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Afterlife exists says top brain surgeon
"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."
Why does it make the news when some British brain dead doctor wakes up and says he saw heaven but when Jesus, in front of witnesses, died and rose again, in front of witnesses, the world yawns? Just think about that for a minute.
I am sad for the doctor. And he wrote a whole book called "Proof of Heaven" ??!! Jesus wrote a whole book - the bible - which is proof of heaven.
The man's medically induced, hospital-drug involved experience in no way proves heaven. He experienced something. It wasn't heaven. The man's brain was swelled up, neurologically destroyed for a period, and drugs were keeping him alive. Anything could be happening in his brain at that moment! His experience is proof of nothing.
If you notice all the people who say they have been brought to heaven, their visions do not line up with what the bible says. The doctor saw cotton-candy clouds, and women angels (not biblical) but NOT Jesus? If he is saved, the man would be with Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8a). If he was not saved, he would not be in heaven.
What did Ezekiel see? God (Ezek. 1:26)
What did Daniel see? God (Dan. 7:9)
What did Isaiah see? God ((Isa. 6:1)
What did Jacob see? God (Gen. 28:12, 13)
What did Stephen see? Jesus (Acts 7:55)
What did John see? God (Rev. 4:2)
What did Micaiah see? God. (2 Chron. 18:18)
What did Paul see? He wasn't allowed to say!
Not only do these trips to heaven not line up with the bible, they do not line up with each other. No one, like Colton Burpo or Don Piper or this doctor etc., saw the same things as each other. They each saw different things.
Now satan, who is a liar and the father if lies, wants to delude someone, wouldn't you think he could give an unsaved person a vision and delude them into thinking they saw heaven and are headed there? That they are all set and do not need Jesus for salvation? Which is more likely: Jesus giving tours of heaven which differ from each other, or satan, father of lies deluding people into thinking they are saved by giving them a false vision?
Here is a good 15-min video of a discernment minister named Justin Peters explaining why these 'visits to the afterlife' and visions of heaven are false.
Justin Peters Explains Why Stories of Trips To Heaven Do Not Line up With the Bible
Sorry to burst your bubble, people.. :) We want to be excited, but we have to be discerning.
"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."
Why does it make the news when some British brain dead doctor wakes up and says he saw heaven but when Jesus, in front of witnesses, died and rose again, in front of witnesses, the world yawns? Just think about that for a minute.
I am sad for the doctor. And he wrote a whole book called "Proof of Heaven" ??!! Jesus wrote a whole book - the bible - which is proof of heaven.
The man's medically induced, hospital-drug involved experience in no way proves heaven. He experienced something. It wasn't heaven. The man's brain was swelled up, neurologically destroyed for a period, and drugs were keeping him alive. Anything could be happening in his brain at that moment! His experience is proof of nothing.
If you notice all the people who say they have been brought to heaven, their visions do not line up with what the bible says. The doctor saw cotton-candy clouds, and women angels (not biblical) but NOT Jesus? If he is saved, the man would be with Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8a). If he was not saved, he would not be in heaven.
What did Ezekiel see? God (Ezek. 1:26)
What did Daniel see? God (Dan. 7:9)
What did Isaiah see? God ((Isa. 6:1)
What did Jacob see? God (Gen. 28:12, 13)
What did Stephen see? Jesus (Acts 7:55)
What did John see? God (Rev. 4:2)
What did Micaiah see? God. (2 Chron. 18:18)
What did Paul see? He wasn't allowed to say!
Not only do these trips to heaven not line up with the bible, they do not line up with each other. No one, like Colton Burpo or Don Piper or this doctor etc., saw the same things as each other. They each saw different things.
Now satan, who is a liar and the father if lies, wants to delude someone, wouldn't you think he could give an unsaved person a vision and delude them into thinking they saw heaven and are headed there? That they are all set and do not need Jesus for salvation? Which is more likely: Jesus giving tours of heaven which differ from each other, or satan, father of lies deluding people into thinking they are saved by giving them a false vision?
Here is a good 15-min video of a discernment minister named Justin Peters explaining why these 'visits to the afterlife' and visions of heaven are false.
Justin Peters Explains Why Stories of Trips To Heaven Do Not Line up With the Bible
Sorry to burst your bubble, people.. :) We want to be excited, but we have to be discerning.
