by John Burke
In 1979, my father was dying of cancer. I was an agnostic when I noticed a book on his nightstand, Life After Life. The book coined the term “near-death experience” (NDE). I read it that night and realized there’s evidence that God does exist. That opened me up to studying the Bible and coming to faith. Since that time, I went from a career in engineering to studying at seminary and starting a church. I have also investigated close to 1,000 accounts of people who clinically died, were resuscitated, and have something to say about the reality of life beyond death. I wrote my book Imagine Heaven not only to show the evidence for near-death experiences, but more importantly to show why I believe they reveal the Bible’s exhilarating picture of the afterlife.
As a Christian, I’m surprised at how quickly some Christians dismiss NDEs, seemingly without careful study. The sheer scope of those having NDEs deserves careful analysis. Gallup and other international polls estimate that as many as 1 in 25 people have had an NDE. As theologian R. C. Sproul says, “It shouldn’t shock the Christian when people undergoing clinical death and being revived come back with certain recollections. I’ve tried to keep an open mind, and I hope that this interesting phenomenon will get the benefit of further research, analysis, and evaluation. Too many of these experiences have been reported for us to simply dismiss them as imaginary or hoaxes.”
I think we should be skeptical of individual stories and claims, and I don’t advocate forming a view of the afterlife from a few people’s interpretations. The key is differentiating between the common experience multiple NDErs report and individual interpretations of those experiences. I believe the common experience across professions, ages, and even global cultures aligns with the Bible’s view of the afterlife regardless of how the individual interprets them.
But how do we even know these millions of NDEs are not merely the effects of a dying brain, hallucinations, or psychological defense mechanisms during death? I write about skeptical cardiologists and oncologists who were convinced by the verifiable reports of their patients claiming to observe the resuscitation efforts from outside their bodies.
More than 900 articles on NDEs have been published in scholarly literature like the Journal of the American Medical Association and Psychiatry. The U.K. medical journal, The Lancet, described a cardiac arrest patient brought into the hospital unconscious. A nurse removed his dentures in the ER before defibrillation. Though they restored his heartbeat, the patient remained unconscious for the next week and was never conscious while in the ER. Yet when he came to, the patient claimed he had left his body and observed his resuscitation. He accurately described the doctors and nurses who worked on him while unconscious, and surprisingly, he told them where they could find his lost dentures—in the lower crash cart drawer where the ER nurse had put them. Many such accounts of verifiable observations have convinced skeptical doctors.
I interviewed and studied NDE accounts of surgeons, college professors, bank presidents, commercial airline pilots—people who have nothing to gain, but professional credibility to lose by making up wild tales. In Imagine Heaven, I include over 100 NDE stories showing the many common themes that align with the Bible’s description of heaven:
– A new spiritual body – Many NDErs describe having a new spiritual body emanating light. Paul describes what may have been his own NDE (Acts 14:19, 2 Cor. 12:1-5) and tells that when we die, our natural bodies are buried, yet we will receive new, glorious spiritual bodies (2 Cor. 5:1-10, 1 Cor. 15:35) which will shine like the stars with God’s glory for those faithful to God (Dan 12:3, Phil 2:15). Many will wear robes of white (Rev 3:5, 6:11), which NDErs often report seeing.
– Beauty in new dimensions – NDErs report an earthlike beauty in heaven, which they experience not just with five senses, but more like fifty senses. They report the heaven described in the Bible: grass, flowers, trees, mountains, streams, and a glorious city experienced in new dimensions of time and space (Revelation 7:9, 17; 21:1-10; 22:1-2, 2 Peter 3:8).
– Light that is love illuminating everything – One of the most fascinating commonalities of NDErs is their description of the Light and colors of heaven. They commonly say the Light is love and life and it comes out of everything, and the colors far exceed our spectrum with a dazzling vividness. The Apostle John describes that there is no sun or moon in heaven because God is its light, and the people walk in that light (Rev. 21:23-24, Isaiah 60:19-20). The Bible also teaches that God is love (1 John 4:8). Even blind NDErs report seeing a Light in heaven that is love coming out of everything, rather than shining on objects.
– Relational reunion – NDErs commonly see deceased relatives and friends. Many call them their “welcoming committee,” who they know are there to protect and guide them. Jesus told his friends they would be together again, eating and drinking and celebrating in his Father’s kingdom, and he admonished us to use our resources to make friends who will welcome us into heaven (John 14:1-6, Luke 16:9).
– A God who is personal – NDErs around the globe describe this God of Light and Love. He is not a force but a person, who knows their every thought and motive, yet loves them unlike any other. Those who know Jesus know that he is Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” NDErs describe the same Man of Light seen by Daniel, Ezekiel, Paul, John and others in the Bible (Daniel 7:9-10, 10:5-6, Ezekiel 1:26-28, Acts 9:3-5, Rev. 1:14-18).
– Life review and books – Jesus said there is nothing hidden that will not be brought into the light, and every thought and motive and deed will be made known (Matthew 10:26, 1 Cor. 4:5). It’s uncanny how people around the globe experience a life review in the presence of this God of Light that reveals the truth of Jesus’ words. But even more surprising are reports from NDErs in both America and India of the books of accounts in heaven (Daniel 7:10, Rev. 20:12).
Though NDEs do not necessarily predict one’s final destination (this is not biological death–they all came back), they certainly color in the Biblical picture of the exhilarating future God desires for all people.
John Burke is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Imagine Heaven: Near Death Experiences, God’s Promises, and the Exhilarating Future that Awaits You. Download the first two chapters free at ImagineHeaven.net. John is founding pastor of Gateway Church in Austin.
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