The Life Review of the Near Death Experience and the Visions of Swedenborg

There are many who have clinically died and were revived by doctors in the last 50 years, and there is now a wealth of testimony of a common "Near Death Experience" that everyone follows after they die.  Many report seeing a Being of light at the end of a tunnel, and in the 18th century Emanuel Swedenborg had waking visions of the spiritual world of heaven and saw a "central sun" in which God dwelled in heaven.  This is confirmation that Swedenborg did indeed receive a heavenly revelation, for this was long before doctors had the medical expertise to revive people after they had died (see The Christianity of the Being of Light of the Near Death Experience).

In the previous blog post, I concentrated on Being of Light or the central Sun of heaven.  Here I want to focus on the life review that people have, in which they see every moment of their life flash before their eyes, in which they see how their actions have effected other people.  We can learn a lot from reports of this life review: one is, the Biblical doctrine of judgment after death is not a myth, it is real. The other is, we can learn how to review our lives NOW, in fact review it every day, and think how our actions effect others. We can learn that it is love which is most important in life, that we should rise above our own selfish desires and love others. This is what is important to the Being of Light: love is the answer.

First I will give a summary of the life review of the Near Death Experience, and then I will quote passages where Swedenborg was able to describe the exact same phenomenon in his waking visions of heaven.  The comparison is interesting, for it describes how the life review takes place in more detail. While most NDEs only last several minutes, imagine having an experience lasting 27 years.  So we can learn a lot from the writings of Swedenborg on this matter.

THE LIFE REVIEW OF THE NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE

There are many testimonies to choose from for Near Death Experiences.  It was once a taboo subject.  It also was once a foreign and unknown topic to traditional churches whose ministers and priests did not understand it, but even that is beginning to change. Now there is a flood of information on the subject.  There is a good summary at The Life Review and the Near-Death Experience and I will be quoting portions here.

The purpose of the life review is to learn, gain insights, and grow as a spiritual being.  We essentially see how we effect others.  The Golden Rule is the essence of it all.

Here is a list of the mechanics of the life review:

a.	Viewing a movie of your entire life.
b.	Viewing a movie of important segments of your life.
c.	Viewing a video of knowledge concerning your entire life.
d.	Viewing a panoramic view of your entire life.
e.	Viewing a vivid, three-dimensional color display of your entire life.
f.	Viewing hundreds of television screens with each screen showing a home movie of one event in your life.
g.	Viewing a three-dimensional hologram of your life in full color, sound, and scent.
h.	Viewing scenes of your life in little bursts.
i.	Viewing scenes of your life flitting from scene to scene.
j.	Viewing scenes of your life at a tremendous speed.
k.	Viewing scenes of your life in fast-forward.
l.	Viewing scenes of your life in a way that can be slowed down or paused in order to focus on a particular detail of your life.
m.	Reliving your entire life with scenes of your life projected around you.
n.	Having a feeling like a dam has burst in your mind and every memory has flowed out.
o.	Having a religious figure or higher being initiating the life review.
p.	Having the life review occur when getting in close proximity to the Being of Light.
q.	Having a higher being reading from a Book of Life (for Christian experiencers).
r.	Having a higher being reading from the Akashic Records (for Hindu experiencers).
s.	Having a life review before a Council of Elders who are seated at a table.
t.	Having a life review take place in a domed room with square screens up and down the walls and on the ceiling.
u.	Having a life review take place in a amphitheater the size of a sports stadium filled with light beings who will observe your review.

Here is a list of the characteristics of the life review:

a.	Instantly becoming everyone you came in contact with in your entire life (feeling their emotions, thinking their thoughts, living their experiences, learning their motives behind their actions).
b.	Reliving every detail of every second of your life, every emotion, and every thought simultaneously.
c.	Re-living the way you dealt with others and how others dealt with you.
d.	Viewing a few special deeds in your life.
e.	Replaying a part of your life review to focus on a particular event for instruction.
f.	Viewing past lives and/or your future.
g.	Feeling a strong sense of responsibility.
h.	Feeling a sense of judgment or self-judgment (often these feelings transform from judgment to self-judgment).
i.	The review is a fact-finding process rather than a fault-finding process.
j.	Your motives for everything will be as visible as your actions.
k.	The negative events you expected to see did not show up because you had a change of heart.

