wakes me up another day, I consider it another miracle to live for Him. My flesh and bone may shudder at the thought knowing I'm dying but my spirit is willing when the Lord takes me for whatever reason, because I know I'm loved, forgiven, redeemed and saved for all eternity. I live on God's promise.

We as humans "feel" when a loved one is sick, suffering and dying. But in our finite minds we don't understand that when God takes us, He is taking us through the pain of illness or injury, it's still in His Hands, and it's nothing compared to the joy of Heaven when we are with Him, forever.

Thank you for your Scriptural outline and thoughts. It does give us much to think about.

God bless you, Faith First, and your family.
 
I don't know, just the same as why do babies die. Have they been bad?
there is no real answer the Baby that Bathsheba had with king david . God took the Baby . why does infants die we dont know . Bro Bob has about as good answer there is We as humans "feel" when a loved one is sick, suffering and dying. But in our finite minds we don't understand that when God takes us, He is taking us through the pain of illness or injury, it's still in His Hands, and it's nothing compared to the joy of Heaven when we are with Him, forever.

we simply can not comprehend why
 
John 11:25 (KJV) Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

Yes!

The question should not actually be......."Did that good person die too young" but instead - was it exactly the time that God had determined for that person????

Hebrews 9:27........
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”.

As believers, and as you just said, we have a promise from Jesus that because of him we will never die. If we’re gone from this body on earth, we’re at home with the Lord.

God knows when we will die. God knows how we will die. God’s attitude toward physical death is not like ours. Therefore, God has an appointed time of our death. We do not know when this time is, but He wants us to live each day to its fullest because we do not know if today will be our last day upon the earth.
 
Was reading a fiction book about a 12.5 girl dying of cancer, told she only has so long to live. As she narrates, she doesn't question why, but just wants to live every second she's got left. This includes going to school, passing exams, and telling everyone she's got cancer and is dying.
There's no real mention of 'I've been good' or 'God hates me' or anything like that.

In this story though she gets bullied by a classmate who suddenly turns around and is all fake nice now because she is dying. The dying girl gets so mad she punches the bully in the face. The bully then uses her situation to her advantage to garner attention on social media. It's not until the last moment she actually confronts the bully to tell her to leave her alone, after finding out the bullies mother died in a car crash that left her brother in a wheelchair and she now has to look after him. So her revenge (or justice) plan falls through.

The book is called 'Exit through the gift shop' by Maryam Masters.

It kind of treated death a bit flippantly IMHO as a lot of people, especially young cancer sufferers actually survive their illness after treatment, even when told by a doctor they will die of it.

Bullying happens to nearly everyone who gets in the way of a bully though, dying or not.
 
Hello everyone, I hope you are all well and had a good festive season.

I decided to write this post because of discussions among Christians I personally know in light of what is currently happening. I have come across Christians suffering from dismay because some “good” Christians that they know have died from COVID. "Why did that good person die so soon, they ask?"

I put the word good in inverted commas in the title because God alone is good. I hope that this post will bring some comfort about death.

1.1. Living in the last days

I believe that we are living in the last days, and Jesus said that there shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor ever shall be in Matthew 24:21. And Luke 21:26 also says that men's hearts will fail because of fear because of what they will see coming on the earth.

Therefore soon, we will have such great problems even worse than the current pandemic, and some people will not be able to handle what is going to happen. This will be a serious test on people's faith in God when they encounter disaster after disaster as well as never ending problems in their personal lives including finances.

I also suspect that some people might backslide and be lost because they will be depressed and unable to handle the suffering and tests and trials and tribulations that will happen soon.

1.2. God allows some people to die before a serious calamity.

Isaiah 57:1 says, "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come." (KJV)

This bible verse means that God allows good people to die so that they do not have to endure suffering or any horrible calamities to come.

Therefore, although some people are good, they will be unable to bear the trials and tribulations to come. Matthew 24: 13 says, "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." (KJV). Some will not be able to endure to the end, and I believe that God in His mercy allows them to pass away because He wants everyone to be saved. And only those who are strong enough will remain and go through the time of trouble.

