Near-Death Experiences and Hebrews 9:27

From a study on Hebrews 9:27.

There are great controversies in Christianity today about whether or not “near-death experiences” can happen. A near-death experience, from my understanding, is an experience a person has when they seem to have no breath in them and see to “another world” or into spiritual realities, possibly heaven or hell. Many people have said that these experiences turn them toward God or cause them to think about how they are living. These are very popular in the world today. According to Gallup, as of 1991, 5% of Americans had experienced a near-death experience. This number has almost certainly gone up in the last 16 years. The next two verses (Heb. 9:27-28), I feel, squelch any argument for these experiences. Now, I do not doubt the actual experience of any one person. Those visions and dreams can happen, but are they biblical? Are they a divine gift from God? Are they a tool of Satan to deceive people? The Scriptures should be our final source of truth.

The word “once” in Hebrews 9:27 is the Greek word hepax, which means “once, one time.” The author says very plainly right here: “And just as it is appointed for man to die once.” We only get one chance at life. Once breath runs out of us, we are dead, “and after that comes judgment.” This one verse would seem to shed light on these “experiences.” It would interpret those experiences as what they are: “near-death.” Not death. When a person’s heart stops, it doesn’t mean they have died. There are many examples in Scriptures about a person appearing “dead” but not really being dead (Matt. 9:24; Mark 5:39; Luke 8:52; Acts 9:40, 20:10).

A person cannot see the afterlife of heaven or hell and then go back. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is a prime example. In Luke 16, the rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus to his father’s house to tell his family to change their ways of living, “lest they also come into this place of torment.” This seems like one of the “warnings” we hear from someone who just had a near-death experience. The rich man continued, “If someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” Then Abraham replied, “If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” We see from Luke 16 that after the rich man died, he was in a place of judgment. Revelation 20:14 talks about the lake of fire-which is hell. This is called the “second death.” If someone were to die once, and then die finally, and then be thrown into hell, that would be three deaths! The arithmetic does not add up according to Scripture. Therefore, on the issue of “near-death experiences,” we must say that they may be dreams, visions, or hallucinations, but we cannot say that a real death has occurred in which a person has seen the gates of heaven or the fires of hell. Furthermore, in John 3:3, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you unless one is born-again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This verse tells us that unless you are a child of God and have a new life in Christ, you cannot even see the kingdom. So, it makes no sense that people who have had these experiences can say, “I saw the pearly gates” or “I was in heaven, talking with loved ones and Jesus.” It simply does not mesh with the word of God.

Meditation on Acts 20:36-38

And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

- Acts 20:36-38

This is such a beautiful passage in Scripture. The context is even more stunning. Paul was preparing to leaven for Jerusalem. He wanted to be there during Pentecost. He stopped quickly in Ephesus to encourage them. He said that he had worked hard to share the gospel with them. He worked hard so he could build them up. He worked hard and gave it all away because Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Then, as Paul is preparing to board the ship again, they prayed and wept together. They hugged and kissed. This is the prototypical picture of a deep-soul connection between believers.

When I read this, I couldn’t help but think about this summer going to South Africa and then in August moving to either St. Louis or Orlando for seminary. With every step of faith I take for the Lord, it could be the last time I see my family, friends, and those I lead in the Lord. I remember a July evening this past summer, when eight Campus Crusade interns were gathered in my living room, praying for the ones who were going overseas. There was much weeping. We prayed for an hour for everyone. The truth was, and still is, we might not ever see them face to face again. That is a sobering and terrifying thought, yet one that can be distilled when I take comfort in my Savior. He is more glorious and satisfying than anything else. My friends overseas are doing the work of the Lord. When I go to Africa, and then on to seminary, I will be laboring for the Lord. Knowing that Jesus guides, sustains, and uplifts me is more splendid than the greatest friends at my side.