What is important here to note: all of our memories are recorded.  And not just the external actions, but also our motives and intentions for each of our actions.  This is important to note, because many of these same features were described in the visions of Swedenborg in the 18th century.  This again is evidence that Swedenborg was indeed given an accurate account of heaven and hell, and that the spiritual teachings concerning the Bible and Christianity are indeed correct.

Here are some insights gained from the life review:

a.	Deeds which we might consider to be unimportant may turn out to be more important than we can possibly imagine on the Other Side.
b.	Deeds which we might consider to be important may turn out to be insignificant on the Other Side.
c.	Deeds which we might consider to be "very good" may not be considered as such on the Other Side if the deeds were done solely for self.
d.	Deeds which we may have given "no second thought about" might amaze us when we learn how much they meant to God and the Other Side.
e.	Deeds which are considered most valuable on the Other Side are those which express love in a greater, purer and unconditional manner.
f.	Deeds which are considered to be "greatest" on the Other Side are usually those which are not done with great fanfare, but are small acts of kindness toward others.
g.	Deeds which are considered "greatest" on the Other Side are often the little things we do out of kindness and love because they are more spontaneous and reveal our true motive behind the deeds. Such deeds demonstrate in a better way who we really are.

What this shows is God cares about what you do with your life, what are your deeds and works - and the intentions behind them.  Deeds that are self-aggrandizing, to promote one's selfish interest, are not important. Small acts of kindness are what are important.  It is one's life, not one's belief system, is what influences one's life review.  And we see there is no man is an island, we all effect others in one way or another.  We are all part of the butterfly effect.

THE INTERNAL MEMORY OF THE SOUL

So we have all these reports of a life review after death, how does it happen?  Swedenborg was given an interesting explanation: in addition to an external memory, the physical one, we have an internal spiritual memory.  Everything is recorded in this spiritual memory, what we do is written in our very nature.  Despite all the research on the Near Death Experience, scientists cannot go as far as Swedenborg in providing an explanation.  I thought it was interesting enough to quote Swedenborg in full on this matter:

"It is to be known that all the good a man has thought and done from infancy even to the last of his life, remains; in like manner all the evil; so that not the least of it altogether perishes. Both are inscribed on his book of life, that is, on each of his memories, and on his nature, that is, his disposition and genius. From them he has formed for himself a life, and so to say, a soul, which is such after death. But good is never so mixed up with evil, and evil with good, that they cannot be separated; for if they should be so mixed, the man would perish for ever. The Lord provides for this. When a man comes into the other life, if he has lived in the good of love and charity, the Lord then separates his evils, and by what is good with him elevates him into heaven. But if he has lived in evils, that is, in things contrary to love and charity, the Lord then separates from him what is good, and his evils bring him into hell." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 2256.2)

The life review actually comes from the internal memory of the soul.  And note that, there are two results from the life review: a life in heaven, or a life in hell, depending on what course of action the person chose of his or her own free will.

"Whatever things a man hears and sees, and by which he is affected, are without the man's knowledge inserted as to ideas and ends in his interior memory, and remain in it, so that not anything perishes; though the same things be obliterated in the exterior memory. Such, therefore, is the interior memory that particulars are inscribed on it; and indeed the very least particulars which the man has ever thought, spoken, and done, even what has appeared to him as but a shadow, with the minutest particulars, from earliest infancy to the last of old age. The memory of all these things the man has with him when he comes into the other life, and he is led successively into full recollection of them. This is his Book of Life, which is opened in the other life, and according to which he is judged. Man can scarcely believe this, but still it is most true. All the ends, which have been in obscurity to him, and all the things thought; also all that were spoken and done therefrom, to the smallest point, are in that Book, that is, in the interior memory, and whenever the Lord grants, are made manifest before the angels as in clear day. This has several times been shown to me, and has been attested by so much experience that not the least doubt remains." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 2474)

