Death Bed Salvation

My father was married four times. My mother was his second wife. My mother filed for a divorce while she was still pregnant with me and received the divorce about nine months after I was born.

After the divorce my father married a woman by the name of Judy. They had a daughter. Her name is Linda.

My father was a Chef - Restaurant owner and he and Judy spent a great deal of time working the restaurant. My father was not a religious man and Judy was a Jew but not a practicing Jew. They wanted Linda to grow up with some religious and moral instruction so they sent her to a private Catholic School.

After elementary school Linda wanted to go to a regular public school. While she was in High School she started attending a Baptist Church at the invitation of one of her friends. In college she joined the Campus Crusade for Christ organization and eventually got saved.

Linda left college and went to work. She had worked for the police department as a dispatcher and worked on Sundays.

One day she announced to her mother that she was not going to work on Sunday anymore because she was going to go to Church. Sometime afterwards , on an Easter morning, she went forward during invitation time and recommitted her life to Jesus.

Some years later her mother came down with breast cancer. She had surgery and the cancer was gone. However, some time afterwards the cancer came back but this time it was in her bones. Judy was on her death bed.

Linda became panicky because she knew her mother wasn't saved and would perish if she died. She witnessed to her mom and Judy prayed the sinners prayer.

Judy didn't die but instead got better. She moved into a Jewish retirement home. Linda tried to get Judy to attend Church with her but her mother refused. Instead Judy attended the Jewish Services at the retirement home. Occasionally on Sunday she would attend the Christian Services. Linda told her that it was either Jesus or Judaism and that it could not be both. Judy said that she was trying to cover her bases.

Well, Judy continued to get better. Her cancer went into remission. She went from being confined to a wheelchair, to walking with a cane, to walking without assistance. She went out shopping and lived life like she hadn't been sick with bone cancer.

After about two years Judy's cancer came back. She again was on her death bed.

Linda called my brother, Earl, to let him know that she was dying. She told him that if he wanted to see her mother he would have to come now.

My brother made arraignments to go. For a week he and Linda would go see Judy in the hospital.
Judy had gone into a coma. The hospital called Linda one night and said that her mother would be dead by morning and if she wanted to see her mother she had to come now.

Linda and Earl went to see Judy. They reminisced about the past. They asked Judy to wiggle her toes, or move a finger, or blink her eyes or make some kind of movement that would let them know that she could hear them. She made no response.

After awhile Linda felt led to witness again to her mother. She told Judy that her time had come. She told her that she had to make a decision; it was either going to be Jesus or Judaism. It could not be both.

Linda told her mother that if she wanted Jesus to pray the sinner's prayer with her. Linda bowed her head, closed her eyes, and prayed the sinner's prayer. Earl had his eyes open and watching Judy as Linda prayed.

Then Linda said, "Mom, Jesus is here. His hand is stretched out to you. If you want Jesus, lift your arm and place your hand into His and He will take you home." Immediately, Earl said, "Look Linda!" as Judy raised her arm and breathed her last breath.

Though Judy had asked Jesus to save her a couple of years before she died she did not live for God nor did she show much interest in her new found faith but instead sought out the religion she was born into.

Judy was not right with God. Had she died in the state she was in she would have perished. But God is a good God. In His mercy and grace He gave Judy a second chance to decide for Him.

You may have family, friends, or acquaintances that are lost or that are backslidden Christians. You may be worried about where they will spend their eternity. You may have been praying for them to get saved or to repent and turn back to the Lord. They may be nearing death; they may be in a coma, like Judy was. You may feel like there is no more hope for them to get right with God before they die because you feel like they can't be reached and are not able to make a decision for Jesus.

They can be reached. They can make a decision for Jesus.

Those in a coma can hear and understand you but they just can't physically indicate that.

Pray for them. Give them the gospel. Invite them to receive Christ or to recommit their life to Jesus.

Never give up on them because they can be reached with the gospel and can be saved if that is the desire of their heart.

Can the Demented be Reach with the Gospel?

My father had three brothers and two sisters. They were born and raised in Clinton County, Kentucky.

One brother, Marvin, was killed when his vehicle overturned when he was in his early 20's. One sister, Ruby, moved to Louisville with the family and remained there all her life.

My father's parents, Martin and Delia, one sister, Bonnie, and two brothers, Willie and Payton relocated to Miami, Florida where my father, who was in the Coast Guard, was stationed.

My mom use to take me to see my grandparents. They were good to me.

Uncle Payton was good to my mom when she was separated from my father because she was filing for divorce. He was a big help to her when she was bed-ridden during her pregnancy with me so she wouldn't miscarry.. Aunt Bonnie was the sole testifier at my mom's court hearing.

