The Resurrection Of Jesus Christ.

JESUS CHRIST ROSE FROM THE DEAD 

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most famous Resurrection in history, and is at the heart of the Christian message. After the Crucifixion, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. We believe this is scientifically proved by the Shroud of Turin, the burial cloth of Jesus Christ.

After three days, Jesus' mother and Mary Magdalene went to the tomb to perform the full Jewish burial. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is described in all four gospels. We have reproduced the account from Matthew 28:1-10, TLB: 

"Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to the tomb. Suddenly there was a great Earthquake; for an angel of the Lord came down from Heaven and rolled aside the stone and sat on it. His face shone like lightning and his clothing was a brilliant white. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women. "Don't be frightened!" he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified, but he isn't here! For he has come back to life again, just as he said he would. Come in and see where his body was lying. .And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and that he is going to Galilee to meet them there. That is my message to them. The women ran from the tomb, badly frightened, but also filled with joy, and rushed to find the disciples to give them the angel's message. And as they were running, suddenly Jesus was there in front of them! "Good morning!" he said. And they fell to the ground before him, holding his feet and worshiping him. Then Jesus said to them, "Don't be frightened! Go tell my brothers to leave at once for Galilee, to meet me there." 

HOW TO GO TO HEAVEN

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the heart of the New Testament, celebrated by millions of believers all over the world every year. Resurrection from the dead to a new life in Heaven, in a resurrected body, is the most cherished hope of most Christians. Based on Jesus' promises, all true born again believers in Jesus Christ can confidently look forward to an eternity in Heaven! 

Interviews With Six Medical Doctors And One NDE Researcher.

In this chapter the subject of NDE's is studied in some detail, and the following six medical doctors are interviewed in depth:

1. Dr Maurice Rawlings, Specialist Cardiologist at the Diagnostic Centre of Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. 

2. Dr Jeff Long M.D. of IANDS (The International Association of Near Death Studies) 

3. Dr Melvin Morse M.D. of Seattle Children's Hospital, USA 

4. Dr Tony Lawrence M.D. of Coventry University, UK 

5. Dr James Winnery, Head of the US Air Force Aeronautical Research Unit, USA. 

6. Dr Richard Kent, Retired General Practitioner, UK 
In addition Kevin Williams, NDE Researcher in the USA, is interviewed. 

THE RESEARCH OF DR MAURICE RAWLINGS

Dr Maurice Rawlings is a world expert on Near Death Experiences, and the author of three books on the subject. He has also kindly written the introduction to this book. 

Dr. Rawlings was the former Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He was also the former personal physician at the Pentagon for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

After a lifetime of studying NDE's, Dr Rawlings comments, "Everyone wants to know what is going to happen to him or her when they die, and life after death is what eleven million people with NDE's have claimed.

Those who have had clinical death say they experience no pain at the moment of death - they just got out of the body. Those who have had bad experiences say they are afraid of dying. They are afraid of the Hell they saw.

There was one case of a blind man who, during his experience, could see perfectly well, and after the transition of death he could recall who was present, what they were doing, and even what they were wearing. But when he returned to his body, he returned to his blindness.

Others report going from this world into another world through a tunnel or something similar, and seeing a beam of light, or an angel of light. People who have had car accidents often describe how they had their lives reviewed before the car crashed. It would seem possible to have a whole day's review in one split second. They then go on to the next world where they meet people, their friends, who have already died, and describe strolling arm in arm across this beautiful Garden of Eden, or these pearly white gates, or golden streets. They then encounter a barrier beyond which they cannot go.

Whether its because judgement is on the other side, and sorting out on this side, I don't know, but usually at that barrier they are brought back into the world of pain, back where we are pushing on their chests or breaking their ribs, or defibrillating them with paddles. Whatever we are doing it is the world of pain, and they resent it because they didn't want to come back if it was a good experience.

That's the sequence, like everybody having the same dream last night, without any collusion or having read the same books at all. Anoxia cannot reproduce this, drugs can't reproduce this, hypercarbia and so on down the line, cannot reproduce this.

There is also commonality with those who have had Hell experiences. The sequence is very fast, some zip right into the pit. For instance the father of the New Age movement, Karl Jung himself, had the Earth fall beneath him and right away he was into the 'place of the damned' as he called it. He saw a ball of fire in the middle of a lake and there he met Philemon the demon. This happened on December 13th 1930.

