Death. That single word strikes fear into the hearts of millions. It’s the great unknown, the final frontier that every human being must face. From the moment we become aware of our own mortality—perhaps as children first encountering the death of a pet or grandparent—we wrestle with questions that seem too big for answers. What happens when we die? Is there really something beyond this life? Will I simply cease to exist, or does some part of me continue on?
For centuries, these questions remained locked behind the impenetrable veil of death. Those who crossed that threshold never returned to tell us what lay beyond. Death was a one-way journey into mystery. But in recent decades, something remarkable has happened. Medical technology has advanced to the point where people who would have certainly died in earlier eras are now being brought back from the very edge of death—and sometimes from beyond that edge. These individuals return with extraordinary stories that challenge everything our modern, materialistic world tells us about consciousness, the soul, and what happens when we die.
Throughout this book, we’ve journeyed together through the fascinating world of Near-Death Experiences (NDEs). We’ve examined the phenomenon from multiple angles—scientific, biblical, theological, and personal. We’ve heard testimonies that inspire hope and others that serve as sobering warnings. We’ve learned to exercise spiritual discernment, testing these experiences against the unchanging truth of God’s Word. Now, as we reach the conclusion of our exploration, it’s time to step back and see the bigger picture. What do these experiences really mean for us as Christians? How should they affect our faith, our hope, and our understanding of eternity?
As we conclude this comprehensive study, I want to be absolutely clear about something crucial: NDEs, no matter how compelling or transformative, are not and should never become the foundation of our Christian faith. They are subjective experiences that, while often profound and life-changing for those who have them, cannot bear the weight of our eternal hope. That foundation has already been laid, and it is unshakeable. It is the historical, verifiable, earth-shattering event of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Yet these experiences do serve a purpose in God’s sovereign plan. Like road signs on a dark highway, they point travelers in the right direction. They challenge the suffocating materialism of our age that insists consciousness is merely a product of brain chemistry. They open doors for spiritual conversations with skeptics who might otherwise dismiss talk of the afterlife as wishful thinking. Most importantly, when properly understood through the lens of Scripture, they direct our attention not to themselves but to Christ, the One who didn’t just have a near-death experience but who actually died, descended into death’s domain, and rose victorious on the third day.
The Journey We’ve Taken Together
Before we look ahead to the hope that anchors our souls, let’s briefly retrace the path we’ve walked together through these pages. Our journey began with an introduction to the NDE phenomenon itself—those profound experiences reported by approximately 4-5% of the general population and up to 10% of cardiac arrest survivors. We learned that these are not rare, isolated incidents but rather a widespread human experience that crosses cultural, religious, and geographical boundaries.
In Chapter 1, we established that NDEs are not simply the random firings of a dying brain. The consistency of these experiences, their structured narrative, and their transformative effects on experiencers all point to something more significant than mere hallucination. People from vastly different backgrounds report remarkably similar elements: the out-of-body experience, the journey through a tunnel or void, the encounter with a brilliant light, meetings with deceased loved ones, the life review, and the choice or command to return to earthly life.
Chapter 2 took us deeper into these common elements, revealing a pattern so consistent that researchers have developed scales to measure and categorize these experiences. We discovered that despite cultural variations in interpretation, the core elements remain strikingly similar whether the experiencer is a Christian from Alabama, a Hindu from India, or an atheist from Sweden. This consistency challenges the notion that NDEs are merely products of cultural conditioning or wishful thinking.
In Chapter 3, we traced the history of NDE research from ancient accounts through the pioneering work of Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and Dr. Raymond Moody to the current scientific investigations at major universities. We learned that what was once dismissed as folklore or fantasy has become the subject of serious academic study, with peer-reviewed journals dedicated to the topic and respected researchers devoting their careers to understanding these experiences.
The middle section of our book turned to Scripture, establishing a biblical foundation for evaluating NDEs. In Chapter 4, we discovered that NDE-like experiences are not foreign to the Bible. The Apostle Paul’s account of being “caught up to the third heaven” in 2 Corinthians 12 bears striking similarities to modern NDE accounts. Paul himself was uncertain whether he was “in the body or out of the body,” and he heard “inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell” (2 Corinthians 12:3-4, NIV). This biblical precedent suggests that God has, at times, granted His people glimpses beyond the veil of death.
Chapter 5 outlined the essential biblical teachings about life after death, establishing what Scripture clearly teaches about the conscious existence of the soul after death, the reality of two eternal destinies (heaven and hell), and the coming judgment. We examined Jesus’ promise to the thief on the cross—”Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43, NIV)—which definitively refutes the notion of soul sleep and confirms immediate conscious existence after death for believers.
In Chapter 6, we carefully compared NDE accounts with biblical descriptions of the afterlife, finding both compelling alignments and troubling contradictions. The Being of Light so often encountered in NDEs aligns beautifully with the biblical declaration that “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5, NIV). The life review parallels the biblical concept of judgment, though not always in ways that align with Scripture’s teaching about the exclusivity of salvation through Christ.
Chapters 7 through 9 addressed some of the most challenging aspects of our study. We explored how veridical NDEs—those containing verified information that the experiencer could not have known through normal means—provide powerful evidence for the existence of the soul independent of the brain. These accounts directly challenge the materialist worldview that dominates modern science and culture.
Chapter 7 specifically examined how NDEs support substance dualism, the biblical view that humans are composed of both a material body and an immaterial soul. When people accurately report conversations and events that occurred while they were clinically dead, with no measurable brain activity, we’re forced to confront the reality that consciousness—the soul—can exist and function apart from the physical brain.
As one researcher notes in the literature we’ve examined: “If consciousness truly arises from the brain, how can individuals in a state of deep unconsciousness or even clinical death report detailed, accurate knowledge about their surroundings or events that took place far away?” This question strikes at the heart of materialist assumptions about the nature of human consciousness.
