Posted on 06/10/2006 9:45:53 PM PDT by churchillbuff
Despite lifelong beliefs that have been ingrained in my faith since childhood, I have to admit that like almost everyone else I have from time to time wondered if my existence will simply come to an end on the day I draw my last breath.
There is, after all, no way to prove one way or the other that human life continues in another realm after the body ceases to function. Nobody has come back to testify about it, with one notable exception of course, and those who reject his divinity also tend to doubt what he had to say about life after death. And the late Madalyn Murray O’Hair, the infamous atheist, hasn’t weighed in on the subject lately either.
Some would insist such doubts are implanted by the devil himself. Others counter there is no scientific basis for belief in a hereafter in the first place.
But just about every time I entertain such doubts, something comes along to reinforce my long-held belief in the hereafter. It’s often the experience of a dying saint getting their first glimpse, as an old gospel song puts it, of what’s over on the other side.
I’m told the Rev. Dr. Hollis Pistole appeared to have one such experience at his passing a little over a month ago. According to the story, Dr. Pistole, after a long battle with debilitating illness, raised up and put his arms out just before he drew his last breath. Apparently he received that glimpse of what awaited him.
My wife’s father had a similar experience, opening his eyes and reaching heavenward just before his passing.
I also recently went over my mom’s notes made at the time of my dad’s death more than half a century ago. “Under me? Under me? Thank you, Jesus,” he said.
A whole category of what have been termed near-death experiences have been catalogued by those looking for insight into what happens at the end of life. A common phenomenon is a light-at-the-end-of-a-tunnel vision. Many claim to have seen friends or relatives but were unable to reunite with them when they were suddenly jerked back into life.
My Uncle Melvin had such an experience, claiming to have seen his brother and another loved one at the time he was suffering a severe heart attack from which he recovered.
It is impossible to figure out the working of the subconscious, thus rendering any attempt at concrete conclusions problematic. Are any or all of these phenomena merely the gyrations of an active brain or might they be an indication of a link between this world and one to come?
Belief in life after death has been part of human experience as long as mankind has pondered its existence. It has been reinforced by the most sacred writings of most of the world’s major religions, including Christianity, which bases its entire concept on the idea of God personally demonstrating life after physical death through the manifestation we call Jesus.
In this life, of course, our existence is tied to our physical body. But to define human life according to our physical limitations is an obvious understatement of our role in the universe. Human interaction is limited by our physical senses. But the true self that has developed over the course of our lifetimes would seem to go far beyond the senses.
And certainly there can be no doubt that the rationality of human beings and their capability to build on their life experiences place them in a category entirely separate from other living creatures.
Is there life after death? The question defies physical proof, to be sure. But there would seem to be glimpses enough into the future to show that our existence has only just begun.
And anyway, by preparing for eternity, I think I’m building a pretty good life here as well.
Jim Bailey’s column appears on Sunday. He can be reached by e-mail at jameshenrybailey@earthlink.net.
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I got a feeling I don't wanna know. :-)
bflr
Bump to week-end testimonies!
For me, it's all about unconditional faith.
Not blind. Unconditional.
Yes, as per my reasoning, GOD was crucified in much the same way as Jesus was by the 24 earlier idea-concept-entities. Alone, cast out, in the eternal darkness; only by pure FAITH did he do the BIG BANG/create the universe. Thus the crucifiction of his son was the final lesson from the father as to what it takes to create something new. The parable of the seed dying in the ground, then bringing forth new life; it a true message from HIM.
Thank You for your story. It is very convincing about Life After Death. I find myself looking forward to dying when I read stories such as this. Thanks for sharing it, with us.
You're quite welcome auggy;
As Christians we have no reason to fear dying.
Betty Malz in her testimony described her passing over as that feeling you get when you're at the top of a roller coaster, & just starting down the other side.
"To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord!"
2 Corinthians 5
Our New Bodies
1 For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down--when we die and leave these bodies--we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.
2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.
3 For we will not be spirits without bodies, but we will put on new heavenly bodies.
4 Our dying bodies make us groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and have no bodies at all. We want to slip into our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by everlasting life.
5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord.
7 That is why we live by believing and not by seeing.
8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.
9 So our aim is to please him always, whether we are here in this body or away from this body.
10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in our bodies.
Place marker for my ping page
A wonderful friend of mine once made a remark to me that I will never forget. He said, "we are not human beings having a Spiritual experience, we are Spiritual beings having a human experience."
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