“Near death” or “out of body” experiences have interested and fascinated mankind for thousands of years, and there are references to such phenomena as far back as Greek and Roman literature. However, modern interest in the subject really began with the publication in 1975 of Raymond Moody’s book, Life After Life. Since then there has been an explosion of interest in the subject, and with the arrival of the Internet, there are now multiple Websites devoted to it. Interest in the subject crosses all the lines of the so-called world religions and is present among atheists, Gnostics, universalists and Satan worshippers.
When believers are faced with such experiences, many questions arise. Are they of God or are they sometimes produced by Satan? Can they be trusted or are they formulated by minds that are distorted by a vivid imagination, a lack of oxygen, drugs or other influences? What message, if any, is to be gained from them? Let us look at these questions in the light of God’s Word.
An Example of “Near Death”
For those who are not familiar with the subject, here is an example of a “near death” experience.
“I was rushed to the hospital with third-degree burns to sixty-five per cent of my body. What happened next may appear to be more fantasy than real, but I traveled into that land beyond death and returned.
“One of the first things the soul is conscious of when it leaves the physical body is the sense of weightlessness. It is quite an experience to look back at your physical body lying on a hospital bed. When I got over the shock of separation from the earthly body and realized that I was now in the spiritual world, I was amazed at the vast difference between the two worlds. There seems to be no time factor in the spiritual world; also, no sense of distance or space as we know it here.
“After I returned and again took up abode in this earthly body, the Spirit of God led me to the Bible, which showed me that Christ is the only answer. Since I have accepted Christ as my personal Savior, I have the assurance of eternal life.”
These experiences can take many different forms, although a feeling of being outside of the body is common to all of them. Some have pleasant visions, while others see things that are frightening. Some claim to have seen loved ones who had died at some point in the past. With some, their experiences were connected with certain religious beliefs, depending on the background of the individual in question.
What the Scriptures Say
In the first place, I believe that we have Scripture to affirm that God definitely does use such experiences to speak to man. Because man is a tripartite being (body, soul and spirit) and was made in the image and likeness of God, he has a God-conscious part to his being. As such, man is able to appreciate communications from God, and God chooses to communicate with him in different ways. In Job we read, “God speaketh once, yea, twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; then He openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, that He may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword” (Job 33:14-1814For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not. 15In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; 16Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction, 17That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. 18He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword. (Job 33:14‑18)).
Such experiences as we are discussing are unique to man and are evidence that he was made for eternity and not merely for time. As in the example just given, God does use such experiences to lead men to think about their eternal destiny and to make them realize their responsibility toward God. Some who have had negative experiences have seen clearly that they were on the road to a lost eternity and have been brought to Christ. There is no doubt that God can and does work through these experiences.
Satan’s Power
On the other hand, we know that Satan is “the prince of the power of the air” and that he is also the god and prince of this world. In this role he uses his power to influence the minds of men and to give them either a false sense of security or to affirm that which is wrong. When people place their faith in experience rather than in God’s Word, they open the door to this kind of delusion. Many unbelievers who have had these experiences claim that they saw a beautiful light, felt a peaceful glow, and were involved in a “transition to another dimension.” They claim that they are now free from any fear of death and have found a profound “inner peace.”
Drugs and the Occult
Connected with all this are invitations to people to initiate out of body experiences using transcendental meditation, advanced forms of yoga, and other methods that are connected with the occult. It is significant too that most of the techniques suggested are connected with New Age thinking and Eastern mysticism. It is also well-known that certain drugs and even anesthetic agents, such as ketamine, can sometimes cause the individual to have such an experience. The human mind can run on strange channels when under the influence of various medications, and even while in a deep sleep. Most of us on occasion have had wildly imaginative and somewhat ridiculous dreams, yet they seemed very real at the time.
Back to the Word of God
What then are we, as believers, to make of all this? It is not our purpose to try and explain all of the phenomena that are connected with these experiences. As we have seen, there is more than one cause for such events, and in any given experience, multiple causes may be present. However, I believe that Scripture, as always, gives us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3).