Of people who are resuscitated, 60 per cent have no experience, so only 40 per cent have these. If the person is a born again Christian, they have their dreams realised. They see Christ on the Cross, and in some way they identify this Being of Light as Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

You are on to a subject that is important to every individual present. Is it safe to die? Do I know where I am going before I get there? That is the question." 

THE RESEARCH OF DR JEFF LONG OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF NEAR DEATH STUDIES

"As the name "Near Death Experiences" implies, these people have some event in which they are severely physically compromised. Generally there is a severe physical malady which occurs very suddenly, or at the end of a chronic illness. Near Death Experiences are very frequently associated with the cessation of heart function or cessation of breathing function, and very often both.

Given that 10 seconds after that the EEG (Electro Encephalogram), a measure of brain electrical activity, goes absolutely flat, it is medically inexplicable that Near Death Experiencers are having a conscious experience. There is so much more evidence behind something more going on with Near Death Experiences, something that is not medically explicable.

There are blind people, including people that are blind from birth, that have Near Death Experiences. For most of them it is a visual experience. That is absolutely medically inexplicable. These are people who are blind, who, for their first experience in their life when they have had vision, and can see things in the world, was during their Near Death Experience. There is no other explanation for that.

Time and time again we hear accounts of people who have had Near Death Experiences. Their consciousness separates from their body. So, from a vantage point of their consciousness apart from their body, they are able to see and hear what is going on around them whilst they are being resuscitated. Very often they can see incredible detail of the events going on around them.

Of all the Near Death Experiencers that I have studied, that had their consciousness come apart from their bodies, and where they were seeing Earthly everyday events, essentially all of them, what they describe has been absolutely plausible. Of all the Near Death Experiencers I have seen, who actually went to sort out verification of what they saw whilst their consciousness was apart from their body, every single time, with only one exception, what they saw or heard was absolutely correct. There is no explanation for that, for consciousness apart from the body, at the time you are having a Cardio-Pulmonary Arrest.

To people who think that Near Death Experiences are not legitimate, I would remind them that there are at least 12 to 15 million Americans who have had a Near Death Experience. This is such an enormous number of a shared experience that so greatly affects their life, that no matter what the cause of the Near Death Experience, no matter what your ideas of why it occurs, there is no question that, given the number of lives, that given the number of lives it has impacted, that it makes sense to study it. It is an incredible phenomenon, and the implications are enormous.

Hallucinations tend to be very disordered experiences, and they are nothing like the highly ordered and structured experience you have with the Near Death Experience. On my web site I specifically ask the question "Was the experience dream like in any way?" I have actually recently done a formal study of that. Near Death Experiencers are emphatic when asked directly, and I did, "Was the experience dream like in any way?"

The answer is a resounding "No, it is not close at all to a dream". Dreams tend to bounce around a little bit, they tend not to have order or structure, and very often a dream will end before reaching a logical conclusion in the sequence of events. Not so with Near Death Experiences. They are highly structured, highly ordered, they tend to have a very logical initial part of the experience, and at the end of a very orderly and structured experience, there is a very orderly and structured end of the experience, and that is when the experience ends.

Near Death Experiences are nothing like dreams. If you have had a frightening Near Death Experience, like some of those that I have described, there is no question that when you have that experience, this forces you to look at yourself. This is something that really shakes up your life in a major way. You have really got to sit down with yourself, and ask yourself, "Why did this happen? What is really going on here? Is this the reality?"

It really forces you to understand "What is the reality of what is going to happen when I die?" 

THE RESEARCH OF DR MELVINE MORSE, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, SEATTLE, USA

According to Dr Morse, the NDE is "the last experiences that we will all experience, as documented by 15 years of mainstream scientific research". Young children have been studied in detail by Dr Melvine Morse of the Seattle Children's Hospital. 

He says that in the process of dying, the dying person has a complete return to consciousness. Furthermore they have an acute awareness of what is going on around them, even if they appear to be comatose, and have an expanded sense of consciousness which extends beyond their own body. Dr Morse states that when we die, we are alert, conscious, aware of this reality, and perceive another reality superimposed over this one. In the case of the children he has personally researched, these NDE's occur at the point of death. 

Dr Melvine Morse says, on the free movie THE FINAL FRONTIER, viewable on this web site, "The Near Death Experience is in fact the dying experience. We will all have this experience when we die. The interpretation of the experience is in dispute. Nevertheless, it is a scientific fact, not a belief system, that we will all have this experience when we die.