Paul gave everything he had to the Ephesians. He did it because Jesus gave all he had for our salvation. So, with all I have, I’ll take the free grace God offers to the hard places in this world. And when I leave the ones I love, I will do it with weeping and in prayer.

Even still, it is truly more blessed to give than to receive.

“Jesus Camp” Review Coming Soon

About a month ago, I watched the documentary film Jesus Camp. It was filmed and produced by non-Christians, but it tells the story of a Pentecostal youth program, focusing on the youth minister and some children in the ministry. There are some disturbing things in the film that I’d like to address. A lot of controversy–on Evangelical and Secular sides–has come up because of Jesus Camp.

Over the holiday break, I should be able to view the film again and write a review/analysis. Lord willing, it will be balanced, biblical, and edifying.

Look for that in the next weeks or so.

How Would Jesus Make Sense of the Shooting at the Westroads?

Luke 13:1-5 (ESV):

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

In a sermon to Campus Crusade students at the TCX conference in Minneapolis back in 2003, John Piper preached on this passage. You can find that message here and I would recommend you listening to it. It’s riveting and convicting. Some of what I will say has been adapted from Piper, yet much of it is simply personal reflection over the past four days or so.

On Wednesday, December 5, Robert Hawkins walked into the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska, and shot and killed eight people, wounded five others, and then turned his AK-47 assault rifle on himself. It was the second deadliest mass shooting in Nebraska history. The scene was literally unbelievable as Nebraskans, and Americans, watched the aftermath unfold.

Personally, I was horrified. I grew up in Omaha and I’ve been to that mall probably hundreds of times. I have been right by the stores where those nine people were murdered. My parents’ neighbor and I talked on Friday night. His wife and two children were at the mall the day before. That’s extremely sobering. And for me, there was only one thought that reverberated through my mind all day and week.

Lord, why them and not me?

You see, the Bible makes it clear that I’m a sinner. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). What happens because of this fact? Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death.”

I deserve to die. There is nothing in my human nature that deserves to live. That is where my mind was last Wednesday. It could have been me. It should have been me. As John Piper said in the sermon, “Don’t be astonished the tower fell on those Galileans. Be astonished YOU weren’t under the tower!” How humbling is that? How much perspective we lack! Rarely, if ever, is this our first thought in a time of crisis.

Now, what would Jesus say about the shooting? I think Luke 13 speaks for itself. Jesus seems to make it pretty clear. For those eight people, and thousands of others who die everyday, it’s not that “it was their time to go.” Jesus says, “Everyone deserves to go. They deserved to die and so do YOU.”

Don’t hate me for saying this, because God said it first: There are no “innocent” people. There were not eight innocent people shot at the Westroads last week. We are all guilty (see Romans 3 for more on this). This may sound harsh, but if we die at one month, one year, or 100 years, God has done us no wrong. He is perfectly justified at taking us whenever he pleases. As Job said in Job 1:21, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” And again in Job 2:10, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” What happened was according to God’s glorious will. Is it hard to take? Most definitely. Is it difficult to understand? It is a mystery. But the Bible says God has accomplishes his purpose, so must I trust and praise him through a situation like this? Yes.

What did Jesus say to the people who did not die in the tower catastrophe or by Pilate’s hand? “Repent or you will all likewise perish.” The events at the Westroads have brought me to my knees, more frequently and fervently than usual. It could have been me there. It could have been you. It puts life in perspective and makes you repent of the wickedness that lives in us. When Jesus says, “You will perish” he doesn’t mean physically. Everyone dies physically! If there is no repentance of sin, people die spiritually and are separated from God. Jesus is relating spiritual death to physical death here. “Repent, or you won’t see the Kingdom” is essentially what he means. This should offer hope to us; it should not make us afraid of going to Jesus. Repent! Be broken! Be contrite and reverent before God! This brings life and joy and peace and eternal satisfaction. Events like the shooting at the Westroads should put us on our faces, because God had mercy on us for one more day to confess our need for him and fall more in love with him. If that is not encouraging, I don’t know what is.