Therefore death can be seen as a freedom from unnecessary suffering.

2. Sometime a good person living longer can result in detrimental consequences in the lives of others.

2.1. Example of King Hezekiah (2 Kings 20)

King Hezekiah was a good king, and his life got extended for 15 more years because he walked in truth, and with a perfect heart and done what was good in God’s sight according to 2 Kings 20:3-6.

But what happened because of the extension of his life?
  • He allowed the representatives of Babylon to come to Israel and see all their treasures. This later resulted in the people from Israel, the treasures of Israel and the sons of Hezekiah being taken by Babylon according to 2 Kings 20:15-18.
  • He had a son called Manasseh during the additional 15 years. We know this because 2 Kings 21:1 says, "Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem." (KJV) The son was evil and caused the people to do more evil than the other nations according to 2 Kings 21:2-12. This resulted in the people in Jerusalem and Judah being punished by God because of Manasseh’s influence.

If good king Hezekiah had died when he was supposed to, it would not have resulted in other people's suffering.

I suspect that this is also the case with children. Children can be good when they are young and innocent, but when they grow up, they might continue to be good or might decide to become criminals and endanger other people's lives.

Therefore I suspect that God allows some children to die young because he can see that the circumstances that they are in could result in them going to hell when they are older. I also suspect that God allows some good people to die sooner than others because He can discern that living longer can have a negative effect on others.

The longer we are on this earth, the higher the chance that we will backslide and turn away from God.

3. The Apostle Paul has a more positive view of death than we do

We, in general, have a negative view of death and see it as a horrible event and dread it.

However, we see a different perspective of death from the Apostle Paul. He saw death as a gain because death was a way to be with Christ, which is better than being alive.

Philippians 1:21-26 says, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again." (KJV)

4. Why does it take a long time for bad people to die?

Wicked people tend to live for a long time because God gives them many chances and hopes that they will eventually repent and get saved.
  • Ezekiel 33:11 says, "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?." (KJV)
  • 1 Timothy 2:4 says, "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." (KJV)
  • 2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (KJV).
5. Suffering and death are temporary.
  • Revelation 21:4 says, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (KJV)
  • Romans 8:18 says, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy of being compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (KJV)

Overall

After reading the above, you might be wondering, why am I not dead yet? Am I not good enough to die?

You are probably not dead yet because you still have a purpose to fulfil on earth, and you might have the strength to go through the trials and tribulations that will come to pass. However, it is also possible that you still need to develop your character and be a better Christian.

There are other reasons why some people die soon such as not taking good care of their health which I did not cover.

Overall, the purpose of the post is to view death from a different perspective and an attempt to comfort those who have lost loved ones and who might lose them.

And would also like to know if anyone else has read verses that show death in a more positive way then the way most of us view it.

Why do some "good" people die early?​


Romans 3:10-12 .....
" as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; There is none that doeth good, no, not one."
 
I'm reading a bio of Louisa May Alcott, who you might all know is the author of Little Women. It's an American classic book.

If you've read the story of Little Women, you might know (spoiler!) that of the four March sisters, one dies young.

Louisa based the story of Little Women much on her own family life, and she did have a sister called Lizzie that died when she contracted scarlet fever from her mother who carried it when she went to visit a poor family on her charity rounds.

Louisa, like Jo, was the second eldest daughter who was the main protagonist of the novel. The death affected her most because Lizzie, like Beth was very sweet and passive obedient daughter, unlike Louisa (and Jo) who had a temper, was always getting into trouble and had a passionate, fiery nature more like a tomboy than a 'good' girl. While Louisa (and Jo) did contract scarlet fever herself, she survived.

Interestingly in real life, the bio states that Louisa cared for her sister Lizzie while she was dying, though always obedient and passive while living, when dying Lizzie was demanding and angry, and suffered a great deal. Her death wasn't at all a 'peaceful' death. So can it be said that Lizzie was very good when suffering made her angry? Also, what does this tell us about Louisa who cared for her sister when dying, when, for many people, they may not even care for their family members when they are sick and just leave them/abandon them. Lizzie gave Louisa a gift to care for her, to show compassion she might otherwise not have shown if Lizzie had been self sufficient and not needed anyone to care for her.