There have been three major studies of Near Death Experiences in the last fifteen years, and all three of these studies document that these experiences are real, and that they will happen to us when we die. So the old ideas that these experiences are caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain, or hallucinations caused by chaos in the brain at the point of death, or caused by the drugs that are given to patients that we resuscitate when they are dying, those ideas were of course respectable scientific theories, but turned out to not be true.

In fact, Near Death Experiences are the dying experience, and that is a scientific fact, not an opinion".

In the movie, Dr Morse describes the experiences of an 8 year old boy who he personally resuscitated in the lobby of his hospital, following cardiac arrest. After the resuscitation, the boy described the attending doctors as "sucking me back into my body". The boy went on to describe that he was on the ceiling of the lobby, surrounded by a white light, and noted the early baldness of one of the doctors. 

Dr Morse also describes another boy who experienced an NDE in a drowning experience. The boy explained that he was drowning, when "hands reached into my body, and pulled me out of my body". 

According to Dr Morse these experiences have been experienced by a large number of children in his care. The children's experiences would not have been influenced by pre-existing Biblical conceptions of life after death because of their young ages. 

THE RESEARCH OF DR TONY LAWRENCE, UNIVERSITY OF COVENTRY, UK

After researching NDE's in great detail, Dr Lawrence concludes, "In terms of the consistency of the testimonies in Near Death Experiences, it suggests that the experience is a reality which is not purely the product of brain chemicals. We know from the studies of the effects of drugs, ordinarily, if you give one person a drug, and then give the same drug to another person, there are two completely different experiences. There might be broad similarities, but not the level of consistency you find with the Near Death Experience". 

THE RESEARCH OF DR JAMES WINNERY OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE 

Dr James Winnery, Head of the US Air Force Aeronautical Research Unit, has made come up with some fascinating insights related to loss of consciousness. 

Dr Winnery works specifically with fighter pilots exposed to acceleration stresses up to 9G. His job is to put protective measures in place, in order to protect pilots against gravitational stress, and to ensure their safety. 

In the course of his work he uses sophisticated equipment intended to simulate high gravitational stresses, as are commonly experienced by fighter pilots. 

During the tests in high gravity simulators, the pilots lost consciousness as blood flow to their brains ceased, due to the high gravitational forces. As the pilots lost consciousness, they had Out Of Body Experiences. 

Dr Winnery noted that the experiences of individuals who reported NDE's after cardiac arrest had a strong correlation with the experiences of his own fighter pilots who has Out Of Body Experiences.

Dr Winnery says that, "as a traditional scientist, these experiments add tremendous credibility to the NDE phenomenon." He says that individual's accounts of NDE's should be listened to very closely, because their stories are very accurate, as demonstrated by his experiments on pilots. 

THE RESEARCH OF KEVIN WILLIAMS, NDE RESEARCHER, USA

After many years studying NDE's, Kevin Williams concludes, "When we die we take that Heaven and Hell with us, and we fit where we belong. We die the life we live". 

ONGOING RESEARCH BY IANDS, THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR NEAR DEATH STUDIES

NDE's have also been study extensively by IANDS, the International Association for Near Death Studies, founded in 1980. Numerous studies have been made on patients who experienced Out Of Body Experiences whilst undergoing life saving surgery.

They discovered that those patients who had experienced Out Of Body Experiences gave startlingly accurate descriptions of what the surgery or treatment entailed, including giving precise details of data readouts on the electrical equipment during the operation. Because of the phenomenon of NDE's the concept of extended consciousness beyond clinical death had moved beyond religious belief to verifiable scientific fact.

There has also been a study of people who have had cardiac arrests or heart attacks. About 15% of them experienced NDE's. This group of people were studied for up to seven years in prospective or controlled studies. They were found to be a very different group from those who did not experience NDE's. They tended to have a more spiritual belief system, a much lower fear of death, a much less materialistic view of the world, and were much more interested in religion. In addition, their NDE's changed their lives dramatically.

The NDE experience is very common. The pattern of the NDE experience is very consistent, and its continued effect on people is profound. For this reason alone NDE's are something that change the lives of a great number of people in a major way. 

Research proves that NDE's are legitimate. It is estimated that between 12 and 15 million Americans have had NDE experiences. This is such an enormous number of shared experiences, that there is no question that it makes sense to study it. It is an incredible phenomenon, and the implications for life after death are enormous.

