I recently read a book by Tal Brooke– The Mystery of Death –He reviews  many of the prevailing ideas, thoughts, and theories concerning Death.  In the Book, he quotes – Dr Raymond Moody – a Leading Thanatologist (Study of Death) – who wrote a book called Life after Life – where he surveyed over 50 Near Death Survivors – and he found about 15 common elements in their stories(Some More/Some Less):

                                1)  Hear yourself pronounced Dead

                                2)  Hear an Uncomfortable Noise – ringing/buzzing

                                3)  Moving rapidly thru a long dark tunnel

                                4)  Outside your own physical body

                                5)  View your body from a Distance – spectator – watching resusitation efforts

                                6)  Notice you still have a body or being  with different nature & powers

                                7)  Light – sometimes a Being in the Light

                                8)  This Being begins to communicate with  you  without  words… telepathically

                                9)  Evaluate your life.. panoramic playback of your life  — “Life passes before your eyes”

                                10) Glimpses of Spirits of Relatives or Friends who’ve died earlier

                                11)  Approaching a Barrier or Border

                                12) Told you have to go back… Your time has not yet come

                                13) Do NOT want to Return 

                                14)  Have intense feelings of  Peace, Love, Joy

                                15) Reunite with your body like a  Hand fitting in a Glove

IS THIS PROOF that GOD is REAL? – BIBLE is REAL? – There IS an Afterlife? — NO – Because – People of every religion have these Near-Death experiences:  New Agers, Hindu’s, Tibetan Buddhists (Book of the Dead), Psychics,    Mediums, and people on Hallucinogenic Drugs – all have Near Death/Out of  Body Experiences.

 Am I saying – that Peoples EXPERIENCES are NOT Real?   NO– I’m simply saying that they may NOT represent Ultimate Reality —  Example – Recently, I was watching a program on Travel Channel – Some   Island in the Pacific – Wild Hog Hunt – had hounds to track the pig –  once they found the pig – they released the Pit Bulldogs – who held the pig until the hunters could get there & kill the pig.  –  Later that night –as I was Dreaming – I had those 2 Pit Bulls in the bed  with me – It was REAL.. So REAL that Laura had to wake me up!!    Eating Pepperoni late at Night will ALSO Alter Reality!

For all we KNOW – This “Out of Body” – Travel thru Tunnel – Visions of  Light – may be our Brain Reacting to Lack of Oxygen.

Most of this “Out of Body” material– is based on people being DEAD for a few minutes to a few hours. CLINICAL DEATH > No Pulse, No Respiration,  No Brain Activity.  Most “Near-Death” experiences are from Clinical Death– we don’t have   any data from BIOLOGICAL DEATH – Life functions have ceased and Rigor Mortis has set in!

What we NEED is somebody– Like LAZARUS (Joh 11) to come back after 4 Days   or Like JESUS who ROSE from the DEAD on the 3^rd Day.   NOW That’s a NEAR DEATH Experience!!

Near-Death Experiences – may not prove there is an Afterlife , but they do provide Evidence that at Death the SOUL separates from the body and is conscious at death. NDEs give us a glimpse behind the curtain of death – still – we don’t get a complete picture.    

 Since Jesus overcame Biological Death – and came back to tell us about it – WISE to interpret all our Experiences in light of HIS Word in Scripture.

 And that is what Paul is saying in 2 Corinthians– Paul writes the letter to Warn the church at Corinth about False Prophets     who come in with Sensational Experiences – claiming to have special Knowledge of God & being more Enlightened than Paul & the other Apostles.

*Paul tells the church – that if they want to get into comparing Resumes with these new Guest Speakers – Bring it on!  (2Co 11:22-30)

*Paul tells the church – that if they want to get into IN BODY or OUT of BODY Experiences – Bring it on. (2Co 12:1-7)

*But the Bottom Line – TRUTH & Ult Reality is NOT about a Speaker’s Charisma or Personal Experiences –it’s about Jesus Christ the LIVING WORD of GOD.      Jesus is the Ultimate Source of ENLIGHTENMENT – & ETERNAL LIFE  

      2Co 4:5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.  6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness,  who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of   Jesus Christ.  7 But we have this  treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not   of us.

 Near-Death Experiences are Interesting & Intriguing because we all know that one day we must ALL pass that way. Natural to be Inquisitive.  But When it comes to TRUTH – we’d better to STAY with God’s Revelation of Himself to us in Scripture. Experiences can be Slippery –  2Co 11:14 For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.  –   Be CAREFUL who is talking to you out of that LIGHT  –  The Bible is Very Clear – the Dead/Deceased cannot be Contacted   i.e. Luk 16:26 Story of Lazarus & Rich Man –”there is a great chasm separating us. Anyone who wanted to cross over to you from here is stopped at its edge, and no one   there can cross over to us.’…  31 ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t  listen even if someone rises from the dead.'”  – SO – If the Dead cannot be Contacted – Then WHO are the Mediums talking to???

That’s why we are WARNED in the Bible to STAY AWAY from Psychics  –  Deu 18: 9 ” When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn  to follow the abominations of those nations.  10 “There shall not be found among you anyone who  makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a  soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,  11 “or one who conjures spells, or a  medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.  12 “For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out  from before you.

Since I’ve been in the ministry– I’ve known of a few Christians who miss their Loved Ones who have Died so much – that they are tempted to go to a     Medium to try to communicate with the dead… Ouiji boards, Tarot Cards,     Crystal Ball, Seances, etc. Many have read books or been given “advice”  that these Mediums really Work.

Notice the Bible does NOT say that these Mediums “do not work” – It says  LEAVE THEM ALONE.  Because you do NOT know what kind of spirit is standing   behind their “Light.”   

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Let’s do a Quick Study of what the Bible Teaches –

about What happens after A CHRISTIAN Dies –   (we may do a detailed study later)

     2Co 5:8 to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

 Your “Tent” or Body dies – but your SOUL lives on in Heaven – Rev 6: 9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.  10 And they cried with a loud voice,  saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

 The Soul of the Christian remains in this state until the Rapture –  1Th 4: 13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep,  lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.  14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,    even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.  15 For this we say to you by the word of    the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede    those who are asleep.  16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  17 Then we who  are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord.  18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

 At some Point AFTER our SOULs have been connected with a Glorified   Body –(1Co 15, 1Jo 3) We will be Judged & then Perfected. –     Heb 9: 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,

      2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

      Heb 12:23  to the spirits of just men made perfect,

 And then we will be involved in the Millenial (1000 yr) Kingdom of Christ on Earth – Rev 20: 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over    such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall  reign with Him a thousand years.

 and then we will be WITH the LORD for ALL Eternity   –  Rev 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away….  3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with  men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

And That’s HEAVEN!