Chapter 8 warned us about the very real danger of spiritual deception. Not all NDEs lead people closer to biblical truth. Some promote universalism (the belief that all paths lead to God), New Age concepts, or other doctrines that directly contradict Scripture. We learned that Satan can appear as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14, NIV) and that we must be vigilant in testing all spiritual experiences against the unchanging standard of God’s Word.
Chapter 9 equipped us with practical tools for spiritual discernment. We developed a framework based on 1 John 4:1—”Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (NIV). We learned to ask three crucial questions about any NDE account: What does it teach about Jesus? What does it say about salvation? What fruit does it produce in the experiencer’s life?
In Chapters 10 and 11, we examined specific testimonies—both heavenly and hellish. We heard from credible witnesses whose experiences align with biblical truth and strengthen faith. We also confronted the sobering reality of distressing NDEs, which serve as warnings about the reality of judgment and the consequences of rejecting God’s offer of salvation through Christ.
Through all of this, we’ve maintained a careful balance. We’ve neither accepted every NDE account uncritically nor dismissed the entire phenomenon as deception or delusion. Instead, we’ve sought to understand these experiences through the lens of Scripture, acknowledging both their potential value as encouragements to faith and their limitations as subjective, personal experiences that cannot supersede or add to God’s revealed Word.
NDEs as Signposts in a Materialist Age
We live in an age dominated by scientific materialism—the belief that physical matter is all that exists and that everything, including consciousness, can be explained by the interactions of atoms and molecules. This worldview, which has gained tremendous influence since the Enlightenment, leaves no room for the soul, for God, or for life after death. According to materialists, when your brain stops functioning, you simply cease to exist. Death is the absolute end of consciousness, the final extinguishing of the light of awareness.
This materialist worldview has profound implications for how people live their lives. If death is truly the end, then this life is all we have. There is no ultimate justice, no final reckoning for good or evil, no reunion with loved ones, no hope beyond the grave. As the apostle Paul wrote, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19, NIV). The materialist must face the prospect of personal annihilation with whatever courage they can muster, knowing that everything they are, everything they’ve learned and experienced, will simply vanish when their heart stops beating.
But NDEs challenge this bleak picture at its very foundation. When thousands upon thousands of people report conscious experiences during times when their brains show no activity—when they’re under deep anesthesia, when their hearts have stopped, when EEG machines register no brain waves—materialism faces a crisis. How can consciousness exist without brain function if consciousness is produced by the brain?
The evidence from veridical NDEs is particularly challenging to materialism. Consider the case studies we’ve examined: patients accurately describing surgical procedures they couldn’t have seen, reporting conversations that took place in other rooms, identifying objects placed in locations invisible from their position. These aren’t vague, dreamlike impressions but specific, detailed, accurate observations verified by medical staff and family members.
The resistance to NDE evidence among committed materialists often goes beyond scientific skepticism into the realm of philosophical commitment. As we’ve seen in our research, when confronted with well-documented cases of veridical perception during clinical death, materialists often resort to increasingly improbable explanations rather than considering the possibility that consciousness might not be produced by the brain.
One proposed explanation suggests that patients might be picking up information through some unknown form of ESP or that they’re unconsciously processing auditory information and transforming it into visual imagery. But these explanations strain credulity, especially when we consider cases of people blind from birth who report visual perceptions during their NDEs—perceptions later verified as accurate.
As one researcher notes: “Materialist theories of mind are based on the assumption that brain activity, and hence mental activity, is driven from below by the deterministic, observer-independent motions of elementary particles in the brain, as described by classical physics. But we have known since the early years of the twentieth century that classical physics fails drastically at the atomic and subatomic levels.”
This scientific challenge to materialism opens a door for spiritual conversations. When someone insists that science has proven God doesn’t exist or that death is the end, we can point to the mounting evidence from NDE research that consciousness appears to continue when the brain is offline. We don’t need to claim that NDEs prove Christianity—they don’t. But they do challenge the materialist worldview that often stands as a barrier to faith.
NDEs serve as what we might call “pre-evangelistic” tools. They create cracks in the fortress of materialism through which the light of spiritual truth can begin to shine. When a confirmed atheist has an NDE and encounters a loving presence that knows everything about them, when they experience a life review that shows them the impact of every action on others, when they return with an unshakeable conviction that death is not the end—the foundation of their materialist worldview has been shaken.
This is precisely what happened to neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander, whose NDE we examined earlier. As he writes about his experience: “My experience showed me that the death of the body and the brain are not the end of consciousness, that human experience continues beyond the grave. More important, it continues under the gaze of a God who loves and cares about each one of us.”
Yet we must be careful here. Not every NDE leads people to Christian faith. Some lead to vague spirituality, others to New Age beliefs, and still others to universalism. This is why the work we’ve done in previous chapters on spiritual discernment is so crucial. NDEs can open the door to spiritual seeking, but without the guidance of Scripture and the Holy Spirit, that seeking can lead in many different directions.
The Limitations of Subjective Experience
As powerful and transformative as NDEs can be, we must honestly acknowledge their limitations. First and foremost, they are subjective experiences. Unlike the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which was a public, historical event with multiple witnesses, NDEs happen in the private realm of individual consciousness. We cannot independently verify what someone experienced in their NDE beyond the veridical elements that can be checked against external reality.
This subjectivity means that NDEs are inevitably filtered through the experiencer’s own consciousness, shaped by their culture, beliefs, and expectations. A Hindu might interpret the Being of Light as Krishna, while a Christian sees Christ, and a non-religious person might simply experience an overwhelming sense of love and acceptance without attaching any religious significance to it. The core experience might be the same, but the interpretation varies widely.