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And another thing: the doctor said his experience was "something so profound that it gave me a scientific reason to believe in consciousness after death"
ReplyDeleteSince when is a personal experience validation of scientific reason? We're supposed to believe it just because he experienced it? Not hardly.
he said heaven was filled with butterflies and resounding music and he entered a place filled with clouds and the sound of chanting, and was met by a beautiful blue-eyed woman.
Is he *that* easy? 'You had me at butterflies.'
Funny-- I just read that article and then saw your post. I totally agree with you!
ReplyDeleteI am with you on this one Elizabeth, EVERY time I have heard accounts of these things, I am cautioned.
ReplyDeleteFor the past five months my mom has been dealing with a seeming neurological issue. I actually presented it here with the fact that she does not know Christ and watching this decline is difficult to say the least.
Listen to what my sister and I have discovered in the last two days.
She has been having seizure like events that have landed her in the ER a number of times. Been treated for that and left without her right mind and ability to function.
I pressed for the neurologist to find out what was happening. After a number of EEG's he determined that she was not having seizures. But still wanted her on the anti convulsant's, just to be "safe". She discontinued the use and returned to a more normal state of mind. She still had an underlying issue that had caused her event that remained unknown.
A week ago last Sunday morning she had another "event" that caused her to be transported and she was treated the same way and she had gone right back to her altered state of delirium.
I had noticed that there had always been a stress event that precipitated these event's.
This is what my sister found.
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/symptoms_that_mimic_epilepsy_linked_to_stress_poor_coping_skills
Ultimately, unless you know Christ, you have the indwelling Holy Spirit, and are in subjection to His revealed will in your life. You cannot cope.
Read this article and you will find that group of girls you wrote about
http://the-end-time.blogspot.com/2012/01/outbreak-of-mass-hysteria-or-demon.html
are mentioned in this study.
The sum of the matter? Unless you Have what is revealed in the Word of God and are made part of God's family by the atonement of Christ's own blood you will be forever lost and you will not be floating around with a blue eyed woman who is pleasing to the eyes are there will be no butterflies either. Period.
Oh, by the way, the medical industry seeks to bring people under it's "authority" or control. This is not a new tactic, danger, danger, the enemy has been using drugs for a long time to control peoples minds. Read about that in Marco Polo's story.
prescription drugs are legal yes but so is abortion and that does not make it right or good.
Hi Jeff,
DeleteI'm so sorry about your mother. It is so stressful for the family when something is wrong but doctors cannot find what it is... :( We hate to watch our loved ones be in pain of any kind. I pray that she will recover soon.
I agree with you about medicines. Meds are so helpful- penicillin, polio vaccines, antibiotics have helped us become healthier...but my personal opinion is that medical drugs have by now 'jumped the shark' so to speak.
I cannot trust what the government puts into them. They have become not so useful and more often downright dangerous to us. There have been issues with vaccines, secret experiments on Americans (LSD), the infamous Tuskeegee ethics breach...
At the very least the over-prescription of drugs has led to an unfortunate resistance to them, thereby diluting their once potent usefulness.
I completely agree that being in Christ by faith and His grace alone is the only safe way to live.
My mom's heart stopped awhile after she got saved but she was revived. Anyway she had the experience of floating out of her body and seeing her body and everything going on in the OR. She did not see heaven but encountered Christ outside its' gates. She says she didn't see Christ's face because it was too bright. Anyway she only describes the gates and hearing many, many beautiful voices singing. She describes who she believes to be Christ giving her a message and saying it wasn't her time, to spread His gospel and that He would be returning very soon (this was in the late 80's). I've described it before. I can't just ignore her experience but I don't believe she went anywhere near heaven since it obviously wasn't her time to die but I do believe she had a vision. I assume it was from The Lord because she is born again but only God knows.
ReplyDeleteBy definition, this man also had a vision but it was definitely not from God. Who knows what he has opened his mind up to in terms of demonic activity. I've also read so many accounts of hell and heaven and they are not the same. Some even contradict The Word of God. If these things they are seeing are not from God, who else is the source?!
