Those After Death Experiences - Part 2 by Dudley Ross Spears
(Reprinted from the website of the Pekin church of Christ: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/7017/pekin_ch.html)
The Bible is the only reliable source that can truly define life and death. In the book, Life after Life, Moody gave three definitions to death. First, he said death is the absence of clinically detectable signs of life, such as stoppage of the heart, blood pressure so low as to be unreadable, or dropping body temperature. Second, he said death is the absence of brain wave activity. This would be impossible to apply in the cases of those who claim they died and remembered what happened in the experience. There is not enough time to perform the very complex test to determine brain wave activity when one is dying. Moody also admitted, "Flat EEG tracings have been obtained in persons who were later resuscitated," which indicates that the test, even had it been used could never have been definitive or conclusive. Third, he said that death is the irreversible loss of vital functions, the most restricted definition of death. Measured by this definition, none of those making the claim of a return to life could have actually died.
The Bible gives us the one real answer to life and death. James said, "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:26). Solomon wrote, "Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it" (Eccl. 12:7). The Bible teaches that at death the spirit will not return to the body under normal circumstances. Listen to God's word on remembering what occurs at death. "For in death there is no remembrance of You; In the grave who will give You thanks?" (Psalm 6:5). Again, Solomon wrote: "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going" (Eccl. 9:10). Remember from the case of Elijah, that when he brought the boy back to life, the record says "the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived" (1 Kings 17:22).
There are those who deny the fundamental Bible teaching of the immortality of the soul. Our friends in the Jehovah's Witness organization contend that man is nothing more than animal life. He has no immortal soul. Listen to the words of one of their highest authorities. Charles Taze Russell wrote that man is "wholly mortal." Again from one of their books, "So we see that the claim of religionists that man has an immortal soul and therefore differs from the beast is not scriptural". Jesus replied to this materialistic concept of man in answering the Sadducees. "Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he called the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. For He is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto Him" (Luke 20:37-39). But how can God be the God of the living and also be God of dead men, viz., Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who were dead at the time Moses said this? The answer is by the fact that men do exist beyond the grave and the dead are raised. God has given man an immortal soul. Peter describes the soul of man as "imperishable" (1 Pet. 3:4).
The second thing about the biblical data is that in each case of reviving to life from the dead no information is given describing any aspect of the experience. I do not question that people go through amazing experiences when they are near death's door. I do not question that those experiences are indelibly engraved in their memory. But those experiences and memories are from the same source that fantasies and dreams come from. At death, the Bible teaches that believers go to be with the Lord. Paul wrote, "For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better" (Phil. 1:23). There is no judgment or evaluation of life at that point. All are judged together before the judgment seat of Christ. Listen again, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10).
The third thing to consider in these alleged experiences of returning from the dead is the variety of false information given. Moody and Ross reported, "There was a cultural stamp to the visions. Most Americans saw loved ones, most Indians saw religious figures. Religion determined the identity of the figure; no Christian patient saw a Hindu deity, and no Hindu saw Jesus." (Daniel Goleman, Back from the Brink, Psychology Today, April 1977, page 58, reporting on the research of Karlis Osis and Erlunder Haraldson, who gathered information of five hundred cases.)
Finally, one may have had some sort of vision or dream, but that is no assurance it is from God. Remember, Paul wrote of Satan, that he can cloak himself in garments belonging to "angels of light" (2 Cor. 11:14). A "being of light" which can adapt to anyone's religious inclination and background is not the Lord Jesus Christ, not the Holy Spirit, or the Eternal Father of lights. Beware of such visions and reports. Those who die leave this world to stand before God to be judged. The Hebrew writer said, "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Heb. 9:27-29).
The important thing all straight thinking people need to remember is that this life is but a stage of preparation for the life to come. To prepare, one must accept what God has revealed of Himself and His Son and obey from the heart that form of teaching (Rom. 6:17-18). Believe, repent, and be immersed today into the sacred name of the divine Three.
[Editor's Note: Prepared by Kenneth E. Thomas evangelist with the Pekin church of Christ. Bro. Thomas did some rearranging of this good article and bolded certain passages and citations for emphasis sake. ]
The Birdcage - Author Unknown (Contributed by K. Dillinger)
There once was a man named George Thomas, a preacher in a small New England town. One Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old birdcage, and set it by the pulpit. Several eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Thomas began to speak.
"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me, swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, "What you got there son?" "Just some old birds," came the reply. "What are you gonna do with them?" I asked. "Take 'em home and have fun with 'em. I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time." "But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?" "Oh, I got some cats. They like birds. I'll take'em to them." The preacher was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?" "Huh??!!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing -- they ain't even pretty!" "How much?" The boy sized up the preacher as if he were crazy and said, "$10?" The preacher reached in his pocket and took out a ten-dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone.
The preacher picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty birdcage on the pulpit, and then the preacher began to tell this story.
One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap; used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!" "What are you going to do with >them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other. How to hate and abuse each other. How to drink and smoke and curse. How to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!" "And what will you do when you get done with them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, I'll kill 'em." "How much do you want for them?" "Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you!! You don't want those people!!" "How much?" Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your tears, and all your blood." Jesus paid the price.
The preacher picked up the cage he opened the door and he walked from the pulpit.
PARTING THOUGHT
And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Ps. 37:6 (KJV)