God Loves Like a Mother

 A young Christian woman was going for a walk when she felt a strong prompting from God. She must walk over to a crazy looking, possibly dangerous young man. She must tell him that Jesus loves him.

 She ignored the prompting and walked on, but she could not shake off the conviction that God wanted her to speak to this wild looking man. 

She finally obeyed. When she told him that Jesus loves him, he was overwhelmed with emotion and hugged her warmly. She was more than uncomfortable, but she didn't resist. Then he told her he had come to this place to kill himself, but now he had changed his mind. She had saved his life.

She then sat down with him and explained the Gospel of Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God and he died on the cross to pay the penalty for his sins. If he put his faith in Jesus, and put his whole life in God’s hands, he would be forgiven and have eternal life with God.

He believed and he had a whole new life.

Years later the young woman died of COVID. When she was in heaven, Jesus showed her a crowd of people who had believed and gone to heaven because of the ministry of the young man she had talked to. He had become an evangelist and many people were in heaven because of his preaching. 

Although the woman was happily married, she did not want to leave heaven and go back to her life on earth. But then Jesus reminded her of her 15 year old daughter. Jesus sent her back to earth and healed her. 

She was willing to leave heaven because her daughter needed a mother’s love.

Jesus was in Heaven with the Father, but he was willing to leave the happiness of heaven because you and I needed to know the love of God.

There is no greater earthly love than the love of a mother for her child. This is a picture of how God loves you and me.

God tells us about this in the Bible.

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” 
Can a woman forget her nursing child or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these might forget, yet I will not forget you. 
See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. Is 49:14–16 NRSVue

In the Old Testament, God told the Jews he loved them with the love of a mother. In the New Testament, we see that God loves the world with the same intense love. That includes you and me.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NRSVue

Recently I read news report of a mother whose house was on fire. She rushed into the blazing inferno and rescued her six children. She was terribly burned on most of her body. She was in a coma for two weeks but she survived.

This is how God loves you and me. Jesus not only left heaven to suffer on earth, but he suffered the most painful possible execution to pay the penalty for our sins.
Jesus is reaching out to you and me now. He wants to give you a new life.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Mt 11:28 NRSVue

You can talk to Jesus now. He is waiting for your call for help.

God Speaks in Near Death Experiences

 There is a lot of rubbish on social media and You Tube. So many fakes! But God also speaks in dark and confusing places. 

Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? 
At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; 
beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance, she cries aloud: 
“To you, O people, I call out; I raise my voice to all mankind. Pr 8:1–4 NIV

God sends his messengers to speak in churches, in prisons, in schools, in businesses,  in hospitals and in social media. 

God speaks through evangelists, doctors, nurses and teachers. 

Some evangelists speak to crowds with microphones. Others pray for strangers in city streets. God sent a prominent German evangelist to visit a brothel to rescue a victim of human trafficking.

Jesus visits brothels, temples and mosques. So many Muslims report seeing Jesus in dreams. There are even reports of men seeing Jesus in a vision in mosques. Many Muslims have become Christians through dreams and visions. 

I love You Tube. The is so much evil there, so many fakes, so much confusion. But … 

... where sin increased, grace increased all the more, Rom 5:20 NIV

In recent decades there has been a dramatic increase in reports of people who have been near death or clinically dead and they have reported supernatural experiences. Many report seeing Jesus. Many describe heaven or hell.

Many Christians believe we are in the last days before Jesus returns. Would not a loving God want to warn people about eternal realities? Wouldn’t God want to reach atheists, criminals, drug addicts and prostitutes before it is too late for them?

Another reason for the increase in these reports is the rapid advances in medical science, which has increased the number of people who have been revived after hear attacks.

So many Christians restrict themselves to Christian gatherings and activities, but Jesus was not like that and he is not like that today.

I have read a dozen books about Near Death Experiences and I love watching interviews and testimonies on You Tube. Please consider watching interviews with Randy Kay and John Burke. 

Randy Kay himself left his body when his heart stopped for 30 minutes. He reports an encounter with Jesus before he returned to his body. In his You Tube channel, he interviews many people who have had similar experiences. Some have been clinically dead for much longer. Some have visited Heaven.

https://www.youtube.com/@RandyKayMinistries/videos

John Burke was a sceptical agnostic before he researched Near Death Experiences. He has interviewed more than a thousand people about their experiences outside their body, including visits to Heaven and seeing Hell. He has written books about these testimonies and shown how they confirm Bible teachings.