Furthermore, as we discussed in Chapter 8, not all NDEs lead to biblical truth. Some experiencers return with messages that directly contradict Scripture. They might claim that all religions are equally valid paths to God, that there is no hell, that reincarnation is real, or that humans are divine beings who have forgotten their true nature. These teachings cannot be reconciled with the clear teaching of God’s Word.
Betty Eadie’s bestselling book “Embraced by the Light” provides a clear example of this problem. While her NDE account contains some elements that align with Christianity, it also promotes ideas foreign to biblical faith, such as the pre-existence of souls and the idea that humans chose to come to Earth to learn lessons. These concepts are more aligned with Mormonism (Eadie’s faith background) or New Age philosophy than with biblical Christianity.
Another limitation is the incomplete nature of NDEs. As the name indicates, these are “near” death experiences, not complete death and resurrection experiences. The people who have NDEs don’t fully die in the ultimate sense—their experiences are interrupted, and they return to earthly life. We cannot assume that what happens in those first moments of clinical death represents the fullness of what awaits us in eternity.
The Apostle Paul seemed to recognize this limitation in his own experience. When he wrote about being caught up to the third heaven, he said he heard “inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell” (2 Corinthians 12:4, NIV). There’s a hiddenness, a mystery that remains even after such profound experiences. Paul doesn’t build his theology on his mystical experience; instead, he grounds it in the historical facts of Christ’s death and resurrection and in the Scriptures.
We must also acknowledge that NDEs can become a stumbling block when they become the focus of faith rather than a pointer to Christ. Some people become so fascinated with NDEs that they spend more time reading NDE accounts than reading Scripture. They base their hope for eternity on the comforting accounts they’ve read rather than on the promises of God’s Word. This is a dangerous shift that moves faith from the objective to the subjective, from the eternal Word of God to the temporal experiences of humans.
This is why we must constantly return to Scripture as our ultimate authority. As the book of Isaiah declares, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20, NKJV). No matter how powerful or convincing an NDE might be, if it contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture, we must reject its message while still treating the experiencer with compassion and respect.
The Historical Reality of the Resurrection
Now we come to the heart of the matter, the foundation upon which all Christian hope rests: the historical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is not a subjective spiritual experience reported by a single individual. This is not a vision or a dream or a near-death experience. This is a historical event that occurred in space and time, witnessed by hundreds of people, and so thoroughly attested that it changed the course of human history.
Let’s be absolutely clear about what we’re claiming. We’re not saying that Jesus had a near-death experience. We’re not saying His disciples had visions or hallucinations. We’re claiming that Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, who was confirmed dead by professional Roman executioners, who was buried in a sealed tomb guarded by soldiers, physically rose from the dead on the third day. His body was transformed, glorified, but still physical—He could be touched, He ate food, He bore the scars of His crucifixion.
The evidence for the resurrection is extensive and compelling. First, we have the empty tomb. All four Gospels attest to it, and even the enemies of Christianity admitted the tomb was empty—they just tried to explain it away by claiming the disciples stole the body. But that explanation falls apart when we consider that the disciples were transformed from cowering fugitives who denied even knowing Jesus into bold proclaimers who were willing to die for their testimony that He had risen.
People might die for something they believe to be true, but they don’t die for something they know to be false. If the disciples had stolen the body, they would have known the resurrection was a lie. Yet they went to their deaths proclaiming Christ had risen. Peter, who had denied Jesus three times out of fear, became the bold preacher of Pentecost. James, the brother of Jesus who had been skeptical during Jesus’ ministry, became a leader of the Jerusalem church and died as a martyr. Paul, who had been persecuting Christians, claimed to have encountered the risen Christ and spent the rest of his life suffering for that testimony.
The Apostle Paul provides us with the earliest written testimony to the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15, written around 55 AD, just 20-25 years after the events. He writes:
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8, NIV).
Notice Paul’s emphasis on eyewitnesses. He’s not reporting visions or spiritual experiences but actual appearances of the risen Christ. He even notes that most of the 500 witnesses were still alive when he wrote, essentially inviting his readers to verify his claims. This is not the behavior of someone perpetrating a fraud or reporting dubious spiritual experiences. This is the testimony of someone utterly convinced of the historical reality of what he’s proclaiming.
The transformation of the disciples provides powerful evidence for the resurrection. These were not gullible people prone to wishful thinking. They were Jews who believed in the resurrection at the end of time, not the resurrection of an individual in the middle of history. They had no conceptual framework for what they claimed to have witnessed. Moreover, they had every reason to abandon their claims. They faced persecution, torture, and death for proclaiming the resurrection. Yet they persisted.
Consider the transformation of Saul of Tarsus into Paul the Apostle. Here was a man with everything to lose and nothing earthly to gain from becoming a Christian. He was a rising star in Judaism, a Pharisee of Pharisees, with authority, respect, and a promising future. Yet he gave it all up, enduring beatings, shipwrecks, imprisonment, and eventually execution, all because he claimed to have encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus.
The resurrection also explains the existence and growth of the early church. Within a few decades of Jesus’ death, Christianity had spread throughout the Roman Empire. This growth occurred despite fierce persecution, without political power, without armies, without wealth. The early Christians had one message that they proclaimed with unwavering conviction: Christ is risen.
Historian N.T. Wright, one of the foremost scholars on the resurrection, argues that the combination of the empty tomb and the appearances of Jesus provides the best historical explanation for the birth of Christianity. No other theory adequately explains all the evidence. The hallucination theory fails because hallucinations are individual experiences, not group phenomena, and they don’t transform skeptics into believers. The stolen body theory fails because it doesn’t explain the appearances or the transformation of the disciples. The swoon theory—that Jesus didn’t really die—fails because it doesn’t account for the Roman expertise in execution or explain how a severely wounded man could convince his disciples he had conquered death.