People might have this idea that dying is quick and merciful, but sometimes it isn't. It could be long and drawn out. It forces one to accept there are limits and to deal with all your sin right there and then, that maybe someone who appears 'good' has hidden all this while. But it's better to get your sin out in the open, to confess it and then be forgiven, than the alternative, to die in your sins.
 
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I was active on an ostomy support group for a period in my life, after retirement and until my latest move. Cancer was by far the most common root cause of their condition, as it was with mine.

I sat in the hospital, and once at their home, with family members while their loved ones passed, as well attended funerals of members.

I found that the faith of the dying as well as that of the family members played a great part in the ability to look the situation 'in the face'.

Beyond faith and the associated peace and the solace of prayer, I found that death took each without respect for personal goodness or evil.

Death is part of life. Believers know that powerful as it is, it is temporary.

For many, although there is incredible loss, there is also relief from whatever cares one had prior.
 
The problem is that this life is all we know and by nature we are scared to let go. But there is such a thing as being anointed as in the dark ages being burnt at the stake with a smile and song on their lips. Or those who suffer but before they go say 'the lucky ones go slow' and then in peace give up the ghost.
Our time is not God's time so who can say one went early or the other stays too long.
I believe the best thing a Christian can pray for is for revelation for by that there are no questions, fears or concerns.
In a story about a Christian who experienced a great tragedy and much suffering he came to understand that "if you only knew what awaits you, you would choose this road...". The best thing we can do is trust God (who is merciful and knows best) and not question Him.
I do not say this as if I've already attained but it is my prayer.
 
I was active on an ostomy support group for a period in my life, after retirement and until my latest move. Cancer was by far the most common root cause of their condition, as it was with mine.

I sat in the hospital, and once at their home, with family members while their loved ones passed, as well attended funerals of members.

I found that the faith of the dying as well as that of the family members played a great part in the ability to look the situation 'in the face'.

Beyond faith and the associated peace and the solace of prayer, I found that death took each without respect for personal goodness or evil.

Death is part of life. Believers know that powerful as it is, it is temporary.

For many, although there is incredible loss, there is also relief from whatever cares one had prior.

I can not even begin to count how many people and families I have sat with over years as their loved one was in the dying process.

I can say with clarity that there was a marked differance from a Christian family and a family whose died family member was not saved.
 
I can not even begin to count how many people and families I have sat with over years as their loved one was in the dying process.

I can say with clarity that there was a marked differance from a Christian family and a family whose died family member was not saved.
Yes, as I indicated, the faith of the individual and that of their loved ones plays a great part in their being able to deal with the enormity of death.

Death is also an expression of the will of God. That is not as hard-hearted as it may seem. Properly understood, it is an expression of His love.

Having said this, I can see little in my experiences that leads me to feel that this happens when one's ministry has ended (at least from worldly evaluation). Nor does it seem to be a punishment. Whatever the circumstances, the timing and 'reasons' are know only to the Lord.

There have been several occasions when I placed under anesthesia knowing that I may not wake, or that if I did, my life would be changed. I may fear the process of dying, but I am sanguine about death itself.
 
Yes, as I indicated, the faith of the individual and that of their loved ones plays a great part in their being able to deal with the enormity of death.

Death is also an expression of the will of God. That is not as hard-hearted as it may seem. Properly understood, it is an expression of His love.

Having said this, I can see little in my experiences that leads me to feel that this happens when one's ministry has ended (at least from worldly evaluation). Nor does it seem to be a punishment. Whatever the circumstances, the timing and 'reasons' are know only to the Lord.

There have been several occasions when I placed under anesthesia knowing that I may not wake, or that if I did, my life would be changed. I may fear the process of dying, but I am sanguine about death itself.

Yes brother. Been there and done that now several times as well.
 
It’s just the tunnel of pain we go through to get there. ouch.

Life and death for the Christian.