Anyway, I've always wanted to talk to someone about this but I read a thread on a popular board for nurses (allnurses) and it was about what they had seen when their patients were dying or about to die. They didn't input opinions but just relayed their observations. Interestingly, many had similarities. The biggest one was that patients would describe or act like they saw loved ones who had died pretty much waiting for them. Some of them were Christian, most were not but many of them experienced that. There were a few accounts of patients seeing angels and one scary account of a patient screaming in pain that something was hot and burning right before he died.
There was also another thread of nurses talking about patients that had near death experiences. Many described floating out of their bodies and would correctly identify what was going on around them.
It was just all very interesting and only God knows why so many people in particular see loved ones right before their death. To me, it doesn't discount the Word of God but at the same time I can't just say so many objective accounts (in terms of what the nurses observed) should be dismissed. It's just another detail that noone will ever be able to understand in this life.
Hi Debbie, I'm so glad your mom was restored to you! The Lord gave you another 25 or so years with her!
DeleteI can't say that ALL NDEs are false nor that ALL NDEs are from satan. Equally, I can't say that NDEs are from God either. But for the most part I'm convinced 99% of them are not what the person thinks they are.
Hindus report meeting Vishnu. Others report not having any NDEs at all. If the person was going to see THE afterlife, and we know that there is only one, they would all be similar in who they saw and what they describe.
In the bible, those who did have a near death experience of some sort, never described it. Lazarus, who was really dead, never said a word about where he was or what he saw. Or at least if he did, God did not allow his story into the bible- which should tell us something!
The biblical record does not record the experience of any of the other people who were raised from the dead. Paul, who was near death, and so was Jonah, neither spoke of what happened. As a matter of fact, Paul was not allowed to utter things not fit for man to utter, he said.
I'm not speaking about your mom in any way, but for other people who are Christians (and I've heard testimonies from people who were clinically dead, the rapture ready guy is one, and a lady at my former church is another, and Don Piper is another) should remember that the body is undergoing severe trauma and quarts of drugs are being pumped into them, chest zappers are being applied and electricity is coursing around the body. What their brain is conjuring is no doubt amazing and real to the person (and I believe Don Piper is sincere) but truly we must be careful when speaking of having experiences. We should check the biblical record, and like Paul if we're a Christian we should remain silent, because if we don't, we give false hope.
"We should check the biblical record, and like Paul if we're a Christian we should remain silent, because if we don't, we give false hope."
DeleteVery, very true. Where I'm from, there's also quite alot of people that have experiences of dying and going to hell in particular and because the church there is prevalently charismatic, they eat up without any question. This is the most well known account: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WthZQtPtj20&feature=related. Anyway, there are many that are just so extra-biblical and they all end up contradicting one another. It's a mess.
I definitely agree the focus should always be on The Word of God not different experiences or else people end up accepting things that contradict the bible or reinforce the notion that The Bible is not enough.
Also, I asked you in another post from awhile back if the scripture talking about us not knowing when Christ would return refers to the rapture or the second coming and I've been searching and searching for it and CANNOT FIND IT! I know you probably replied me with an amazing answer and just wanted to say thanks...I'm still looking for the post and can't wait to read your reply :)
ReplyDeleteHi Debbie,
DeleteI remember answering and now I don't know where either! Here is a short response:
The verse to which you refer is Mt 24:36. "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."
The day or hour of what? This links back to the question the apostles had asked earlier in Matthew 24:3. They had asked a three-fold question: “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?”
Jesus spent from verse 4 to verse 35 answering in fairly chronological order what the signs will be from beginning to end, closing with- "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."
THEN He said no man knows the day or hour...of what? His coming. The coming He was referring to is the Second Coming at the end of the Tribulation. The entire chapter of Matthew 24 is a response to the Jews about the Tribulation they will undergo from the moment of His ascension to the end when earth passes away. By default, the unbelievers will also experience the Tribulation because they will be on earth too. But as far as the Jews versus the Gentiles/Church vs. Tribulation goes in Matthew 24, Mt 24 is a Jews/Tribulation speech. It has nothing to do with the church. The church is gone by then.
So, how can they NOT know the day or hour? Everything will have been unfolding precisely to the day and in perfect order following the bible's chronology and schedule of events. Any believer will know. Yes, but not the day or hour. They will know what is next but not when. Remember, by the very end, the sun will have been blinked out. The antichrist will have messed with times and the laws. No one will be working and nothing will work. Nothing will be running as it should not planes or trains or anything. No one will even KNOW the time, they will be completely disoriented.
