Posted on 06/10/2006 9:45:53 PM PDT by churchillbuff
Despite lifelong beliefs that have been ingrained in my faith since childhood, I have to admit that like almost everyone else I have from time to time wondered if my existence will simply come to an end on the day I draw my last breath.
There is, after all, no way to prove one way or the other that human life continues in another realm after the body ceases to function. Nobody has come back to testify about it, with one notable exception of course, and those who reject his divinity also tend to doubt what he had to say about life after death. And the late Madalyn Murray O’Hair, the infamous atheist, hasn’t weighed in on the subject lately either.
Some would insist such doubts are implanted by the devil himself. Others counter there is no scientific basis for belief in a hereafter in the first place.
But just about every time I entertain such doubts, something comes along to reinforce my long-held belief in the hereafter. It’s often the experience of a dying saint getting their first glimpse, as an old gospel song puts it, of what’s over on the other side.
I’m told the Rev. Dr. Hollis Pistole appeared to have one such experience at his passing a little over a month ago. According to the story, Dr. Pistole, after a long battle with debilitating illness, raised up and put his arms out just before he drew his last breath. Apparently he received that glimpse of what awaited him.
My wife’s father had a similar experience, opening his eyes and reaching heavenward just before his passing.
I also recently went over my mom’s notes made at the time of my dad’s death more than half a century ago. “Under me? Under me? Thank you, Jesus,” he said.
A whole category of what have been termed near-death experiences have been catalogued by those looking for insight into what happens at the end of life. A common phenomenon is a light-at-the-end-of-a-tunnel vision. Many claim to have seen friends or relatives but were unable to reunite with them when they were suddenly jerked back into life.
My Uncle Melvin had such an experience, claiming to have seen his brother and another loved one at the time he was suffering a severe heart attack from which he recovered.
It is impossible to figure out the working of the subconscious, thus rendering any attempt at concrete conclusions problematic. Are any or all of these phenomena merely the gyrations of an active brain or might they be an indication of a link between this world and one to come?
Belief in life after death has been part of human experience as long as mankind has pondered its existence. It has been reinforced by the most sacred writings of most of the world’s major religions, including Christianity, which bases its entire concept on the idea of God personally demonstrating life after physical death through the manifestation we call Jesus.
In this life, of course, our existence is tied to our physical body. But to define human life according to our physical limitations is an obvious understatement of our role in the universe. Human interaction is limited by our physical senses. But the true self that has developed over the course of our lifetimes would seem to go far beyond the senses.
And certainly there can be no doubt that the rationality of human beings and their capability to build on their life experiences place them in a category entirely separate from other living creatures.
Is there life after death? The question defies physical proof, to be sure. But there would seem to be glimpses enough into the future to show that our existence has only just begun.
And anyway, by preparing for eternity, I think I’m building a pretty good life here as well.
Jim Bailey’s column appears on Sunday. He can be reached by e-mail at jameshenrybailey@earthlink.net.
She died on the operating table. I believe he was there to guide her to heaven.
I've found the NDEs pretty startling when they can describe what was going on in the next room while they were 'clinically dead'!
Young children have described relatives who were 'gone' by the time they were born. Very intriguing.
"Interestingly, human reincarnation is not taught, but what of the rest of living things?"
THe Bible really doesn't say much about the rest of living things. I presume you mean flora and fauna?
Man is the only creature that is a created in the image of God: Body, soul, and spirit. Animals are referred to in the Bible as creatures for the benefit/stewardship of man, but nothing is taught about their souls. God does know when a sparrow falls, so I know He cares for them. (I always like to think that my dog, Peaches, will be in heaven, but the Bible is pretty silent about that, as far as I know.)
As for plants? The seed falls to the ground, voila! ;o)
"The Scotch Irish folks up in these mountains have a lot of tales, many gleaned from real life experiences."
Yes indeed girlangler,
I think the experience's that had the most impact on folks back then is when the dying person relayed information about a friend or relative being dead, yet it would be days to come before family members received the news by mail that "yes" that person had died & had died before Aunt Jane died.