It is grace at the beginning, and grace at the end.

So that when you and I come to lie upon our death beds, the one thing that should comfort and help and strengthen us there is the thing that helped us in the beginning. Not what we have been, not what we have done, but the Grace of God in Jesus Christ our Lord which gets us through the door way of death to heaven.
 
Hello everyone, I hope you are all well and had a good festive season.

I decided to write this post because of discussions among Christians I personally know in light of what is currently happening. I have come across Christians suffering from dismay because some “good” Christians that they know have died from COVID. "Why did that good person die so soon, they ask?"

I put the word good in inverted commas in the title because God alone is good. I hope that this post will bring some comfort about death.

1.1. Living in the last days

I believe that we are living in the last days, and Jesus said that there shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor ever shall be in Matthew 24:21. And Luke 21:26 also says that men's hearts will fail because of fear because of what they will see coming on the earth.

Therefore soon, we will have such great problems even worse than the current pandemic, and some people will not be able to handle what is going to happen. This will be a serious test on people's faith in God when they encounter disaster after disaster as well as never ending problems in their personal lives including finances.

I also suspect that some people might backslide and be lost because they will be depressed and unable to handle the suffering and tests and trials and tribulations that will happen soon.

1.2. God allows some people to die before a serious calamity.

Isaiah 57:1 says, "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come." (KJV)

This bible verse means that God allows good people to die so that they do not have to endure suffering or any horrible calamities to come.

Therefore, although some people are good, they will be unable to bear the trials and tribulations to come. Matthew 24: 13 says, "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." (KJV). Some will not be able to endure to the end, and I believe that God in His mercy allows them to pass away because He wants everyone to be saved. And only those who are strong enough will remain and go through the time of trouble.

Therefore death can be seen as a freedom from unnecessary suffering.

2. Sometime a good person living longer can result in detrimental consequences in the lives of others.

2.1. Example of King Hezekiah (2 Kings 20)

King Hezekiah was a good king, and his life got extended for 15 more years because he walked in truth, and with a perfect heart and done what was good in God’s sight according to 2 Kings 20:3-6.

But what happened because of the extension of his life?
  • He allowed the representatives of Babylon to come to Israel and see all their treasures. This later resulted in the people from Israel, the treasures of Israel and the sons of Hezekiah being taken by Babylon according to 2 Kings 20:15-18.
  • He had a son called Manasseh during the additional 15 years. We know this because 2 Kings 21:1 says, "Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem." (KJV) The son was evil and caused the people to do more evil than the other nations according to 2 Kings 21:2-12. This resulted in the people in Jerusalem and Judah being punished by God because of Manasseh’s influence.

If good king Hezekiah had died when he was supposed to, it would not have resulted in other people's suffering.

I suspect that this is also the case with children. Children can be good when they are young and innocent, but when they grow up, they might continue to be good or might decide to become criminals and endanger other people's lives.

Therefore I suspect that God allows some children to die young because he can see that the circumstances that they are in could result in them going to hell when they are older. I also suspect that God allows some good people to die sooner than others because He can discern that living longer can have a negative effect on others.

The longer we are on this earth, the higher the chance that we will backslide and turn away from God.

3. The Apostle Paul has a more positive view of death than we do

We, in general, have a negative view of death and see it as a horrible event and dread it.

However, we see a different perspective of death from the Apostle Paul. He saw death as a gain because death was a way to be with Christ, which is better than being alive.

Philippians 1:21-26 says, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again." (KJV)

4. Why does it take a long time for bad people to die?

Wicked people tend to live for a long time because God gives them many chances and hopes that they will eventually repent and get saved.
  • Ezekiel 33:11 says, "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?." (KJV)
  • 1 Timothy 2:4 says, "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." (KJV)
  • 2 Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (KJV).
5. Suffering and death are temporary.
  • Revelation 21:4 says, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (KJV)
  • Romans 8:18 says, "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy of being compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (KJV)

Overall

After reading the above, you might be wondering, why am I not dead yet? Am I not good enough to die?

