How many times have you heard someone claim they died and got a glimpse of heaven? Recently a co-worker told me the Pastor of her sister’s church preached a sermon on heaven. In his sermon, he mentioned a little boy who’d died and entered heaven {the child was revived by doctors}. While in heaven, he saw his grandpa who he’d never met. The mother of the child showed the little boy a picture of his grandpa, and he said that wasn’t him. So she proceeded to show him another picture, one of his grandpa when he was younger, and he said that was him. I didn’t say much as I listened, but all the while I knew what she thought was true was anything but. Stories like this are told everywhere, those who do not understand what the Bible actually teaches about death and heaven swallow this as truth.
Several days later as I recalled this again, I went to 2nd Corinthians 12 and Paul’s being caught up to the third heaven. The one thing I notice about Paul’s truthful account, he makes no mention of any family members being there. Not that they weren’t there, but the emphasis is not on deceased loved ones, it is on the unspeakable words Paul heard; this inexpressible language left him with the understanding that what he heard is not lawful for a man to utter. Another thing I noticed is that Paul refuses to boast that he went there personally, he refers to himself as a man he knew in Christ; boasting is sinful.
John MacArthur says this about heaven, based on Ezekiel 1:26-28 – “Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. Then I noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His lions and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face.”
That is Ezekiel’s description of God’s throne in heaven. We can’t fully understand all he described, and neither did he. But under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he attempted to describe what he saw: blazing light reflected off polished jewels and colored wheels of light mingled with angelic beings (the “living beings”). Around the throne of the eternal, glorious God, he saw a flashing, sparkling, spinning rainbow of brilliance. In referring to the faces of the angelic creatures some say the lion refers to majesty and power, the man to intelligence and will, the ox to patient service, and the eagle to swift judgment. Although it’s hard to interpret the specifics, we can say this is describing the sovereignty, majesty, and glory of God and the incredible beauty, symmetry, and perfection of His heaven. The wheels that moved in concert, the flashing lightning, the sparkling jewels, and the brilliant light all picture God’s glory. Ezekiel gave us a picture of heaven, but it’s beyond our ability to fathom.’ – John MacArthur, from his sermon entitled ‘Where heaven is and what it is like’
In Ezekiel’s breathtaking description, the emphasis is on the throne and the One who sits on the throne, not deceased loved ones. When Ezekiel saw the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord, it caused him to fall on his face.
In Revelation 1:13-17, we see John’s vision of the Lord, ‘and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded bout the chest with a golden band. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead”. All of these men had a supernatural vision, God had granted them a look into things most will never know. The response by these men to their God-empowered visions is one you never hear those who claim to have died, gone to heaven and come back say … ‘I fell on my face’. What John, the Apostle Paul and Ezekiel saw and heard was indescribable; leaving them awestruck, causing them to fall down, to go limp, as if dead. What they saw took their breath away and produced a state of lifelessness because what their eyes were taking in was beyond human ability to describe.
Many of these so-called trips to heaven and back almost always include going into the light, looking down over their earthly body, hearing a voice telling them it isn’t time, to go back, etc. Again, none of this is biblical. If someone dies {take note, the biblical accounts of heaven were visions and the ones who’d had the visions were alive}, they will not be coming back. The Bible teaches when a person dies, they either go to be with the Lord, or they go to outer darkness/hell to await final judgment.
Upon death, the soul separates from the body, it does not tarry hovering over the body. The believer in Christ is ushered in before the Lord {Philippians 1:23; 2nd Corinthians 5:8}. The unbeliever enters into hell {Luke 16:22-23; Matthew 8:12; Matthew 22:13; Matthew 25:30}. Those who claim to have died and come back to life never really died; their heart may have stopped briefly, or they may have stopped breathing momentarily; but they were not legally dead. Their souls never separated from their earthly bodies; they still had brain activity. They may very well have been resuscitated, but that does not mean they were dead. To be dead is to be without life; no heartbeat, no breathing, no brain activity, no movement. One may indeed have a temporary stoppage of breathing, or a heart that stops briefly, but that does not classify you as legally dead. The better terminology for this would be ‘my heart stopped temporarily’, or ‘I stopped breathing for a short time’; not ‘I died on the operating table three times’. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die (depart, to be dead, separation, departure}, but after this the judgment” – Hebrews 9:27. Death is permanent and final.