The resurrection is not just historically credible; it’s theologically essential. It validates everything Jesus taught about Himself. If He remained dead, He would be just another failed messiah, another religious teacher whose ideas might inspire but whose promises couldn’t be trusted. But because He rose, He demonstrated His power over death itself. He proved that He is who He claimed to be—the Son of God, the Savior of the world, the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Christ’s Victory Over Death
The resurrection of Jesus Christ represents the definitive victory over humanity’s greatest enemy: death. From the moment sin entered the world through Adam’s disobedience, death has reigned over the human race. As Paul writes, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12, NIV).
Death was never part of God’s original design for humanity. We were created for eternal fellowship with our Creator, made in His image to reflect His glory forever. But sin brought separation from God, and with that separation came death—both physical and spiritual. Every funeral we attend, every goodbye we say at a deathbed, every tear we shed for a lost loved one reminds us that we live in a world under the curse of death.
But the resurrection changes everything. Jesus didn’t just survive death or have a close call with death. He went fully into death’s domain, experiencing complete separation of soul and body. He descended into the realm of the dead. And then, on the third day, by the power of God, He rose victorious. Death could not hold Him. The grave could not contain Him.
Listen to how Paul describes this victory in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57: “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (NIV).
This is not poetic hyperbole. This is spiritual reality. Death, which seemed so final, so insurmountable, has been defeated. Its power has been broken. Yes, Christians still die physically, but death is no longer the end of the story. It’s become, in Paul’s words, merely “falling asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:13)—a temporary state before the final resurrection.
Jesus Himself declared this victory in some of the most comforting words ever spoken: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (John 11:25-26, NIV). Notice the present tense: “I am the resurrection.” Not “I will perform resurrections” or “I know about resurrection,” but “I AM the resurrection.” Jesus doesn’t just give life; He IS life itself.
This victory over death is not just a future promise but a present reality for believers. Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, NIV). The resurrection life of Christ is already at work in believers, transforming us from the inside out, preparing us for the day when we too will be raised in glorified bodies.
The early Christians understood this victory in a way that transformed how they faced death. They called their burial places “cemeteries,” from the Greek word meaning “sleeping places,” because they believed death was temporary. They faced martyrdom with songs of praise because they knew death was not the end but the beginning of true life. They had an unshakeable confidence that comes not from subjective experiences but from the objective reality of Christ’s resurrection.
Why the Resurrection Matters More Than NDEs
Now we must address directly why the resurrection of Jesus Christ provides a more solid foundation for hope than even the most compelling NDE accounts. This is not to diminish the value of NDEs as encouraging signposts, but to put them in proper perspective relative to the cornerstone of our faith.
First, the resurrection is an objective historical event, not a subjective personal experience. While NDEs happen in the private realm of individual consciousness and cannot be independently verified beyond their veridical elements, the resurrection occurred in public history. It left an empty tomb that could be examined. The risen Christ appeared to groups of people who could compare their experiences. The event was so undeniable that it launched a movement that transformed the Roman Empire and continues to transform lives today.
Second, the resurrection is complete while NDEs are partial. Those who have NDEs don’t fully die—they have a temporary separation of soul and body that is reversed, bringing them back to mortal life. They must still face death again. But Jesus fully died and fully rose, never to die again. As Paul writes, “For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him” (Romans 6:9, NIV). His resurrection is not a temporary resuscitation but a permanent victory.
Third, the resurrection has theological significance that NDEs lack. Jesus’ resurrection validates His identity as the Son of God, confirms His teaching about salvation, demonstrates God’s acceptance of His sacrifice for sin, and guarantees the future resurrection of believers. NDEs, while they may encourage faith, don’t carry this theological weight. They don’t atone for sin, they don’t reveal God’s plan of salvation, and they don’t guarantee anything about our eternal destiny.
Fourth, the resurrection is unique while NDEs are diverse and sometimes contradictory. There is one resurrection of Christ with a consistent testimony about its nature and meaning. But there are thousands of NDE accounts with varying and sometimes contradictory messages about the afterlife, the nature of God, the way of salvation, and the purpose of life. This diversity makes NDEs unreliable as a foundation for doctrine or faith.
Fifth, the resurrection provides what NDEs cannot: a Savior. NDEs might tell us that consciousness survives bodily death, but they cannot tell us how to be reconciled to a holy God. They might describe encounters with a loving light, but they cannot provide atonement for sin. They might reduce fear of death, but they cannot guarantee eternal life. Only the risen Christ can do these things.
The resurrection is not just another spiritual experience to be added to our collection of encouraging testimonies. It is THE event that changes everything, THE victory that secures our eternal destiny, THE foundation upon which all Christian hope is built.
As scholar N.T. Wright emphasizes, “The resurrection of Jesus is not just a happy ending to the Gospel story. It is not just a personal survival of Jesus after a tragic death. It is the beginning of God’s new creation, the first day of the new week, the ground and basis and paradigm for the church’s mission.”
How NDEs Point Us to Christ
Having established the supremacy of the resurrection, we can now properly appreciate how NDEs, when viewed through the lens of Scripture, point us toward Christ rather than away from Him. The best and most credible NDEs don’t stand on their own as independent sources of spiritual truth but rather serve as contemporary testimonies that confirm what Scripture has already revealed.
Consider how many NDE elements align with biblical truth about Christ. The Being of Light encountered by so many experiencers resonates with John’s declaration that “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5, NIV). The overwhelming love that experiencers report echoes the biblical truth that “God is love” (1 John 4:8, NIV). The life review, where people see the impact of their actions on others, reflects the biblical teaching that we will all give account of our lives (Romans 14:12).
Dr. Mary Neal, whose NDE we examined earlier, provides an excellent example of how these experiences can point to Christ. After her kayaking accident and NDE, she didn’t start a new religion or promote novel spiritual teachings. Instead, she returned with a deeper commitment to Christ and a powerful testimony about His reality and love. Her experience confirmed rather than contradicted her Christian faith.
