What About Reported Life-After-Death Experiences?

Is life after death experiences possible?
Occasionally the news media report the story of someone who supposedly came back to life after he or she had died and returned to consciousness to relate the incident. Sometimes these happenings seem truly remarkable and appear to contradict the many biblical passages describing death. How can that be?

The basic premise of these accounts is that the people describing their experiences actually died. True, many of them were declared “clinically dead.” However, as with life itself there is much that medical science has not grasped about the nature of death. Doctors and scientists do not agree on exactly what constitutes “death.” Some people, for example, may be brain-dead or comatose while the rest of their body goes on functioning for years. Others whose hearts or lungs have stopped have been successfully resuscitated with no permanent ill effects.

In the Bible death is described as a state of total unconsciousness devoid of awareness, knowledge or perception (see Psalms 6:5; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10). If we accept the Bible's description of death, we realize that those who returned to consciousness or were medically revived and later related their experiences were not really dead in the true sense. Some vital organs, such as the heart, may have temporarily ceased functioning, but not all brain activity had stopped.

Researchers have found that the human nervous system and brain operate largely through electrical impulses. The brain requires blood and oxygen to properly function, and when breathing or blood circulation is impaired the brain begins to malfunction. If these functions are interrupted long enough, the brain eventually ceases all activity.

Some researchers conclude that the unusual sensations, including lights and sounds, reported by those revived after being clinically dead can be attributed to malfunctions of the nervous system and brain brought about by the shock to the body as a result of nearly dying.


God bless you all.

Are There Saved Human Beings in Heaven?

Have any human beings ever ascended to heaven?

In Revelation 19:1, relaying what he experienced in a spiritual vision, the apostle John states, “After these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, 'Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God!'”

Must the great multitude praising God here be throngs of saved human beings now living in heaven? Have any human beings ever ascended to heaven?

The popular teaching is that when Christians die they immediately go to heaven, where they take up residence in their permanent abode. But can we find such a teaching in the Bible?

To understand the truth on any biblical teaching, we must consider all the passages on a subject. When we do, the truth then usually becomes clear. We must also look at plain biblical statements and passages first, and from them come to understand the meaning of those that are less clear.

Notice one such clear statement in John 3:13: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] who is in heaven.”

John wrote these words decades after Jesus died and ascended to heaven—and well after many of Christ's followers had died—but he still affirmed that no one other than Jesus had gone to heaven.

Whose voices, then, could John have been hearing when he recorded in the book of Revelation what he heard and saw? He refers to voices many times in the book. Let's notice one example in particular:

“Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!'” (Revelation 5:11-12). So there are at least hundreds of millions of angels, and the voices in Revelation 19 could well be theirs.

Moreover, we should remember that John in the book of Revelation was receiving a vision of the future—with Revelation 19 concerning events at the time of Christ's return and the resurrection of His followers. Even if verse 1 were referring to saved human beings appearing briefly before God in heaven and praising Him at that time (just after their resurrection), this would not mean that they are doing so today.

Indeed, those who have died are still dead and in the grave—unconscious and unable to praise God (Psalms 6:5; 30:9; Isaiah 38:18). Scripture, as we have seen, shows that no human being except Jesus Christ has ever entered heaven, and that remains so today. The voices referred to in Revelation 19, then, cannot be those of saved human beings now in heaven.

God bless you all. 

Did Paul Expect to be conscious in Heaven Right After Dying?

Many have assumed from Paul's words here that he believed that at the moment of his death his consciousness would leave his body to join Christ in heaven. But is this the case?

The apostle Paul dedicated his life to preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31). In the process he was subjected to persecution, beatings and several periods of imprisonment. When he wrote his letter to the Philippians, he was enduring a period of house arrest in Rome. Paul knew that the Roman government had authority to put prisoners to death. He knew what the future might hold for him, whether it be execution on the one hand or his release on the other.

In Philippians 1:23-24 he writes of the two possible outcomes: “For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.”

Many have assumed from Paul's words here that he believed that at the moment of his death his consciousness would leave his body to join Christ in heaven. But is this the case?

Before focusing on what this scripture says, let's notice what it does not say. It doesnot say when or where Paul would be with Christ if he departed. Neither is the terminology of departure intended to be geographic—as in leaving the earth to go to heaven. There is no reference to heaven in these verses. To conclude otherwise is to read assumptions into Paul's words. Paul is simply referring to departing from his present, physical life—leaving it behind through death.