You can follow this link to John Burke's podcast where he interviews people who report Near Death Experiences. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YfKmJYfHyI&list=PLllPdD1Oj_72pGRk-sUy4VkA33-vQPdIu 

Some Christians prefer not to look into these things. They may prefer a more intellectual approach. They may want to stick to more familiar, traditional bible teaching. But the Bible encourages us to look into heavenly things.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Col 3:1–2 NIV

Even Old People Need a Father. God is our Father.

 It is said that elderly people can become like children, weak, dependant and in need of support. I am nearly 76. My mother died at that age, but I am still mentally and physically active, and I expect to live past 80 at least.

When I turned 70, I started to think about the limited time I have left in this life. It didn’t frighten me. 

I had been reading a lot about near death experiences, in which people were clinically dead, talked to Jesus or even visited heaven. I am looking forward to the next life. Every year is a year closer to a much better life that never ends.

I am looking forward to seeing my parents and other believing friends and loved ones. I am looking forward to pursuing my passion for music and art.

It is wonderful not to have to go to work. I don’t have to comply with stupid bureaucratic procedures that contributed nothing to the effectiveness of my work. I don’t have to deal with fastidious managers and stressful deadlines. I don’t have to get up at 6 in the morning, deal with peak hour traffic, and keep working in the afternoon when I am getting tired.

 Some things are better, but some things are distressing.

I miss the social stimulation of working with students and colleagues. In the last few years I have also lost some dear friends. People get sick. People die. Even if they are believers and went to heaven, I miss their friendship.

Recently I was praying. I felt that I was still a young person in an ageing body. I no longer had parents to love me, although I was happy that they are in heaven. I felt like I needed a father. Although I am devoted to God, the fatherhood of God is something I have never fully emotionally connected to.

I lay in bed and repeated over and over.

“I need a father. God, you are my father.” Even though this was not an overwhelming feeling, it was a reaching out to my real heavenly Father. We all need a father, no matter how old we are.

A couple of days later, I was reading the psalms. I came across a familiar promise of God, and it was an answer from heaven to my prayer.

Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Ps 27:10 NIV

This verse took on a new meaning for me. I know Christians whose parents abused or deserted them, but that was not my experience. My parents cared for me long after they reached old age. They never abandoned me.

I did not grieve when they died, because both of them became believers on their death beds. I was relieved and happy they were safe in heaven.

But now I realise I need a father. And God spoke to me through psalm 27. God is my Father and he will never let me down.

A Brutal Alcoholic Saved by a Lamb

 When another customer blocked the entrance to the shop, Kheylam struck out with his fists. His opponent fell back, but then he went berserk. He attacked Kheylam savagely with a broken bottle.

Wild fights like this were normal for Kheylam, but this time it seemed to be the end of the line. His enraged enemy tore the artery in his arm.

As he was travelling to the hospital in an ambulance, he heard the voice of a nurse.

‘Kheylam. You need Jesus Christ now.’
But Kheylam had no desire for God.

Shortly afterwards, he was in a horrible place. When he looked down, he saw countless people being tortured in the flames of hell.

He recognised some deceased acquaintances. He was gripped with panic. There was no hope here. He realised that he was a very bad person. He deserved this fate.

He screamed desperately for help.
Then he woke up in hospital.

He was clinically dead for 26 minutes and was shocked six times with the defibrillator.
After a long battle, the doctors at the hospital managed to revive him.

Nevertheless, he could find no joy in his new life. Every minute was agony. He could think of nothing but hell. He knew that this was his fate.

Instead of changing his way of life, he tried to numb himself with drugs and alcohol, but he couldn't get the agony of hell out of his mind.

From an early age, he was brutally bullied by his alcoholic father. He was only familiar with cruelty.

When he was in hell, he looked back on his miserable life and could find neither love nor joy, only misery.

But perhaps he had forgotten something. Maybe it was too traumatic to think about.
A kind neighbour had given him a baby lamb. The lamb was his only comfort, his only friend. The lamb loved him and he loved his lamb.

At the age of ten, he came home from school looking for his lamb. His drunken father had angrily slaughtered his lamb.

Then the light went out in Kheylam's life.

At the age of twelve, he could no longer bear the bullying at home. He ran away from home, but his life didn't get any better. His many years in boarding school and prison were cruel and miserable.

He married, but as a husband and father he became like his own father.

His life couldn't seem to get any worse, but after his short time in hell, it was much worse.

When he returned home three months later, he experienced something completely new.
His wife was beaming with joy and greeted him with tender love.
She told him how she now believed in Jesus. She was completely different.

When his wife asked him to go to church with her, he was finally ready, even though he still didn't believe.

The sermon was meaningless to Kheylam, but then the preacher said something that pierced his heart.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Jn 1:29 NIV

The moment the pastor pronounced the word ‘lamb’, I was mesmerised. Nothing he had said up to that moment was of the slightest importance to me, but with that word he had my full attention. It reminded me of my childhood, when I was ten years old.

