As you can tell from my tagline, I am a retired army chaplain. What is offered as a hypothetical is discussed among military chaplains as a reality. Battlefield chaplains have with wartime regularity been confronted with exactly this situation. For baptists it pushes their understanding of baptism by immersion; for Church of Christ (and others) it pushes their understanding of baptismal regeneration. Baptists will tell of baptizing with a canteen, and others will tell of no baptism at all because the situation and enemy fire is simply too great. Sacramental Christians will agonize over troops doomed within a contaminated area, because they cannot be present to administer that sacrament without consigning themselves to death.
Across the spectrum of chaplains, I never ran across one from any denominational group that believed God would be anything except understanding of those confronted by in extremis circumstances.
I agree about baptism. There are some who are not afforded the luxury of a baptism tank in many of the military chapel.
I remember becoming convicted that I needed to be baptized in a remote part of Turkey. I went over to the senior elder about 10:00pm late one February night and told him I wanted to be baptized by him right now. It was about 30 degrees outside with a snow storm and the only place we had available was the Sea of MarMar. He convinced me to wait a couple of days until we could gather the believers around. A freak southern breeze came up providing an unusual warm day (around 70) and I was baptized.
It was a wonderful experience but we didn't have a place to be baptized on base. If I was in the dessert I guess the only thing I could have done was be sprinkled.
Such are the terrible heartbreaks of war.
But as Christians we need to remind ourselves and each other that God is always and everywhere at the side of those who love Him. The River Jordan or Harley's desert sprinkles are all the same to God -- outward human remembrances of His promise that help us feel closer to Him, not the other way around. We have all the assurance we need in His word.
"For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people." -- 1 Samuel 12:22.
"Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD." -- Jonah 2:1-9.
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." -- Romans 8:35-39.
Thank God, He is God. We are reconciled to God, by God. We are circumcised by Christ, not with hands.
God is ultimate, unconditional love. I feel so confident leaving the state of these men and women up to Him, while reassuring those who are concerned about them.
I am convinced that God allows deathbed, in your head, no one else can know, salvation. I pray that he does.