How do we explain the stories about near death experiences? The story I was told concerned a child and an angel carrying him to his grandpa; I recall in God’s word the fact that we are all born sinners, radically depraved. This child is just as prone to demonic visions/activity and/or drug induced hallucinating visions as any adult. My suggestion is the so-called trips to heaven and back are either demonic, drug-induced, or the person claiming to have died and gone to heaven is very imaginative; I know they are not of God because His word speaks otherwise.
Its so refreshing to come here and gain true biblical knowlage!
Demons are out there, my mother in law claims her dead relatives hang around her house and do things like turn off the lights if she leaves them on or make the house smell like flowers. Me and my wife both know that these are demons just lying to her so that she won’t see the truth of the Lord. Her parents did not believe in the Word and the way I see it, these things happen to her because if the evil one can convince her that her parents are ok without the Word then she dosnt have to worry either. I have such a hard time holding my self back from just telling her ” those are lies from the enemy” what do you think brothers, any advice for a younger brother in Jesus?
I was wondering, have you read Heaven is for Real? If so, do you think Colton’s visit to heaven was imaginary or drug-induced? In the book, Colton tells his parents of meeting his unborn sibling whom his mother had miscarried. Neither of them had told Colton about the miscarriage. How would he know that then?
Just think, all this time I thought Jesse Duplantis really went to heaven.
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Just kidding.
Beth,
We must compare everything to scripture, that is the basis for truth. Demonic activity is alive and well in our day, this is what makes seances and fortune tellers so popular.
I have not read this book, but from what you have stated, I’d have to say this visit is not biblical. I have given biblical truh on this in this post, I do not believe in the modern day dying and coming back to life because it is not taught in Scripture.
Hi unworthy1,
I was just curious if you consider yourself cessationist? I totally agree with your assessment that everything must be compared to Scripture, but in Scripture we see many accounts of people being raised from the dead. I think it’s wise to question many of the modern near-death experiences, but I also believe we shouldn’t “throw the baby out with the bath water,” so to speak. Peter, through the power of the Holy Spirit, raised Dorcas from the dead, Paul did the same for the boy Eutychus, and I’ve heard stories of modern-day Christians doing the same. Scripture does not record what Dorcas, Eutychus, Lazarus, and others who died and came back to life experienced while they were dead. There is much Scripture says about heaven and hell, but also much it does NOT say; so while I totally agree with having Biblical discernment, I also believe we shouldn’t be dogmatic about issues Scripture has not revealed to us.
Just my two cents.
You must consider the reason why these were raised from the dead: also, there is no biblical record of Dorcas or anyone going into the light, hearing a voice, etc. The focus was not on their death, it was on the power of God thru Christ…all for His glory. On all the accounts you mentioned, none come close to the garbage passed off today as going to heaven and back. There was no mention of what Dorcas experienced while dead, or Lazarus. They were raised for His glory.
For instance, the purpose of God raising Dorcas is found in Acts 9:42. The purpose of Christ raising Lazarus is found in John 11:4, 14, 42, 45. Lazarus had been dead four days, not minutes like many claim today. Also, many today claim they were revived by Doctors, how does this compare to God’s supernatural power? You have to wonder, how is God glorified if someone claims to have died momentarily, seen Grandpa Joe or cousin Lou, and comes back to life to tell about it? Where is Scripture to back this nonsense?
There simply is no power of God in these fabricated stories, no miraculous raising of the dead, no sinners coming to Christ as a result of such stories. These stories produce the warm fuzzies but lack Scriptural backing.
@unworthy 1 have you read Heaven is for Real? I think someone else asked this question as well. In the book a boy who is only around 2 or 3 (i think) visits heaven but not only that he actually SEES things going on outside the operating room. Like: Seeing his mom and dad praying for him and his mom crying while on the phone. I’m reading it myself and I just wanna know your thoughts.
Oops! I didn’t realize you had already answered that question! My bad! (I really need to remember to not write things late at night) I was sleepy and therefore right after reading your response it just left my mind. Oh man God must have one big sense of humor if he can put up with stupid people like me. God is good, All the time. (Have mercy on me oh Lord before I make a fool of myself!)
