Results 1 - 6 of 6
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Couple of things... | Heb 9:27 | laitecia | 93730 | ||
Hello, and greetings to you. I have also heard the "reports" that brain goes through these "hallucination" stages when 'near death'. But what about when the tests come back, that there was no life whatsoever? That brain was literally dead, and no sign of life in the body? How could the brain process anything when there is no brain activity, and why would it paint such pretty pictures? Why would it go to the extent to do that? And why do these people who are pronounced dead, come back to life and remember precisely what happened, in great detail? And have the feeling of complete "realness"? Alot of these stories I've read, HAVE changed their life for the better. People either A). change for the better, have a new found connection/relationship with God B). aren't sure what to make of their experience, they question themselves and their experience, and try to block it out and not deal with it. I've also read stories/testimonies on people who see demonic creatures, or not so pleasant images, darkness/blackness, lonliness. Like I said, if you go to http://www.near-death.com, you will read all the different experiences of people, not all are the same, but for some reason, the general concensus for most, is that they see this overpowering light that makes them feel at peace, a presence that overcomes them with emotion of love, sometimes un-worthiness. Some have told them (either an angel, relative, or God Himself) that it was not their time, or that they had a choice to go back to the physical world - but after being His presence have wanted to stay and never go back..because it was so Awesome. Most come back not because of choice, some come back because of family or someone needing them, or unfinished business. At any rate these stories are very interesting, and reading them helped me reconnect with God. They are powerful testimonies. I was in a car accident with my son last year (lost control on an icy bridge, went over the bridge, rolling the car about 20 times - 75 yrds down). At the time I didn't have a very close relationship with God, I even questioned if I believed the Bible or if Jesus actually lived. In the process of the accident, I cried out "Oh God!" - like I really needed him. At one point I was thinking "Oh my goodness, this could be it, this is how we could die." On the other hand, I felt a craddling feeling - everything blacked out. I felt at peace, I felt this AWESOME comfort and KNOWING that we would be ok. It was the most powerful yet gentle feeling I've ever experienced in my life. The car was totaled, but we were able to climb out, with no real injuries. Truly blessed. It didn't impact me until 7 months later when I decided to drive over the bridge again for the first time since the day of the accident. I was so scared (my mind was telling me to be scared), but as soon as I went over, I was at peace and even smiled (my soul feeling His presence). Since that day I realized, God is real, and if God is real, Jesus can exist, and thru that my life can be changed for the better. I started doing my research on near death experiences, then religions, and talking with people about their beliefs and viewpoints on spirituality, the bible, christianity etc. It lead me to the Bible. It lead me to God and Jesus. And that is the point I'm at today. I'm still learning, still exploring, still searching for answers and understanding, I guess. This forum is really helping me to open my eyes and get a better understanding. |
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2 | Couple of things... | Heb 9:27 | justme | 93750 | ||
No one can argue or challeenge your experience, as you were the one who has the memory. I would say that there is a fine line in explaining these near death experiences. These experiences are abused to allow physics to tell you that you can have contact with the dear dead relatives. Crossing Over is one TV program that such an anti Christ shows off his "special abilities". This is a dangerious trend in the United States now. The Bible tells us not to even talk with such. I honestly believe what Hebrews 9:27 says. After death comes judgement. So if anyone says I was dead, and have returned from death, I would say that's incorrect, for each of has one and only one earthly death. The person was revived! Death is very misunderstood and the word dead is a lasting physical state. The Bible says satan comes as an angel of light. Is there something here that rings a fimular report that many say, they saw a peaceful bright light at the end of some tunnel? May I suggest that satan can and does give a peaceful feeling when we do evil. Why else would so many turn to sexual acts outside of marriage? It feels so right, it felt so good, is what I heard a number of people say. If sin felt bad or wrong most people would not want to sin. The important way to judge if something is true is to either find Scripture that either validates or invaladates our experiences. All other methods of attempting to make near death experiences valid are not in keeping with Scriptural backing are a waste of time, when we can be in the Word and growing in Christ. I hope this helps. I am saying that God protected you, and yes spared you, to share with others Jesus saving Grace. Blessings. justme |
