Can a Man Really "Cheat" Death?

"Man Cheats Death for Ten Years." That was one of the headlines that greeted me when I came online one morning.

I wondered, "Can a man really cheat death? Or, more specifically, did that man in that article really cheat death?"

The Bible tells us that our days are numbered. In other words, we live just as long as God planned for us to live and not one day less or one day longer--unless for some reason of His own, God decides to shorten or lengthen the original span of days He had planned for us. In Isaiah 38:5, we see an example of this.

"Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years."

I don't know how long I will live on this earth. My father lived to 80 and my mother to 91 so, according to my genetic heritage, I have a few years left, but suppose I get careless and walk out in front of a car this afternoon? Will that change the number of days God has allotted for me, or would that simply mean that today was the day I was scheduled to die?

If a person chooses to commit suicide, does he miss out on doing the things he was supposed to achieve while on this earth, or did he just fulfill what was already decided?

If you receive a diagnosis of a terminal disease, is your life really being cut short, or was it ordained to be short in the first place?

If, after that diagnosis of a terminal disease, you are treated with a newly discovered drug and recover, did you cheat death, or were you meant to live longer anyway?

My brother-in-law, even though he was a preacher, drove like a demon. When anyone told him he needed to be more careful, he replied that his days were in God's hands, so he wouldn't be leaving here until his appointed time, no matter how he drove. (He lived into his 80's--a miracle if I ever saw one, not only for him but for the passengers in his car.)

Hmmm. Interesting to think about, isn't it?