Are Near-Death Experiences Real?

 

Near-Death Experiences

In previous lessons, we have cited the people who were raised from the dead in The Bible. Nowhere in The Bible is there any account of anyone coming back and telling people what the afterlife was like.

Lazarus would be a prime example. He was dead, buried, and began the early stages of decaying. If anyone would have a story to tell, it would be him! Not a single word is written of what he saw while being dead.

It is popular today to hear many near-death experiences. And not just near-death, but those who claimed to have died. Books and movies have popularized the topic, and many believe that this shows there is an afterlife.

There are many possibilities for these stories. Since many people tell them, we can't just ignore them. There is speculation that they are caused by many things, including drugs that were given, brain reactions from trauma, lack of oxygen, or hallucinations. Some could be even be lying or encouraged to embellish a story.

For this discussion, we will not say that everyone is lying. Satan is able to bring deceptions on many levels, and an unconscious state can be very vulnerable. Even scientific and psychological experts do not agree on what is the cause of near-death experiences.

These experiences do not tell us anything about the afterlife. Let's be clear on that. Not a single word in The Bible mentions anything like these people claim to have experienced.

These experiences are also both good and bad. Many claim to have felt the fires of hell and have been afraid. Some say they saw Jesus, or a Jesus-like figure.

As Christians, we might be tempted to use these stories to give false hope. That somehow this proves there is life after death. Getting people to be saved through these near-death experiences is using false doctrine. So, how do we talk to people who think these visions of the afterlife are real?

First of all, the most telling aspect is that all of them do not agree on what they see. They even contradict each other. If these were true stories of saved and unsaved going through death and coming back, they would all need to agree on what it was like.

The Bible promises one New Earth and one New Jerusalem. There is only one way there, and that is through Jesus Christ. There are not multiple accounts in The Bible on how we get there. The saved are taken to heaven with Jesus when He returns.

A near-death experience is even mislabeled. There are those who want us to believe that they are actual death experiences. The Bible makes it clear that people are not aware of anything after death.

God does work through dreams and visions. Only messages that are consistent with The Bible and the teachings of Jesus are to be believed. The Bible is devoid of anyone dead seeing a dream or a vision.

Galatians 1:8 (NIV): "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!"

Matthew 10:16 (NIV): “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."

John 3:13 (NIV): "No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man"

Matthew 24:26-28 (NIV): “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man..."