John Burke investigates over 100 people who have had near-death experiences (NDE). Some were clinically dead but were revived. Many had suffered near fatal heart attacks or injuries. What is amazing is how they all tell of similar experiences before they were resuscitated. These include out-of-body experiences, having intense peace, seeing a bright light or tunnel, encountering loved ones and even interacting with a spiritual figure in the likeness of Jesus.
I have a friend who personally shared with me a near-death experience. It happened when she was choking and then passed out. Perhaps because it was only for a brief moment, she didn't have most of the experiences I listed above. However, she did experience what she described as an intense sense of peace like nothing she'd ever had.
In the Bible, we find the Apostle Paul describing a near-death experience -- his! Even though he is writing in the third person, most scholars agree that he is talking about himself. In the context of the passage, he is using humility so as not to brag about himself. We find his description below.
I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell. (2 Corinthians 12:2-4)
Obviously, not unlike many people today, Paul had a near-death experience, and was trying to describe what he saw, things that are too difficult to fully describe to us in this physical world.
If Paul is describing his near-death experience, when did this happen? When did he nearly die? Well, we actually have a record of him being stoned by a crowd of dissenters and left for dead. It happened many years before he wrote the book of 2 Corinthians.
Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. (Acts 14:19)
When Paul wrote the letter of 2 Corinthians, he was sharing what he experienced when he was in that unconscious, near death state years before.
Paul often teaches about eternal life in many of his letters. Here are a couple examples:
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. (1 Corinthians 15:21-22)
And of course, Jesus taught many times about the promise of eternal life. Here are a few:
Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying." (John 11:25)
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am." (John 14:1-3)
So be encouraged! There is Heaven. There is life after death. Some experience a glimpse of it. But for now you can hold onto one truth -- through Christ, even though we die, we will not perish, but have everlasting life in paradise with Him!
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