Martin Luther said, “Pray hard, for you are quite a sinner.” May that be what God moves our hearts toward when we consider events like this. We cannot control anything, so let us give everything to the King of kings and Lord of lords. And also, may we heed the words of the Lord Jesus when he said:

Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

(*Fin)

This song has been especially interesting to me in the past month or so. It’s by Anberlin; it’s about 9 minutes long; and it truly is an awe-inspiring, gripping song, sometimes even eerie and creepy. Nevertheless, I think everyone can relate to its theme. Here is what frontman Stephen Christian says about the song:

“Fin” (pronounced like the fin on a shark’s back) means ending in French. I felt like this was a conclusion (or a start) to my epic tug-of-war with God. I have a lot of questions, a lot that I may never really understand or have the capacity to comprehend in this lifetime. “Fin” is a series of four stories, that all tie together in the line ‘patron saint of lost causes.’ The first story is a personal memoir about my life as a child and the pull on my soul even then. I deliberated even at eight years old, that it would be better that God and the devil would just both leave me alone. The second story is about a couple from my early teen years’ church who cried for a miracle. It was a promised miracle, and it never came about. That leaves an impression. The third is about a mentor that used the guise of ‘missions work’ to leave his family in shambles and eventually decay. That plays with your salvation, when one experiences it. [The fourth story is about] Billy, a traveling ‘ healer’ who crippled my life and growth right in front of me. All these things and many, many others made me lose my salvation. But later in life I realized I needed to stop looking at Christians to see Christ. I wrestled with God, and he won.

I feel as if everyone can identify with that, especially for me in the past few weeks as I’ve been figuring out how to wrestle with the Lord. In the chorus, Christian sings: “I am the patron saint of lost causes.” Aren’t we all just that? Without Jesus, we are just a lost cause, hopeless, helpless, and lonely in a dark world.

Here are the lyrics:

Feels like I’m miles from here in other towns
With lesser names where the only ghost doesn’t tell
Mary or William exactly what they want to hear
You remember the house that we drew
Told you and the devil to both just leave me alone
If this is salvation I can show you the trembling
You’ll just have to trust me
I’m scared

Chorus:
I am the patron saint of lost causes
Aren’t we all to you just mere lost causes
Are we all to you just lost?

Tommy you’re left behind
Something you’ll mean everything right before you die
But if you gain the whole world
You’ve already lost four little souls from your life
Widows and orphans aren’t hard to find
Their home missing daddy who’s saving the abandoned tonight
wish your drinking would hurry and kill you
Sympathy’s better than having to tell you the truth

That you are the patron saint of lost causes
All you are to them is now a lost cause
All you are to them is now cause lost.

Billy, don’t you understand?
Timothy stood as long as he could and now
You made his faith disappear
More like a magician
And less like a man of the call
We’re not questioning God
Just those he chose to carry on his cause
We’ll grow better, you’ll see
Just all of us, the lost causes

Aren’t we all to you just lost causes?
Aren’t we all to you lost?
Lost causes
Aren’t we all to you
Is all we are, is all we are
What we are is all we are

Choir:
Patron saint. Are we all lost like you?
They just saved all of the lost, like you
(Lost causes, we are is all we are)
Patron saint. Are we all lost like you?
(To you, lost causes)
Patron saint. Are we all lost like you?
He just saved

End Bridge:
Take what you will, what you will and leave,
Could you kill, could you kill me
If the world was on fire
And nothing was left but hope or desire
And take all that I could recall
Is this hell
Or am I on the floor
Over desperate cold hands?
Screaming of love again?

And take, fall away, follow me
From my bad dream
Figure this out
It’s me on my own
A helpless, hurting hell

Is this all that you promised
‘Cause I’m stranded and bare
To me this is worse still
But all that I have does not deaden this at all just

And this takes the place
Of the father you never had
Bending and breaking and tearing apart
This is not heaven, this is my life.