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3 | Angel of Light? | Heb 9:27 | laitecia | 96620 | ||
To comment on your statement: "The Bible says satan comes as an angel of light". Anyone familiar with NDEs knows the "Being of Light" gives an astonishing amount of goodness, holiness, love, joy, peace and such. Jesus made it very clear that a bad tree cannot bear good fruit, nor a good tree bear bad fruit. Some critics use the Bible verse below to discredit the "Being of Light." ".. Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14) Notice the verse states that Satan can only "masquerade" as an angel of light. The verse does not say he actually is an angel of light. It only refers to Satan’s ability to deceive people into believing he is an angel of light. But, we cannot be deceived if we use the test given by Jesus. Using this test we can ask: Is there good fruit involved with the Being of Light? If so, then it must be of God. Is there not good fruit involved? If not, then the Being of Light must be of Satan. It is obvious to anyone who is familiar with the Being of Light that the test actually confirms the Being of Light to be of God. In my NDE research, an experience of astonishing love from the Being of Light or NDEs in general, is the most common characteristic appearing in 50 NDEs. Since God is light, there is no light in darkness. Neither is there darkness in light. Satan is no angel of light. The Being of Light has a tremendous amount of light. Light can come only from God. Satan is neither an angel of light nor an angel of love. There are very serious consequences of attributing things of God to Satan. When Jesus was accused of performing miracles by the power of Satan and before he gave the test, he said, "And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." (Matt. 12:31-32) Jesus makes very clear the grave consequences of attributing to Satan the works of the Holy Spirit. Like the professor, many critics are quick to declare that the Beings of Light in NDEs are Satanic. They probably don't realize that they may be dangerously close to blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Jesus said such behavior is a sin that cannot be forgiven. I understand that people think it's okay to have sex outside of marriage - fornication, little white lies, to cheat and justify it etc. and yes that is the work of the devil, but..how can we say someones experience in a truly peaceful atmosphere in the gates of heaven are of satan? These people are not committing crimes or sinning, these happen to be real experiences felt by people, of which they cannot control. |
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4 | Angel of Light? | Heb 9:27 | Makarios | 96687 | ||
"Who is the "being of light" often encountered in so-called near-death experiences? Is it Jesus Christ?" "It has been claimed by numerous (not all) individuals who have had near-death experiences that the being of light they encountered was none other than Jesus Christ. As appealing as the idea may initially sound, this identification (at least in most cases) seems to be flawed in view of the fact that the so-called being of light typically says and does things contrary to the Christ of the Bible. Since Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), it would be impossible that these are one and the same Jesus. I believe that many of the individuals who go through near-death experiences actually encounter a counterfeit Christ. "The "Jesus" (being of light) typically encountered in near-death experiences teaches such things as: * Death is good and is not to be feared. * Sin is not a problem. In fact, "Jesus" often responds to human sin and shortcomings with humor. * There is no hell to worry about. * All people are welcome in heaven, regardless of whether one has placed faith in Christ. * All religions are equally valid. "In view of the fact that these ideas clearly go against what the biblical Jesus taught, I think we have good reason to conclude that this "Jesus" is in fact a lying spirit (see John 8:44). We must remember that Satan has the ability to appear as an "angel of light" and as a "servant of righteousness" (2 Cor. 11:14,15). His goal, of course, is to lead people astray. He is happy to mimic a being of light if the end result is that he can lead people away from the true Christ of Scripture." [Taken from "The Complete Book of Bible Answers" by Ron Rhodes, 1997, Harvest House Publishers, pg. 249] |
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5 | Angel of Light? | Heb 9:27 | laitecia | 96712 | ||