DR RICHARD KENT'S RESEARCH INTO NDE'S

Dr Richard Kent decided as soon as he interviewed his first patients about their NDE experiences that these accounts could not be caused by hallucinations, drugs, alteration in the normal brain perfusion of oxygen or carbon dioxide, or any similar alteration of normal brain physiology. 

Richard had worked as an anaesthetist in a busy teaching hospital, and also in general practice. He was familiar with NDE accounts following cardiac arrest following life threatening illness or injury. 

Richard believes that the NDE accounts had certain qualities that singled them out as actual events: 

- NDE patients' accounts of their experiences never altered. 

- The NDE accounts had great correlation with other patients' accounts of NDE's, even though the patients had never met. 

- The NDE accounts had great correlation with Biblical teaching and descriptions. 

- Patients who had experienced NDE's usually regarded this event as the most important event in their entire lives. This is certainly not true of hallucinations. 

- Patients who have had NDE's very frequently changed their lifestyles radically, often at considerable personal cost, both financially and in loss of peer esteem. 

- For example, Shahid Siraj Din of Pakistan gave up his highly lucrative business as a property developer, and became a Christian evangelist, on no income at all. 

- Frequently these life style changes have meant rejection by former family and friends, who simply do not understand the new passion for spiritual matters. 

- NDE patients typically lose interest in the pursuit of material possessions in this life. 

- NDE patients typically review every aspect of their lives, and alter their circumstances to suit their new deeper understanding of spiritual truths. 

- NDE patients typically become much more spiritual in their general view of life. 

- NDE patients frequently find themselves in a dilemma. They very much want to share their experiences with family, friends, and work colleagues, but on the other hand are very aware of the rejection that this so often brings. 

- NDE patients very frequently become very private about their experience, and have frequently said to Dr Kent how relieved they are to be able to talk about their experience without feeling rejected. 

As a result of these observations Richard carefully studied the Bible and became personally convinced of the truth of these NDE accounts. 

He also became certain that Paul in the New Testament himself had a Near Death Experience when he was stoned to death, as recorded in this book under ARE NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES IN THE BIBLE? 

Richard was also deeply impressed by a book written by H.A. Baker, "Visions Beyond the Veil" in which children record their own NDE experiences. These children were far too young to have the Biblical knowledge necessary for the details they provided about Heaven.

Finally Richard was himself deeply affected by the NDE accounts, although he has never had one himself. He too found himself both rejecting the materialistic atheistic world around him, and also being rejected by the world!

NDE experiences are certainly not accepted by everyone. However, rejection is perfectly normal for Christians believers everywhere, so Richard was not unduly concerned. It is, however, the main reason behind the creation of this book and web site!

In summary, Richard believes that the NDE phenomenon holds the very clear message that life after death is a reality. He believes that life after death is a reality, mainly because of the Bible, but also because of the abundant scientific research, and the experiences of those who have witnessed Heaven and Hell through their own NDE experiences. Richard's interest in Christianity, and further research into Near Death Experiences, are discussed in the next two chapters. 

FREE MOVIES AVAILABLE ON THIS WEB SITE

In the free movies on this web site, THE FINAL FRONTIER and THE LAZARUS PHENOMENON, NDE's are discussed in detail by all of the above doctors, and also by Dr Richard Kent, a retired general practitioner in the UK, and the author of this web site. 

FREE E-BOOKS AVAILABLE ON THIS WEB SITE

Dr Richard Kent has researched over 300 patients who have had NDE's, some of which are published entirely free in his two e-Books THE FINAL FRONTIER and BEYOND THE FINAL FRONTIER available on this web site.

Are Near Death Experiences In The Bible?

The authors believe that the Bible clearly teaches about Near Death Experiences, and After Death Experiences, commonly called Resurrections. We believe that Paul clearly had a Near Death Experience, visited Heaven, and recorded his experience in the Bible. 

Paul was raised from the dead after being stoned to death

Half of the New Testament was written by Paul. He was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, when he persecuted and arranged the stoning of Christians. After an encounter with Jesus Christ he became a follower of Jesus, and one of the most famous teachers in the New Testament. 

However, Paul's teaching caused the Jews to hate him. He was stoned to death and had an experience of Heaven, all recorded in the Bible, before being raised back to life. 

Paul's stoning is described in Acts 14: 19-20. "Some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and turned the crowds into a murderous mob that stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, apparently dead. But as the believers stood around him, he got up and went back into the city!" 