The internal memory of the soul is the "Book of Life" which is mentioned in scripture, but more on that later.  Note that Swedenborg reported all of this, even though he knew at the time few people would believe it.  Thus no one should think that their own thoughts are hidden from view in the other life:

"Before I had been instructed by living experience, I imagined with others that no spirit could in any way know the things in my memory and in my thought; but that they were solely in my possession, and were hidden. But I can attest that the spirits with man know and observe the smallest things of his memory and his thoughts, and this much more clearly than the man himself; and that the angels observe the ends themselves, how they bend themselves from good to evil, and from evil to good, and many more things than the man knows; as those which he has merged in his enjoyments, and thus as it were in his nature and disposition; for when this is done, they no longer appear, because he no longer reflects upon them. Let man, therefore, no longer believe that his thoughts are hidden, and that he is not to render an account of his thoughts, and of his deeds according to the thoughts that were in them; for deeds have their quality from the thoughts, and the thoughts from the ends." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 2488)

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE BOOK OF LIFE

In the other life, one's internal memory, and what is written on it, is represented by books, or the "book of life" or the Akashic Records, depending on one's background.  Swedenborg confirms this in the visions he received.  For example, one's name that is written is not literally one's name, but rather one's spiritual quality as to good and truth:

"Names written in heaven do not mean their names, but the quality of their faith and charity. So is it with names written in the book of life, in the Apocalypse: Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments. . . . He who overcometh shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels (iii. 4, 5)." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 6674.6)

One's internal memory is represented in heaven by books:

"Concerning the book of life it is thus written in Daniel: The Ancient of days did sit . . . the judgment was set, and the books were opened (vii. 9, 10). Again: At that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book (xii. 1). And in David: Add iniquity unto their iniquity; and let them not come into Thy justice. Let them be blotted out of the book of lives, and not be written with the just (Ps. lxix. 27, 28). In John: He who overcometh shall be clothed in white garments; and I will not blot his name out of the book of life (Apoc. iii. 5). Again: There shall not enter into the New Jerusalem any but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life (Apoc. xxi. 27). Again: I saw . . . and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works. . . . They were judged all according to their works. . . . And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire (Apoc. xx. 12, 13, 15; and also, xiii. 8; xvii. 8).

"He who does not know from the internal sense what the book of life is, also what the books are out of which the dead are to be judged, cannot form any other idea than that in heaven there are such books, and that in them are written the acts of all, whereof the memory is thus preserved. When yet by books in the above passages are not meant books, but the remembrance of all things which have been done; for every one carries with him into the other life the memory of all his acts, thus the book of his life (n. 2474). But no one save the Lord alone can judge any one according to his acts; for all acts proceed from final causes, which lie deeply concealed within. According to these causes man is judged, and no one knows them but the Lord." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 8620.1-2)

And one other quote:

"That the book which Jehovah wrote, which in the following verse is called My book, or the book of Jehovah, and in other places the book of life, is the internal, is because the internal of man is in heaven, thus where the Lord is, and therefore those things which are in his internal are from heaven of the Lord, all which things are Divine celestial and spiritual things. These can be received by the internal of man, but not by his external separate from the internal, since the external is in the world and is formed to receive the natural things which are in the world and which without influx through internal things have no heavenly life and thus are called dead.

"From these things it may be evident what is meant in the Word by the book of life, and who they are who are said to be written in that book, namely, they who are in the life of truth and of good, thus who do the Divine commandments from love and faith. For a life according to those commandments opens the internal man and forms him, and what is therein inscribed is inscribed by the Lord and remains to eternity. These are meant by those who are written in the book of life" (Heavenly Arcana, n. 10505.2-3)

DID SWEDENBORG SEE SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THE LIFE REVIEW?