John Burke, in his extensive study of over 1,500 NDE accounts, found numerous cases where people specifically encountered Jesus during their experiences. These weren’t vague spiritual beings but clearly identified encounters with Christ, complete with the nail scars in His hands and feet. One experiencer reported: “I saw the nail scars in His hands and feet. There was no doubt in my mind that this was Jesus, the One who died for me.”
Even more significantly, some NDEs have led directly to conversion to Christianity. Howard Storm, an atheistic art professor, had a hellish NDE that culminated in him calling out to Jesus for help. He was immediately rescued from the tormenting beings and brought into the presence of Christ. He returned from his experience a changed man, eventually becoming a Christian minister. His NDE didn’t replace the Gospel; it led him to the Gospel.
These experiences serve a similar function to miracles in the New Testament. When Jesus healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and raised the dead, these miracles weren’t ends in themselves. They were signs pointing to His identity as the Messiah. They opened hearts to receive His teaching. They demonstrated the inbreaking of God’s kingdom. Similarly, when NDEs challenge materialism, comfort the grieving, or lead people to seek God, they function as modern-day signs that point beyond themselves to eternal realities.
However, we must maintain careful discernment. Not every NDE that mentions Jesus is necessarily a genuine encounter with Christ. As we discussed in our chapter on spiritual deception, Satan can appear as an angel of light. The Jesus of some NDEs teaches things contrary to Scripture—universal salvation regardless of faith, the non-existence of hell, or the equality of all religions. This cannot be the true Christ, who clearly taught the narrow way of salvation through faith in Him alone.
The key is to evaluate NDEs the same way the Bereans evaluated Paul’s teaching: “They received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11, NIV). When NDE accounts align with Scripture and point people toward the Christ of the Bible, they can serve as valuable testimonies. When they contradict Scripture or promote a different gospel, they must be rejected, regardless of how compelling or comforting they might seem.
Living Without Fear
One of the most consistent and remarkable outcomes of NDEs is the loss of fear of death. Study after study has shown that NDE experiencers return with a dramatically reduced or completely eliminated fear of dying. They know from personal experience that consciousness continues, that death is a transition rather than a termination, that something wonderful awaits on the other side.
But here’s the crucial point: Christians should already be living without fear of death, not because of NDEs but because of the resurrection of Christ and the promises of God’s Word. Jesus has already conquered death. He has already prepared a place for us. He has already promised never to leave us or forsake us, even as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
The writer of Hebrews explains how Christ’s victory frees us from the fear that has enslaved humanity since the fall: “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15, NIV).
This freedom from fear is not based on wishful thinking or subjective experiences but on the objective work of Christ. Because He lives, we will live also. Because He conquered death, death cannot ultimately harm us. Because He prepares a place for us, we know our destination. This is certain, unshakeable, guaranteed by the faithfulness of God Himself.
Paul captures this confidence beautifully in Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (NIV). Notice that death is listed first among the things that cannot separate us from God’s love. It has no power to break the bond between Christ and His people.
This doesn’t mean Christians don’t grieve when loved ones die or that we shouldn’t feel the natural human apprehension about the process of dying. Jesus Himself wept at Lazarus’s tomb and experienced anguish in Gethsemane as He faced the cross. But underneath the natural human emotions is a bedrock confidence that death is not the end, that separation is temporary, that reunion is certain.
NDEs can encourage this confidence, especially for those who struggle with doubt or fear. When someone hears testimony after testimony of people who have glimpsed the other side and returned with reports of indescribable beauty, overwhelming love, and joyful reunions, it can strengthen faith in what Scripture teaches. These experiences make the abstract concrete, the distant near, the invisible visible.
But we must never become dependent on NDEs for our confidence. What happens if someone has a distressing NDE? What if conflicting accounts cause confusion? What if scientific explanations seem to debunk certain experiences? If our faith is built on NDEs, it will be shaken by these challenges. But if our faith is built on the resurrection of Christ, it stands firm regardless of any particular NDE account.
The Ultimate Hope: Our Future Resurrection
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just a past event to be celebrated; it’s a future promise to be anticipated. Paul makes this connection explicit: “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20, NIV). The term “firstfruits” is agricultural—it refers to the first portion of the harvest that guarantees more is coming. Christ’s resurrection is the guarantee of our own resurrection.
This future resurrection is not just a spiritual experience or a disembodied existence in heaven. It’s a physical, bodily resurrection like Christ’s own. Paul describes it in detail: “So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 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, it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, NIV).
The term “spiritual body” doesn’t mean non-physical. It means a physical body animated and empowered by the Spirit of God rather than by natural life. Jesus’ resurrection body provides the model—physical enough to eat fish and be touched, yet able to appear and disappear, to pass through walls, to ascend to heaven. This is what awaits believers: not just survival of consciousness but transformation into glorified, imperishable bodies fit for eternal life in God’s presence.
This resurrection hope extends beyond individual transformation to cosmic renewal. The entire creation, which has been groaning under the weight of sin and death, will be liberated and renewed. As Paul writes, “The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21, NIV). The new heavens and new earth described in Revelation 21 are not an escape from physicality but the perfection of it—creation as God always intended it to be.
NDEs, at their best, give us glimpses of this future reality. The descriptions of heavenly cities, gardens of indescribable beauty, reunions with loved ones, and encounters with Christ himself all point toward what Scripture promises awaits us. But they are just glimpses, snapshots through a keyhole of a reality too vast and wonderful for our current comprehension.
Paul himself, after his experience of being caught up to the third heaven, emphasized the limitations of our current understanding: “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12, NIV). Even the most profound NDE is just a reflection, a partial knowing. The fullness awaits us in the resurrection.
How Then Should We Live?
Given everything we’ve explored—the reality of NDEs, the necessity of spiritual discernment, and most importantly, the supreme significance of Christ’s resurrection—how should we then live? How does this knowledge affect our daily lives, our relationships, our priorities, and our mission in the world?
