Near Death Experiences and the Bible!

When Colton Burpo was four
- he died and went to heaven, where
  - he met his grandparents and a sister
    - who had been still born.
- His story was made popular by
  - both a book (“Heaven is for Real”), and
  - a movie by the same name.
- Colton (now 20) had knowledge about his grandparents, and stillborn sister
  - that could only have come to him supernaturally,
  - that is through an NDE.
Recently also, my wife and I saw a documentary called ‘Afterlife‘ by Paul Perry,
- which details the stories of people who experienced NDEs.
- Perry clearly sees NDEs as proof of the ‘life after life’ and
- the experience led us to examine Biblical teaching about the after life and
  - how that aligns with what is known about NDEs.

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Some texts in the Bible appear to relate to NDEs:
- Paul (2 Corinthians 12) was caught up into the third heavens
  - he said he could not say whether he was
    - “in the body or out of the body” (verse 3 ESV);
  - he also saw and heard wonderful things he could not describe.
    - Could this have been and NDE
      - after he was beaten up and left for dead
        
        at Lystra (Acts 14.19-20)?
      - Or could this have been after one of the many beatings he had suffered
        
        as seen in 2 Corinthians 6.2-10?
- John the Beloved experienced visions
  - detailed in the book of revelation while fasting.
    - Could this also qualify as an NDE?
    - Please see Revelation 1.9 -20.
- Many other prophets in the Bible received visions
  - Daniel (10.2 ff); Peter (Acts 10.10 ff; ), Stephen (Acts 7.55 ff) etc.
  - Were these NDEs? Are NDEs the same, similar to
    - what is called a ‘vision’ and a ‘trance’ in the Bible?
- Jesus spoke about Lazarus and the Rich Man in the afterlife
  - (the story does not appear to be a mere parable
    - but a description of historical events );
  - how similar are the details of this story
    - to the common elements of NDEs?

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At the minimum, I believe NDEs confirm
- what the Bible clearly teaches:
  - that Human existence goes beyond the physical realm.
    - In fact humanity generally and instinctively believes this
    - hence the universal prevalence of religion
      - one way or another, all societies ‘pray;‘
    - although some (atheists, and skeptics, and naturalists etc.)
      - reject this possibility.
But NDEs are not the source of our hope; rather
- the Bible’s teaching of the Resurrection is the source of our hope.
We must be careful not to develop doctrines
- about the afterlife
  - based on NDEs, about,
  - who gets saved, how they are saved etc., or about
- who God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit is;
  - The Bible is our source of doctrine for all things Christian
    - (Jude 4; Galatians 1.7-9; 2 Timothy 3.16,17)

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God wants us to live by faith and by the already provided word of God
- Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
  - John 20.29!
- Luke 16.27-31
  - The Rich man’s brothers must accept the teachings of scripture
    - by faith!
- Hebrews 11.6
  - Faith not NDEs (or other types of miraculous signs)
    - must be he basis of our walk with God.
- Paul – 2 Corinthians 5.7
  - “for we walk by faith and not by sight”