Toscani, Gabriel. And then there was light: 35 people, all clinically dead, tell what they saw and experienced ‘on the other side’. Some were in paradise, others in hell. (German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

Kheylam went forward and poured out his broken heart in prayer.

The Spirit of God moved deep within his soul. He was completely transformed. From that day on, he was a completely different person, without hatred, without bitterness, no longer the cruel husband and father.

NDE. Pastor's Son Died and Sent Back

He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. Ps 147:3 NKJV

A pastor in England was faithful and sincere in his ministry. Then a trauma came unexpectedly, and the devoted preacher snapped.

His beloved son became seriously ill, but the pastor and his wife did not take him to the hospital immediately because it was apparently just the flu. But one evening the boy had a fever of over 40 degrees and his parents called the ambulance.

At the hospital, they realised that Jeremy's life was in danger because of a burst appendix. They had to operate.

That was the worst time of his father's life. He cried out desperately. He angrily complained to God because as a faithful Christian and pastor, he seemed unfair for God to take his son away.

Meanwhile, the little boy was very close to death in the operating theatre, but miraculously he did not die.

Seven days after the operation, Jeremy was allowed to go home and soon, he was completely healthy again.

Four months after the operation, he amazed his father.

Jeremy told his father how he had visited heaven during the operation, how he had seen angels and spoken to Jesus.

His father was sure at first that this experience was a fantasy, but then his son told him clearly and factually how he had spoken to his father's brother and his mother's sister.

His parents were shocked and wanted to know more.

This was a deep comfort to his parents. His father loved his brother as his closest friend until he died in an accident.

His mother's sister died of leukaemia when Jeremy was only three months old. His parents had been mourning in secret ever since and hadn't said anything to their son about it.

Then the father asked more about Jeremy's time in heaven.

At the end, I asked him:

‘Jeremy, did you really want to come back?’
‘No, Dad, I didn't want to come back. But Jesus came and said to me: ‘Jeremy, you can't stay here, you have to go back now. Your mummy and daddy need you.'

He told me that he had answered your prayers when you cried out angrily in the hospital waiting room.’

Toscani, Gabriel. And then there was light: 35 people, all of whom were clinically dead, tell what they saw and experienced ‘on the other side’. Some were in paradise, others in hell. (German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; Lk 4:18 NKJV

Near Death Experience. Poisoned. Dead. Revived.

Phineas had heard about near-death experiences, but he didn't believe in them. He thought these people were nutcases or fanatics.

Then he made a terrible mistake. He wanted to kill wasps in his garage, but he poisoned himself in the process.

He didn't realise what had happened to him until he became terribly sick that night. Two emergency doctors struggled to keep him alive.
 
His consciousness became hazy and foggy, and then he left his body.

The pain was gone, and he felt a sense of lightness. He was no longer in his body, but he was amazed that he could think clearly.

Suddenly, he was enveloped in an indescribably bright light. He felt as if he had been reborn.
Then he felt himself moving rapidly somewhere, until suddenly he was sitting on a beautiful green meadow on the banks of a river.

This must be heaven. He felt somehow cleansed and purified.

He saw a shimmering wall of pearl-like gemstones beyond the river.
He wanted to go there, but he couldn't.

Then he was struck by the indescribable light and love that must be God's presence. He was totally overwhelmed, and he was desperate not to return to his earthly life.
 
But suddenly he was in an ambulance looking at his own body.
A nurse was massaging his heart.

He hadn't been breathing for five minutes. Should she continue?
``Of course,`` replied the doctor.

When he was taken into the operating theatre, he was still hovering three metres above his body and watching everything.

Shortly before the end of the operation, his spirit sprang back into his body.

Two days later, he woke up. He then had to wait ten days before he was allowed to go home.

A nurse asked him why he was smiling happily the whole time, but he wouldn't or couldn't explain it.

He got well again. That was also a miracle.

He was back to his old life, but he was no longer the same man.

He was able to receive and give love like never before. He never spoke a bad word. His new character was characterised by love, patience and human understanding.

He was a transformed man and everyone around him was amazed.

But he couldn't explain it. He felt no one would understand or believe him.

Until his own journey to the afterlife, he had thought such testimonies were over the top.

He could not find the words to relate his experience. He tried sometimes, but he immediately burst into tears.

He came to the point where he was desperate to finally explain his new life to his family. He prayed every night and every morning for God's help.
Then God's answer came.

At a birthday party, a woman told him about a book by Don Piper.
``90 Minutes in Heaven.‘’

The next morning he bought the book. Everything in the book confirmed his own experience. Now all his doubts were gone and he also understood how he could tell his story.