First, we should live with confidence, not fear. Death has been defeated. Its sting has been removed. While we may still feel apprehension about the process of dying, we need not fear death itself. It’s a defeated enemy, a toothless lion, a doorway to glory for those who are in Christ. This confidence should free us to live boldly for Christ, to take risks for the Gospel, to prioritize eternal matters over temporal concerns.
Second, we should live with urgency about salvation—our own and others’. The testimonies of hellish NDEs remind us that hell is real, judgment is coming, and not everyone will experience the blissful afterlife. The exclusivity of salvation through Christ, which some find offensive, is actually God’s merciful provision for our sin problem. We have a message of hope to share, but it’s a message that must be received in this life. As Hebrews warns, “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27, NIV).
Third, we should live with compassion for those who are dying and grieving. The insights from NDE research can help us minister to those facing death. We can assure them that they are not alone, that death is a transition rather than an ending, that God’s love awaits them if they have trusted in Christ. For those grieving the loss of believing loved ones, we can offer not just platitudes but solid hope based on the resurrection of Christ and the testimonies of those who have glimpsed beyond the veil.
Fourth, we should live with discernment in a world full of spiritual deception. Not every spiritual experience is from God. Not every testimony about the afterlife is trustworthy. We must be like the Bereans, examining everything in light of Scripture. This discernment is not cynical skepticism but wise evaluation that recognizes both the reality of spiritual experiences and the reality of spiritual deception.
Fifth, we should live with wonder at the mystery of God’s ways. NDEs remind us that there is far more to reality than what we can see and measure. The spiritual realm is real, active, and interconnected with our physical world in ways we don’t fully understand. This should inspire not fear but awe at the greatness of God and humility about the limitations of our understanding.
Sixth, we should live with thanksgiving for the resurrection of Christ. Every NDE that points toward the reality of the afterlife, every testimony of encountering Christ beyond death, every account of the beauty of heaven should drive us back to marvel at the resurrection. Without Christ’s victory over death, all these experiences would be meaningless—brief glimpses of a realm we could never permanently enter. But because of the resurrection, they are previews of our eternal home.
Engaging with Those Who Have Had NDEs
As NDEs become more widely known and discussed, Christians will increasingly encounter people who have had these experiences or been influenced by them. How should we respond? Our approach should be characterized by both grace and truth, compassion and discernment.
First, we should listen with genuine interest and respect. For many experiencers, their NDE was the most significant event of their life. Dismissing it or immediately challenging it will close doors for meaningful conversation. Remember that even the Apostle Paul had a mystical experience he couldn’t fully explain. We should create safe spaces for people to share their experiences without fear of immediate judgment or ridicule.
Second, we should ask thoughtful questions that help the experiencer process their experience in light of Scripture. Rather than immediately declaring their experience false or demonic, we can ask: “What do you think this experience means?” “How has it affected your understanding of God?” “Have you compared your experience with what the Bible teaches about the afterlife?” These questions open dialogue rather than shutting it down.
Third, we should share relevant biblical truth with gentleness and respect. If someone’s NDE has led them to believe in universalism, we can share what Jesus taught about the narrow and wide gates. If they’ve concluded that good works earn heaven, we can explain the Gospel of grace. We do this not as spiritual police officers issuing citations but as fellow travelers sharing what we’ve learned from God’s Word.
Fourth, we should be prepared to address the common theological errors that arise from some NDEs. When someone says, “I learned that all religions lead to God,” we can respond, “That’s interesting. Jesus said He was the only way to the Father. How do you reconcile your experience with His teaching?” This approach respects their experience while challenging them to consider biblical truth.
Fifth, we should point them toward Christ. If their NDE included an encounter with Jesus, we can encourage them to learn more about Him from Scripture. If it didn’t include Christ, we can explain why He is central to the Christian understanding of salvation and eternal life. The goal is not to win an argument but to introduce them to or deepen their relationship with the risen Savior.
Using NDEs in Evangelism and Apologetics
While NDEs should never replace the Gospel, they can serve as valuable tools in evangelism and apologetics when used wisely. They provide common ground with spiritual seekers, challenge materialist assumptions, and open conversations about eternal matters.
In evangelistic conversations with materialists or atheists, NDEs can serve as an entering wedge that challenges their worldview. When someone insists that consciousness is purely a product of brain chemistry, we can point to veridical NDEs where people accurately perceived events while their brains showed no activity. This doesn’t prove Christianity, but it opens the door to considering spiritual realities.
With New Age or spiritually-minded individuals, NDEs provide a shared vocabulary for discussing spiritual experiences. Many in these communities are deeply interested in NDEs and see them as validation of their spiritual beliefs. We can acknowledge the reality of these experiences while guiding the conversation toward biblical truth about who God is, why we need salvation, and how Christ provides it.
In pastoral care situations, appropriate NDE accounts can provide comfort and hope. When ministering to someone afraid of dying, sharing testimonies of believers who have had peaceful, Christ-centered NDEs can supplement biblical promises with contemporary testimonies. When counseling someone who has lost a Christian loved one, accounts of heavenly reunions can make the biblical promise of reunion more tangible.
In apologetic discussions, NDEs can be part of a cumulative case for the reasonableness of Christian faith. Combined with arguments from cosmology, morality, history, and personal transformation, NDEs add experiential evidence that consciousness is more than brain activity and that the spiritual realm is real. They don’t prove Christianity specifically, but they support a worldview compatible with Christian faith.
However, we must be careful not to overstate the apologetic value of NDEs. They are not proofs of Christianity, and they should never be presented as equal in authority to Scripture. They are best used as conversation starters, illustration enhancers, and worldview challengers rather than as foundations for faith.
