Allow me to explain. Peter and Paul both made references that they knew when (that is, approximately near) they would soon be put to death.

And Jesus promises the supply of one's basic needs, while I would like to be sure that a Christian has never actually starved to death. Clearly the Lord calls most of us, the saints, after tasting the first death. In James it says, "you are a mist that appears for a little while and vanishes," and "if it is the Lord's will, we will live" (not an exact quote).

What I'm saying is, in what respect is it right to lean on the promise of God's supply when it's clear that most of us obviously die at some point anyway, and that is also the will of the Lord. I wonder if the insight from the Lord is that we will not die without knowledge of the meaningfulness of it (how it will be glorifying to the Lord, such as Peter).

Thoughts?

I'm already seeing the need to amend my statement. I don't think Jesus promised that we would have our needs met, because he referred to sparrows saying "not one of them falls apart from the will of God."

In other words, if you die of starvation, it was God's will anyway (like the sparrows), so don't worry about it either way.

^Yes, I was thinking about those passages. Basically I wondered if it is natural for ANY believer to know when his time is. Clearly the Apostles were blessed to die in persecution, and so in general I wonder if it is common for the believer to have an inkling about when his time is.

You might have to ask the ones who have died!


9 years ago, which was 2 years after my strokes, the Lord told me how many years I have left.  I didn't ask to know -- it wasn't on my mind.  Obviously, He doesn't do this with everyone!  Yet my good friend, who was in the news a little over a month ago for being killed while riding his bike, knew that his time was coming soon, and talked to a friend who was the music leader in another church than his own about what he wanted to have played at his funeral.  He also talked to me about my sharing the gospel at his funeral.  3 months later, he's dead.  

Had a good friend that went to California back in the 80's to street witness.  She moved there and spent years there winning souls for God.  One day, while on the beach snoozing, some military jets went over at supersonic speed.  When the sonic boom went off, she jumped up and ran down the beach with her arms up in the air and looking into the sky crying "Lord!  I'm ready!  Lord!  You're here!"  Those on the beach just thought that she was another wacko Californian!  A few months before she died in an accident in the early 90's, she also told us what hymns she wanted sung at her funeral, and who she wanted to speak at it.

I think the previous posts spoke it well when stating that it can depend upon our walk with the Lord.  Also, God doesn't always tell us beforehand.  He told Moses.  He told Elijah.  Even to the day.  And that he would be taken up physically to heaven, and thus he injuncted Elisha to watch and if he saw him taken up, he would receive a greater portion of the Spirit.

A few years back, a spiritual acquaintance said to my sons and I, that if any person knew that they were going to die soon, they would live differently for the Lord.  I disagreed, stating that if that were the case, then the person was a hypocrite in their walk with the Lord, or at the very least, weak and not wholehearted with Him.  He disagreed, stating that none could walk in such a way as to not have their life changed if they knew that they only had a short time to live.  That kind of spiritual understanding and walk with the Lord saddens me.  God has so, so much more for us while we walk this little planet.  "we have the mind of Christ".  To what extent do we actually know it in regard to our life?

Luke 19:13  "Occupy till I come."

Lord, allow me to live each day as if this was the day You are coming for me. As You work in me, help me to be one of the select that will be looking for Your appearing.  Help me to know more of You today than I did yesterday, and always be equiped with Your armor. Prepare me as a stall fed calf to Your perfect will for my life, and guide me in my path through the Holy Spirit to listen to Your every intent for me.

Even here I could have said amen, but there is so much more to be realized. I so want to learn to be as Mary and just sit at the feet of Jesus hearing His words, and be commended: larry has chosen the best part.

Until my time is up, I'm immortal on this earth.  When my time is up, there isn't a thing that can be done to prolong it even one moment.  God knows it all.  To serve Him with the whole being, spiritually and physically, is out love expressed to Him.  If He tells us beforehand that we are soon going to Him, cool.  If not, cool.  It really doesnt' matter either way.  Where's our heart while we yet live?  And how do we yet live?

As far as Paul knowing he was about to die, if you're a prisoner on death row it really doesn't take great spiritual insight to figure it out.

If the Lord reveals it to the person, it is possible for him/her to know it.  God could also reveal it to someone else.