You said:"It has been claimed by numerous (not all) individuals who have had near-death experiences that the being of light they encountered was none other than Jesus Christ. As appealing as the idea may initially sound, this identification (at least in most cases) seems to be flawed in view of the fact that the so-called being of light typically says and does things contrary to the Christ of the Bible. Since Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), it would be impossible that these are one and the same Jesus. I believe that many of the individuals who go through near-death experiences actually encounter a counterfeit Christ. Response:The Being of Light in NDEs cannot be counterfeit because this being passes the test given by Jesus. It is the test to determine whether the spirit is of God or not. "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are of God ..." (1 John 4:1) Jesus himself gives us the test. According to the gospels, Jesus was accused by the religious leaders of performing his miracles by the power of Satan. This is the same accusation the professor brings against the Being of Light in NDEs. This accusation is made even though both Jesus and the Being of Light bears incredible love, joy, peace, and all the fruits of the Holy Spirit. You said:"The "Jesus" (being of light) typically encountered in near-death experiences teaches such things as: * Death is good and is not to be feared. * There is no hell to worry about. * All religions are equally valid. Response: This is not true. NDEs generally show that if a person is not prepared for death, their experience after death is not very good and should be greatly feared. A case in point is Rev. Howard Storm and his NDE. Howard lived the life of an atheist and treated people very badly. He was not prepared for death when he died because he ends up in hell when he does. The result of death is that some people do go to hell. Hellish NDEs make up a large number of reported NDEs. It is false to claim the Beings of Light teach the idea that death is good and should not be feared. In fact, some NDEs prove otherwise. Argument: The Being of Light identified as Jesus in NDEs teach that all people are welcome to heaven, regardless of whether or not they are a Christian. Rebuttal: This is not true. Many NDEs show that some people do go to hell. Although it is God’s will for everyone to go to heaven (1 Timothy 2:3-4 and 2 Peter 3:9) many people do not. NDEs in general show that faith in Christ alone does not guarantee anyone a ticket to heaven. This is supported by scripture also: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matt. 7:21-23) Argument: The Being of Light identified as Jesus in NDEs teach that all religions are valid. Rebuttal: This is not true. The Jesus in NDEs states that God does not care about a person's religion - only the condition of their heart. Many NDEs show that a person’s religious beliefs (or lack thereof) can make the difference in how they perceive their spiritual condition in the spirit realm. All religions have some truth in them which certain people need. But the Jesus of the NDE does not teach that all religions are valid, he teaches that religions are outward doctrines that can lead people within to "true religion" (the spirit of unconditional love). Argument: In view of the fact that these ideas go against what the Jesus of the Bible taught, we have reason to conclude that the Jesus appearing in NDEs is in fact a lying spirit. Rebuttal: This is not true. The Jesus appearing in many NDEs does not go against what the Bible teaches. Such experiences may go against the professor’s narrow interpretation of what Jesus said, but they do not go against what Jesus said. The professor has not tested the spirits properly. He is making the same mistake of the Pharisees by testing the spirits using your own narrow interpretation of scripture. The correct test is to judge by their fruit. If no fruit of the Holy Spirit is present, then it is safe to assume it is not of God. Jesus bore much fruit of the Holy Spirit yet was condemned by the religious leaders because he did not fit into their interpretation of scripture. Had they properly tested the spirits and judged Jesus on the basis of his fruit, he probably would not have been crucified. In the same way, if the professor would test the Jesus appearing in NDEs based on his fruit, he would not be accusing him of being a lying spirit. |
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6 | Angel of Light? | Heb 9:27 | Makarios | 96743 | ||
Greetings Laitecia, I disagree with your rebuttals regarding the "light" that is claimed to be seen in near-death experiences. However, unless you have actually been through one of these types of experiences, then you do not exactly have a frame of reference to draw from. And if you have, then you will have an even tougher time convincing others of any supposed 'conclusion' since you will be working only from experience. To delve into this topic too much deeper is to invite a level of speculation into the subject of death that is entirely not healthy for a so called "StudyBibleForum." And I do believe that the topic of near-death experiences or the study thereof is widely based on speculation and not fact (not to mention any "biblical" fact). Blessings to you, Makarios |
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