He knew that God had sent him back to make the reality of heaven known.
He now wants to explain to everyone that God sent his own Son to us to die on the cross and thereby take all our sins upon himself.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

Phineas experienced God's presence and love in paradise, and now he wants to invite you to get to know Jesus as your Saviour.

‘Jesus Christ, I want to get to know you. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I will now open the door of my heart and acknowledge you as my Saviour and Guide. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. I surrender my life to you and ask you to guide my thoughts, my words and my actions, every day, every hour, every second of my life. Amen.’

Toscani, Gabriel. And then there was light: 35 people, all of whom were clinically dead, tell what they saw and experienced ‘on the other side’. Some were in paradise, others in hell. (German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

123 Minutes Dead, then Fully Restored

Luca was sitting happily and contentedly with his wife in a restaurant. Suddenly he collapsed. The pain in his kidneys was unbearable.

Shortly afterwards, he was lying on an operating table. The pain was overwhelming, but for the doctors it was apparently a routine operation.

But then his heart stopped.

It was a completely unexpected allergic reaction to medication. His circulation collapsed and he died on the operating table.

As he lay dying, the painful feeling lasted only a moment. Then he was suddenly whisked away somewhere and he met a marvellous being who radiated brilliant light and unconditional love.

Immediately he realised this being was Jesus Christ. Jesus surpassed his imagination. Luca was overwhelmed. He had arrived home and he didn't want to go back.

Meanwhile, his wife Sarah prayed for two hours without ceasing. The doctors warned her to prepare for the worst. Nevertheless, she was completely convinced that God would save her husband.

After 123 minutes, the doctors were astonished when Luke's vital signs returned. 

But when you are clinically dead for two hours and amazingly revived, you don't expect healthy life and normal brain function.

Luca then spent three days in an induced coma. When he woke up, the doctors were amazed that he could speak normally and think clearly.

Some sceptics want to explain away near-death experiences. They spread speculative theories that the dramatic experiences in the afterlife are supposedly just manifestations of brain damage.  

But there are so many people like Luca who not only come back, but can think and speak completely clearly.

Lazarus was friends with Jesus when he died and was dead for four days. When Jesus came to call him back to life, Lazarus' sister was traumatised, but Jesus comforted Martha with these unforgettable words.

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Jn 11:25–26 NAB

Toscani, Gabriel. And then there was light: 35 people, all of whom were clinically dead, tell us what they saw and experienced ‘on the other side’. Some were in paradise, others in hell. (German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

Friendship with God

 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them. Ps 25:14 NRSV

There are Christians who do not take God's holiness seriously, but they approach Jesus as if he were their mate who should tolerate all their excesses.

Real friendship with God looks very different. Jesus said we must trust God like little children.

A Jewish girl grew up in a strange family. Her parents were active in a conservative orthodox synagogue. Her father behaved like a devout Jew, but at home he was a dogmatic atheist.

This was difficult for the girl to understand, but God had a plan to reveal his love to this girl. The girl had a secret. Even her parents didn't know about it.

This girl had secret conversations with her invisible friend. She believed her friend was God.

In her adolescence, she experienced traumatic disappointments, and she no longer believed in God.

As a teenager, she loved horses, but she experienced a tragic accident. The horse she was riding fell on top of her and crushed her.

She had a near-death experience and her soul left her body. In the heavenly world, she met Jesus, who spoke to her with love. She recognised him as the secret friend from her childhood. When doctors revived her, she remembered her encounter with Jesus, and she firmly believed.

Jesus wants to be your friend, but not your mate, who is comfortable with the bad stuff in your life.

We all have serious faults. God loves you anyway, but he wants to restore and purify your life. He doesn't want to condemn you, but like a real friend or therapist, he wants to help you so that God's image can shine through in you.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Jn 3:16–17 NIV

Near Death Experiences

 I love reading testimonies of near-death experiences. Medical science has advanced so far in recent times that many seriously ill patients are being resuscitated who would not have come back in the past.

Many of these patients had clear memories of their experiences in the afterlife, but many had none.

There are many sceptics who declare such experiences dubious or impossible on theological or scientific grounds.

Some claim that the extremely dramatic narratives must be symptoms of brain damage. 

Anyone who is clinically dead for more than a few minutes will suffer serious brain damage, but there are people who have been clinically dead for 90 minutes, 8 hours or two days and functioned normally after recovery.

After returning to life, many resuscitated patients tell how they have spoken with God or Jesus. Many tell of encounters with deceased relatives.

One reads again and again in these testimonies that the clinically dead person wants to remain in the wonderful afterlife. Sometimes the person has to make a decision and sometimes not.