I would agree with unworthy1, it seems people that “visit” heaven have nothing to say about the glory or worship of God (the purpose of our exsistance) but rather some sort of personal visit to a relative or some personal tour that completly negates what John saw of heaven (he saw the worship of God)
Imaskillet,
As a follower of Christ, I adhere to Scripture alone as my sole source of authority and truth. I find none of these incidents in Scripture; again, I believe seeing people or things like you mentioned this little boy saw are a result of drugs or demonic in nature. People seem to be so quick to want to experience the emotional aspect of ‘religion’, or they want evidence/proof there is a heaven. All this is hype, God has revealed all we need to know about Him and heaven in His word, to go beyond that is sin because one then adds to or takes away from what the Bible actually teaches.
Thank you for your comment.
unworthy1 Thanks for replying! I myself am skeptical about visiting heaven and back. But according to what the back of the book the boy not only saw things like died relatives and stuff but actually sees stuff in heaven that matches scripture. And he actually saw angels worshiping God as well, but I am still skeptical, and until I read the book fully will I be able to make a full discernment of whether or not the boy actually visited heaven. But please note the boy was never reported dead but did nearly died and was unconscious during his surgery. But even if he didn’t really see heaven how would you explain the boy being able to look down and see his parents doing stuff outside of the operating that they never told him about? Thanks for taking time to read! It means a lot!
Hi imaskilletfan,
If you can find scripture to back this out of body experience, you have my full attention. I look forward to your response.
In Christ,
Lyn
Ima Skillet fan:
First, books are published to make money. (unfortunately, “Christian” book sellers prey on gullible souls to by the wares) Second, how does a 2-3 year old who can barely speak or understand English communicate such a staggering event unless he is prompted. And third, you state that “the boy was never reported dead”! Wasn’t this the premise on which this entire thread was started?
God bless you
What do you all think of Gary Habermas and J.P. Moreland’s Beyond Death and Michael Sabom’s Light and Death? In a video on the subject, Dr. Habermas notes that a friend converted from atheism to Christianity after a near-death experience and I believe that Dr Sabom became a Christian as a result of his patients’ near-death experiences. I’m wondering how people would address those who recount being in hell for their sin in their near-death experience, and after they were “revived” repented and put their faith in Jesus.
People may have horrific visions based upon what they have heard or perceive to be hell and perhaps God will allow those terrifying visions to draw a sinner to Christ. To envision hell as a terrifying place certainly is biblical, unlike the stories of going to heaven which this post originally addressed.
In Job 33:14-18, Elihu implies that God speaks to men in a dream, in visions; terrifying and warning them to turn them from sin.
Those who believe in these near death experiences might consider reading this
Well, I am afraid that I don’t think you are correct. My best friend Lonnie Honeycutt died and went to Heaven. Praise God that Lonnie did not just imagine it. I am not sure of one like Paul was caught up to the 3rd heaven or Ezekiel or John being caught up and not being dead, although if God used people back then, I am sure He is able to use people now, but I am for sure that Lonnie has passed and was brought back. He was clinically dead over an hour. His story relates very closely (infact Lonnie had wept when he read Don Piper’s book 90 minutes in Heaven) because it was like a confirmation that what he saw was indeed our eternal inheritance. Whether you believe it or not, it’s not what we should declare our faith in…. But God the Father has given His only begotten Son that whomever believes in HIm shall not perish, but have everlasting life. That is what you must believe. Glory to God we shall see His kingdom and be with Him forever.
shane,
can you provide scripture that verifies people can die, go to heaven and come back?
Could it be our subconscience kicking in while we are unconscious?
Another thing to consider is the definition of dead, if you have brain activity, you are not dead. To die is to have no heartbeat, no brain activity, no breath in your lungs. The soul departs from the body upon death and does not return, I have not found one biblical example to show otherwise.
All our lives we have heard stories about Jesus and heaven, I think this is where the ‘visits’ stem from, the subconscience, not an actual transporting of the soul into God’s kingdom.
I have yet to read in God’s word where a person dies, the soul leaves the body, goes to heaven, then comes back into the body and the soul and body come back to life.
May I add this, ‘Heb_9:27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment’ According to God’s word, how many times do men die?
