Beyond Goodbye: Are shared-death experiences real?

cnn ^ | December 26, 2014 | John Blake

[NYer]

William Peters was working as a volunteer in a hospice when he had a strange encounter with a dying man that changed his life.

The man

[ifinnegan]

Near death is not dead.

[ifinnegan]

Read John 11.

[zot]

Thanks for the ping. I feel sorry for the skeptics.

[Lee N. Field]

So Lazarus didn’t actually die?

He had help.

[NYer]

Why do you think your grandmother told you to get your daughter away?

Because she did not feel such a young child should witness death.

[Lee N. Field]

Near death is not dead.

"Only mostly dead".

[ifinnegan]

We are all mostly dead.

[HerrBlucher]

I read John 11 and do not see your point. Please clarify.

Here are some other biblical accounts of being raised from the dead.:

1. Elijah raised the son of the Zarephath widow from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-22).

2. Elisha raised the son of the Shunammite woman from the dead (2 Kings 4:32-35).

3. A man was raised from the dead when his body touched Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:20, 21).

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. Eutychus was raised from the dead by Paul (Acts 20:9, 10).

J. L. Meredith, Meredith’s Big Book of Bible Lists, (Inspirational Press, NY; 1980), p. 115

[Mean Daddy]

I work with a lady who told me a story about when she was younger, her aunt came to her right before she fell asleep one night. The next day she woke up and found out the aunt had passed. They had been very close. Made the hairs on my neck stand up when she told the story.

[NYer]

Do you think your grandmother’s request about your daughter had something to do with not wanting her to witness her death? Also I don’t understand your uncle’s reference to the garage-— did something happen in the garage?

Yes, of course. My grandmother did not feel such a young child should witness her death.

As for my uncle's comment, he confirmed that my grandmother passed away almost immediately after my daughter and I left the hospital. We were probably in the elevator when she died.

[MOgirl]

Hello,

I have told this story before, although it has been awhile. My best friend, Melissa, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and it took only 2 1/2 months for her to pass away. We all knew it was coming, there was no stopping it (she was 36). On a early Saturday morning, I got the call from her husband, it was done. While I had tried to prepare myself for the grief, I was unable to do anything but stay in my room and cry. My son, now 17, was 2 1/2. Late in the day, he asked me to come into the kitchen, in his little toddler way. He was happy and very excited. Of course, we had not told this little child that the lady he called Melly had passed away. He pointed out our kitchen window that looks out on the back yard and said “Melly”. I asked him what he meant and he said he saw Melly and she was in our back yard. I didn't know what to do with this and hugged him and said that's nice baby. The next morning, he got me again, and took me to the same window. I asked him if again he saw Melly in the back yard. He said, “she in the sky and she is smiling...” True story.

MOgirl

[Tucker39]

I may as well tell mine. I got Saved August 18, 1962. I’ve known the Lord 52 years.

Back in 1978 a man in town, whom I’ll call Harvey, known to be a rascal, was arrested along with several others in a scam of some kind. I had never met the man. I only knew his name and reputation.

When the trial date approached he and his wife showed up at a fundamental Bible church in town one Sunday morning, and when the altar call was given they came forward and knelt at the altar rail. It fell upon me to meet them at the altar, counsel them, and explain God’s Plan of Salvation to these strangers. (Had I known who they were, I probably would have choked).

After showing them the Roman Road Scriptures and explaining a few things, they both then prayed “the sinner’s prayer” in which they repented of their sins, and invited Christ to come into their lives and be their Savior.

In the court trial which took place soon after, only one of the accused was convicted. Harvey and several others were acquitted.

In the years that followed, Harvey and “Agnes” his wife, were baptized by immersion, joined the church, and Harvey attached himself to me as his mentor. All the years until 2008 Harvey lived for the Lord and was an exemplary citizen and a fine Christian Brother. Meanwhile, through the years Harvey’s health began to go downhill. Congestive heart failure.