The Danger of NDE Obsession
While NDEs can be valuable when properly understood, there’s a danger in becoming obsessed with them. Some people spend excessive time reading NDE accounts, watching NDE videos, and attending NDE conferences. They become more focused on these experiences than on Scripture, prayer, and Christian fellowship. This is a subtle but serious spiritual danger.
The fascination with NDEs can become a form of spiritual entertainment that distracts from genuine discipleship. Instead of doing the hard work of studying Scripture, dealing with sin, serving others, and sharing the Gospel, people can become passive consumers of exciting spiritual stories. It’s easier to read about someone else’s encounter with heaven than to pursue holiness in our own lives.
There’s also the danger of developing a theology based on NDEs rather than Scripture. When people start saying, “I know heaven is like this because I’ve read dozens of NDE accounts,” they’re building their understanding of eternal realities on shifting sand rather than on the solid rock of God’s Word. NDEs vary widely in their details and messages; Scripture is consistent and authoritative.
Furthermore, obsession with NDEs can lead to an unhealthy focus on death and the afterlife at the expense of living fully for Christ in this life. While it’s good to have an eternal perspective, God has placed us here for a purpose. We have work to do, people to serve, a Gospel to proclaim. Spending all our time thinking about the afterlife can make us so heavenly minded that we’re no earthly good.
The Apostle Paul provides a good model. Despite his profound experience of being caught up to the third heaven, he rarely mentioned it. He didn’t build his ministry around it or constantly reference it in his teaching. He mentioned it once, fourteen years after it happened, and only to make a point about weakness and grace. His focus remained on Christ crucified and risen, not on his personal mystical experience.
Children and NDEs
Some of the most touching and influential NDE accounts come from children. Books like “Heaven is for Real” have captivated millions with stories of young children who claim to have visited heaven during medical crises. These accounts are particularly powerful because children are seen as innocent and unlikely to fabricate such stories for attention or profit.
Child NDEs often include vivid, concrete details that appeal to our desire for specific information about heaven. They might describe the colors of heaven, the appearance of Jesus, the activities of angels, or meetings with deceased relatives they’ve never met. Parents find enormous comfort in these accounts, especially if they’ve lost children themselves.
However, we must approach child NDEs with particular care. Children are highly impressionable and can easily conflate things they’ve heard or seen with their own experiences. Their descriptions of heaven might be influenced by Sunday school lessons, picture books, or conversations they’ve overheard. Well-meaning adults might unintentionally shape their stories through leading questions or enthusiastic responses to certain details.
The case of Alex Malarkey, co-author of “The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven,” serves as a cautionary tale. Years after the book’s publication, Alex publicly stated that he had made up the entire story. He wrote, “I did not die. I did not go to Heaven. I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention.” This admission devastated many who had found hope in his story and highlighted the dangers of building faith on such accounts.
This doesn’t mean all child NDEs are fabricated, but it does underscore the need for careful discernment. We should never pressure children to share spiritual experiences or lead them with suggestive questions. If a child spontaneously shares an NDE, we should listen respectfully but avoid making it the center of attention or building theology on it.
Most importantly, we should teach children that their faith rests not on extraordinary experiences—their own or others’—but on the truth of God’s Word and the historical reality of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Whether or not they ever have a mystical experience, they can have complete confidence in Christ’s love for them and His promise of eternal life.
The Medical Community and NDEs
The medical community’s engagement with NDEs has evolved significantly over the past decades. What was once dismissed as hallucination or ignored entirely is now the subject of serious scientific research at major medical institutions. This shift has important implications for how we understand and discuss these experiences.
Researchers like Dr. Sam Parnia, Dr. Pim van Lommel, and Dr. Bruce Greyson have conducted rigorous studies on NDEs, publishing their findings in peer-reviewed medical journals. The AWARE study (AWAreness during REsuscitation), led by Dr. Parnia, represents one of the largest scientific investigations of NDEs, involving multiple hospitals and hundreds of cardiac arrest survivors.
These studies have established several important facts. First, NDEs occur in about 10-20% of cardiac arrest survivors, making them relatively common rather than rare anomalies. Second, the experiences show remarkable consistency across cultures, ages, and religious backgrounds. Third, many experiencers report enhanced mental clarity and perception during times when their brains should not be capable of any experience at all.
The medical evidence poses significant challenges to materialist explanations of consciousness. When patients with no detectable brain activity report detailed perceptions of their surroundings, conversations, and events occurring at a distance, it suggests that consciousness might not be entirely dependent on brain function. This has led some researchers to propose new models of consciousness that go beyond strict materialism.
However, the medical community remains divided on how to interpret NDEs. Many doctors and researchers maintain that these experiences must have a physiological explanation, even if we haven’t discovered it yet. They point to the release of endorphins, the effects of hypoxia (lack of oxygen), or unusual patterns of brain activity as potential explanations. Others argue that the evidence points toward consciousness existing independently of the brain.
As Christians, we can appreciate the medical research while maintaining that the ultimate significance of NDEs is spiritual rather than merely scientific. The fact that medical science is documenting these experiences lends credibility to the accounts and challenges the materialist worldview that often stands as a barrier to faith. But we don’t need medical validation to believe in the soul, the afterlife, or the resurrection of Christ. These truths stand on the authority of Scripture and the historical evidence for the resurrection.
Cultural Impact and the Hunger for Hope
The widespread fascination with NDEs reveals something profound about the human condition: we are hardwired for eternity. Despite living in an increasingly secular age, people remain deeply interested in what happens after death. The success of books, movies, and documentaries about NDEs demonstrates this enduring hunger for hope beyond the grave.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God “has set eternity in the human heart” (NIV). This explains why even committed atheists find themselves wondering about the afterlife, why children spontaneously ask about heaven, why every culture throughout history has developed beliefs about life after death. We instinctively know that we’re more than material beings, that death shouldn’t be the end of the story.