Again and again we read that the clinically dead person has a God-given task on earth. This task has not yet been fulfilled and they must therefore return to this life.

After their return to earthly life, many near-death patients have had a new awareness that their life has a meaning.

They have experienced the immeasurably deep love of God in the afterlife. They know that pure love reigns at the centre of the universe. They know that they themselves are loved beyond measure.

What is the meaning of your life?

Many people don't know. Maybe you don't either.
Do you have to die and come back to find the meaning of your life?

The God who radiates love, who many have met in the afterlife, can also be found here in this life.

Have you met God yourself?

For many, the Bible is just a religious textbook, but if you read the Bible with the intention of meeting God yourself, you can find God in the Bible.

An Indian woman attended a church service. Afterwards she started reading the New Testament. She found it interesting, but she didn't understand much.

One evening after reading the Bible, she wanted to go to sleep, but then Jesus himself entered her room.

He spoke to her and she believed. She was no longer a Hindu.

Jesus died on the cross, but he came back. He is with you right now. You can talk to Him.

Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; Is 55:6 NRSV

Near Death Experience. Revived in the Morgue

 Ian McCormack had a loving Christian mother. As a child in New Zealand, he was brought up as a Christian, but as a young man he had no desire for God. He sought pleasure and adventure in the wide world. He travelled first to Australia and then to Indonesia.

He became an avid surfer and was always looking for the best wave and a new adventure.
His life revolved around sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.

``In my own way, I was on my way to finding the ‘meaning of life’. At certain times I would have labelled myself an atheist, at others a ‘free thinker’.

I wanted to experience everything that life had to offer. My philosophy back then was to just throw myself fully into life.‘’

His mum prayed for him every day.

He found adventure in the ocean, sweet young women and fun mates everywhere. His thirst for adventure was so extreme that his life was often in danger.

It was a stormy night in Mauritius. He went fishing and dived at midnight in the Indian Ocean. He was stung five times by huge poisonous jellyfish. Once would have been a death sentence.

When he collapsed on the beach, he was staring at his death.

``The image of my mother was clear before my eyes. It was as if she was saying again the words she had spoken so long ago: ``Ian, no matter how far you have strayed from God, no matter what you have done wrong: If you cry out to God with all your heart, he will hear you and forgive you.‘’

Mortal fear gripped him. Is there perhaps a God? But who is God?

He had no money and nobody wanted to drive him to the hospital, but then he somehow found help.

``The image of my mother was clearly before my eyes. It was as if she was saying again the words she had spoken so long ago: ‘Ian, no matter how far you have strayed from God, no matter what you have done wrong: If you cry out to God with all your heart, he will hear you and forgive you.‘’

Mortal fear gripped him. Is there perhaps a God? But who is God?

``Could it be the Christian God? But if it is the God of the Christians, then I have a big problem.’ I thought: ‘If it's about Jesus ... I had cursed that name. I was ridiculing the Christians! My life was all about sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll...’‘’

``Suddenly words appeared before my eyes like an advertising neon sign: FORGIVE US OUR SINS. I asked myself: ‘Where should I start? I have committed so many sins. I don't have time to list them all now.‘’

He began to pray the words.

It was an uphill struggle to stay awake, humble himself in prayer, forgive the sins of others, and somehow reach the hospital before his death.

Finally, he reached a dirty old hospital. He was dying.

A nurse tried to give him an injection of antidote, but his circulation was no longer working. It was hopeless.

Then he died. His invisible soul was in terrible darkness. Then he reached an even more terrible place, on the threshold of hell.

Then he cried out in despair.

``Now I wept and cried out to God: ‘Why am I here? I asked you for forgiveness! Why am I here? I have turned my heart to you. Why am I here?’ Then a dazzling light shone down on me and literally pulled me out of the darkness.‘’

Ian was pulled out of hell and found himself in the glorious, loving presence of Jesus himself.

He had prayed for forgiveness and God forgave him.

Ian McCormack was dead. A doctor prepared his body to be transferred to the morgue. 

Then Ian returned to his body. Without a miracle cure, Ian would never have returned to normal, but now Ian is a healthy man with a wife and children.

McCormack, Ian. I was dead: a glimpse into the afterlife - a true story (Living with Hope) (German Edition) . Agency PJI UG. Kindle Edition.

Jesus is Coming Back

There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. Jn 1:6–8 CSB

We all know the story of John the Baptist in the Bible. He was a man sent by God. He proclaimed the message of salvation.

This message is still relevant. This world is shaking. We recognise that nothing is safe anymore. We need salvation from a better world.

Some are fascinated by fantasy films. There must be something out there.

And there really is something more, much more than we understand.

