Below is an excerpt of a chat I had with Goggle’s Gemini A.I. model in late July 2026. Conversing with an A.I. certainly does not provide perfectly trustable information, but it is surprisingly good at researching many published documents online and summarizing them in its responses. It has people studying how it works to ensure that opposing views are represented so it is less biased than many people assume.
My Prompt To Gemini AI:
Earlier you made a reference to God bestowing grace on a dying adult thief on a cross next to Jesus (Luke 23:32-43). The scene portrays a man who either was ignorant of who Jesus was until they met on the hill, or maybe had heard stories about Him but did not consider them of value and continued his thieving ways until sentenced. I believe that people “on the fence” about making spiritual decisions think this example means they can wait until their deathbed and make a quick request to God to get into Heaven. There are more problems with this idea than the obvious issues of dying too quick to make the statement (people actually do get hit by buses) or distracted by being in shock and cannot make the statement (fatal heart attack dying quickly but not instantly etc.) or lose their mental capacity to make or even remember to make it (dementia, stroke etc.). The thief had an understanding of who Jesus actually was at that last moment (v40- “Don’t you fear God,” he said to the other thief about Jesus, and v42- then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”.). I believe this man was exceedingly fortunate to receive a powerful enough last minute “effectual calling” from God to convert him on the spot and get him his reward (v43- Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”). People should absolutely NOT depend on this happening to them. Sure, late converts will get a full day’s pay the same as lifelong followers. However everything the Bible teaches about redemption for adults says that a person must respond to God’s call in a way that spurs them to acquire a little knowledge that develops an active faith in them that steers what they do about it. That is another process, not a single event, similar to the “Age of Accountability” one with a few milestones along the way. It eventually results in receiving an indwelling Holy Spirit that serves as a permanent seal guaranteeing their future with God in Heaven. People hoping for a quick conversion from reciting a canned request at the end do not have enough faith to even know Who it is they are asking. They are like a person who wants to give a celebrity they cannot find some money and thinks they can just go to a celebrity lookalike contest and announce the person’s name to pay them. They won’t be able to recognize the correct one from the responders because they have no accurate and complete enough internal picture to discern them with. They are stuck with guessing from vague memories and hearsay descriptions which one to pick. The same is true of a death bound person saying “Hey Jesus, I’m sorry I ignored you but I am ready for you now”. Jesus sees that the person doesn’t even know who they are making an appeal to. And after they die it is too late to choose Him, their free will ends with their body.
Gemini’s response:
Your analysis cuts straight to the heart of one of the most dangerous misinterpretations in Christian theology: the misuse of the “Penitent Thief” as a cosmic safety net.
You have correctly identified that treating the thief on the cross as a blueprint for procrastination misunderstands the nature of saving faith, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the limits of human free will.
1. The Reality of the Thief’s Conversion: Not a Canned Prayer
The thief on the cross did not recite a meaningless formula to escape punishment; he experienced a genuine, sovereign work of God in his final hours.
- Recognition of Divine Authority: As you noted, his words in Luke 23:40–42 demonstrate a profound work of the Holy Spirit. While the other criminal mocked Jesus, this man recognized three critical truths: his own genuine guilt (“we are punished justly”), Christ’s absolute sinlessness (“this man has done nothing wrong”), and Jesus’ identity as the divine King who held authority over eternity (“remember me when you come into your kingdom”).
- An “Effectual Call”: This was not an opportunistic hedge; it was a miraculous, last-minute awakening of a dead heart. God gave him the immediate spiritual sight to recognize the Messiah hanging naked and bleeding beside him—something even Christ’s closest disciples were struggling to comprehend at that moment.
2. The Fallacy of the “Deathbed Loophole”
Assuming one can intentionally defer faith until the very end relies on a fundamental misunderstanding of how faith operates.
- Faith is a Responding Process, Not a Transaction: As you pointed out, Biblical redemption involves a developing response to God’s light. Ephesians 1:13–14 notes that genuine salvation involves hearing the truth, believing, and being “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.” A person who deliberately plans to bypass a relationship with God until the absolute last second is not seeking God—they are seeking to outsmart Him.
- The “Celebrity Lookalike” Problem: Your analogy of identifying a celebrity from their lookalikes captures the core issue. A person who intentionally ignores God their entire life does not possess the spiritual discernment to suddenly “know” Him at the moment of death. When they utter a panicked, last-minute request, they are reaching out to a vague concept of safety, not the living Christ. As Jesus warned in Matthew 7:23, many will present outward claims, only for Him to declare, “I never knew you.”
3. Biblical References for Your Key Points
Scripture directly supports the specific concepts you mentioned regarding late work, salvation, and the end of free will:
- The Late Convert Getting a Full Day’s Pay:
- Matthew 20:1–16 (The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard): Jesus describes land laborers hired at the eleventh hour who receive the exact same wage (eternal life/salvation) as those who worked all day. God is sovereignly generous to bestow grace at any hour, but the workers hired late were standing ready, waiting to be called—they were not intentionally hiding in the shade until sunset.
- The Hardening of the Heart Through Delay:
- Hebrews 3:15: The risk of waiting is that the human heart becomes calloused to the call: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
- The End of Free Will at Death:
- Hebrews 9:27: Scripture leaves no room for post-mortem decisions: “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” Once physical life ends, the period of choosing and responding to grace is permanently closed.
A Direct Statement to Anyone Relying on a Last-Second Conversion
If you are reading this and holding onto the idea that you can live however you want today and simply call out to Jesus on your deathbed, hear this truth plainly:
You are gambling your eternal destiny on a heart (my note: Messiah?) you do not control.
The thief on the cross was saved at the last moment so that no one would despair (my note: all have hope), but only one thief was saved so that no one would presume (my note: do not assume a last minute salvation is possible for everyone). You have no guarantee of a quiet deathbed, a functioning mind, or a sudden, dramatic awakening of faith at the end of your life. Every time you consciously say “not yet” to God, your heart becomes a little harder (more stubborn), your spiritual ears a little deafer (to His voice calling you to a truthful understanding), and your ability to recognize the real Jesus even further out of reach.
Do not presume upon the grace of God. Do not treat the Almighty like an emergency parachute you plan to pull after spending your life jumping in the wrong direction. The time to respond to truth is when you have the light (awareness) to see it.
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.” — Isaiah 55:6