Why Some Ministers Die Young

Despite the Bible having promises of long life on earth (Psalm 91:16, Ephesians 6:3), some Christians die at a younger age including ministers. Sometimes they are martyrs. Other times it may be due to bad decisions on their part. A few days ago, a well-known prophet unexpectedly passed away in his late 50s. At the time of this writing, the cause of his death hasn’t been determined.

My intent with this article is not to be critical of this prophet. His ministry impacted many lives. However, red flags should go up when ministers repeatedly issue prophecies with a definite timeframe and they don’t come to pass. This prophet claimed God promised Donald Trump would serve back-to-back terms as president. He later stated the military would reinstate Trump before the end of April 2021. Those things didn’t happen. As far as I know, no retractions were issued.


While I prefer to see Donald Trump back in the White House, that likely won’t happen before the 2024 election. If Joe Biden doesn’t finish his current term, Vice President Kamala Harris will take his place. If both of them suddenly died, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi would be next in line for the presidency. Even if Trump returned to the Oval Office sooner through an act of God, it would still contradict the two previous “prophecies” mentioned. 


Sadly, this prophet had to step down from his church last year due to “unbiblical behavior.” That included leaving his wife and children. At the time of his death, a divorce was pending. Again, I don’t want to be judgmental of this minister. Still, it reminded me of a female minister I know whose previous husband suddenly died of a stroke in his late 50s. He was estranged from his wife and reportedly made verbal attacks against her ministry. Every believer should be mindful not to touch God’s anointed (1 Chronicles 16:22, Psalm 105:15).


Ministers who fall into unrepentant sin open themselves to deception, which may result in premature death. Evangelist Jack Coe ministered healing to multitudes during the 1940s and 1950s but died of polio when he was only 38 years old. According to Roberts Liardon’s book “God’s Generals”, Coe had been warned to judge himself in three areas (his love of the brethren, his weight problem, and the love of money) or he would die early. I believe the Lord allowed Coe to go to heaven earlier so he wouldn’t lose his salvation. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5:5, “deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”


Under the Mosaic Law, inaccurate prophets were stoned to death. I’m not advocating a return of that law. In this dispensation of grace, we are supposed to judge prophecies (1 Corinthians 14:29), not the people giving them. Nevertheless, ministers shouldn’t be flippant when giving “words from the Lord.” I wish more would fess up when realizing they missed it. We want to finish our course without bringing reproach to the name of Christ.


“True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life.” - Proverbs 22:4 (NLT)

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