NDEs have brought discussions about the afterlife into mainstream culture in a way that traditional religious teaching often struggles to achieve. People who would never attend church or read the Bible find themselves captivated by NDE accounts. This creates opportunities for spiritual conversations that might not otherwise occur.
The popularity of NDEs also reveals the inadequacy of materialism to satisfy the human heart. Despite all the advances of science and technology, people remain unsatisfied with the idea that they’re nothing more than biological machines destined for annihilation. The materialist worldview offers no hope, no meaning, no purpose beyond this brief life. NDEs offer an alternative narrative—one of continuation, meaning, and hope.
However, the cultural fascination with NDEs also presents dangers. In our postmodern culture, personal experience is often valued over objective truth. People might say, “If someone experienced it, it must be true for them,” without considering whether the experience aligns with reality. This experiential relativism can lead people away from biblical truth toward a vague, feel-good spirituality that offers false comfort.
The challenge for Christians is to engage with the cultural interest in NDEs while directing people toward the more solid foundation of biblical truth and the resurrection of Christ. We can acknowledge the legitimacy of the questions NDEs raise while providing answers grounded in Scripture rather than subjective experience.
Final Warnings and Encouragements
As we near the end of our exploration, I want to offer some final warnings and encouragements about how to approach NDEs in light of our Christian faith.
First, a warning: Never let NDEs become more important to you than Scripture. God’s Word is our final authority, our sufficient guide for faith and practice. NDEs can illustrate and encourage, but they cannot replace or supplement biblical revelation. When there’s a conflict between an NDE account and clear biblical teaching, Scripture must always take precedence.
Second warning: Don’t base your assurance of salvation on NDEs—your own or others’. Your confidence should rest on the promises of God’s Word and the finished work of Christ on the cross. If you’ve repented of your sins and trusted in Christ for salvation, you have eternal life regardless of whether you ever have an NDE or what that experience might contain.
Third warning: Be cautious about sharing NDE accounts without proper context and discernment. Not every inspiring story should be repeated without verification. Not every heavenly vision should be accepted without biblical evaluation. We have a responsibility to handle truth carefully, especially when eternal matters are at stake.
Now for encouragements: First, be encouraged that God is still at work in our world, sometimes in surprising ways. While we must be discerning, we shouldn’t be so skeptical that we miss genuine works of God’s grace. He can use even imperfect experiences to draw people to Himself.
Second encouragement: Take comfort in the consistent testimony of those who have glimpsed beyond the veil and returned with reports of God’s overwhelming love, the reality of heaven, and the presence of Christ. While these experiences aren’t our foundation, they can strengthen our faith and reduce our fear of death.
Third encouragement: Use the cultural interest in NDEs as an opportunity for Gospel conversations. When someone brings up a book they’ve read or a documentary they’ve watched about NDEs, see it as an open door to discuss eternal matters and share the hope you have in Christ.
Final encouragement: Rest in the certainty of the resurrection. Whatever questions remain about NDEs, whatever debates continue about their nature and meaning, one thing is absolutely certain: Christ is risen. He has conquered death. He has prepared a place for His people. He will come again to raise the dead and make all things new. This is our hope, our confidence, our unshakeable foundation.
Conclusion: Eyes Fixed on Christ
We began this book with humanity’s universal questions about death and the afterlife. We’ve explored how NDEs offer tantalizing glimpses beyond the veil, challenging materialist assumptions and confirming many biblical truths about consciousness, the soul, and life after death. We’ve learned to exercise careful discernment, testing all experiences against the unchanging standard of God’s Word. We’ve heard testimonies that encourage faith and warnings that underscore the reality of judgment.
But as we conclude, I want to direct your attention away from NDEs themselves to the One to whom the best of them point: Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, the firstborn from among the dead, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. He alone is worthy of our ultimate trust. He alone can guarantee our eternal destiny. He alone has conquered death not temporarily but permanently, not partially but completely, not subjectively but objectively.
The writer of Hebrews gives us our marching orders: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2, NIV).
Notice the instruction: fix your eyes on Jesus. Not on experiences, no matter how powerful. Not on testimonies, no matter how encouraging. Not on phenomena, no matter how mysterious. But on Jesus Himself—the One who lived, died, rose, and reigns forever.
NDEs may offer glimpses of eternity, but Jesus offers eternity itself. NDEs may reduce fear of death, but Jesus removes the sting of death entirely. NDEs may suggest consciousness survives bodily death, but Jesus guarantees resurrection to eternal life. NDEs may describe encounters with divine love, but Jesus embodies that love and demonstrated it on the cross.
As you close this book and return to your daily life, you may encounter people who’ve had NDEs, read new accounts in books or online, or even have such an experience yourself. When you do, remember everything we’ve learned about discernment, about testing experiences against Scripture, about the supremacy of the resurrection. But most of all, remember to keep your eyes fixed on Christ.
For in the end, the most important question is not “What happens when we die?” but “What have we done with Jesus?” Have we recognized Him as Lord? Have we trusted Him as Savior? Have we followed Him as Master? Have we loved Him above all else? These are the questions that determine our eternal destiny, not whether we’ve had or believed in NDEs.
The Apostle John, who was given the most extensive vision of heaven recorded in Scripture, concludes his Gospel not by focusing on his visions but by pointing to Christ: “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31, NIV).
This is our purpose as well—not to promote NDEs but to point to Christ, not to base our hope on subjective experiences but on the objective reality of the resurrection, not to fear death but to embrace the life that Christ offers to all who believe in Him.
So I leave you with Paul’s triumphant declaration, the ultimate statement of Christian hope that transcends all experiences, all phenomena, all earthly circumstances:
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39, NIV).
This is our confidence. This is our hope. This is our unshakeable foundation. Not near-death experiences, as fascinating and encouraging as they may be, but Jesus Christ Himself—yesterday, today, and forever the same, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the Resurrection and the Life.
To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen.
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