Reagan was god's gift to america, he came from god, he returned to god. A tree is known by its fruit and he certainly grew good fruit. As Ghandi oberved : murderers and thieves come and go, but the truth and love live forever. Whence cometh hate and love? QM/atomic physics : Pauli Exclusion principle for fermions(electrons, protons, neutrons, etc) : no 2 electrons in a given atom can have the same n, l, m or s number. Thus the stacking principle of chemistry, unique names, pecking order, "turf", repulsion; HATE. The Bose Inclusion Principle : with n number of bosons in a given state there is a n+1 enhancement factor for the next boson to join that state. Thus the lasar, gravity, attraction; LOVE. Fermions are spin 1/2, bosons spin 1; thus 1/2+1/2=1. Or, when you "pair up" as nancy and ron did you join the ever growing bose-love state shared by many, many others in a growing stream of joyous love....See, science isn't all that cold and indifferent after all, we EXPLAIN things that to religion are mysteries.
you got it, the Transfiguration is the answer, I am here to tell you , that you do not really die, the soul doesn't die, the being of all we are does not die, I too, am here to say that I know because I had a core near death experience back in the 60s when no one heard of it, I kept it quiet, for all those years , as when I would mention it, people thought I was crazy,,, the second we die, we go into that other world, we have every single moment reflected in our life review, so to speak, we sin as we are fallen from Eve, but it is what we do to repent of these sins....only saying "Jesus, I love you" at night before we fall asleep does wonders , I believe that we are created in His image and likeness, look at our brains , look at all the thoughts, visually we can think so fast etc. ask for a little faith in yourselves, to bring the wonders of His image out, up there, He is love, love , often meaning sacrifice, is what it is all about, I saw the firmament from the edge of heaven, given a mission, I was sent back, think positive, believe, pray, and faith will come, and have a great summer!
One of the tradition stories in my family concerns my grandfather Crouch. He was working in Washington, DC and his young daughter, Caroline, was very sick. a call came to him that he should hurry to where she was because they didn't expect her to live much longer. He hurried to a cab and told the driver to rush him there. While en route, his deceased Aunt appeared to him in the cab and told him to not hurry anymore because the girl was with her. He tapped the driver and told him to take it easy. The story was actually (As I understand it) related to my uncle when the cab arrived. You see, my grandfather had left the office without cab fare and the driver had to wait while PawPaw got the money together to pay the fare, so the driver told my uncle about the lady appearing in the cab. Odd thing was, the cab driver, though visibly excited, wasn't frightened about the incident!
I relate it as being ants trying to understand an elephant. We might be able to recognize smaller parts but we simply cannot grasp the elephant's total existance because the elephant is so immense and we are so tiny.
I hope with all my heart that that kind, humble, great man had made peace with God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ at some point in his life. He told the audience at a Southern Baptist Convention assembly in Atlanta that he was a born again Christian. I hope that was not political pandering, and I don't believe that he was the kind of man who would be so crassly political-minded that he would do that.
I can't help wondering what RR's wife and children thought or now think about his claimed relationship with God. AFAIK none of them have any regard for Christ or his church. Again, I have a hope for him, that hope being that he will have the company of the people he loved most in his earthly life in his eternal life as well.
If anyone gets the impression that I loved and admired RR your impression is quite correct.
Think about this for a moment: If there was proof, how could there be faith? If you could not make the choice to believe or disbelieve than what credit would there be to those who believe?
Some will say God has already provided proof through our complex physical beings and our intricate ecosystem. Could that really come forth out of random soup? I would not touch that whole topic with you, just something to think about.
All that God asks of us is to believe. If He had to prove Himself to do that, then there would be no credit to the believer for his faith. You would be compelled to accept, as if a slave.
So, personally, I'm happy that rock-solid scientific can't-get-around-it proof of God does not exist. If it did, the Leftists and the god-haters would become more unhinged now than they already are.
"You see, my grandfather had left the office without cab fare and the driver had to wait while PawPaw got the money together to pay the fare, so the driver told my uncle about the lady appearing in the cab. Odd thing was, the cab driver, though visibly excited, wasn't frightened about the incident!"
Thanks so much for sharing with us MHGinTN!
I don't think the old timers were shocked at all by the sudden appearance of spiritual beings.
As the Apostle Paul writes, "Are they not all ministering spirits sent for service, for the sake of those who shall inherit salvation" (Hebrews 1:14)
I would say that I believe we are all going to be rather surprised to discover with whom we have to share heaven. Only our Father knows what is in our hearts and will decide.