The answer is yes.  And like the life review, it was presented visually for all to see.  Nothing was kept secret.  One man had secretly poisoned another and was condemned to hell.  A woman maintained her innocence, and then all her adulteries and whoredoms were presented in full view to others.  Even minor things, such as one withholding and stealing property, and even what one had written in their own private diary.  Only when one was in denial and did not confess were these memories brought out in full view.  Accounts of this are described in detail in Swedenborg's work Heaven and Hell and others in Heavenly Arcana. As in some Near Death Experience reports, Swedenborg also reports some of these review are done by angels:

"When man's acts are disclosed to him after death, the angels to whom is given the office of searching, look into his face and the search is extended through the whole body, beginning from the fingers of each hand, and thus proceeding through the whole. Because I wondered as to the reason of this, it was made known to me, namely, that as all things of the thought and will are inscribed on the brain, for their beginnings are there, so also they are inscribed on the whole body; since all the things of thought and will extend thither from their beginnings, and there terminate, as in their ultimates. Hence it is that the things which are inscribed on the memory, from the will and its thought, are not only inscribed on the brain, but also on the whole man, and there exist in order, according to the order of the parts of the body. Thus it was made plain that man in the whole is such as he is in his will and its thought, so that an evil man is his own evil, and a good man his own good. From these things also it may be evident what is meant by the book of man's life, spoken of in the Word, namely this, that all things, both what he has thought and what he has done, are inscribed on the whole man, and appear as if read in a book when they are called forth from the memory, and as if presented to sight when the spirit is viewed in the light of heaven." (Heaven and Hell, n. 463)

There you go - the panoramic life review was seen by Swedenborg in his visions.  Again, this is very strong testimony that Swedenborg indeed receive heavenly revelations.  It was this kind of material that made me reassess what I had been taught to believe.

So what to take from all of this?  Do your life review now, every day.  Don't wait until it is too late.  Self examination is actually a spiritual exercise of self repentance.  Don't just examine your actions, examine your intentions - do you do things for your self, or for others?  Ask yourself the question, What have you done with your life? How can you improve it?  What can you change?  At first it may be hard, but if done repeatedly, it can become a matter of habit, and one small change will have a ripple effect that would not have been foreseen.

The Christianity of the Being of Light of the Near Death Experience

Since the advances in medical science in the 20th century, more and more witnesses have come forward and have reported a common set of experiences that indicate that there is indeed life after death.  Although experiences vary between individuals, there is a common process that people undergo during death:

1. The person will have an out of the body experience, and can see their body as a third person.  Witnesses have reported events and conversations, even outside of the operating room, that were later verified.
2. At some point their spirit withdraws from this world and goes through a tunnel.  They may encounter friends and relatives who passed away earlier.
3. At the end of the tunnel there is a bright white light.  Sometimes people encounter a Being of Light.  This light, or Being of Light, is pure Love.
4. A person then goes through a three-dimensional life review, seeing how their actions have effected others. This happens in an instant, with complete understanding. One goes through a process of learning and self judgment.  Nothing is hidden, not even one's thoughts.
5. The important point from the life review: that our purpose in life is to love others. Love is the answer to the meaning of life.  We all have a specific purpose in this life. Even the smallest acts of love is what matters most. The Being of Light is most interested in the love we have shown to others.
6. At some point the witness is told either they must go back, or have a choice of staying or going back.  When they come back, they have a completely different view of life: one that is more caring of others, one where there is more empathy and love.
7. A small number of witnesses have reported going beyond the life review and entering the light, and enter a vast realm of light with gardens and buildings of light.

There are some who attempt to explain this phenomenon away by oxygen deprivation of the brain. But that does not fit the entire experience: it is a life transforming experience, and even brain neurosurgeons who have died have stated it is completely different.  Those who seek naturalistic explanations always ignore step #1 in the process, where witnesses have clairvoyant experiences that are later verified. 

IS THE NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE REPORTED IN THE BIBLE?

The Bible in many cases is written in the form of a parable, in a manner that people could understand at the time.  But certain aspects of the Near Death Experience are found in the Bible.  One is that the gospels clearly state that Jesus is the light of the world:

"I am the light of the world." (John 9:5)

"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." (John 1:4)

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." (John 3:19-21)

Some witnesses have actually reported encountering Jesus in the center of the light.  According to one study, the experience may be adapted to one's cultural influence.  From Near Death Experience:

Studies that have investigated cultural differences in NDEs summarized by (Augustine, 2003) have argued that the content of the experiences do not vary by culture, except for the identity of the figures seen during the experiences. For example, a Christian may see Jesus, while a Hindu may see Yamaraja, the Hindu king of death.

