There is something about the last things people do before they die that seem profoundly meaningful as we reflect on their lives. Last words. Last activity. Last meal. Last visit. When Leslie Jordan died unexpectedly at age 67 in October 2022, his last video posted on social media immediately catapulted to a “must-watch” video.
Wikipedia Profile
An Emmy Award winner for his role in the comedy series Will & Grace, Jordan was a well-known and, by all accounts, a much-loved actor and comedian in numerous productions in Hollywood over the decades. He often spoke of his difficult years growing up gay and the rejection he experienced, and the bullying he endured.
Twenty-seven-year-old Jordan boarded a Greyhound Bus and left Tennessee for Los Angeles back in 1982. Despite his successes, he struggled with substance abuse. His downward trajectory eventually landed him in a jail cell. When asked what the turning point was for him and how he achieved the last 20 years of sobriety, Jordan said:
“People say, ‘Well, how do you get sober? What’s the best way,'” Jordan said. “Yeah, well, 120 days in the jailhouse in Los Angeles. That will sober you up.” (1)
Online Popularity Soared During Covid
Leslie Jordan’s online popularity soared to 5.8 million fans during the pandemic. His little videos, filled with humour but also human experiences during the dark months of COVID, seemed to resonate with many each time he posted on Instagram.
Throughout the long months of the pandemic, Jordan reflected on his Christian roots and the singing of hymns that were so much a part of his formative years growing up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He teamed up with various artists like Chris and Morgane Stapleton, Eddie Vedder, Dolly Parton, and Brandi Carlile in recording hymns like Blessed Assurance Jesus is mine, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, Where the Soul Never Dies, In the Sweet By and By, Angel Band and others. (2)
CLICK IMAGE – Watch Leslie Jordan with Chris and Morgane Stapleton recording the old hymn – “Farther Along, We’ll Know All About It”
On a Monday morning in October, reliable sources say a medical emergency caused his sudden death while driving his BMW.
His Last Song Before He Died
Just the day before Jordan died, he recorded and shared a video on Instagram of himself singing about going to Heaven. Sitting in a little room that Sunday, he sang one of the hymns he grew up with – “When the Roll is Called Up Yonder, I’ll Be There.” He was accompanied by artist Danny Myrick.
Click on the Instagram Space above – It Works even if it looks like it doesn’t!
When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Refrain:
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
When Jordan finished singing, he added:
I’ve been baptized thirteen times just to make sure that I am going to be there.”
Interested in Christianity? Check out this very short video.
The afterlife was clearly on the mind of Leslie Jordan the day before he died. He wanted to be sure he would be in Heaven when he took his last breath. In fact, based on his very last recorded words, thirteen different times he was baptized, hoping to secure his chances of being in Heaven.
Of course, Jordan was not alone or unique in his hope that Heaven would be his eternal destination. Have you ever met a rational person who didn’t want to end up there – if, as they say, there is such a thing as life after death?
Had someone known the late actor and comedian’s desire to be sure of Heaven, they could have sent him a Bible with some well-known verses hi-lited for him to emphasize that baptism has never been a part of the salvation equation. Bible verses such as these:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13
Baptism is Not the Way
It is painful to think that over the decades, Jordan thought baptism would help shore up his chances of arriving in Heaven. Nothing in the Bible suggests that baptism is the ticket to Heaven or even plays any role in improving one’s chances. The Bible is clear that Jesus Christ alone is the way to Heaven.
Jesus said … “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
The criminal hanging on the cross never had an opportunity to be baptized after he cried out to the Lord Jesus, yet Jesus assured him that he would be with Him in Paradise. (Luke 23:43)
Rituals and practices like baptism play no part in one’s acceptance into the family of God and, ultimately, into Heaven. Yes, the Bible teaches baptism for those who are already Christians as a public confession that Christ is their personal Saviour. But the Bible absolutely does not teach that baptism helps to wash away sins or helps secure someone’s passport to Heaven.
But to all who did receive Him [Jesus], He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name…” John 1:12
Bible Spells Out Path to Eternal Life and Heaven
For every single person on this planet, the path to Heaven is crystal clear:
…repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 20:21
The Bible is clear, without exception, all have sinned against God. (Romans 3:23) and without exception, God commands every single person everywhere to repent of their sins (Acts 17:30), including the writer and the reader.
If at some point in Leslie Jordan’s life, he consciously repented of his sins and turned to Christ for salvation and the forgiveness of sins – he is in Heaven. Being baptized thirteen times had nothing to do with it.
In 1893, when James Black penned the lyrics to the hymn Leslie Jordan sang the day before he died, Mr. Black imagined a list of names in Heaven being called out. With joy, he confidently looked forward to saying “Present” when his name was called. But others will be absent. Will you be there?
If you knew the song that Leslie Jordan sang less than 24 hours before he died suddenly, can you personally confidently affirm that you will be in Heaven? Or are you only hoping? Today, you can be sure.
If you would like to explore this further, please reach out to us. We will try to answer your questions from the Bible.
Sources:
- https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/24/entertainment/leslie-jordan-dead
- https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/leslie-jordan-hymn-about-heaven-day-before-death-listen-1234617339/
Other:
- https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2021/04/01/leslie-jordan-interview-new-gospel-album-companys-comin/4800048001/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Jordan