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QUESTION 192
Does God appoint a particular day when a person is going to die?

ANSWER:
There is much confusion about this as many say that God has appointed a certain day when each will die. Many take the following to say so, Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” The verse here is general as it says, ‘unto men’ which simple means that all will eventually die. God sets this truth in Psalm 90:10, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years...” here again it is a general statement.

God foreknows when all will died, but He does not appoint that time. We must not confuse what God foreknow and what He predetermines. He foreknows all that will be saved, but does not predestinates any of them to be saved. Foreknowledge is nothing God does, it is only what He knows. Predestination is what He does. Here are some verses that says are days are not fixed:

Proverbs 10:27: The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened. Here our days can be prolonged and others shortened.
Proverbs 3:2: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Long life is added here.
Ecclesiastes 7:17: Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? Here the wicked can shorten the days when they die.

God seems to set man’s life at 70 or 80 years, but it can be lengthened or shortened. The all important things isn’t when you die, but where you go when you do. The only door to heaven is Christ. John 10:9. The only way to have Him is to repent of your sins and trust Him as your Saviour. It is repent or perish in hell. Luke 13:3,5 What shall it be? You have the answer.

All comments and questions to: Harold Smith

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Updated July 2009, by Shelly Allen