The Jews were furious with him, and stoned him. They would not have left him alive! Adam Clarke's commentary states, "they did not leave stoning him until they had the fullest evidence that he was dead". We also believe that Paul was actually dead, since the Greek word from which "dead" is translated in Acts 14:19 is "Tethneekénai", which simply means "dead". The believers around Paul almost certainly prayed for him, and raised him from the dead.

Paul's after death experience of Heaven

We believe that Paul visited Heaven. Many Bible scholars also believe that Paul visited Heaven after his stoning. This is described in 2 Corinthians 12:1- 4: "Let me tell about the visions I've had, and revelations from the Lord. Fourteen years ago I was taken up to Heaven for a visit. Don't ask me whether my body was there or just my spirit, for I don't know; only God can answer that. But anyway, there I was in Paradise, and heard things so astounding that they are beyond a man's power to describe or put in words (and anyway I am not allowed to tell them to others)." TLB

We should warn the reader that there a number of "Near Death Experiences" on the Internet which are not consistent with Biblical teaching. The standard test on any subject is to line it up with the Bible. If the experience is supported by Biblical teaching, it may well be sound. If the experience is not supported by Biblical teaching, it is probably not sound. This advice itself is based on Biblical doctrine, in Acts 17:10-12,"That night the Christians hurried Paul and Silas to Beroea, and, as usual, they went to the synagogue to preach. But the people of Beroea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and gladly listened to the message. They searched the Scriptures day by day to check up on Paul and Silas' statements to see if they were really so, "TLB.

What Are Heaven And Hell Really Like?

What Are Heaven And Hell Really Like?

Nowadays many churches do not preach about Hell, for whatever reason. This is not a Biblical position for churches to take. Jesus Christ actually spoke more about Hell than he did about Heaven, and warned everyone that Hell was a place to be avoided.

You might ask what evidence there is to support the ideas of Heaven and Hell contained in this book.

There are many verses in the Bible which tell us about both places. Jesus said in John 14:2: "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."

In the book of Revelation there are many verses that describe how wonderful it is in Heaven, especially in chapters 21 and 22. These chapters describe the New Jerusalem, the capital city of Heaven, where there is no crying, no sadness, and no pain. Here the streets are pure gold, as clear as glass, and the walls are made of beautiful gems. Here are some selected verses from the last two chapters of the Bible.

Heaven, as described in Revelation 21 and 22

"Now I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth, for the first Heaven and the first Earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from Heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

……. And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of Heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal. Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass. But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the Earth bring their glory and honour into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there)

…..And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations".

Hell, as described in the Bible 

By contrast Hell is described as a place of eternal torment and pain where the body suffers.

Jesus said, 'The kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered, some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth,' Matthew 13: 47-50.

The Rich Man I torment in Hades

'There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angel's to Abraham's bosom. The rich man died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom,' Luke 16:19-23.

The Bible indicates the location of Hell 

Jesus said, in Matthew 12:40, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth". The Greek word used here for "Earth" is the Greek word, "Gees". The Greek word "Gees" is exactly the same word that Jesus used to describe Heaven and Earth in Mathew 5:18.

Jesus is referring in Matthew 12:40 to Sheol, the place for departed spirits, which at the time of the Crucifixion was in the heart of Planet Earth. Since then Paradise has moved to the Third Heaven, but Hades (Greek, Haides) remains in the heart of Planet Earth.

It is recorded in 1 Samuel 28:7-15 that the spirit of Samuel came up from Sheol:

"Then Saul said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor." So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, "Please conduct a séance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you." Then the woman said to him, "Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?" And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, "As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing." Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" And he said, "Bring up Samuel for me." When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!" And the king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What did you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth." So he said to her, "What is his form?" And she said, "An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle." And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down. Now Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?"

In Philippians 2:10-11 we read , "At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in Heaven, and of those on Earth, and of those under the Earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father".

Our eternal destiny is decided here on Earth

This story shows most clearly that once we have died, the decision taken on this Earth regarding our eternal destination, Heaven or Hell, is final. In the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16, the point is that the rich man closed his eyes and died, and immediately opened his eyes in Hell.

Jesus Christ is the only One who claimed to be God, has died and been resurrected. He is the only One qualified to comment. Jesus said that every person who dies without salvation, awakes and opens his or her eyes in Hell.

You may never have the opportunity, as the people in this book have, to glimpse what lies beyond the final frontier of death. But you have read about their experiences. We cannot prove or disprove what they have seen. We can say however, that what they have seen is confirmed by the teachings of Jesus whilst He was on Earth, and what God revealed to other writers in the Bible.

