Thoughts

5 Famous Deathbed Conversions

Here are five famous deathbed conversions from history.

Death Comes to All

There is no escaping the fact that we’re all going to die. The only questions are when that will happen and where will we go after death. The late author Christopher Hitchens, in his book, Mortality, correctly wrote that we’re all born to die. In fact, the moment we’re born, the clock starts ticking and is ever moving toward the day of death, and none of us can know when that clock stops. The author of Hebrews says that after death, there will come a judgment (Heb 9:27). The Apostle Paul wrote that “each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Rom 14:13), and he later adds, “If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames” (1st Cor 3:12-15). For those who reject Christ, they will be judged by their works (Rev 20:11-15), however Christians will be rewarded for their works because their sins were judged at the cross, unlike the unrepentant (Rev 21:8).

Doc Holiday

John Henry “Doc” Holiday may have been one of the least of all people you would have expected to have experienced a conversion, but reports indicate that Doc Holiday may have had a deathbed conversion. Apparently, Holiday became friends with the local Catholic priest, Father Edward, and began to be exposed to the teachings about Christ. He also had a friend, Martha Anne “Mattie” Holiday, who also happened to be his first cousin with whom he regularly wrote throughout his life. She may have been a bigger factor than the Catholic priest was because years earlier, she became a Catholic Nun, so Mattie may have had the greatest impact on Holiday’s decision, made even more important when he became seriously ill. We know for certain that the publication, The Glenwood Springs Ute Chief of November 12, 1887, wrote and published his obituary, stating that Holliday had been baptized in the Catholic Church.

Each-of-us-will-give-an (2)

Chief Sitting Bull

Chief Sitting Bull (Tatanka Iyotake, 1831-1890) is one of the most famous of the Unkpapa Sioux who was both a Lakota Medicine Man and Chief. Chief Sitting Bull was considered the very last Sioux Indians to have surrendered to the U.S. Government, which at that time was known by the Indians as a land-grabbing, aggressive and oppressive government, breaking treaty after treaty. Although it might not have exactly been a deathbed conversion, late in his life, he was thought to have converted to the Catholic Church after being instructed by Bishop Marty of Dakota. After his death, was buried in a Catholic graveyard as reported by the New York Times in 1883. [1]

King Charles II

Charles II of England reigned in a Protestant nation at a time of strong religious conflict, and although his sympathies were at least somewhat with the Catholic faith, he ruled as an Anglican. Through his efforts, he repeatedly attempted to lessen the persecution and legal penalties affecting non-Anglicans in England. After Charles dissolved the English Parliament in 1681, he ruled England by himself, but as he lay dying following a stroke, he was released of the political needs of England, and as he lay on his death bed, he was received into the Catholic Church, dying on February 6th, 1685.

Buffalo Bill

William “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s conversion came very late in his life, as he was baptized on his deathbed in Denver, Colorado. Cody died on January 10, 1917, surrounded by family and friends at his sister’s house, in Denver. He was baptized in the Catholic Church just one day before his death by Father Christopher Walsh of the Denver Cathedral. After his death, Buffalo Bill was given tribute by King George of England, Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, and President
Woodrow Wilson.

The Thief on the Cross

When Jesus was led to the cross to die, there were two “criminals, one on his right and one on his left” (Luke 23:33) and “One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:39-41). Then, in the final moments of one of the criminals life, he said to Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Luke 23:42), to which Jesus replied, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). This may be the most famous deathbed conversion of all, even though it wasn’t expressly on a bed, but in the criminal’s final hours, he believed in Christ, and that was enough. Jesus once said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25), even if they are laying there dying.

Conclusion

There are dozens of alleged deathbed conversions by famous people like Christopher Hitchens, Charles Darwin, John Wayne, Oscar Wilde, and many others, but these have never been confirmed as being true, and in fact, there is significant evidence that none of these were truly saved. There is no reason to wait till you’re on your deathbed to trust in Christ. Besides, no one knows the day or hour of his death, so putting on the decision to trust in Christ is like playing Russian roulette. It’s a very dangerous game to live without Christ, because you could die without Christ. Life is unpredictable, because one day you’re living, and the next day, who knows (other than God)?

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

1. “Sitting Bull becomes a Catholic” New York Times. April, 13 1883. Retrieved 2016-09-21 http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9E02E0D91530E433A25750C1A9629C94629FD7CF

Original Article

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