In my high school years when we still had fones with cords at home, there was a bad thunderstorm while I was on the fone and I was hit indirectly and it knocked my life out of me. I was NOT saved and yet I felt this peace and my whole life flashed in front of me. I felt like I was going to go to heaven for those few seconds. I wanted to stay dead but I came to obviously. This is NOT an indicator that a person is going to heaven. Yet many people will believe after such experiences they are going to heaven. Whatever it is and it could be from Satan, it is a false sense of peace and a false sense of thinking you’re going to heaven. Many people can have that kind of experience as I did and they think they are saved and that they experienced heaven. Satan is an angel of light also. I’m here to tell anyone that God’s word says we must REPENT and place our faith in Jesus according to God’s word that faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of God.
If I had died even though I “experienced” whatever I experienced that was so tranquil, idyllic and beautiful I would have gone to hell because I was not saved yet. I was not born again until I was 33 years old and that was some18 years later
Unworthy is correct—The Bible says it is appointed unto man ONCE to die and then the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). So how is it some of these people die not just 1ce but 2 and 3 times and go to heaven and come back?
I understand your view. He was brain dead. You can see his story on youtube. Just look for Lonnie Honeycutt. Pretty interesting. The most amazing thing about this circumstance is that he had seen his wife’s mother whom he never met and she had said something he would of never known and when he told his wife, she about passed out. So, in a state of mental hallucinations, not unless they can they can tell history he never knew. It is real. He is a great guy. One day we shall know everything. Why he was allowed to come back. His book is called Death, Heaven and back. I understand it is appointed man to die once. I don’t know why some people die and come back. Don Piper was dead for 90 minutes. When your brain does not get oxygen it dies. And especially you never are the same person again. Any way, it doesn’t matter whether you believe me or not, but just thought you might know of someone that has. Any way, God bless and take care…..Also, you might of over looked the story of Lazurus that Jesus raised from the dead. He was already in the tomb.
Shane said- “The most amazing thing about this circumstance is that he had seen his wife’s mother whom he never met and she had said something he would of never known and when he told his wife, she about passed out.”
Excuse me for popping your pathos bubble here. but Satan and demons know things and impersonate people. Demons know all kinds of things about us and can tell others about a loved one that person has no knowledge of or has never met. That person can then say things to people who are related to that person that they would be astonished about because there’s no way they could have known. this can happen and DOES happen often with people who have “died” and “gone to heaven”.
Again this in no way substantiates that this or any of it is from God. It might be but we cannot automatically be so credulous to ignore the supernatural realm and what deception and power demons and satan can use on people with “experiences” and just (assume)it’s from God.
We are to TEST all things by the word of God..
God’s word says is not biblical. If he met someone it was a demon impersonating his mother”.
The Bible clearly forbids any contact with the dead -Deu 18:10-12 “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or {{{who consults the dead.}}} Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD,,,,” -emphasis mine
There is also a great chasm between those of us who are alive on this earth and those of us who have died. The story of the Rich man and Lazarus by Jesus tells us this:
Luk 16:22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.23In hell, [fn] where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,”Luk 16:26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’-and this is between heaven and hell here.
Also, Jesus made a great truth when he said, –”Mat 22:32′I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ [fn]? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”
Christians don’t rely on stories because they are “experiences”-subjective based on anecdotal evidence(unreliable) that have no objective truth tied to them. We have to rely on the Word of GOD.
Scripture is perspicuous in that all these people who are writing books on their experiences of Dying and going to heaven” –(even if it were true) — they according to God’s word are NOT “permitted to tell”. They are whether unwittingly or overtly in defiance of what God’s word says we are not to do. God used Paul to write almost 1/3 of the New Testament. Paul with all his clout was told by GOD himself -2Cr 12:3 “And I know that this man–whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows–4was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things {{{that man is not permitted to tell.”}}}<<If GOD said Paul was not "permitted to tell" even if the experiences ARE true, then how much MORE are we not permitted to tell.
Also,Has it even occurred one time that most of these people are in it for money who DO write books?