Religion has become dry and bland because the Bible has been reduced to a book of fairy tales or theology.

But people in the Bible really did see angels, and that still happens today.
Lazarus died and was in the grave for four days, and then Jesus came and raised him back to life.

An American preacher named Richard Sigmund was dead for 8 hours and came back. He told what he had experienced in heaven.

...I heard someone say, ‘He's been dead for hours.’
I sat up and replied: ‘I'm not dead yet.’
Someone from the medical staff screamed out loud. Another lost control of his bladder.
https://big-ideas-with-god.blogspot.com/2024/09/are-near-death-experiences-real.html

‘’But that can't be!

If it can't be, why are you wasting your time reading the Bible, where impossible miracles are presented as historical facts.

If God could perform seemingly impossible works in the Bible, why shouldn't he do the same today?

But perhaps you don't want to believe because it doesn't seem reasonable.

God is not at all impressed by our reasonable worldview.
Look around you. What kind of world has our reason created? Everything is shaking.

There was a man sent from God whose name was John.
He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. John 1:6-7 CSB

There are people today who work miracles with the power of the Holy Spirit, like the apostles in the Bible. Like John, they declare that Jesus is coming, but this time not as a baby in a manger, but as the Lord from heaven.

But that is surely an old fairy tale. It can't be. We are modern and sensible now.

What kind of world has our modern rationality created?

How long can this planet continue to exist if Jesus does not come back?

An Atheist had a Near Death Experience with Jesus

 What this atheist experienced on the other side devastated him.

He was 54 years old, an American professor on an educational trip to Europe with some students.

On the last day of his trip, he was in a hotel in London when he was attacked with terrible stomach pains.

An ambulance rushed him to the hospital, and he expected a quick emergency operation.

But then he heard his death sentence.
No surgeons were available until the following morning. For hours he suffered with panic-stricken fear.

He had been an atheist for so long.
He lived only here and now, and was content with his academic success and with his beloved wife.

He had believed in Jesus as a child but then he had become wise in his own eyes and believed only in himself.

But now he was dying and he began to question everything.

‘And what if it's not over after all, if there is a heaven and a hell, what then? Where will you go then, Simon?’

He felt that his time had come and he said goodbye to his dear wife, who was sitting next to his bed.

He closed his eyes and fainted. But that was not the end of him.

Suddenly he was fully conscious and without pain, but no longer in his body. It was simply incomprehensible to him. Despite his doubts, he thought like an atheist, and the experience of being a soul without a body completely contradicted his concept of reality.

Then it got even stranger. He found himself in a pitch-black room and was totally helpless.
He was surrounded by cruel spiritual beings. They hated him and attacked and tortured him without mercy and without ceasing.

He didn't know where he was. It was neither hell nor heaven, but it was a terrible place in the invisible world, and he was helpless.

He was still an atheist, but in his despair he began to pray.

He prayed out loud, and again and again. The demons kept backing away. They couldn't bear to hear the word ‘God’.

He had been an atheist for forty years, but here on the threshold of hell he remembered the faith of his childhood.

God never forgets if you have ever loved God and believed in Jesus.

Let us continue to pray for our children and brothers and sisters who have strayed from God. I prayed for forty years for my parents, who believed in Jesus shortly before they died.

Finally, the sadistic spirits left him and he was all alone in the darkness.

His pride was gone now. He was humiliated. He recognised his bad, selfish character, and he knew that this suffering was totally deserved.

He began to see a kind of vision of himself as a child loving Jesus and singing about the love of God.

Despite his doubts, he now wanted to believe again.

The vision disappeared, but he began to pray again.

‘Jesus, please help me, please save me, please!’ And right at that moment, after I had spoken the last word, I saw a very small, bright light.’

Suddenly he was in the direct presence of the Son of God. He was immersed in heavenly light and Jesus began to heal all his wounds.

Simon was no longer the proud professor, and he felt unworthy to be saved by Jesus in this way.

Then he wanted to stay with Jesus in the heavenly world, but Jesus had other plans for him.

He had to return to his wife and children and live as a completely new person with God's love for his neighbour.

‘Then suddenly I opened my eyes and saw a doctor massaging my heart.’

We know Simon's story because God sent him back. Simon is now a man who lives very differently than before.

If you really know Jesus, you have to become different. Jesus wants to transform my life and your life completely.

Do you want to be transformed by Jesus?

For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Jn 6:40 CSB

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jn 20:29 NIV

Are Near Death Experiences Real?

 An American preacher died in a car accident. The ambulance took him to the hospital and the doctors were unable to revive him, but after eight hours something totally amazing happened.

‘There was a sheet on my face. Oh, the pain!
I heard someone say: ‘He's been dead for hours.’
I sat up and replied: ‘I'm not dead yet.’