Dr Richard Kent's Interest In Christianity And Truths In The Bible.

Dr Richard Kent's involvement with Near Death Experiences is rather different from many of the researchers mentioned in the earlier chapter. He started with an interest in life after death, became a born again Christian, and later researched Near Death Experiences in detail.

Richard is the co-author of this book, and the author of this web site. He is a retired medical doctor aged 60. He was born in 1946, and trained at the Middlesex Hospital in London. He qualified in 1969, at the age of 22, and married his wife, Val, in 1971. In 1973 Richard joined a very large General Practice with eight partners and 18,000 patients.

Death of one of Richard's patients

Early in Richard's career in General Practice, one of Richard's patients was a 4 year old little boy who died with leukaemia. The little boy died whilst Richard was actually treating him at home with his parents. This greatly distressed the poor parents, and it greatly upset Richard as well.

Questions about life

Following this, Richard and Val were "seeking" for some meaning to life. In his job as a GP Richard was very familiar with death at all ages, and wanted to know the answer to the following three questions:

1. Where do we all come from? 

2. Why are we here? 

3. Where we all go next? 

Richard and Val found these questions very difficult question to answer. In the UK most people have no idea! Richard also found that many people were embarrassed by the questions! In today's secular UK society anything remotely associated with religion is greatly frowned on. Many years ago it was not polite to discuss money, but that has changed. Nowadays any discussion about God or life after death is taboo in polite society.

Nowadays, it is perfectly normal to discuss the value of your home with your friends at dinner parties, but it certainly not acceptable to discuss life after death. That would be considered extremely impolite. Religion is considered in the UK to be something that a few people at church on Sunday mornings are involved with, but is certainly not something that is discussed in polite society. Religion is often considered to be the cause of wars, and something that is so personal that it is rarely ever discussed! Just for the record, Richard and Val do not own a home now. They prefer to rent one.

At every funeral Richard and Val had ever been to, nobody mentioned the possibility of Hell!

A very brief glance at the New Testament will very quickly reveal that Jesus Christ spoke a great deal about Hell! 

Most people in the UK assume that, when a funeral is attended, the unfortunate dead relative or friend is now in Heaven. This assumption is invariably made by the minister, the family, and all the friends, although nobody actually discusses it! What an extraordinary state of affairs! 

Richard and Val were dumbfounded! Richard and Val could never remember a single sermon on Hell. At every funeral they had ever attended, the minister had clearly said that the person in the coffin was "now at peace"! 

Newspapers always indicated that a dead person was "now in Heaven". In fact it is broadly assumed that everyone goes to Heaven when they die. What about those in Hell? They would hardly be at peace! Who goes to this Hell, which Jesus spoke so much about?

Question about the nature of God

Richard and Val had always heard in churches about "gentle Jesus meek and mild, who loves everyone, and accepts everyone, whoever they are". 

In the UK today, and many Western nations, most people sincerely believe that God, if He exists at all, is some sort of all-forgiving Person, who warmly welcomes everyone into Heaven, especially English people, because England is historically a "Christian nation." 

The embarrassing subject of Creation

The subject of Creation is regarded as an embarrassment in today's educated society. Most Western nations now accept and teach Evolution. Individuals who actually believe in Creation are often regarded as bigoted freaks! However, please see our free teaching on this web site on CREATION: THE GENESIS ACCOUNT and EVOLUTION IS IMPOSSIBLE.

The true nature of British society today

England is certainly not now a Christian nation! At one time England sent missionaries all over the world, but now missionaries come to England to preach the Gospel! In contemporary England most people never go to church, never read the Bible, and just assume that because England is a "Christian nation", everyone goes to Heaven when they die, always assuming that there is such a place!

Television programmes, newspapers and magazines are now full of information that "proves" that Christianity is no longer relevant, and, very often, that the alleged events in the Bible never actually happened.

Recent films from Hollywood maintain a number of outright lies about the life and death of Jesus Christ, which only further confuses an already confused population.

Richard was very upset about the details of the Jewish Holocaust

Auschwitz Richard's first job in Brighton and Hove was with a predominantly Jewish practice. Richard is not Jewish, but he developed a fondness for the Jews. Richard had an interest in World War 2 history. He had researched the details of the Nazi Holocaust (1940 -1945), when 6,000,000 Jews were murdered in the death camps.

Richard and Val regularly visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, and recently visited Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.

