Luke 7: 11-17 (NRSV)
An
old preacher was dying. He sent a message for an IRS agent and his Lawyer (who
were both church members), to come to his home. When they arrived, they were
ushered up to his bedroom. As they entered the room, the preacher held out his
hands and motioned for them to sit on each side of the bed.
The
preacher grasped their hands, sighed contentedly, smiled and stared at the
ceiling. For a time, no one said anything. Both the IRS agent and Lawyer were
touched and flattered that the old preacher would ask them to be with him
during his final moment.
They
were also puzzled because the preacher had never given any indication that he
particularly liked either one of them. Finally, the Lawyer asked,
"Preacher, why did you ask the two of us to come?" The old preacher
weakly said, "Jesus died between two thieves, and that's how I want to go,
too.”
To
my knowledge there is no one alive today who has experienced the finality of
death and came back to speak about it. Biblically, little is said, other than about
Jesus’ resurrection, about people raised from the dead in relating their
experiences while dead, the balance of their lives, or if they experienced a
second “death.”
Yet
there are many today who claim they’ve died, "had an out of body
experience," went to heaven or hell, and
supposedly came back to write or lecture extensively about it. Gallup polls
show that up to 8 million people claim some type of NDE (near death
experience).
The
scenarios and experiences related range from the usual descriptions (entering
the light) to specific messages sent back from some source of celestial wisdom.
The only thing we can be sure about is that it appears the experience must
create the desire to sing like a canary.
Soon afterwards
he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with
him.As he approached the gates of the town, a man who had died was being
carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow: and with her
was a large crowd from the town.
When the Lord
saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came
forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still.
And he said,
“Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and
Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized all
of them: and they glorified God, saying “A great prophet has risen among us!”
and “God has looked favorably on his people!”This word about him spread
throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.
First
a few words about death. God has total control over both life and death.
Believers
should face death without fear. Psalm 23: 4 says, “Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy
rod and thy staff, they comfort me.”
Believers
enter the Lord's presence at death. The moment we die, our spirit and soul go
to be with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5: 8 tells us: “Yes, we are fully
confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we
will be at home with the Lord.”
Believers
will dwell with God forever. Psalm 23: 6 – “Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
We
studied heaven extensively a few weeks ago. The question for today is: "What
does the Bible say about near death experiences?"
The Bible does not provide information on near-death experiences, but it does mention several occasions when a person died and was later restored to life. There are also occasions in which writers of Scripture had visions of the afterlife and wrote down details of their experiences.
Here are ten situations where people were raised from the dead in the Bible:
1. Elijah raised the son of the Zarephath widow from the dead (1 Kings 17).
2. Elisha raised the son of the Shunammite woman from the dead (2 Kings 4).
3. A man was raised from the dead when his body touched Elisha’s bones.
4. Many saints rose from the dead at the resurrection of Jesus (Matt. 27:50-53).
5. Jesus rose from the dead (Matt. 28:5-8; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:5, 6).
6. Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain from the dead (Luke 7:11-15).
7. Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Luke 8:41, 42, 49-55).
8. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44).
9. Peter raised Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:36-41).
10. Paul raised Eutychus from the dead (Acts 20:9, 10).
The biblical writers who saw scenes of the afterlife are Paul (2 Corinthians 12), the apostle John (the book of Revelation), and Daniel (Daniel 12).
There is no specific scriptural support for near-death experiences. Many people use 2 Corinthians 12: 2-5 as a biblical proof text of near-death experiences. But this is taking a great liberty with interpretation and makes the assumption that Paul had actually died when he found himself in heaven. The passage nowhere says that Paul had died. It was a vision that God gave Paul of heaven, not a near-death experience.
We need to be extremely careful in how we validate our experiences. The most important test of any experience is comparing it with the Bible. Satan is always ready to cause deception and twist people's thinking.
The Bible does not provide information on near-death experiences, but it does mention several occasions when a person died and was later restored to life. There are also occasions in which writers of Scripture had visions of the afterlife and wrote down details of their experiences.
Here are ten situations where people were raised from the dead in the Bible:
1. Elijah raised the son of the Zarephath widow from the dead (1 Kings 17).
2. Elisha raised the son of the Shunammite woman from the dead (2 Kings 4).
3. A man was raised from the dead when his body touched Elisha’s bones.
4. Many saints rose from the dead at the resurrection of Jesus (Matt. 27:50-53).
5. Jesus rose from the dead (Matt. 28:5-8; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:5, 6).
6. Jesus raised the son of the widow of Nain from the dead (Luke 7:11-15).
7. Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead (Luke 8:41, 42, 49-55).
8. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44).
9. Peter raised Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:36-41).
10. Paul raised Eutychus from the dead (Acts 20:9, 10).
The biblical writers who saw scenes of the afterlife are Paul (2 Corinthians 12), the apostle John (the book of Revelation), and Daniel (Daniel 12).
There is no specific scriptural support for near-death experiences. Many people use 2 Corinthians 12: 2-5 as a biblical proof text of near-death experiences. But this is taking a great liberty with interpretation and makes the assumption that Paul had actually died when he found himself in heaven. The passage nowhere says that Paul had died. It was a vision that God gave Paul of heaven, not a near-death experience.
We need to be extremely careful in how we validate our experiences. The most important test of any experience is comparing it with the Bible. Satan is always ready to cause deception and twist people's thinking.
Listen
to 2 Corinthians 11: 14-15: "But I am
not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. So it is
no wonder his servants can also do it by pretending to be godly ministers. In
the end they will get every bit of punishment their wicked deeds deserve."
Because
the Bible is silent regarding near-death experiences, and scientific research is
not reliable, we simply cannot accept the legitimacy of near death experiences
on their face value. It would be too strong to state that every near-death
experience is faked, imagined, or satanic, but there are very serious concerns,
biblically, about the validity of near-death experiences.
The
human brain and imagination is amazing. Who is to say what is real, what is
imagined, or what is hoped for, in those situations where death is not far
away?
In
the end we are left with the understanding that only God has the power over
life and death and to think or suggest that God is inconsistent with that power
is to question God.
The
folks actually raised from the dead would have had NDE’s to truly talk about!
Amen.
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