You are probably not dead yet because you still have a purpose to fulfil on earth, and you might have the strength to go through the trials and tribulations that will come to pass. However, it is also possible that you still need to develop your character and be a better Christian.

There are other reasons why some people die soon such as not taking good care of their health which I did not cover.

Overall, the purpose of the post is to view death from a different perspective and an attempt to comfort those who have lost loved ones and who might lose them.

And would also like to know if anyone else has read verses that show death in a more positive way then the way most of us view it.

I have given this some more thought. "Does anyone die early" is the question.

What does the Bibl;e terll us?

Psalms 139:16........
“all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be".

So, YES, it seems to me that God knows exactly when, where, and how we will die. God knows absolutely everything about us. That is called "Predestination". So the great philosophical question then must be, does this mean our fate is sealed? Does this mean we have absolutely no control over when we will die?

The answer is "YES" from God’s perspective because God is omniscient—He knows everything and knows exactly when, where, and how we will die. Nothing we can do will change what God already knows will happen.

Obviously, a person who commits suicide causes his own death. However, do we think that an omniscient God did not know that???
A person who commits suicide would have lived longer had he not committed suicide but "Determinism/Predestination" says that is was already in place.

Similarly, a person who dies because of a foolish decision ( drug use/parachuting/mountain climbing) “expedites” his own death.
A person who dies of lung cancer from smoking would not have died in the same way or at the same time if he had not smoked.
A person who dies of a heart attack due to a lifetime of extremely unhealthy eating and little exercise would not have died in the same way or at the same time if he had eaten healthier foods and exercised more.

Yes, our own decisions have an undeniable impact on the manner, timing, and place of our death, but IMHO that does not mean we died "early".

Instead, it means we died exactly when we were supposed to die.

How does this affect our lives practically? We are to live each day for God.

James 4:13-15 ...............
, “Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.'”

We are to make wise decisions about how we live our lives and how we take care of ourselves. And ultimately, we trust God that He is sovereign and in control of all things.
 
I have given this some more thought. "Does anyone die early" is the question.

What does the Bibl;e terll us?

Psalms 139:16........
“all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be".

So, YES, it seems to me that God knows exactly when, where, and how we will die. God knows absolutely everything about us. That is called "Predestination". So the great philosophical question then must be, does this mean our fate is sealed? Does this mean we have absolutely no control over when we will die?

The answer is "YES" from God’s perspective because God is omniscient—He knows everything and knows exactly when, where, and how we will die. Nothing we can do will change what God already knows will happen.

Obviously, a person who commits suicide causes his own death. However, do we think that an omniscient God did not know that???
A person who commits suicide would have lived longer had he not committed suicide but "Determinism/Predestination" says that is was already in place.

Similarly, a person who dies because of a foolish decision ( drug use/parachuting/mountain climbing) “expedites” his own death.
A person who dies of lung cancer from smoking would not have died in the same way or at the same time if he had not smoked.
A person who dies of a heart attack due to a lifetime of extremely unhealthy eating and little exercise would not have died in the same way or at the same time if he had eaten healthier foods and exercised more.

Yes, our own decisions have an undeniable impact on the manner, timing, and place of our death, but IMHO that does not mean we died "early".

Instead, it means we died exactly when we were supposed to die.

How does this affect our lives practically? We are to live each day for God.

James 4:13-15 ...............
, “Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.'”

We are to make wise decisions about how we live our lives and how we take care of ourselves. And ultimately, we trust God that He is sovereign and in control of all things.
Predestination is God's knowledge from His omniscient perspective.

Free will is our choices from our perspective.

His knowing does not override our choice. Nor does it mean we have no real choice. His knowledge includes knowledge of our choice.

From God's perspective there is no before or after. Time was created with the rest of the universe. Therefore God exists apart from time. He accesses the whole of time as directly as we acess NOW.

But we inhabit time-space and understand only a sequence of moments.

This may also be an aspect of the new Heaven and new Earth to come since we may always inhabit time and thus God prepares a bubble of time as a place for our existance.

This is all highly speculative but it does provide a possible explanatory description.
 
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