On a Saturday noon in May 2008, just as I had sat down to lunch, a friend phoned to say that Harvey had died in his sleep during the night. We chatted a few minutes, and upon hanging up the phone I returned to my chair and bowed my head to return thanks for the food, when, down in my spirit, seemingly in my upper chest cavity, a “loud” booming Voice came forth that rang in my ears (spiritual or physical?) and reverberated through my whole being....four words...loud and clear....”HARVEY IS HOME SAFE!!” That was it. No more words, but the experience continued to reverberate in my spirit for a week or more.

At that moment my wife came into the kitchen asking what the phone call had been about. I told her it was George calling to say that Harvey had died. But I told her not to feel bad for Harvey; that God had just spoken to me and said that Harvey had made the trip and was safe in Heaven.
PRAISE JESUS!

[RoosterRedux]

Thx.

[aimee5291]

thanks for sharing

[aimee5291]

I’d like to hear them

[ifinnegan]

What did Jesus say about Lazurus being dead?

How does Lazurus’ story differ from all the current stories of coming back from death or near death?

Thanks for the other verses.

[NYer]

There is another interesting thing that happened later that night after my aunt and uncle returned from the hospital. Ditter, you can probably understand this, given your own experience.

There was a large window in my grandmother's apartment that faced out onto a heavily wooded area. I had my back to the window. My aunt noticed something on the exterior of the glass. Turning, I watched in amazement as a large green moth, freshly emerged from its cocoon, fluttered its wings. I had never seen anything like it before or since. It remained on that window, fluttering up and down against the dark backdrop, illuminated by the light inside the apartment. I later learned that it was a luna moth.

I don't know the significance, if any. I had never seen one before, nor have I ever seen one since then. Luna Moths are huge moths, with a wingspan of four and a half inches. Adult Luna Moths don't eat; in fact, they don't even have a mouth. They only live for about a week, and their only purpose is to mate.

[dsutah]

Something like that happened when my Aunt passed away almost 25 years ago! My Uncle was in his apartment late one night after visiting her a short time before. (they had been divorced for many years, but were still on very good terms) Anyway, he heard a knock on the door and went to open it, looked to see who was there. No one was! He closed the door, and then the phone rang at that moment. One of his grown sons told him that his Mom had just died a few moments before! My Uncle got a weird feeling that my Aunt may have knocked on the door to say good-bye! Weird! The knock and the phone call seemed to have occurred within a few minutes of each other. Also, about the time he opened the door, (thinking someone had the wrong door) it was very late, and no one was in the hall, or close to his door. Also there was no sound of footprints, either!

[HerrBlucher]

You tell me. I was merely pointing out that the definition of death as “never coming back” is either severely flawed given the 10 biblical accounts of people coming back from the dead, or the biblical accounts are wrong.

I think we can both agree that, given the biblical accounts, it is possible for someone to come back from the dead...with help. As far as the near death experiencers, how do we know they did not have supernatural help from angels or Christ Himself? After all, the common theme among these NDE’s is that they were told that it was not yet their time to die. It is no great jump to think they had help coming back.

[dsutah]

I had a similar experience short time after my Dad passed away in 1971. I was sleeping, and I had a dream that the door was somehow wide open! (I was sure I closed it before going to bed) I saw a bright light, and Dad was standing there, holding a hat or something in his hand, and smiling radiantly! He was a Marine Corp veteran and was buried in his uniform, so that explained the hat. He didn’t say anything in the dream, and I sat up in my dream and called out “Daddy?”. It must have woke me up, and the room was dark and the door closed! I couldn’t explain exactly what it was, a vision, maybe? Anyway, I was sad and disappointed, because it seemed to be just a dream! Over the years, I heard other similar stories about people, (one of them being the late singer Johnny Cash) having a similar dream or (vision?)! I told my (at one time) sister-in-law about it, and she said she believed my dream could have been a real vision! One of my uncles said once, perfectly seriously, that he had talked to my Grandma (his Mom) a few times himself. So these experiences people have are not to be discounted easily, that’s for sure!