An Atheist is a comfortless creature. He cannot draw comfort from his argument that there is no God, and neither can he draw comfort from his inability to know for sure that there is no God. It would give him great comfort if he could know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God does not exist, for then he would not have to be concerned about a possible dreadful end, but he cannot possibly know beyond that doubt. And if he ever reads of the horrible ways many other Atheists have died, he certainly can’t draw any comfort from that information. So, the only enjoyment he can experience in this life is centered in temporary material blessings, and he can’t even give thanks to the Giver of those benefits.

Stalin’s daughter, Svetlana, was quoted in Newsweek Magazine giving a description of her Atheist father’s death. She said, “My father died a difficult and terrible death. God grants an easy death only to the just … At what seemed the very last moment he suddenly opened his eyes and cast a glance over everyone in the room. It was a terrible glance, insane, or perhaps angry and full of fear of death. Then he lifted his left hand as though he were pointing to something above and bringing down a curse on us all. The gesture was full of menace. The next moment the spirit wrenched itself free of the flesh.”

Sir Francis Newport, the head of an English infidel club, said to those gathered around his dying bed. “You need not tell me there is no God, for I know there is one, and that I am in His angry presence! You need not tell me there is no hell, for I already feel my soul slipping into its fires! Wretches! Cease your idle talk about there being hope for me! I know I am lost forever!”

It is remarkably notable that there are a great many accounts of the dying words of God’s believing people, all of whom were either joyous or full of hope in their deaths, but not one account that we have ever heard of, or seen, of a dying infidel or Atheist who left this world with words of sweet anticipation and hopefulness on his tongue. Even the money-mad prophet, Balaam, spoke of desiring to “die the death of the righteous,” and wishing that his last end might be like theirs (Num. 23:10), which shows that he knew there is a great difference between the death of the righteous and the death of those who are not among that blessed number. What a precious, and priceless, hope is ours, whose trust is in the Lord and who love His appearing (II Tim. 4:8)!—Elder Ralph Harris.