When writing to the Philippians here, Paul was struggling with two desires. He wanted to be done with his fleshly life and be with Christ, but he also wanted to remain with God's people.

In his second letter to Timothy he speaks dogmatically of what lies ahead, knowing the end of his physical life is near and he is ready to depart: “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

Paul, then, understood that he was not to receive his reward immediately at death.He knew that if executed, he would go to the grave, and there his remains would lie until the time of his resurrection. He understood that, since the dead have no thought processes whatsoever, in his next waking moment he would be with the returning Messiah, Jesus, joining Him along with the other saints at the time of the resurrection.

As he wrote to Timothy, he knew there was laid up for him a crown of righteousness that he would be given “on that Day” of Christ's appearing— at Jesus' second coming. As Paul noted, Jesus will bring Paul's reward with Him. Paul will receive it at that time, not before, along with all others who will be resurrected at Christ's return.

Describing this resurrection, Paul explains to the church in Corinth: “Behold I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). Paul knew he would receive his reward—his “change”—at Christ's coming. He also knew that death before that time would mean “sleep,” unconsciousness, until the resurrection.

The time from Paul's death until his resurrection at the same time as all of Christ's followers will seem to him but a mere moment. He will be with Christ as a glorified son of God in the next moment of his consciousness. No wonder Paul, weary of his sufferings in this life, desired to depart from it and to be with Christ!

God bless you all. 

What Happens After Death? (18)

Great white throne: the judgment seat of God

Why do we say that Revelation 20:11-12, where God judges from a “great white throne,” refers to a second resurrection? If these people understood and obeyed the truth in their lifetime, God would have resurrected them a thousand years before—at the return of Jesus Christ (the first resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15:52). Or, if they understood the truth and rejected it, the only unfinished part of God's judgment would be the death sentence. No further judging would be necessary in either case.

What's the difference between judgment and sentencing? Judgment is part of an ongoing process. God is in the process of judging Christians today (1 Peter 4:17). Drawing a parallel with human courts, judgment involves the gathering of evidence, weighing or evaluating that evidence and the passing of a final sentence. Anyone, living or dead, whose mind God did not open to spiritual understanding hasn't begun the judgment process that ends with a decision (sentence) of eternal life or of death.

Of those to be brought to life in the second resurrection, Jesus said it would be “more tolerable” for some than for others (Matthew 10:15). If God resurrects these people only to sentence them to death, Christ's comments wouldn't make any sense. If all were to die, judgment would not be “more tolerable” for one than for another. But clearly, their judgment is incomplete, and hence, God brings them back to physical life.

Ezekiel 37:1-14 describes the second resurrection in colorful detail. It speaks of an entire nation that died without hope of life and without the knowledge of God that could lead to their salvation. God promises them two things—to resurrect them to physical life and to give them spiritual understanding (Ezekiel 37:10, Ezekiel 37:14). The gift of the Holy Spirit will enable them to live the Christian way of life.

Most people in the grave did not know the only name by which salvation is possible (Acts 4:12), and God wills that all humankind have an opportunity for salvation (2 Peter 3:9). If there were no second resurrection, the majority of people down through history would suffer unfair condemnation to death in the lake of fire without ever having a chance at conversion. But God is fair, just and merciful.

If God is opening your mind to understand His truth, now is the time to act! There are no second chances. But it is comforting to know that He will mercifully give everyone a first chance.

God bless you all. 

What Happens After Death? (17)

Will everyone have a chance for salvation? What happens after death / at the resurrection / at Judgment Day?

od “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). But considering the masses of humanity who have never even heard the name of Christ, many Christians have wondered if or how they would have a chance for salvation. We believe the Bible teaches that all will have a real chance through the often neglected doctrine of “resurrection of the dead” and God's judgment (Hebrews 6:2).

Is there hope for the unbelieving person who rejected God's calling and spurned His way of life? No, a person who has knowingly refused God's calling and the way of life He reveals has only the lake of fire to look forward to, which will end his or her existence for eternity (Hebrews 6:4-6; Hebrews 10:26-29). However, there is another type of unbeliever—one who never had the opportunity to choose or reject God's way of life. Many sincere people believe that we must “accept Jesus” in this life or we are lost forever. But what about the billions of people who have lived out their lives without ever hearing the name of Christ and therefore had no chance at salvation (Acts 4:12)? Is it fair for God to destroy them forever when they never really had an opportunity to understand His truth?