Someone from the medical staff screamed out loud.
Another lost control of his bladder.

Apparently I had been dead for more than eight hours and they were about to take me to the mortuary.

I could feel my bones coming back together. I could feel my wounds healing as I sat up. And I could breathe and speak.’

Sigmund, Richard. My Time in Heaven: A True Story of Dying and Coming Back to Life.

Richard Sigmund recounts what he experienced during those eight hours. He really did visit heaven.
But that will seem unbelievable to some.

Why? Because theological experts have claimed for many centuries that the dead remain unconscious until the last judgement.

But in 2 Corinthians, Paul tells of a Christian who visited heaven and returned to earthly life. Obviously this was Paul himself.

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.

And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—

was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. 2 Co 12:2–4 NIV

In our times we hear of many near-death experiences. Why are such reports so common in our time?

Some claim that it is a sign of the end times, when occult phenomena are so widespread and so many people are deceived and misguided by sorcery.

But there is a practical explanation. In the last 60 years, emergency medicine and surgery have made enormous progress. Many heart attack patients and accident victims who would have died in earlier times have been resuscitated.

The research of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and Dr Raymond Moody has also helped to publicise the near-death experiences of many patients.

There are several Bible stories where really dead people were brought back to life by God, but critics of near-death experiences will claim that no one in the Bible told of otherworldly experiences.
But this is not entirely true. The apostle John saw dramatic revelations from heaven in the last book of the Bible. John was still alive, but that makes no difference. Nothing is impossible with God.

There are many Christians who think that no miracles in our time should surpass the amazingly dramatic miracles in the Bible. When they hear testimonies of miracles that are more dramatic than the miracles Jesus performed on earth, they want to reject the testimonies as unbiblical.
But Jesus taught the opposite.

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. Jn 14.12 NIV

People who die or nearly die and then talk about the afterlife are not taken seriously by many Christians, but why?

As the return of Jesus draws closer, should we not expect even greater miracles than the miracles in the Bible stories?

But some argue that no one should die twice.

That is a weak argument. Lazarus and some others died and were resurrected by Jesus. Of course, he did die later.

But when Paul spoke of his journey to heaven in 2 Cor 12:2-4, he was very cautious. He said he was not allowed to pass on what Jesus had told him in heaven.

Sometimes Jesus shares secrets, and sometimes He shares revelations that need to be passed on.
Paul heard secrets but the apostle John in the last book of the Bible told exactly what was revealed to him.

So it is today. In Western countries, many no longer believe in God, no longer believe in the immortal soul, no longer believe in heaven and no longer believe in hell. Through near-death experiences and testimonies of the afterlife, many are coming back to faith.

Near Death Experience. God Sent her Back

I filled the sink with cold water, held my left arm in, put the knife to my wrist, sobbed and stammered in tears: ‘Please God, forgive me, but I have no strength left.’

Toscani, Gabriel. And then there was light: 35 people, all of whom were clinically dead, talk about what they saw and experienced ‘on the other side’. Some were in paradise, others in hell. (German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

Instead of leaving all my problems behind me, as I had intended to do with my suicide, my soul was now transformed into a being of fear, pain and total isolation....

The only thing that interested me in my burning agony was that Jesus Christ was born on earth. And here I was, trapped in this world of suffering and torment, and all that mattered to me was my remorse that I had never confessed Jesus in my life, that I had never believed in a Creator.

Toscani, Gabriel. And then there was light: (German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

The miraculous thing about my story is how God's love brought me back to earth. How he heard me when I pleaded with him before I cut my wrist. And that in my anger, despair and pain, he heard my plea for forgiveness and did not send me to this hell.

Toscani, Gabriel. And then there was light: (Und dann war Licht… German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

Near Death Experience. Pilot Sees Heaven.

 Captain Dale Black was a pilot who died in a plane crash.

‘’The plane burst apart, the three pilots were thrown at about 220 kilometres per hour onto the concrete from about twenty metres. Only Dale survived, somehow...

Suddenly I was thrown into the air and hovered over my shattered body...
Two angel escorts accompanied me, dressed in seamless white robes woven from silver threads.‘’

He reached God's heaven. After God sent him back to his body and his earthly life, he tried to describe what he had experienced in heaven.

‘’Each house was customised and unique, yet they all looked very harmonious together. Some had three or four storeys, others were even higher. No two houses were alike.‘’

Burke, John . This is what heaven is like: near-death experiences, the promises of God, and the extraordinary future that awaits you (German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

Shortly before his death on the cross, Jesus wanted to encourage his disciples.