Richard does not make any judgement on those people responsible for the Holocaust. After all, the history of mankind is full of similar events in many countries, over many centuries. Similar events are still happening today in many countries.

An evil force on this planet

Richard did however come to the conclusion that there must be an evil force on this planet to cause some people to inflict such suffering on other people. The Bible refers to this spiritual entity as Satan, and Richard decided that Satan was very real. In the UK today Satan is not taken seriously, or even discussed. Satan is certainly not mentioned in most churches in the UK.

Considering that, according to the Bible, Satan is the greatest threat to everyone, and a mortal enemy both of God, and all Christians, this is a remarkable thing. It is similar to the Allies landing in Normandy on D-Day in 1944 without knowing who their enemy was! In military terms, this is plainly ridiculous, and yet this is exactly the situation today in the UK, and many Western countries.

Richard and Val's search for ultimate truth

In 1974, during their search for "ultimate truth" they met a very distant relative who, they were warned, was a "fanatic born-again Christian!" Richard and Val are now regarded as Christian fanatics themselves, in certain quarters! At any rate, Richard and Val were curious to find out what this dear lady had to say!

Truth from the Bible

The Christian lady told Richard and Val many important truths from the Bible. Richard and Val found these truths quite shocking, and wondered why they had never heard any of these truths before in their lives! 

They had often been to church, so why had they never heard any of this before, in any church? 

On this web site is a section called THE BIBLE IS SUPERNATURAL. 

We will be discussing the Bible statements in detail in this book, but here are some of the truths that the Bible states: 

TRUTH NUMBER 1: THE BIBLE IS SUPERNATURAL 

St Paul stated in the Bible, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" 2 Timothy 3:16. 

The first thing that occurred to Richard and Val is that if the Bible is the truth, why did nobody read it? In a court of law, the defendant places his hand on a Bible, and promises to tell the truth. Why then are people who actually read the Bible regarded as fanatics, and why was the Bible now frowned upon by many authorities in the UK?

For Richard's free material on this web site THE BIBLE IS SUPERNATURAL please click here.

TRUTH NUMBER 2: RICHARD AND VAL'S CONCEPTS ABOUT GOD WERE WRONG

Richard and Val did not know anything about the God of the Bible. They had simply adopted ideas from current culture, and current culture preferred not to discuss God! Richard and Val asked about this "all forgiving" God they had always heard about, and were informed that this popular image of God was not the God of the Bible. Our friend showed us these two verses:

John 3:36
"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him".

Matthew 10:28
"Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell".

Richard and Val were now becoming worried! In the above verses they read about God's wrath, and also of people being sent to Hell. This was a very long way from the God of their imagination!

TRUTH NUMBER 3: WE ARE ALL BORN INTO THE KINGDOM OF SATAN

According to the Bible, human beings are all born into the kingdom of Satan. Jesus was addressing very religious Jewish priest, when He said:

John 8:44 
"You are of your father the DEVIL, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it".

This was a complete shock to Richard and Val, who had always considered that they were good decent citizens! After all, they were not criminals! They might have done a few "naughty things" here and there, but surely nothing too serious!

Now, here was Jesus warning very religious people that they belonged to the kingdom of Satan! So, it seemed, there was not too much hope for Richard and Val who were not religious at all!

TRUTH NUMBER 4: WE ARE ALL SINFUL

In Romans 3:23 we read, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God".

The good lady explained to Richard and Val that God is holy, and will not tolerate sin in His Presence. This means that if we have broken the Ten Commandments only once in our lives, we are "sinners", and unfit for Heaven when we die.

Any sin will keep us out of Heaven. For example, the following is a list of sins, and Richard and Val were guilty of all of them, and a great deal more besides! 

1. One stolen paper clip 

2. One stolen phone call. 

3. One swearword. 

4. One lie, however small. 

5. Coveting anything. 

TRUTH NUMBER 5: DEATH IS CAUSED BY SIN

Romans 6:23 
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord".

It was explained to Richard and Val that death came into the world because of sin, as recorded in Genesis after Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and God said: "For dust you are, and to dust you shall return", Genesis 3:19.

As a medical doctor and nurse, Richard and Val were very familiar with death, but this was a new concept to them! They had only been trained in heart attacks and strokes, not in sin!

TRUTH NUMBER 6: ADAM WAS THE SON OF GOD!

Richard and Val asked, "Surely Adam and Eve were just fairy stories, buried somewhere in the Old Testament?" A few years ago they actually heard a vicar preaching about how the book of Genesis was a fable!