Sometimes, when things are difficult, I remember that tiny moment. And that, in turn, sometimes makes me recall something I read about Saint Francis who reportedly told a fellow monk, when they were caught in a snow storm, freezing cold, and struggling to seek shelter, "None of this matters in the slightest"
Just before he passed, Pope John Paul II said to his attending physician and those around him: "Let me go to the House of the Father" .... and, no doubt, to the embrace of the Blessed Mother.
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I met a remarkable, grace-filled young man who told me that he had been a swaggering, hard-drinking, drug-using, fighting bar brawler when one night someone put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger. The gun didn't fire. He was seated next to me on a flight from NY to CA, quietly reading his Bible, on his way home from having testified to a convention center filled with young people. God works in mysterious ways.
I also know a family where, thirty years ago now, the parents called the police on their daughter because she was so out of control. Today she has a beautiful family and is the wife/partner of a Pastor of the Youth Program in a huge church.
I've witnessed several friends and family close to their deaths, speak to people I couldn't see. Some would say "who's there?" ..While my own dear Mother said "alright...let's go", right before she died. She spoke of a "blue wind" and a "white bright light" as well.
Before that, a male attendent dressed in a crip white uniform with white dress shows, showed up in her room. He looked like Robert Redford and asked me if I had her diamond ring that she loved so much? I said I did. He smiled and said "good, she loved that ring".. When I asked him where he worked, he replied " at the other end"..I thought he meant the other end of the hospital..but no.
Now, not a single person knew who the young man was, and the hospital was very small, and no one dressed like him either. Later, my Aunt showed me a picture of my Mothers ex fiancee who had been killed in an accident. Best as I could tell, they looked alike..
I think he came back for her, and the "other end" was heaven.. :)
sw
That's really freaky...I had a very similar experience...
My wife was pregnant with our second child. A very difficult pregnancy. There was some kind of amniotic band in her uterus which could severly injure, choke or kill the baby.
We had a C-section scheduled due to the complications.
When we arrived at the hospital, we had to wait in some kind of holding room...not a specific hospital room, more of a general holding area with beds, etc.
We were the only one's in the room and we both were quite nervous...suddenly, the only phone in this large room rang...I picked it up and my grandmother's voice told me that everything would be OK...my grandmother had passed away about 10 years earlier. I told my wife that it was my grandmother and she said everything would be OK...we both were "shaken", because I was CERTAIN that it was her voice.
Long story short, when my daughter was born, one of the nurses sounded panicky and I noticed that my daughter's arm was "not normal", however she was otherwise healthy.
She is now 13 and a dimple in her wrist is the only visible reminder...she swims, plays softball, etc.
Grandma was right!!!
One of the interesting things about it, is that both those who are saved, and those who are not, seem to be surprised....
I know many people who have had "near death" experiences, or have died and came back, however you want to put that- all of them have told me what happened to them convinced them beyond all doubt that there is an afterlife. I personally had an experience that convinced me; or I should say confirmed what I believed.
I know some pass the experiences off as being the result of drugs or whatever- but in my experience I was not in a hospital setting and not on any drugs. Many others I know were not under influence of drugs either.
Wrong. This is not what I said.
I referred to sick and disabled children having a place to go where they are free from their illness's and can do all they missed here. These are things that we take for granted, like being able to walk , talk, and not being in pain at almost every moment.
Some children live short lives . Yet they still manage to feel happiness, and are deeply loved by their families and those around them. They are special. Absolutely I believe that they get to go to Heaven. I can have moments of doubt about everything else, but I can't doubt this. That's what I said in my previous post, and I stand by it.
I would caution you against pre-judging others, and assuming that "your way" is the only way. Stories of people coming to know God are as varied as all the colors on the Earth.
( No where in my post did I say I didn't believe in Jesus and the Resurrection. I notice from your posts, that you seem to be scrutinizing others words in search of something you can attack/criticize. This is usually called Bible thumping, and more often than not, turns people off.)
That said, I wonder if non-believers ever really think about what they believe. They are saying there's nothing- not just for themselves, but for everyone around them- including sick children. To me that existence would be un-thinkable, terribly sad, hollow, and empty.
A world without God is nothing-And of course He's said as much. Without Him we are nothing.
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