In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? Jn 14:2 NRSV

The home of the heavenly Father is the city of God in heaven. When you trust Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you have a new and eternal citizenship.

Your home is God's heaven. God has prepared a home for you, your own home.

Have you ever been to a church service and the singing gradually became boring?

Then the question arises whether worship in heaven will only be a service without end. The thought is discouraging.

But if heaven will only be a never-ending worship service, why will we need houses?

In God's heaven, everything is indescribably beautiful, the trees, the flowers, the music and even the houses.

Surely we will worship God with songs of praise.

The apostle Paul was stoned and died. He died and then came back.

I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. 2 Co 12:2 NASB95

From the context of the passage, we understand that Paul was most likely talking about his own experience.

God created you with a mortal body, but you are also a spiritual being. Your life will never come to an end.

Where will you live forever?

Jesus said to her, “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. Do you believe this?” Jn 11:25–26 NIV

In God's heaven are all those who trust and love Jesus from the heart, but all others will continue to exist elsewhere, without God, without love and without hope.

Lazarus Came Back

 Yegor was a young Russian communist sent to America on a secret mission. He was enchanted by freedom in the USA and wanted to defect, but he was so naive that he made his intention known.

That was his death sentence. He was poisoned by a KGB agent. A few hours later, his body was in a refrigerator in a hospital, but his mind was wide awake. He was astonished. He was dead, but he was still conscious. As a communist, he didn't believe in an afterlife.

For two days he was freed from his body and was able to reconsider the reality of his life, but then things got really serious. He was enveloped in deep loneliness and darkness. He knew he was on his way to hell.

‘Jesus Christ, if you really exist, then please, please take me away from here. Forgive me for all my sins, forgive me for never believing in you, but please, please take me away from here!’

“I put my last spark of hope into this prayer, and at the exact moment I uttered the last word, the miracle happened: I saw a small, bright light in the pitch-black darkness.”

Toscani, Gabriel. And then there was light: 35 people, all of whom were clinically dead, told me what they had seen and experienced ‘on the other side’. Some were in paradise, others in hell. (German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

Jesus revealed himself as a radiant light but also as a loving presence. Yegor had never experienced such love.

After two days they took me out of the fridge and after another twelve hours they wanted to start the autopsy. Just as the doctor was about to put the scalpel to work and make an incision in my chest, I opened my eyes.

Toscani, Gabriel. And then there was light: (German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

He had to stay in hospital for another nine months. Without the intensive care and God's healing power, he would not have survived.

Only later did he fully understand that it was actually Jesus who had answered his prayer.

It is exactly as it says in the Bible: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jn 14:6 NIV

“I am convinced from the bottom of my heart that what it says is true.”

Toscani, Gabriel. And then there was light: (Und dann war Licht) German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

#Near Death Experience.

Yegor was a young Russian communist sent to America on a secret mission. He was tantalised by the freedom in the US, and he wanted to defect, but he was so naïve that he made his intention known.

That was his death sentence. He was poisoned by a KGB agent. A few hours later his body was in a refrigerator in a hospital, but his mind was wide awake. 

He was amazed. He was dead, but he was still alive and conscious. As a communist, he did not believe in an afterlife.

For two days he was freed from his body and could reconsider the reality of his life, but then things got really serious. He was enveloped in deep loneliness and darkness. He knew he was on his way to hell.

"Jesus Christ, if you really exist, please, please take me away from here. Forgive me for all my sins, forgive me for never believing in you, but please, please take me away from here!"

I put my last spark of hope into that prayer, and at the very moment I uttered the last word, the miracle happened: I saw in that pitch-black darkness a small, brilliant light.

Toscani, Gabriel. And then there was light: 35 people, all clinically dead, tell what they saw and experienced "on the other side". Some were in paradise, others in hell. (German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

Jesus revealed himself as a Radiant Light but also as a Loving Presence. Jegor had never experienced such love.

"After two days they took me out of the refrigerator and after another twelve hours they wanted to start the autopsy. Just as the doctor was about to apply the scalpel and make an incision in my chest, I opened my eyes."

Toscani, Gabriel. And then there was light:  (German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

He had to stay in hospital for another nine months. Without the intensive care and God's healing power, he would not have survived.

Only later did he fully understand that it was actually Jesus who had answered his prayer.

It is exactly as it says in the Bible: 

"I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6.

I am convinced from the bottom of my heart that what it says is true.

Toscani, Gabriel. And then there was light:  (German Edition) . Kindle Edition.

*** Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***

I write blogs in English and German. I often use this excellent free software. It makes my work a lot quicker and easier. I originally write this article in German. I recommend this software. It is better than the translator apps provided by Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter.

I edited this English version, but the software is so good, that I didn't need to make many changes.