DEATH-NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES
If Stephen
saw our Lord before he died (Acts 7:56), and if Paul died and was caught up
into paradise (2 Cor. 12:4), it is just possible that other believers might
also have such a vision. Reports of seeing Christ or relatives long dead might
have some validity. We should not expect such experiences, but they could
happen. The problem, of course, is that we cannot accept without scrutiny what
people claim to have seen behind the curtain. Near-death experiences may or may
not reflect the true conditions of life beyond death. They must be carefully
evaluated to see whether they conform to the biblical picture of the hereafter.
Also, the prior beliefs of those who report what they have seen and heard are
essential in evaluating what was experienced.
Erwin Lutzer
Taken from One Minute After You Die by Erwin Lutzer,
Moody Publishers, 1997, p. 25.
As for the
widely reported experiences of seeing light, we should remember that since God
is light, it is understandable that Satan duplicates light of his own. We
cannot emphasize too strongly that he wishes to disguise himself as an “angel
of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). And of course, many unsuspecting souls simply
assume that this “being” who radiates light is kind
and benevolent; in an age of “feel good” religion they can’t imagine that it is
anyone else but Christ. Although positive near-death experiences are widely
reported, I must point out that other research indicates that many have dark
and foreboding experiences. In The Edge
of Death, by Philip J. Swihart, and Beyond Death’s Door, by Maurice
Rawlings, there are accounts of those who tell terrifying stories of the life
beyond. Some have seen a lake of fire or abysmal darkness, along with tormented
persons – all of whom are awaiting judgment. These reports, the authors
contend, are more accurate because they were gained through interviews almost
immediately following near-death and resuscitation. These dark experiences, the
writers say, are often lost to the memory after a short period of time.
Erwin Lutzer
Taken from One Minute After You Die by Erwin Lutzer,
Moody Publishers, 1997, p. 26.
We will do
much better if we trust someone who was actually dead, not someone who was just
near death. Christ, as we shall see, is the only One who is qualified to tell
us what we can expect on the other side. He was dead – so dead that His body
became cold and was put in a tomb. Three days later He was raised from the dead
with a glorified body. Here is someone whose opinion can be trusted. To John
this risen Christ said, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the
living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the
keys of death and Hades “ (Revelation 1:17-18). Reliable information does not
come to us by trying to peer behind the partially open curtain. God alone knows
what really lies on the other side of the veil. And that is why we can do no
better than study what the Bible has to say about the Great Beyond.
Erwin Lutzer
Taken from One Minute After You Die by Erwin Lutzer,
Moody Publishers, 1997, p. 27.