Dr Luke, a medical doctor, and one of Jesus' followers, recorded the names of the ancestors of Jesus in Luke 3: 23-38. In Luke 3:38, he wrote, " the son of Adam, the son of God"..

According to Dr Luke, Adam was the son of God, not the son of a monkey, as Richard and Val had always been taught! This required a bit of a re-think! Richard and Val had always been taught that man evolved from monkeys and apes. Dr Luke seemed to say that the evolutionists were wrong, and this was from the New Testament, not the Old Testament!

Richard now teaches on CREATION: THE GENESIS ACCOUNT and EVOLUTION IS IMPOSSIBLE. in many countries. Richard also receives aggressive e-mails from evolutionists all over the world, but carries on regardless!

TRUTH NUMBER 7: HEAVEN IS A REAL PLACE!

Jesus said to the dying thief on the cross, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise," Luke 23:43. So, according to Jesus Christ, the dying thief was in Paradise that very day.

The next question Richard and Val wanted to know was what was Heaven like? They had absolutely no idea! They had never, to their knowledge, ever heard anyone teach on Heaven. This seemed extraordinary, considering that most people believe we will spend forever there, and only a few years here! 

The repentant thief had said a short prayer to Jesus, and going to Heaven was his reward. But what about the other thief? The Bible does not say he went to Paradise, so where did he go to? According to the Bible, there are only two places that the spirits of human beings go to when they die, Heaven or Hell. 

TRUTH NUMBER 8: GOD DOES NOT WANT ANYONE TO GO TO HELL 

The Bible clearly states in John 3:16-17, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved". 

In 2 Peter 3:9, we read, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance".

TRUTH NUMBER 9: THERE IS A JUDGEMENT COMING!

Our friend pointed out that, in Hebrews 9:27 it says, "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgement". Well, this did not sound too good! Richard and Val were not too excited about this coming judgement! Richard and Val were quite happy about going to Paradise, but weren't too sure about being judged!


TRUTH NUMBER 10: GOD DOES SEND PEOPLE TO HELL

The apostle John had a Revelation of the future, in which, at the Great White Throne Judgement, people are sent to Hell. This is written in Revelation 20:11-15:

"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the Earth and the Heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire".

TRUTH NUMBER 11: JESUS SAID WE MUST BE ALL BE "BORN AGAIN" 

In John 3:3-7, Jesus said that we must all be "born again".

"Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'

Richard and Val were amazed! They had never heard of being "born again", despite confirmation in the Anglican church. If Jesus said, "You must be born again," how had this part of His teaching been completely missed out? They had heard a little about various subjects, but this had never been mentioned! Why on Earth not! If Jesus said we must all be "born again", why is this not taught in most churches today?

TRUTH NUMBER 12: THERE ARE VERY FEW GENUINE CHRISTIANS IN THE UK, OR ANYWHERE ELSE!

Jesus said, in Matthew 7:13-14, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

When Richard first became a Christian, he was amazed at how few other Christians there seemed to be. Virtually all Richard's former friends, and acquaintances were atheists. Richard was looking for some way of reaching them, and eventually came across Near Death Experiences as a means of generating interest in the after life. Unless things changed, all of his friends were going to end up in Hell!

Richard and Val became "born-again" Christians

In 1974 Richard and Val carefully read the Bible, especially the passages above, and became believers within a few days. Their three children, Emma, Sarah, and Lucy, and their entire extended family, soon became believers too.

They prayed the "sinners prayer", in which they specifically asked forgiveness for their sins, promised to stop doing them, and forgave everybody who had hurt them or their families in any way.

Please visit "THE SINNERS PRAYER", which you can pray immediately!

Richard took early retirement from General Practice

In 1997 Richard had to take early retirement from General Practice, because he found the very long hours as a GP very stressful. At that time General Practitioners in the UK worked very long hours, because each medical practice was required to provide emergency medical cover at all times. Richard was originally extremely unhappy about his early retirement, but now believes that the Lord had other plans for his life! After all, Joseph was in prison for 3 years in Egypt, and Richard's problems hardly compared with Joseph's!

During his early retirement, Richard co-authored two books about Near Death Experiences, in order to alert as many people as possible about the importance of avoiding Hell by being born again.

This was not a commercial venture, and Richard has never received a penny from either book.

BOTH BOOKS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD ON OUR WEB SITE.