The Tragic Life And Death Of Elvis Presley (1935-1977)

1st Corinthians 3:11-15, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

I love this song that Elvis Presley (January 8, 1935 - August 16, 1977) sang. I know that he lived a wicked life. Pastor Jack Hyles once met Elvis in an elevator in Garland, Texas. Dr. Hyles asked Elvis if he was saved and he affirmed that he was indeed a Christian. Elvis said he attended a revival with his grandmother as a boy and got saved. Dr. Hyles asked him why he was living in sin. Elvis said he wanted "to be free." Brother Hyles taught us that there is more freedom within the fence (the rules, God commandments), than there is outside the fence (where the hungry Pitbull, the Devil is lurking). This is a beautiful song...

Are You Lonesome Tonight (Elvis Presley)

God gave Elvis such a beautiful voice. After "the king" (as the music industry called him) died in 1977, an autopsy showed that Elvis had at least 10 different prescription drugs in his blood. In just one year his personal physician prescribed over 10,000 pills to Elvis. Anyway, I really like this song that Elvis sings. It is so surreal. He died a short time after this concert. If he were still alive today, Elvis would have been 89 years old. In fact, tomorrow (August 16th) is the 47th anniversary since Elvis passed away in 1977. I do believe that Elvis went to Heaven. A man's salvation is determined by where he is looking, not upon the life he is living. Isaiah 45:22, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.”

Elvis lived a horrible life of sin, shaming the name of Jesus with his sexual immorality, substance abuse and worldliness. I chose 1st Corinthians 3:11-15 as our text passage because I thought it was fitting for Elvis. Specifically 1st Corinthians 3:15, “If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” I do believe that Elvis was saved through faith alone in Jesus, having the correct foundation; but upon that solid foundation he built a house of wood, hay and stubble. At the Judgment Seat of Christ Elvis' works will all be burned up, but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. That is, he barely escaped the fires of Hell.

Elvis received adoration from millions of fans, but he never honored God with his life. I've heard Elvis thank God here and there, but when everyone was idolizing and worshipping him he accepted their worship, just like wicked Herod (Acts 12:22-23). There are millions of comments of praise expressed on social media toward Elvis, as if he were a god. That is evil and wrong. Woman by the thousands fantasized about kissing Elvis. They melted and fainted at his concerts. Elvis had a habit of kissing (even smooching) with female fans in the audience. They paid good money to deliberately sit up front, hoping to kiss “the king.” Elvis loved the attention and fanfare and I don't blame him. Who wouldn't? Uh Huh-Huh!

Personally, I love many of Elvis' songs, especially his earlier stuff from the 1950's. But as a Christian I also realize that Elvis did not honor God with his sinful life. He did sing some beautiful Gospel songs from time to time, and I do believe he was saved. But not once at any place in his music career have I ever found where Elvis ever shared the Gospel with anyone. If he did preach the Gospel, the world would have rejected him (2nd Timothy 3:12).

I read some fool's comments are YouTube, where they said Elvis was classy for not answering personal questions about his views on Women's Liberation, et cetera. No, Elvis was an opportunist, a coward, who didn't want to commit career suicide. He intentionally stayed vague and avoided sharing his personal views at risk of being crucified by the ravenous media, and I don't blame him, but he wasn't being “classy.”

Another person expressed admiration for Elvis that he forgot his words while singing a song, but said Elvis was “classy” for laughing instead. It is so obvious as I watched the video that Elvis didn't forget anything, he was just chuckling a little while sinning. It annoys me that there's an army of worship-mongers who idolize Elvis, micro-analyzing him to the point of insanity. If they could, they'd claim that Elvis' was “classy” for not washing his dirty underwear because he didn't want to waste water. People are moronic idiots! Elvis was the king of sin and shame, who died on his throne (a toilet) at age 42 when he overdosed on drugs. The inspired Holy Bible warns in James 4:4, that no one can be a friend of the world, and also be God's friend. To be a friend of the world is to be God's enemy!

Here is what Pastor Hyles said about meeting Elvis:

"Many years ago when I was pastoring in Garland, Texas, I had a daily radio broadcast. Ordinarily the broadcast was live. However, on occasion, if I were scheduled to be out of town for a day or so, I would make a tape and take it to the radio station located on the eleventh floor of the Stoneleigh Hotel of Dallas, Texas. On one occasion I took a tape to the station. When I got on the elevator, I told the operator, who was an attractive young lady, that I wanted to go to the eleventh floor. She didn't hear a word I said! She was in a daze because Elvis Presley had just ridden her elevator. Finally I convinced her that I needed to go to the eleventh floor, and all she talked about was the fact that she had been alone with Elvis Presley for a few minutes. She finally gathered herself together and took me to the eleventh floor. She waited as I took the tape across the hallway to the station and then took me back to the main floor. On the way, however, she stopped the elevator, and Elvis Presley got on. He had on a green satin suit and at that time was in his heyday. I introduced myself to Elvis, we shook hands, and then I asked him, "Elvis, do you know, if you died today, you would go to Heaven?" His answer was startling. "I certainly do," he said. "I was saved when I was a child." Then he proceeded to tell me the circumstances. As best I remember, he said that his grandmother or some other relative had taken him to hear an old-fashioned Gospel preacher. He had received Christ as his Saviour. He told me in clear, positive language of his salvation. I then looked him square in the eye and said, "Elvis, how could a person who is born again live the kind of life that you are living?" He said, "Jack, I got tired of the rules. I wanted to be free." Need I say more? The very type of death that he died is living proof that though he thought he was leaving slavery to go to freedom; he was leaving freedom to go to slavery." —Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001)

They had real music back then...

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