So is the experience adapted to one' cultural background, or is Jesus indeed the Being of Light of the Near Death Experience?  There is truth in both viewpoints, but let's explore this a little further.

THE BEING OF LIGHT IN THE VISIONS OF EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

There is an odd and interesting parallel between the Near Death Experience that was (re-)discovered in the 20th century, and the waking visions of Emanuel Swedenborg of the 18th century.  Swedenborg was a brilliant scientist estimated to have an IQ of over 200, who late in life had his vision opened to explain the spiritual sense of the Bible.  He claimed that for a full period of 27 years, he was allowed to have complete full waking visions of heaven and hell, while still fully present in his body.  He fully documented his experiences, which are reported in over 30 volumes.  From this one can see that those who have had a Near Death Experience have experienced just a small portion of the life to come.

The interesting aspect about Swedenborg's visions of heaven, is that in heaven God appears as the central Sun, and it is from this Sun that all of heaven receives its light.  Within the light is God Himself. And indeed, Swedenborg confirms that the God in the center of this Sun is the Lord Himself.  For this I will quote from a passage that I used to interpret Psalm 72 in a forthcoming commentary on the Psalms:

“That the Lord is seen as the sun in heaven before the angels, and that His Divine love together with His Divine wisdom appear thus, may be seen in the work on Heaven and Hell, published at London, 1758 (n. 116-125); and in the Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom (n. 83-172). It remains here only to prove from the Word, that the sun, when relating to the Lord, is His Divine love and at the same time His Divine wisdom. This may be evident from the following passage: In that day the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun; and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days (Isa. xxx. 26). That day is the Lord's coming, when the old church is destroyed, and a new one is to be instituted. The light of the moon is faith from charity, and the light of the sun is intelligence and wisdom from love, from the Lord at that time. Thy sun shall no more go down, and thy moon shall not be withdrawn; for Jehovah shall be an everlasting light (Isa. lx. 20). The sun which shall not set is love and wisdom from the Lord. The rock of Israel spake to me, as the light of the morning when the sun riseth (2 Sam. xxiii. 3, 4). The rock of Israel is the Lord. His throne shall be as the sun (Ps. lxxxix. 36, 37). This is said of David, but by David the Lord is there meant. They shall fear Thee as long as the sun endureth; and in His days shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace until the moon be no more: His name shall be continued as long as the sun, and all nations shall be blessed in Him (Ps. lxxii. 5, 7, 17). This also is concerning the Lord. Since the Lord appears as the sun in heaven before the angels, therefore, when He was transfigured His face shone as the sun, and His garments became as the light (Matt. xvii. 1, 2): and it is said of the mighty angel coming down out of heaven, that he was clothed with a cloud, and his face was as the sun (Apoc. x. 1); and of the woman, that she was seen clothed with the sun (Apoc. xii. 1). The sun here also is love and wisdom from the Lord; the woman here is the church which is called the New Jerusalem.” (Apocalypse Revealed, n. 53)

In passage after passage, Swedenborg shows that the word "sun" in scripture does not refer to the physical sun of our solar system, but the central Sun of heaven, which represents Divine love.  And multiple independent witnesses have stated that this Being of light is full of love, if not love itself.  Swedenborg also confirmed that God in his very essence is Love itself.  The central sun of heaven is described in more detail in Swedenborg's most famous work, Heaven and Hell:

"The Sun of heaven is the Lord, the light there is Divine truth, and the heat is Divine good, which proceed from the Lord as a Sun. From this origin are all things that exist and are seen in the heavens." (Heaven and Hell, n. 117)

How one sees the Lord in the central Sun of heaven depends on how one receives Him:

