Pronounced Dead or Alive?

The Latest Word from John Ed Mathison

What happens when a person dies? That is the biggest question that every person asks at some time in their lives. The answer should never be left up to chance. Only the Christian faith has the right answer because there is only one person who has come back from death, and He has made us a lot of promises.

There are some interesting situations concerning death. Some books have even been written recently about people who have reportedly had a brief experience of life after death.

An interesting thing occurred in January 2010 and was found by Michael Duduit. It was reported by UPI.

There was a 76-year-old Polish man named Josef Guzy whose occupation was a beekeeper. He collapsed near his barn and was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor.

The Times of London reported, “An experienced doctor with a specialist qualification in resuscitation found that the patient was not breathing, there was no heartbeat and the body had cooled – all the characteristics of death.” He was pronounced dead.

Later that day, the funeral director Darius Wysluchato opened the man’s coffin to retrieve items for the bereaved family. He was in the process of retrieving a necklace for the man’s wife when he discovered a pulse. He said, “I happened to touch the artery in the neck and was totally shocked. I checked it again and shouted. There is a pulse! It was a miracle.”

They rushed Guzy to intensive care and he was released from the hospital after a few weeks of treatment. He said he was extremely grateful for Wysluchato for finding the signs of life. He gave the undertaker credit for saving his life. He said the first thing he wanted to do when he got out of the hospital was to take the undertaker a pot of honey!

That 76-year-old Polish man was extremely fortunate that the funeral director opened his casket. It makes you wonder how many people have been buried who weren’t actually dead.

I am glad that the Easter message is that not a one of us has to count on some extenuating circumstance to discover that we might be alive when we thought we were dead. Jesus is very clear in His promises about life now and life eternal.

When we die we are pronounced alive! The cross and the empty grave are the symbols of our faith. Life after death for a Christian is a miracle that is promised and delivered by our Heavenly Father – and it is available to each of us. He is risen!!

John 11:25-26, Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me shall live even if he dies; and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die!”

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