Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Death and Dying Well: Questions and Answers

What did Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones believe about the importance of preparing for death?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones strongly believed that Christians should actively prepare for death rather than avoid thinking about it. He quoted Dr. Thomas Chalmers approvingly, saying that Christians should have time to "disengage themselves" and "withdraw from the busyness that so occupies us" before death. He stated emphatically: "We do not give enough time to death and to going on. It is a very strange thing this. Death is the one certainty, and yet we don't think about it. We are too busy." He believed the seventh decade of life should be "like the Sabbath," serving as preparation for heaven. Lloyd-Jones was grateful for the time God gave him to prepare, saying "I am grateful to God that I have been given this time."

Why did Dr. Lloyd-Jones reject the common Christian hope for a sudden death?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones came to believe that hoping for a sudden death was fundamentally wrong and based on fear rather than faith. He stated: "People say about a sudden death that it is a wonderful way to go. I've come to the conclusion that that is quite wrong. I think the way we go out of this world is very important." He explained that "The hope of sudden death is based upon the fear of death. It is a hope of wanting to slip through death rather than to face it." Instead, he believed "Death should be faced victoriously." He wanted to bear testimony in the face of death, saying "my great desire now is that I may be able perhaps to bear a greater testimony than ever before."

How did Dr. Lloyd-Jones view death as "the last enemy"?

Lloyd-Jones took seriously the biblical description of death as "the last enemy," emphasizing that death should not be underestimated. When someone suggested it would be better if a Christian who died well had also lived well, Lloyd-Jones offered a mild rebuke, saying: "Don't underestimate dying. Death is the last enemy... Men may live well who do not die victoriously." He recognized that facing death victoriously was itself a great achievement and testimony. He repeatedly emphasized that death is the final and most serious challenge Christians face, requiring all their faith and preparation.

What did Dr. Lloyd-Jones mean when he said Christians should not "live upon preaching"?

In his final months, Lloyd-Jones shared a crucial insight about ministry and identity. Reflecting on Luke 10:20, he explained: "If we are living on what we do, if our happiness is based upon our preaching or upon our service for Christ, there is something deeply wrong with it." He testified: "People say to me now, it must be very trying for you not to be able to preach. No, not at all. I was not living upon preaching. I can and do rejoice." He believed "The ultimate test of a preacher is what he feels like when he cannot preach." This revealed his conviction that a minister's joy should come from salvation itself, not from the act of ministry.

How did Dr. Lloyd-Jones demonstrate faith in his final days?

Lloyd-Jones displayed remarkable faith and peace in his final days. When offered medical treatment, he declined, showing complete submission to God's timing. When his consultant said he looked "weary and worn and sad," Lloyd-Jones emphatically responded with what may have been his last words: "Not sad, not sad." On his final Thursday, he wrote to his family: "Don't pray for healing, don't hold me back from the glory." He maintained his spiritual disciplines to the end, with 1 Corinthians 15 being the last Scripture open on his knee on his final day. He died peacefully in his sleep, fulfilling Psalm 37's promise of "abundant calm and peace."

What role did the sovereignty and providence of God play in Dr. Lloyd-Jones's understanding of his life and death?

The providence of God was one of Lloyd-Jones's most frequent themes in his final months. He repeatedly spoke of "the wonder to him of the guiding hand of God" and "the way that God intervenes." Reflecting on his unexpected path from medicine to ministry, he said: "When I went to Sandfields, if anyone had told me I was going to do what I have actually done, I would have told them they were mad... There is only one explanation for what happened afterwards, the sovereignty of God and the guiding hand of God." This trust in God's sovereignty gave him peace about death, as he testified: "I am to make no more [decisions]... because he knew that the God who had helped and guided us in former days would be with us still."

What did Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe about the ministry of angels at death?

Lloyd-Jones held a strong belief in the ministry of angels to dying believers. Referencing the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, he emphasized: "The beggar died and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom." He declared: "The angels came. I believe in this ministry of angels. I think of it more and more." He saw death not merely as departure but as arrival, saying "death is not parting only but more it is meeting." He believed Christians have "the assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ and that in death we will meet with him."

How did Dr. Lloyd-Jones continue his ministry of prayer when he could no longer preach?

When Lloyd-Jones could no longer preach, he found great purpose in intercessory prayer. He testified that "although he couldn't now preach, God was helping him to pray." His colleague noted: "It was very moving to know how many of you brethren he was praying for. Some of you know that, others of you I'm sure don't know it. He was, he had very much upon his heart a great number of men in the ministry of the gospel." Lloyd-Jones rejoiced "in the quietness that God had given him to give more time to prayer," demonstrating that ministry continues even when public preaching ends.

What was Dr. Lloyd-Jones's final message to ministers about facing trials and difficulties?

Lloyd-Jones emphasized that Christians, especially ministers, must maintain long-term faith regardless of immediate circumstances. He taught: "We are not to doubt the guidance of God because we're faced with difficulties. Not at all." He urged: "Christians have no business to be dismayed... We're not to get excited, we're not to get disturbed, we're not to get alarmed about what's happening at this moment, because all time is in God's hands." His key message was to "Be careful for nothing" (be anxious for nothing), trusting that "God's purpose, God's love, they are invincible."

Why did Dr. Lloyd-Jones believe it was "idiotic" not to prepare for death?

Lloyd-Jones was emphatic about the foolishness of avoiding preparation for death. He stated bluntly: "It is idiotic that men do not prepare to die." He challenged the notion that readiness for death was only for the elderly, citing George Whitefield who was ready to die in his twenties. Lloyd-Jones believed that since death is "the one certainty," it deserved serious attention throughout life. He wanted believers to "make death our company keeper" not in a morbid way, but "in the sense of anticipation" and to cultivate "a sens