Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
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There has never been one person who has died while he was in the process of repenting and seeking to be cleansed from sin by the baptism of the holy Ghost. Jesus said, "Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." If anyone sincerely hungers or thirsts for righteousness, then it is promised to him that he will be filled. And since a person can't be filled with the holy Ghost after he is dead, we have to believe that death cannot touch anyone who is hungering and thirsting for God's righteousness. Of all the people on earth, such a person is in the safest of places.
Through Isaiah, God said, "I did not say 'seek me' for nothing" (Isa. 45:19). And in another place, God challenged Israel with this question: "Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth?" (Isa. 66:9). God does not tease souls by making them hunger for righteousness and then withdrawing to an unreachable place. He takes no pleasure in frustrating people to no purpose. He does demand that men humble themselves and seek Him, but He has also promised that everyone who seeks Him will find Him. We can trust God. He takes no pleasure in teasing people or frustrating people (Lam. 3:31-36).
To some of the Israelites who began to doubt God's love for them, He said through Jeremiah, "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end." And if we believe that, He tells us, "Then shall ye call upon me and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall seek me with all your heart, and I will be found of you, saith the Lord, and I will turn away your captivity. . ." (Jer. 29:11-14a).
Just as certainly as this is true, some evil-hearted man will read this and think in his darkened heart, "I am seeking God; therefore I cannot die." But God does not operate on the basis of what we think of ourselves. He lives by what He knows. He knows who is truly seeking Him, and he is not confused by our delusions.
To those sincere people who truly hunger and thirst after righteousness, I say this: know that God has promised that you will be filled with the holy Ghost. Do not fret about the future. There is no need to worry about dying before you are filled with His Spirit. You can trust the Lord. He will not disappoint you if you are sincerely seeking Him. You will not die before He has kept His promise.