NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES

Definition of near death experiences. Some people have claimed to have near death experiences (“NDEs”), in which they clinically died, had an autoscopic experience (they viewed the surrounding environment of the physical world from a different perspective, from a position outside their bodies), had a transcendental experience with the supernatural which may be heavenly or hellish, and returned to life in their bodies to give us information about what happens after death. Usually, the NDE is a positive experience of dying in a hospital, having an out-of-body experience and seeing what is occurring around their body and elsewhere, seeing some type of light that may or may not be Jesus, and being told the time to die has not come yet.

NDEs may include an out-of-body experience and viewing a bright light.

What do these NDEs prove? NDEs may confirm that at death, the soul separates from the body and can review what is happening on earth around their clinically dead body.

NDEs may be biblical.

There is some biblical support for NDEs in which a person may see Jesus between clinical death and final death. God appeared to an early Christian church member, Stephen, to give Stephen a preview of heaven before he was stoned to death. Stephen said, “Behold, I see the heavens open and the Son of Man (Jesus) standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56 ESV). God gave Stephen positive encouragement that he was going to heaven.

The apostle Paul had a similar experience when he wrote about when he thought he died and was taken to paradise 14 years earlier and he heard “inexpressible words, which man is not permitted to speak” (2 Corinthians 12:4 NASB). There is biblical evidence that this event occurred when he was stoned at the city of Lystra and dragged out of Lystra and presumed dead (Acts 14:19-20). If Stephen saw Jesus and Paul was taken to paradise, it is possible that other Christians may experience similar NDEs. You should evaluate reports of NDEs to see if they are consistent with the Bible. You should remember that Satan may try to duplicate the same positive NDEs for non-Christians to get them to think they could go to heaven without believing and trusting in Jesus Christ as the spiritual Savior/Forgiver and Lord/Leader.

In regard to NDEs involving seeing light, since God is light, Satan may duplicate light since Satan sometimes disguises himself as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14 NASB). Instead, you should believe and trust in Jesus because he actually died, not just someone who was near death. Jesus 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 NASB).

Erwin Lutzer, One Minute After You Die: A Preview of Your Final Destination (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1997), 22-28.

NDEs provide evidence of the afterlife.

NDEs provide multiple lines of scientific evidence of the afterlife. Verified reports of those that have had NDEs (“NDErs”) include the following:

NDErs have accurately reported things happening outside the body in the hospital room or accident location. These reports provide corroborating evidence of the legitimacy of NDEs. This occurred when many of the NDEr’s brains were severely compromised, if not incapacitated by clinical death.
NDErs report enhanced mental functions while their brains should not be capable of such functions.
The NDEs are generally remarkably consistent. NDErs clinically die, have an autoscopic experience (view the surrounding environment of the physical world from a different perspective, from a position outside their bodies), have a transcendental experience with the supernatural which may be heavenly or hellish, and return to life in their bodies to give us information about what happens after death. Yet NDEs still have unexpected elements that are not what one would predict from hallucinations or a psychologically induced dream state. For example, NDErs sometimes find themselves in a place where space and time are different from where they were earlier in space and time before their death.
NDEs consistently provide closure rather than abrupt interruptions upon regaining consciousness. This closure distinguishes NDEs from dreams and hallucinations. NDEs often end with a conversation with angels (usually unexpectantly without wings) or deceased relatives about whether or not to return to life on earth.
Children NDEs are convincing from an evidential standpoint because children typically have less informed ideas about heaven, and simply tell their experiences quite literally as they experience them. When children are dying, they speak very openly of seeing things on the other side that the adults in their lives had not taught them to expect.
Shared NDEs occur when one feels that one has participated in a dying person’s transition to a post-mortem existence. Four distinct though non-exclusive modes of shared NDEs include: remotely sensing a death, witnessing unusual phenomena, feelings of accompanying the dying, and feelings of assisting the dying. These experiences provide multiple eyewitnesses of the NDE vision. Since these witnesses’ brains were not compromised, the vision cannot be caused by characteristics of the dying brains.
The face-to-face interviews with NDErs have a strong impact on the researchers.
There have been NDE reports from the deaf, color-blind, and those born blind. The deaf report hearing. The color-blind report seeing colors. Those born blind report seeing. Since their brains are dysfunctional in these areas, the newfound abilities are most likely due to something other than the brain.
NDEs are extremely realistic and convincing to NDErs. The NDEs are not like dreams, which many times are unrealistic and do not make sense. Also, dreamers recognize these dreams are unrealistic dreams that do not make sense.
NDErs report that they encounter the Being of Light or other supernatural being and discuss whether to stay on the other side or return to life on earth. If naturalism is true and the natural material world is not as pleasant as the afterlife described by the NDErs, one would expect a large percentage of NDErs would either opt to stay, or the Being of Light or other supernatural being would have told them it was their time to stay. But the NDErs do not report that they opted to stay and their Being of Light or other supernatural being told them it was their time to stay. Instead, the NDErs all returned.

The cumulative effect of the above NDEr arguments provide clear and convincing evidence of the afterlife.

J. Steve Miller, Near Death Experiences as Evidence for the Existence of God and Heaven (Acworth, GA: Wisdom Creek Press, 2012)

Resources for NDEs.

This near death experiences website page is based upon the following resources:

Erwin Lutzer, One Minute After You Die: A Preview of Your Final Destination (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1997), 22-28.

Hank Hanegraaff, After Life: What You Need to Know About Heaven, the Hereafter & Near-Death Experiences (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing, 2013), 91-108.

J. Steve Miller, Near Death Experiences as Evidence for the Existence of God and Heaven (Acworth, GA: Wisdom Creek Press, 2012)

Lee Strobel, The Case for Heaven: A Journalist Investigates Evidence for Life After Death (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2021), chapter 3.