Aunt Bonnie and my mom were good friends. She was there for my mom when she needed help. I was her favorite niece. She was my favorite Aunt.

My mom took me many times to her house for the weekend so I could be with her and play with her four grandchildren.

My Aunt Bonnie and Aunt Ruby were the only siblings that had faith in God. They were raised Nazarenes. Aunt Bonnie switched over to the Baptist Denomination in Miami and even at one time taught Sunday School.

Aunt Bonnie was married to a man named Neil. Neil was her second husband. Neil was Catholic and religiously attended Catholic services on Saturday night.

Uncle Neil wasn't much for talking, his voice was low volume, and he constantly had a cigar in his mouth.

Uncle Neil was good to me. I liked sports and he taught me some methods to improve my game.

Back in the early 80's Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Neil sold their Miami house and bought a house in Albany which is located in Clinton County, Kentucky where she was raised. They moved to their new house from Miami during Thanksgiving that year. It was bitter cold that evening when they went to go inside their house from the car and Aunt Bonnie got frost bit on one of her toes.

The toe became infected. My Aunt was diabetic. The doctor could not heal her of the infection.

Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Neil lived in Albany for approximately three years. Twice I took vacation to go visit with them and stayed one week each time.

Uncle Neil had digressed mentally from when I knew him in Miami. He had a moderate form of dementia that left him not wanting to talk much, and not wanting to do anything other than watch TV occasionally.

My second visit I was down in the basement trying to scrape clean the wood burning stove that was used to heat the house during the winter because it had rusted when the basement flooded..
God spoke to me and told me to go upstairs and talk to Uncle Neil about Jesus.

When I did I found Uncle Neil watching a Billy Graham service. Uncle Neil was bothered by what he heard.

For about an hour and a half I talked to him about Jesus and gave him the gospel. I asked him if he wanted to invite Christ into his life. He told me that he was Catholic. He showed me his baptismal papers that he got when he was baptized as a baby. He told me that he was confirmed in the Catholic Church when he was twelve years old. He was certain that he was saved.

I was going nowhere with him. So, I just accepted it. I asked him if I could pray for him. He said, "Yes". After I prayed we both went to bed.

Nothing more was said about Jesus for my remaining time with them.

I went home. Less than a year later my Aunt woke up one morning and the infected frost bit toe became gangrenous and the gangrene spread up her leg. She was rushed to the hospital where her leg was amputated above her knee.

My Aunt had two sons from her first marriage. The youngest son, Buck, a Pentecostal believer, went to be with his mom. He was concerned for her relationship with Christ and wanted her to pray the sinner's prayer again so she would be right with God and for sure when she died she would go to Heaven.

He asked his mother if she would mind recommitting her life to Jesus. She said, "No, I don't mind doing it at all."

Buck asked if she believed that Jesus died for her sins. She said, "Yes." He asked her if she forgave everybody that had wrong her in life. She said, "Yes."

Uncle Neil was also in the hospital room. He was standing by the door.

Buck led his mother in the sinner's prayer.

When doing so he heard some weeping and some mumbling behind him. He turned and saw that it was coming from Neil.

Buck went to talk with Neil. He said, "Pop, do you want to ask Jesus to save you?" Uncle Neil said, "Yes". Buck led him in the sinner's prayer.

Uncle Neil changed.

Pippin, Buck's wife, said that his mind was being renewed everyday.

After Aunt Bonnie prayed the sinner's prayer God manifested Himself to her for the remaining time she had before she died. Aunt Bonnie died three weeks after her leg was amputated.

My brother Earl and I attended the funeral. I noticed Uncle Neil was different. He no longer wanted to smoke cigars or anything even when he was offered one. He didn't drink alcohol any more either. He was a gentleman. When I entered the snack room at the funeral home he got up and offered me his seat at the table. He seated me at the table when I went to sit down. This he never had done before. His demeanor was different. He didn't cuss any more.

Buck and Pippin did not want Neil in a nursing home. They took him into their home. He lived the rest of his life with them.

After Uncle Neal went to Buck and Pippin's house I called Pippin. I asked how he was doing. She said he was doing good. He didn't smoke the cigars anymore. He helps around the house. His mind is renewed everyday. He went to Church with them. He did as everyone else; he stood up when told too and he sang the songs from the hymnal. He certainly was a changed man.

Uncle Neil died three years later.

God saved Uncle Neil because that was the desire of his heart. God changed his life. He is now in Heaven.

You may have family, friends, or acquaintances that have some form of dementia. You may think that they cannot be reached with the gospel because of it.

I most assure you they can be.

Pray for their salvation. Share the gospel with them. Invite them to receive Christ as their Savior or recommit their life to Jesus.

God can reach them with the gospel and save them if that is the desire of their heart.