However it is also true that we will not know when the rapture will occur either. The rapture precedes the Tribulation and always has been an imminent event. No sign must occur and no event must happen before the rapture happens. Romans 11:25 tells us that God has a certain number in mind to fill His church. It is a number driven event and not a date-driven event. BUT, if we see the signs for the Tribulation occurring and we know the rapture occurs prior, how much closer is the rapture? Close!
So the answer is the not knowing the day or hour is specific to the Second Coming at the end of the Tribulation. Hope this helps.
Wow, thank you...I knew your explanation would be awesome. It shows how extremely important it is to read the bible in context. I hear so many preachers use that verse in reference to the rapture and alot of times they also use alot of Matthew 24 to refer to the rapture also and it gets confusing because some references make sense while others do not. Anyways, thanks again...
DeleteYou're welcome! And thank you for the compliment. The references to praying 'it doesn't take place' on the Sabbath is for the Jews: they were only allowed to take so many steps on the Lord's day. And the reference to fleeing to the mountains, that is to the Jews at Jerusalem too: the mountains are to the east and south at the border of Jordan, and Petra is nestled there. If the Chapter was a general admonition to all beleivers and regarded the rapture, what would a Christian do who didn't live near the mountains?? Where were they supposed to flee? And the reference to the Abomination of Desolation is a reference in Daniel when the Temple is desecrated. Why would a born again Christian care about the Temple?
DeleteNo, the only way there is no inconsistency and no confusion is if the person understands the entire chapter is aimed at the Jews and the signs of the end during the Tribulation before His Second Coming :)
We as Christians certainly need to be discerning. However, there is still a lot of good that can come from a scientist claiming to know about an afterlife. People will be curious. People will seek. And God is still God. He can use this story to lead people to Him, to the truth of Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life.
ReplyDeleteFar from sparking curiosity, I believe these trips to heaven are satan's way to *stop* people from investigating further into repentance and faith. After having had this experience, that doctor is sure that he is going to heaven now. He is not looking for Jesus. He's all set. It is a case where we need to mourn, not rejoice.
DeleteWhat good can come of a person who claimed to be a "Christian in name only" (his words) who "didn't believe in eternal life" (his words again) so that is to say, not a believer at all promoting the things of God? It boils down to an unbeliever speaking false things about a God he doesn't know. This is not good nor is it helpful.
The article about the doctor's near-death experience was linked to on a Facebook page I 'liked' recently. The whole experience just sounded bizarre. First, when he said that he was met by a woman, alarm bells started going off. The other really telling thing was when this 'woman' told him, "you can do no wrong". As you have pointed out in some of the other responses, this being said to a man who was admittedly unsaved just does not line up with what one would expect from the God of the Bible.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the rest of his experience, what he relates sounds an awful lot like what one would describe when tripping on 'acid', or, LSD. He talks of sight and sound being merged into one so that he could in fact see the notes that were being sung.
Another thing I would note is his description of how everything seemed to be connected and were one. Does this not sound quite reminiscent of the Hindu/Buddhist ideas of Nirvana?
So all of this gives me some idea of the source of his visions, and it certainly was not God! What is most important of all, however, is what God Himself has to say. (And I think this will answer Anonymous October 10, 2012 12:00 PM) 2 Peter 1:1-21 follows:
16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
So then notice in v.16, Paul says that they were EYEWITNESSES. Eyewitnesses to what? Verses 17 & 18 tell us that they were eyewitnesses to the very voice of God himself as he announced, "this is my Son in whom I am well pleased." But then notice that in v. 19 Paul says that we also have a MORE SURE WORD OF PROPHECY! More sure than what? Than being an eyewitness!!! So what is this more sure word of prophecy then? Well, vs.20 & 21 go on to give us light as to what this more sure word is. Notice in v.20 it says, "prophecy of the SCRIPTURE". So, there it is. God tells us in his Word that His Word, the Scriptures are a more sure witness than even being an eyewitness to the events!!!! So, in light of this, one must ALWAYS measure any 'vision' against the clear teaching of Scripture, just as we are admonished in 1 John 4:1, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." I would say that this would also apply to any spirits one believes to have seen in a near-death experience as well.