Evidence from the Bible, Near-Death Experiences and Science

1. Where do we go when we
die?
Evidence from the Bible, Near-
Death Experiences and Science
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2. Everybody dies; no exceptions

3. When you die, where you will go?

4. We plan for most trips. Why not death?

5. Is there life after death?

6. Can we go to heaven?

7. Is there evidence of life after death?
 What do people think?
– Barna 2003 poll1 results found that:
 81% of Americans believe in an afterlife of some sort
 9% acknowledge the possibility of an afterlife
 10% do not believe in life after death
 What evidence is there?
– From the Bible
– From near death experience (NDE) accounts
– From science

8. Evidence from the Bible
 Psalm 23:6
– Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the
house of the LORD forever.
 John 3:16
– 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.

9. Evidence of near death experiences
 Advances in emergency medical technology and CPR
techniques have dramatically increased the chances of
surviving a life-threatening illness or injury2
 Eight to eleven million Americans have reported near-
death experiences3
 There is an International Association for Near Death
Studies, who publishes the Journal of Near Death
Studies

10. Characteristics of NDEs
 Person leaves body behind4
– Possesses a “new” body
– Experiences heightened sense of awareness and euphoria
– Views body left behind and details of the room
– Unable to communicate with the living
 Transported to another world
– Frequently transported through a tunnel with a light at the end
– Views a world exquisite beyond words
– Encounters a “being of light,”
– Encounters relatives or friends who have died before
– Views a pictorial life review
– Encounters a barrier, such as a wall and gate, separating a “meeting ground”
from a “judgment ground”
 Person returns to body
– Because “it is not yet their time” to cross the barrier

11. NDE Examples-Maria
 Maria just arrived in Seattle, was unfamiliar with
the locality, had a heart attack5
 Floated from her body and saw a tennis shoe on
the Harborview Hospital roof ledge, around the
corner of the building that she had entered and
currently occupied.
– Shoe was not visible from the ground or the room, and
researchers had difficulty finding it
 Researchers confirmed Maria’s description of the
shoe: its color, size, material, a worn little toe, and
the position of the lace, which was located under
the heel

12. Evidence from Science
 “Modern physics shows the existence of matter that is radically
different in its attributes from any matter that we are familiar
with. Physics also demonstrates the possibility of realms
beyond the universe and modes of being unconstrained by the
limits of our physical laws. So there is nothing in physics to
contradict the idea that we can live beyond death in other realms
with bodies that are unlike the bodies we now possess”
 “Neuroscience reveals that the mind cannot be reduced to the
brain …New features of the mind--specifically consciousness
and free will--define the human soul. These features seem to
operate outside the laws of nature and therefore are not subject
to the laws governing the mortality of the body. The body dies,
but the soul lives on” 6

13. Is there a heaven and a hell?
Evidence from the Bible
Evidence of near death experience
(NDE) accounts-Heaven
Evidence of near death experience
(NDE) accounts-Hell

14. Evidence from the Bible
Jesus said the following:
 Heaven
– John 14: 2-3 “In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not
so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take
you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
– John 6: 38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my will
but to do the will of him who sent me.”
 Hell
– Matthew 5:29 “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and
throw it away. It is better that you lose one part of your body than
for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”
– Matthew 25:46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.“”

15. Near Death Experience Evidence-Heaven
Don Piper Dies in Accident

16. Don Piper Stands in Heaven
“Joy pulsated through me as I
looked around, and at that moment I
became aware of a large crowd of
people. They stood in front of a
brilliant ornate gate”7

17. Don Describes Heaven’s Colors
“I had never felt such powerful embraces or feasted my
eyes on such beauty. Heaven’s light and texture defy
earthly eyes or explanation. Warm, radiant light engulfed
me. As I looked around, I could hardly grasp the vivid,
dazzling colors. Every hue and tone surpassed anything I
had ever seen.”8
“I expected to see some darkness behind the gate but as
far ahead as I could see, there was absolutely nothing but
intense, radiant light”9
“I was home; I was where I belonged. I wanted to be
there more than I had ever wanted to be anywhere on
earth. Time had slipped away, and I was simply present
in heaven. All worries, anxieties, and concerns vanished.
I had no needs, and I felt perfect.”10

18. Don Piper Today
Don Piper Ministries
http://www.donpiperministries.com/

19. Near Death Experience Evidence-Hell
Dr. Donald Whitaker, M.D. dying of acute
hemorrhagic necrotic pancreatitis

20. Dr. Whitaker Experiences Hell
“It was so, so dark…The darkness
penetrated into your very being…I
felt untold terror, untold terror…”11

21. Others Tell about Hell in Video
Dr. Maurice Rawlings Video
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid
=4136610474021109864#

22. Is there only one way to heaven?
 What do people say?
– “All the religions of the world (Buddhism,
Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity) are paths to
the same destination, heaven. Everyone will be
saved.”
– “You go to heaven if you live a good life. Hell is
reserved for a few really bad people, maybe
those who intentionally murder.”

