This is a most unusual devotional. With no intention of sensationalism, I will fully admit that it is macabre. It all stemmed from an article I read titled The Most Painful Ways To Die According To Science.1 Some of you are thinking, “Why did you read that?!?” The only answer I can give is that it piqued my interest. After reading it, I can tell you that I’ll do my best to NOT die these ways. Of course, it’s not up to me but I’m willing to do my part to avoid it.
Drowning. I have had people say that it’s the gentlest way to die. So said no drowning victim EVER! Hollywood is the one that makes it look easy. Medical Daily says otherwise. “Typically it’s a silent act… because the mouth is usually submerged and only breaks the surface when you are trying to breathe. Hyperventilating from panic will make you breathe water and will cause a laryngospasm, a vocal cord spasm that will make it even harder to call for help because it blocks your airway to protect your lungs.
“As the drowning progresses, your body doesn’t get enough oxygen and you lose consciousness, at which point your airway relaxes and your lungs fill up with water. Further going without oxygen, your body shuts down from brain damage and cardiac arrest.”2
Sudden Decompression. The person who is a deep-sea diver is at risk for this. The compressed oxygen in their tanks contains more oxygen and nitrogen than what is on the surface. Under the high pressure and greater depths, this is fine. However, ascending too quickly doesn’t allow the body to expel the excess nitrogen which bubbles in the diver’s blood and tissue. Survivors talk about the bad case of the bends they had. Imagine how excruciating it is for those who don’t survive.
The Byford Dolphin oil rig accident that occurred on Saturday, November 5, 1983, horrifically took the lives of four divers. The details are far too graphic to put in this devotional but if you are interested and can keep your lunch down, you can read about it at https://www.iflscience.com/byford-dolphin-accident-how-living-under-intense-pressure-led-to-one-of-the-most-gruesome-accidents-in-history-59230.
Radiation sickness, pancreatic cancer, heart attacks, freezing, or being bitten by a boomslang snake all rank in the top ways to die. Two of the ways the article mentioned, though, have some power spiritual applications.
Burning to death. Typically, a person caught in a house fire dies from smoke
inhalation rather than being burned to death. However, a person who catches on fire – either accidentally or intentionally – will experience an agony beyond description. Their skin will char black and split open. Muscles will seize. Each burned layer of skin burns the nerves. The agony stops for a moment before beginning all over again, finding another layer of nerves to burn, until death occurs.
Revelation 21:8 says, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” This place is described in Revelation 20:10. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” In hell, the fire and agony never stop. The inhabitants are never met with a merciful death.
Crucifixion. There have been many articles written over the years by those in the medical field, detailing the excruciating pain that comes from crucifixion. In fact, the word excruciating is a derivative of crucifixion. Besides the obvious wounds of nails piercing the flesh, it seems that the executioner knew where the nerves were, hitting certain nerves that would send pain constantly to the crucified like a lightning bolt. Muscle fatigue and exhaustion would set in. Asphyxiation would follow. Finally, the crucified would have their legs broken so that they could no longer push upwards to help themselves breathe. Such a torturous death was reserved for the worst of criminals.
1 Peter 2:21-24 says, “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: (22) Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: (23) Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: (24) Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”
Jesus died, experiencing not only the pain of crucifixion but the agony of our sins so that those who trust Him as Savior would never have to experience the eternal sufferings of hell.
While it is true that “it is appointed unto men once to die” and we have no say over how that happens, we do have a choice as to whether or not we will experience the “second death.” Accepting Jesus Christ as Savior means that the second death will never touch us.
Will you die once or twice? Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
1https://www.grunge.com/732266/the-most-painful-ways-to-die-according-to-science/
2https://www.medicaldaily.com/what-drowning-feels-asphyxiation-water-silent-deadly-408147
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