“When they see among them their children, the work of my hands, they will keep my name holy.” (Isaiah 29:23)
I taught a Sunday school class recently, during which time I recounted a testimony that had been given at another church.
A young man, barely in his 40’s, had sustained a massive heart attack, died and was resuscitated. When he regained consciousness, he was angry that the doctors and nurses revived him because he had seen a glimpse of heaven and did not want to come back. He used his experience to reassure other believers that death is exactly as the Apostle Paul described, “the last enemy to be destroyed.” (1 Corinthians 15:26)
When I finished telling that story, a woman asked how I balanced that account against Scripture and quoted Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” That question has haunted me for several months.
Seven million Americans claim to have had near-death experiences. I guess the characterization, near-death, is an accurate description for Bible-believing Christians because the Bible does not support the conclusion that a man can die more than once. That’s exactly what Job meant when he said, “As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so he who goes down to the grave does not return.” (Job 7:9)
The Bible also does not support the claim that someone can die and later live to tell a story about their death experience. In fact, God’s Word repeatedly insists that such claims cannot be true. Ecclesiastes 9:5 emphatically states, “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing.”
My point is not to sit in judgment and tell you that the near-death experiences don’t happen. I’m afraid that any doubts we may have about those claims will not be cleared up before we get to heaven.
It is, however, very important how we relay these accounts. When I told that Sunday school class about one man’s experience, I said he had died. The fact is he may have been clinically dead, but he was not dead because the Bible says, “But man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more.” (Job 14:10)
I am grateful that a godly woman who knew God’s Word better than I kindly offered me a question in the spirit of correction. You see I was teaching a principle that contradicted Scripture and she knew it. The Bible warns all Christians, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
Thank you, Lord, for sending people our way who help us to grow in Christian understanding. Indeed, we should all remember your instruction when we hear something that is not in keeping with your Word: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15)
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