First of all, it is most important to realize that whenever God is teaching us truth on an important subject, He never refers us to experience, but rather to His Word. Experience is important and God uses it in our lives. As we have seen, God sometimes uses “near death” and “out of body” experiences to make souls aware of their lost condition. At other times He has given dying believers a clear vision of coming glory. However, experience is most unreliable when foundational truth is at issue. Man’s senses cannot go beyond what is acting on them, and any reasonings based on sensual experience can deal at best only in possibilities. Experience can vary with our mental and spiritual state, our bodily condition, and with other circumstances that may influence our perception at the time. In contrast, “Thy word is truth” (John 17:1717Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. (John 17:17)), and “the word of the Lord endureth forever” (1 Peter 1:25). Ultimately we cannot know anything with certainty about what happens after death, apart from the testimony of God’s Word. In this time of God’s grace, God has “brought to light life and incorruptibility by the glad tidings” (2 Tim. 1:10 JND), and there need be no doubt about what happens after death, for it has been fully revealed. Let us trust the clarity of God’s Word rather than questionable experiences.
God in Control
Second, let us remember that God is firmly in control of all that happens beyond death. We read in James 2:2626For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26) that “the body without the spirit is dead,” and Scripture also tells us, in connection with death, that “then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it” (Eccl. 12:77Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)). God is the One who controls the lives of all, and when He chooses to take the soul and spirit from the body, none but He can reunite them. If He allows an intermediate experience in some cases, it is merely a demonstration that man is more than just a body. But it is God alone who has the power either to take the spirit and soul or to allow them to return to the body.
When death has clearly occurred, there is only One who is “the first and the last” and who has “the keys of death and of hades” (Rev. 1:17-1817And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: 18I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Revelation 1:17‑18) JND). Whether it is the body in a grave or the spirit and soul without a body, it is God who determines their destiny, and it is He alone who will one day reunite them, either at the Lord’s coming for the believer or at the great white throne for the unbeliever.
Few Details Given
Finally, it is important to note that nowhere in Scripture do we get any detailed description of what is experienced by souls “in hades,” that is, in the condition of souls without bodies. In Luke 16, we are told simply that the rich man was “in torments,” while Lazarus was “in Abraham’s bosom.” Evidently they had all their senses and could think, remember, feel pain or pleasure, and communicate. Also, the Lord could tell the dying thief that he would be with Him that same day “in paradise.” When Paul was caught up to the third heaven, it is simply recorded that he “heard unspeakable things said which it is not allowed to man to utter” (2 Cor. 12:4 JND). If he saw and recognized anything or anyone there, it is not recorded.
Some dear believers, perhaps with good motives, have undertaken to publish what they saw and heard during an “out of body” experience, with a view to describing what heaven is like. Such books and articles have caused quite a sensation and are being heralded as proof of life after death. However, since God has given us no such description in His Word, it is quite doubtful whether He would use someone to bring out a “new revelation” at this point in the church’s history.
We notice as well, with all those in Scripture who died and were then raised from the dead, such as the dead man whose corpse touched the bones of Elisha (2 Kings 13:21), Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:49-5649While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. 50But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. 51And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. 52And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. 53And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. 54And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. 55And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. 56And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done. (Luke 8:49‑56)), the widow of Nain’s son (Luke 7:11-1511And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. 12Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. (Luke 7:11‑15)) and Lazarus (John 11), that Scripture does not record anything they heard or saw or what they experienced. It seems that God has seen fit to give us a brief glimpse into the unseen world, but He has not revealed many details. Where Scripture is silent, to fill in the gap by using man’s experience is to build on a foundation of sand.
Should we be called as believers to go through death, we can rest on the fact that it is to be “with Christ; which is far better” (Phil. 1:2323For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: (Philippians 1:23)). In the words of the hymn,
What can full joy and blessing be,
But being where Thou art?
Little Flock Hymnbook, #235
W. J. Prost