If near death or death experiences are our benchmark, then how are you to know it's from God or not? Jesus said at the end of the Story with Lazarus when he wanted to warn his family of how real hell is–" "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'we have the Prophets 30"'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' 31"He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"
If Jesus' resurrection from the dead is not enough to convince people to REPENT, then all these stories of people's "experiences" will never do anything good for people when it comes to leading them to REPENTANCE because of the RESURRECTION of Jesus Christ from the Dead- 2 Peter 1:19
These last days are days of great deception. There will be people doing miracles in Jesus name and (still go to hell) because they were practicing lawlessness~ near death or dying and coming back to life are (miracles) that we need to pay much less attention to and go to the greatest miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ~
-,,,,,," and in Your name perform {{many miracles}}’ —Matthew 7:22, 23"And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’”
Shane,
The story of Lazarus was given to show God’s power and glory as Jesus stated in John 11, ‘ “This sickness is not to end in death, but for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified
by it.” That is nothing like we read today, people being resuscitated by doctors. Lazarus lie in the tomb for days before Christ raised him, not minutes or an hour, but days – ‘Jesus *said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Lazarus was truly dead and was raised by Christ himself.
We have marvelous advances in medicine, however, that can lead to confusion. For instance, if someone is unable to breathe on their own and are brain dead, they can be put on life support until a decision is made to ‘pull the plug’. Is such a person really alive in there is no brain activity and they are being kept alive by a machine? That is a debate that could go on forever…
As for being declared ‘legally dead’ and brought back to life, I will stick with what God’s word says, man dies one time. Linda’s story is an excellent example of my point. I also would include stories about those who die and claim to have went to hell, we all have heard of heaven, hell, Jesus, so on and and so forth. So it is no surprise that being in a subconscious state we would have these delusions.
You also state your friend met his wife’s mother and repeated something he could not have known; I believe demons can mock what we say to others, which is why seances are so popular among those that want to hear from departed loved ones. The biblical account of a vision of glory is what we need to adhere to…’And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead’. Nowhere does John, or any biblical account speak of seeing a relative in heaven. Why? Because it isn’t about loved ones, Christ is the one who fills heaven, not our deceased loved ones. Seeing Him causes one to fall down and be in a dead like state, and yet, no one who has ‘died’ and come back can specifically describe what we find in God’s word concerning such a vision. It’s always about angels, deceased loved ones, or hearing ‘a voice’, there is no description like John gave that caused him to ‘fall at His feet as though dead’. There is no reverence, no awe, no holy fear; just stories that give the warm fuzzies.
Lastly, nowhere do we find a biblical account of anyone dying and coming back to life and speaking things we hear of today. Again, the account of Lazarus was indeed a miracle and a marvelous display of the power and authority of God the Son as He raised him from the dead. I recall a pastor once saying the reason Christ said ‘Lazarus, come forth’ was that if He hadn’t specifically named him, all who were dead would have come out of their tombs.
The boy was 4 and his father a pastor. I have two kids and kids actually listen more than you think. A 4 year old who has been listening to a pastor all his life can know a lot. Who knows what photo albums they looked in or conversations they overhead.
simple answer for all this ,when we die we sleep,many verses jesus states death is sleep , when lazerus died jesus told mary he was asleep then she said i know he will be risen on the last day ,then when it was said to jesus,…. if he is slepping then he will do good jjesus said NO HE IS DEAD!!! plain and simple mary knew what happens when we die ,we sleep until the last day ,the deciples misunderstood what jesus meant when he said lazerus sleeps ,its all there plain and simple ,other verses also show death as sleeping ,when we die we give up the ghost ,god created us from dust and put his breath in us and we live ,when we die he takes that breath back and we return to the dust and we dont live again until the last day …..there is verses that state when you die you have no cancience ,no memory ,you cant praise god ,and the the living know that they are alive but the dead KNOW NOT NOTHING!! its so clear yet the l devil goes on succesfully decieving people , when you die you sleep and on THE LAST DAY you will be risen
Do not overlook this verse from Phil. 1:23, “I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” Or this from 2 Cor. 5:8, ‘Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”
As well as this from our Lord Himself found in Luke 16, “The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side.” The body goes into the ground, the soul goes into the presence of Christ, according to Scripture.
Lori,
I wanted to share this link with you, please, prayerfully consider reading this and ask our Lord to give you clarity – http://www.pbministries.org/Theology/Davis%20Huckabee/Misc/inetermediate-state.htm
Blessings to you
Lyn