Many know that God will resurrect the saints at Christ's return (1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:52), but most read right over Christ's teachings about a secondresurrection. He spoke of people from different ages coming face-to-face in “the day of judgment” (Matthew 11:20-24, Matthew 12:41-42; Luke 10:12-15). God will bring back to life the people of Sodom, Tyre, Sidon and Ninevah along with the queen of Sheba at the same time as those people who heard Christ speak these words in the first century. The only way for this to be possible—for people who lived literally many hundreds of years apart to live again at the same time—is for God to resurrect all of them at the same time.

A second resurrection allows a first chance at salvation

As we saw in Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26-29, the Scriptures are plain about the fact that all people have only one chance at salvation. However, a second chance at life is not the same as a second chance at salvation. Coming to life again will enable those brought to life in the second resurrection to have their only chance for salvation.

The apostle Paul implied a second resurrection in his writings (Romans 11:26-27), and the book of Revelation speaks of it as specifically as Christ did (Revelation 20:5,Revelation 20:11-12). These references are not about the resurrection of the saints spoken of in 1 Corinthians 15:52, for the people in the above references are called enemies (Romans 11:28) and are contrasted with the saints (they are called “the rest of the dead” in Revelation 20:5).

In Revelation 20:5 the expression “This is the first resurrection” refers to the resurrection of the saints. We know from the above reference in 1 Corinthians that God does this at Christ's return and the beginning of His 1,000-year rule on the earth, not at the end. The first part of the verse (“But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years are finished”) is a parenthetical statement that speaks of dead who will not live again until the thousand years are over . Clearly, the first part of the verse isn't speaking of the resurrection of the righteous dead, but rather of those who died without a chance at salvation.

To be cont'd.

God bless you all. 

What Happens After Death? ( 16)

Others who have died:

But now we have a dilemma. What happens to people who never had the opportunity to come to a proper understanding and make the needed commitment to God through Christ? Are they the ones Christ spoke of who will be resurrected to judgment?

What about infants and other young children who die long before they can understand or gain the maturity to receive the Holy Spirit and seek God's Kingdom? What about people who have lived and died in ages past or in remote regions today without ever even hearing the name of Jesus Christ, much less learning His teachings and being able to respond with any kind of commitment to Him? What about people who adhere to high moral values but don't hold to any particular religious beliefs or commitment?

What will happen to them and when? Will the treatment these people receive be just? Is God fair? Will He give everyone equal opportunity to receive eternal life? Or is He selective, offering eternal life to only some?

The first resurrection:

Let's begin with what John describes as the first resurrection. He speaks of “those who are Christ's,” some of whom had suffered martyrdom and all of whom had rejected false religions and deceptive teachings.

He writes of the vision he received in the book of Revelation: “I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ( The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. )This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection” (Revelation 20:4-6, NIV).

Notice that some come to life after the 1,000-year reign of Christ. Those given eternal life at the beginning of that period, at Christ's return when they will reign with Him, represent the first resurrection. But here we plainly see that others, “the rest of the dead,” do not come to life again until 1,000 years have passed. If only one resurrection is to occur, John would simply have referred to it as the resurrection. However, since he uses the phrase “the first resurrection,” it is evident that at least one more resurrection must follow.

 Summary

We have learned from the highest written authority—the Bible—that at Jesus Christ's return He will resurrect His true, faithful followers and grant them the incredible gift of eternal life. They are the only ones who will have a part in this resurrection.

Yet we're told in 1 Timothy 2:3-4 that “God our Savior … desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” What, then, of the billions of people who have already died and never had the knowledge of the truth? Is it too late for them?

This brings us to a discussion of one of the most truly amazing aspects in God's plan for life and death—what God has in store for the rest of the dead.

To be cont'd. 

God bless you all. 

What Happens After Death? (15)

Who will be resurrected?

Now let's look at another important detail regarding the resurrection: Some will be resurrected to receive eternal life, but others will be resurrected to a coming judgment. Jesus makes this distinction Himself: “Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29, New American Standard Bible).

God gave us this temporary, mortal life to prepare us for eternal life. The hope and promise of that resurrection is intriguing and inspiring. But knowing there is also a “resurrection of judgment” gives us reason to pause. Why might one person be resurrected to life and another be resurrected to judgment?

The resurrection of life is through Jesus Christ

When he was challenged by religious leaders, Peter made the point that the only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). Paul points out that our resurrection can take place because God first resurrected Jesus. Unless He was resurrected before us, we have no hope (1 Corinthians 15:12-19).