"He is seen by every one according as He is received by him, thus in one manner by those who receive Him with the good of love, and in another by those who receive Him with the good of faith. By those who receive Him with the good of love, He is seen as a sun, fiery and flamy according to the reception. These are in His celestial kingdom. But by those who receive Him with the good of faith, He is seen as a moon, white and beaming according to the reception."  (Heaven and Hell, n. 118)

At times the Lord is present in angelic form among the heavens, but differs from angels in that the Divine presence is within Him:

"When however the Lord is seen in the midst of heaven, which is often the case, He is not seen encompassed with the Sun, but in the form of an angel, yet distinguished from angels by the Divine beaming through the face; for He is not there in person, since in person the Lord is constantly encompassed with the Sun, but is in presence by His look. ...I have also seen the Lord out of the Sun, in the form of an angel, a little below the Sun in its altitude; and again near by, in like form, with beaming face. Once too He was seen in the midst of angels, as a flame-like radiance." (Heaven and Hell, n. 121)

HOW GOD ADAPTS HIMSELF TO EACH PERSON

God is perceived according to how He is received by each person, and this is also confirmed by the visions of Swedenborg.  There are different levels of heaven, according to one's spiritual perception:

"The doctrine of the inmost heaven is more full of wisdom than the doctrine of the middle heaven, and this more full of intelligence than the doctrine of the lowest heaven; for the doctrines are adapted to the perception of the angels in each heaven. The essential of all the doctrines is, to acknowledge the Divine Human of the Lord." (Heaven and Hell, n. 227)

That the Lord became incarnate in human form is not something everyone can receive right away, so this truth is adapted to each person, sometimes in obscure form. This adaptation can be seen in the progressive revelations given in the various religions on this earth.  For the Jews, Swedenborg states in Heavenly Arcana that they were not ready to receive internal spiritual truths, but could only receive external symbolic rituals.  As they were expecting to sacrifice animals, so animal sacrifices were instituted.  This was only abrogated when a higher revelation was given by Jesus. Moreover, God has given different religions at times to different nations. Islam is one of them, although it is a more obscure revelation than that of Christianity:

"Christians are instructed from heavenly doctrine, which is in entire agreement with the internal sense of the Word. All others, as the Mohammedans and the heathen, are instructed from doctrines adapted to their apprehension, which differ from heavenly doctrine only in this, that spiritual life is taught by moral life in agreement with the good dogmas of their religion, from which they have derived their life in the world." (Heaven and Hell, n. 516)

There are even means of revelation given to other planets, but that is another topic altogether.  While truth is manifold, love is one.  Love is simple.  The principles of love and truth is the foundation of all true revelation.

WHAT WE CAN ALL LEARN FROM THE NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE

The main point here, is that multiple witness testimony combined with clairvoyant experiences is a strong indication that we live after death in a higher spiritual form.  The other point here is that we will be held accountable in our life, and what is important in life is how we love others.  Belief systems are only useful inasmuch as they are applied to one's life in loving others.  The secret meaning of life is very simple: it is love.  Moreover, the Near Death Experience, combined with the testimony of Emanuel Swedenborg, indicates that Jesus really is who He said He was.  For a more in depth comparison between one Near Death Experience and the waking visions of Emanuel Swedenborg, see A Journey to Heaven by Richard Sigmund and Emanuel Swedenborg.

Here is another Near Death Experience, which I pulled at random, of Kathy Baker who wrote a book on it entitled A Room Nearby.  She was clinically dead for 8 minutes.  She describes the out of body experience where she can see and hear everything going on after died on the table, and interestingly, noted that there was a silver cord between her soul and her body - this is actually described in the Bible (see Eccl. 12:6).  She also describes the tunnel, the light at the end of the tunnel, and the life review.  But after it, some light beings gave her some future prophecies for the earth, and describes a future of massive earth changes: volcanoes setting off, earthquakes, as well as a war unlike we have ever seen, and a depression worse than we have ever known.  A lot of lives would be lost, but in the end, the world will be different, at a higher spiritual level. She was told she would not remember everything given her. Again, she learns that one must live a life of unconditional love:

Does the Bible Teach that there is Life After Death?

