Preacher of Death

 Preacher of death

Although this story is fiction it is inspired by a real person but some of the events in the story did not really happen

There was a preacher who went to nursing homes, retirement centers, shopping malls and large store parking lots, door to door and also spoke to people both individually and as groups in sermons at weddings and funerals

He led people to pray to be saved by repeating the words that he said when talking to them and the words of prayer he had them use were not always the same except for the three words, "when I die."

"If I die, not when I die" one survivor said

The preacher said in response, "Ten out of every ten people, born more than 120 years ago, have died.  It is a scientifically observable fact that all people will die."

The survivor said, "No, technology has improved every year even though the moral state of man has not.  People have access to more plentiful food and cleaner drinking water than ever before.  With proper exercise and nutrition and avoiding environmental hazards, and detrimental overwork, humans need never die.  But, you are right about one thing.  Sin kills people, because, in spite of our technological progress, there has been a lack of moral progress and many people are killed by their personal vices that influence them to leave the path to a healthy lifestyle, and others are forced, or sometimes only feel forced and cave in, to leave that path by less than virtuous people who work them to death.  At other times sin kills people much more blatantly when people decide to murder each other or commit suicide.  Ten out of every ten humans, who were born on earth, some time in the past, before a certain day, when there was water full of bacteria and parasites, with people pooping in their own water supply and no means to clean it, may have died.  Less than 120 years ago, have food and clean drinking water been available, consistently in both the United States and Europe.  Prior to some time after the end of World War two there has been no consistent time period without massive starvation and or unclean drinking water, even if the technology was available for clean drinking water, people were still malnourished on a massive scale and the infrastructure to maintain clean water would have been consistently damaged due to wars until a period of relative peace in Western Europe some time after the end of world war two.  This means you have no evidence that 10 out of 10 people who have been born in such a hygienically and nutritiously improved state of being will actually die in less than 120 years from now.  Your claim has not been tested, since we have had this level of sanitation where parasites, bacteria and harmful chemicals have been removed from the water, to the extent where people are not drinking their own shit for less than 120 years.  And, even today in some country larger than the United States, in spite of available technology, many people choose to poop in their own river and in that region, people still do not have clean drinking water.  There have been less than 120 years to test your claim and plenty of people are still alive today who are not drinking their own shit, but you sir, are full of it.  Goodbye and good day, to you sir, I hope to never see you again unless you change your mind and think for yourself for a day."

Another time when the preacher of death talked to a different person

A not so lucky person asked, "Why do you want me to say, when I die instead of if I die?"

The preacher said, "All people die, I have been to many funerals and I can assure you all people die eventually.  You must believe all people will die to accept the truth of the gospel because in Adam's sin we all die and only by believing the gospel including the fact that all people will eventually die can you have eternal life."

The not so lucky person wanted to talk to him about a matter of more importance than this man's delusions and hoped to get a word in him to wake him up so he compromised and just said the prayer the way the preacher wanted with the words, "when I die."

The not so lucky person said, "Ok, I prayed the prayer the way you wanted.  Now can I talk to you about something more important to me in the present?  How to live my life on earth according to the moral teachings of Jesus, while I am alive?  Instead of just partying and looking forward to death and the afterlife as a means to excuse my sins in the present."

The preacher said, "Nothing is more important than when you die.  But, here take my card, I wrote a date on it and I will see you then."

The unlucky person looked at the card and put it in his pocket.  He then said, "Look, about the date.  I would love to talk to you, but, I can not make it then.  I will use the contact information on the card to schedule an appointment, to talk to you later.  I have to go now, you spent so much time arguing with me, that now I have no time to listen to a complete response from you, about, my question of how to live a moral life on earth at the present time.  I will talk to you later, bye."

The preacher yelled at the man as he was walking away, "I will see you, then, on the date on the card."

Some time before the date on the card the man died, and the card was found on his body.  His relatives, did not know who to appoint to speak for his funeral, so, they contacted the man on the card.  The funeral, occurred, by coincidence on the date on the card. Many other funerals this preacher gave sermons at, coincided with the dates on many other cards but he never managed to attend a funeral as a guest speaker for the one man who refused to say, "when I die."  Instead, that man, attended the preacher's own funeral soon after the Preachers 120th birthday.  The preacher died on his 120th birthday, the very day he set for the longest a man can live before seeing death in all his sermons.