23. Do All Religions Lead to the Same Path?
Hinduism12 Islam 15
Multiple gods Mohammed
Self-deification Source of his “call”
Reincarnation Jesus not God’s son
Purification rites to Worship to obtain
obtain God’s favor God’s favor
Buddhism13 14 Christianity
Siddhartha Gautama, Jesus Christ
the Buddha
Prophecy
Atheist/Agnostic
Miracles
Reincarnation
Resurrection
Complex rules
What God, not we, did

24. Does Everybody go to Heaven?
 Some NDEs report that everybody goes to heaven
 Accounts of hell are forgotten or suppressed
– Dr Rawlings and Charlie McKaig16
 Satan is the Great Deceiver17
– “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an
angel of light.” (2 Cor. 11:14)
 NDEs are resuscitations, not resurrections
 Has anybody come back from
biological/irreversible death?
– Yes, Jesus Christ

25. True Claims by Christ
 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the
road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is
the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
(Matthew 7:13-14)
 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I
tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the
house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking
and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.' But he will answer, 'I don’t
know you or where you come from.‘ Then you will say, 'We ate and
drank with you, and you taught in our streets.' But he will reply, 'I don’t
know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'
There will be weeping there and gnashing of teeth, when you see
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God
but you yourselves thrown out.” (Luke 13:24-28)
 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me.” (John 14:6)

26. Are you afraid or uncertain about
where you go after you die?

27. We all will die. Do you have a plan?

28. Jesus Christ is the way to heaven

29. What is the Evidence?
 Life after death
 Existence of Heaven and Hell
 One way to enter Heaven

30. The Way to Heaven
 The Bible says ...
– Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me. —John 14:6 (NIV)
 How you can receive Christ. Pray the following…
– ADMIT your need (I am a sinner).
 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” — Romans 3:23 (NIV)
– REPENT (I will turn from my sins).
 “For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” — Matthew 9:13b (NIV)
– BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the grave.
 "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that
God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." —Romans 10:9 (NIV)
– RECEIVE Christ by faith as Lord and Savior (I invite Jesus Christ to come into
my heart and control my life through the Holy Spirit)
 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” —Ephesians 2:8-9
(NIV)

31. Footnotes
Slide End Reference
Note
Is there evidence of life after 1 The Barna Group, Americans Describe Their Views About
death? Life After Death. 2003, The Barna Group, Ltd.
Evidence of near death 2 Garlow, J.L. and K. Wall, Heaven and the Afterlife. 2009,
experiences Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers. p. 20.
3 Rawlings, M.S., To Hell and Back. 1993, Nashville: Thomas
Nelson Publishers. p. 13.
Characteristics of NDEs 4 Ibid., p.43-44.
NDE Examples-Maria 5 Habermas, G.R. and J.P. Moreland, Beyond Death:
Exploring the Evidence for Immortality. 1998, Wheaton:
Crossway Books. p. 212-214
Evidence from Science 6 D'Souza, D., Life After Death, The Evidence. 2009,
Washington, D.C.: Regnery Publishing, Inc. p. 220
Don Piper Stands in Heaven 7 Piper, D. and C. Murphey, 90 Minutes in Heaven, A True
Story of Death and Life. 2004, Grand Rapids: Revell. p 21-
22
Don Describes Heaven’s Colors 8 Ibid., p. 25
9 Ibid., p. 28
10 Ibid., p. 30

32. Footnotes
Slide End Reference
Note
Dr. Whitaker Experiences Hell 11 Whitaker, D., To Hell and Back, host Maurice Rawlings.
1989,TBN Films. Accessed 1/8/2011
http://video.google.com/videoplay?
docid=4136610474021109864#
Do All Religions Lead to the 12 Zacharias, R., Jesus Among Other Gods, The Absolute Claims
Same Path? of the Christian Message. 2000, Nashville: Thomas Nelson. p.
7
13 Mittelberg, M., The Questions Christians Hope No One Will
Ask (with answers). 2010, Carol Stream: Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc.
14 Zacharias, Jesus Among Other Gods, p. 90
15 Caner, E. M and Caner, E. F., Unveiling Islam. 2002, Grand
Rapid: Kregel Publications. p. 42
Does Everybody Go to Heaven 16 Rawlings, To Hell and Back, p. 13.
17 Habermas and Moreland, Beyond Death: Exploring the
Evidence for Immortality, p. 182