Jesus promised: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live” (John 11:25)—shall live again, that is. One of the best-known verses in the Bible, John 3:16, promises that “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

The simple truth is that we can receive the gift of eternal life only through Jesus Christ. “For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). How do we demonstrate our belief in Him? What obligations does that carry?

Jesus said that those who are His disciples must be willing to place everything else in life secondary to seeking the Kingdom of God (Luke 14:25-33; Matthew 6:33; 13:44-46). People have devised many ways to live, with many false values and distractions (Matthew 6:19-20; 7:13-14), but the reality is that there is only one right way and only one Savior.

In concluding the first recorded sermon after Jesus' death, Peter called on believers in Christ to repent, undergo baptism and receive from God His Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Repentance is a sincere and heartfelt realization of our own sinfulness and inadequacy.

But it is also our resolve to forsake our former way of life to begin a new life in Christ. Baptism portrays that resolve (Romans 6:1-6). (To better understand these topics, read the booklet The Road to Eternal Life .)

Many scriptures reveal what we must do to demonstrate our belief in Jesus Christ.

For example, Colossians 3-4 is a long passage that describes the complete commitment we must make. We must allow God to change our very nature, and we must learn to imitate Jesus in everything we do. If we are truly yielded to God, Christ will live His life in us through the power of God's Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:20).

We also learn that our personal reward will be based on how we live. Indeed, God gives “eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil … but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good” (Romans 2:6-10).

More than one resurrection

Another major aspect of the resurrection revealed by Scripture is that the dead come back to life in a particular order, in sequence, according to a plan.

Not all will be resurrected at the same time, though Christ's followers of this age will be: “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man [Christ] also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul writes that we must have God's Spirit within us if we are to be resurrected to life: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you” (Romans 8:11, NRSV).

The resurrection we have described so far occurs when Jesus returns. It will include only “those who are Christ's” (1 Corinthians 15:23), also called “the dead in Christ” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

These are people who have understood that salvation is through Jesus Christ and who have shown their belief in Him through the commitment of repentance, baptism and obedience to God's Word as led by the Holy Spirit. As we have seen, they will be transformed into immortal spirit at Christ's return, thus inheriting eternal life (1 Corinthians 15:50-53).

To be cont'd. 

God bless you all. 

What Happens After Death? (14)

Two groups resurrected at Christ's return:

In both passages Paul distinguishes between two groups of Christ's followers—those who have died and those who are still alive when Jesus returns—both of whom will be in this resurrection. Although “it is appointed for men to die once” (Hebrews 9:27), some will remain alive when Jesus returns. So what will happen to these faithful followers who are still alive then?

At that time, these people's physical lives will be over, because they will be miraculously and instantaneously changed to incorruptible spirit, inheriting the gift of eternal life.

Paul describes this wonderful change a little earlier in the same chapter. “So also is the resurrection of the dead,” he wrote. “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body [flesh and blood], it is raised a spiritual body [no longer physical, but composed of spirit]. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).

Paul then explains that while “the first man Adam became a living being,” a physical creature of the dust of the earth, “the last Adam [Jesus Christ] became a life-giving spirit” (verse 45)—that is, He was resurrected as a spirit being with a body composed of spirit. And so it will be with us, as Paul explains.

The apostle continues: “And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man [Christ]. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption” (verses 49-50).

At the end of our physical lives—the conclusion of this temporary and mortal existence—comes death. After that comes a resurrection in which we must be changed because, as Paul wrote, mortal “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” Those who are “in Christ”—who have been called, repented, been baptized and been led by God—will be transformed in that resurrection to eternal, spiritual life, glorified as spirit beings like the resurrected Jesus Christ (Romans 8:16-17).

What happens after the resurrection?

The words quoted earlier from 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 describe Jesus' triumphant return to earth. Heralded by the shout of an archangel and the sounding of a trumpet, God will resurrect the dead in Christ to eternal life; the living who are Christ's will be changed from mortal to immortal and will ascend to meet and greet Him.

Scriptures show that those in this resurrection will not stay in “heaven” (in this case the earth's atmosphere—“the air,” as it states) with Christ, but will descend with Him as He takes control of and begins to reign over the nations (see Daniel 2:44; 7:13-18; Zechariah 14:1-4; Acts 15:15-17; Revelation 11:15; 19:15).

The resurrected saints (this term meaning those sanctified or set apart, applying to all of Christ's followers) will reign with Christ on earth in His Kingdom. As Revelation 5:10 states, Jesus will make them “a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (New International Version).

To be cont'd. 

God bless you all.