Posted on 10/10/2012 6:43:29 AM PDT by Biggirl
Dr Eben Alexander, a Harvard-educated neurosurgeon, fell into a coma for seven days in 2008 after contracting meningitis. During his illness Dr Alexander says that the part of his brain which controls human thought and emotion "shut down" and that he then experienced "something so profound that it gave me a scientific reason to believe in consciousness after death." In an essay for American magazine Newsweek, which he wrote to promote his book Proof of Heaven, Dr Alexander says he was met by a beautiful blue-eyed woman in a "place of clouds, big fluffy pink-white ones" and "shimmering beings".
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Amen and praise God!
Well tell the kid who is the basis of the book “Heaven is for Real” and the children’s version of the book. The children’s version of the book is a real confort for the dear ones left behind who are believers and it helps make stronger their faith. I know it has made stronger my faith in the Lord as well as in His promises as spoken in His Holy Biblical word.
In the children’s book, there are Bible scripture that is cited and are not in any way, shape or form contradicted.
Also PLEASE CITE the passage of scripture of scriptures to back up what you say. Thank-you.
Isaiah 14:13 is good enough for me.
You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.
The ascension of Isaiah. And then there are Enoch and Elijah, taken to heaven before their deaths.
2 Kings 2:11 and Hebrews 11:5
And there was the transfiguration of Moses.
The scriptures even mentions 3 heavens, and Jesus spoke of the House of many mansions. Guess that’s just for the one-percenters.
I don’t believe that we sleep until the day of judgement. Nor do I believe that we immediately sprout wings. That takes a little more soul growth in the uppermost of heavens.
Actually, the biblical understanding is that we are a body with a soul, completely unified. This is why Jews, and then Christians historically, have always honored their dead with burial, not cremation, because of the expectation of resurrection.
This is also why the Christian creeds (Apostles, Nicene, etc.) include the term "resurrection of the dead" instead of the term "immortality of the soul," which is actually a Greek/pagan idea.
Point being, we are not ultimately disembodied souls...weighed down with a body (that's a pagan/gnostic idea)rather full human life is and will be forever...in a body.
I'm not saying souls do NOT separate from the body at death--as it surely appears they do (and the Church has taught so for a long time), I'm only saying that full human existence is physical--body AND soul--and, the bible is unequivocal about a physical resurrection at the 2nd coming of Jesus.
Souls separated from the body after death now are known as an "intermediate state," as eternal life--according to all orthodox Christian teaching--will be in a new resurrection body (as Jesus' life is in a (new) body up to this day...).
Saint Paul said plainly, “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” (Now, the Lord is NOT in the grave; as we know.) He didn’t know whether or not it would be something he “should” wish to go on and be with the Lord, but, in fact, he knew he had to stay on earth for the benefit of the church. “Moments” are relative.
“Isaiah 14:13 is good enough for me.
You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.
The ascension of Isaiah.”
You do understand that Isaiah was referring to Satan, don’t you? That was a condemnation of Satan’s desire to raise himself (key point) above God. And we don’t ever - ever - become angels. These are important and often misunderstood realities.
This past summer, I had emergency dental wisdom teeth removel surgery, with drainage of lower left jaw duel to celuitius, a major bacteral infection which if not treated would have caused my death, either by blood posioning or or choaking me to death.
While I was asleep during the surgery, I had what looked like for a very brief time, the Good Sheperd heild me in his arms, like from the poem, “Footprints”.
go to http://www.amazingfacts.org/ and search "life after death". it would be a good exercise for all who are curious about the teaching of scripture to do their own research. personally i believe scripture to be the true word of God and with regards to those testifying to their experience of life after death is inexplicable and may well be the work of the adversary.
Well it would surprise you that God does give us visions and that does include visions of Heaven.
I believe in God. I have faith that there is a God. I acknowledge that what I have is faith, not proof. I see that faith as a gift of God to me.
I have to question those who seem to “choose” what they believe. I don’t think one can simply elect to believe something (although one can say that they have done so). I believe faith is the result of numerous influences on one’s life (both earthly and spiritual), and upon one’s willingness to let those influences have their impact on one’s belief.
Just a meandering thought....
True faith is a gift. I have belief in God myself. But also faith is a personal choice, to make the choice to believe in God.
DIYBI
Translation: “Do it yourself Bible interpitation”.
I don’t automatically believe nor automatically disbelieve what is called “private revelation.”
Hildegard of Bingen had them for over 70 years, and they weren’t “near-death” experiences either: they were intense visions that came to her, on and off, through all 5 senses, from age 3 until her death at age 81.
Even she did not consider them automatically worthy of belief. For a long time she was dubious, she didn’t know if they were a delusion or a gift.
I admire her sane and balanced point of view. God is capable of giving us visions; on the other hand, the brain itself is inconceivably complex, and capable of engendering convincingly fantastic other worlds.
But I want to ask the doctrinaire atheists this question: why and how would unaided materialistic evolution -— you know, that mechanistic process totally defined by survival and reproductive fitness -— have given us such powerful, apparently otherworldly, perceptions, capacities, and drives?
I ask you.
Unless the full title is “Afterlife Exists Says Top Brain Surgeon - From the Grave!” than I still have to simply rely on faith here.
NDE's appear to occur across cultures and bear remarkable similarities. Beyond that, I don't know. They might be part of the dying process in which regardless of how bad a persons non-instantaneous death is, the final experience will be pleasant.
So do you think possibly everybody has NDE's before they die ---- it's just part of the dying physiological brain function? ? Not quite sure what you're saying here.
Very interesting indeed. Just this week, the Church made her a doctor of the Church.
Beginning Experience, a peer facilitated weekend for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one
Perhaps.
Not quite sure what you're saying here.
I wouldn't want to say it happens in every death but it may be that some mechanism exists to help make the final flickers of life peaceful regardless as to how the person reached that state. Some report the opposite sensation... of being on the precipice of something horrible. So, I don't know. Just speculating here which I think is all anyone can do on this topic.
Thank-you and God Bless. Bookmarked both national and CT websites.
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