Does the Bible teach that there is life after death?  While the answer may seem obvious to some that it is YES, others believe that one ceases to exist until their bodies are physically raised from the grave.  In the New Church, it is unequivocally stated that we all do indeed live after death in a higher (or lower) spiritual reality that is beyond this physical material plane.  However there are some churches and sects who do not believe this to be the case.  Specifically, it is part of the doctrines of the Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses  that we do not have consciousness after death, we just simply cease to exist until some literal future resurrection date.  So which view is correct?

For doctrinal issues, one should always use scripture first.  In New Church doctrine, it is stated that all doctrine should be drawn from scripture as a foundational basis.  So I will here mention passages from the New Testament in which a clear answer is given concerning life after death.  In fact, these are the passages I used in a discussion on a Seventh Day Adventist forum, and I thought I would share them here for anyone seeking answers.  For anyone who grew up in a particular religion, I always give the same advice: examine the truth for yourself, and do not depend on what other people tell you.  For if you know the truth, the truth shall set you free.

SCRIPTURE EVIDENCE #1 - JESUS' ANSWER TO THE SADDUCEES

As the Old Testament had been written in such a symbolic manner, by the time of Jesus a Jewish sect arose, the Sadducees, who believed in no future resurrection.  After the Sadducees tested Jesus with a question on the resurrection, Jesus gave them this answer:

And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living. (Matt. 22:31-32)

The parallel passage of Luke has slightly different wording:

But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him. (Luke 20:37-38)

What this shows is that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob already rose from the dead, and were alive in heaven.  This answer alone shows that there is life after death.

SCRIPTURE EVIDENCE #2: THE STORY OF LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN

Here is another passage, in which not only does it clearly state there is life after death, but that heaven and hell are real.  This is the story of Lazarus and the rich man, which some say "is just a parable," but the point here is parables are meant to teach the truth, not to mislead.  Moreover, this may be an actual account, as Lazarus is the name of the person that Jesus rose from the dead (see John 11).  Here is the passage from Luke:

“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores.The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house—for I have five brothers —so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” (Luke 16:19-31)

It should be noted, just as in Jesus' answer to the Sadducees, this story from Luke also shows that Abraham is alive in heaven.  From the passage above, we can conclude several things:

1. There is life after death.  The death of the physical body is but a transition.
2. There is heaven and there is hell.
3. There is a chasm between heaven and hell.

SCRIPTURE EVIDENCE #3 - JESUS' ANSWER TO THE THIEF ON THE CROSS

In support of the story of Luke, Jesus' answer to the thief on the cross shows that one lives immediately after death:

And [the thief] said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43)

Nothing can be more clear than that.  Some, who wish to distort what was said, put the comma after "today" where Jesus is merely saying "Today I am saying this to you."  But that is not the case: Jesus is assuring the thief that that very day they will meet each other in Paradise.  Paradise is also mentioned in the book of Revelation:

To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Rev, 2:7)

This shows that the Garden of Eden in Gen. 2 is actually a representation of heaven, not a physical garden.  It symbolically represents that in ancient times, an ancient race of men had direct contact with heaven.

SCRIPTURE EVIDENCE #4 - THE DESCENT OF JESUS INTO HELL

One thing that most of Christianity has forgotten is that between the time of the crucifixion and the resurrection, Jesus not only ascended into heaven but descended into hell.  This is known in the Orthodox Church as the "harrowing of hell," where Jesus put all of hell under dominion and released captive souls and brought them up into heaven.  This is described in more detail in Jesus the Shaman - Descent into the Underworld.  It is mentioned briefly in the epistle of Peter:

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. (1 Pet. 3:18-20)

This is an obvious reference to souls living in the afterlife, caught in some sort of prison, who had lived before the flood of Noah.  This shows one lives a full life after death.  Also, in addition to heaven or hell, there is a state similar to limbo or purgatory, where one can remain in prison or a limited state for a time between heaven and hell.

WHAT OF THE LAST JUDGMENT?

The New Testament clearly states that there is life after death, that there are many who are judged and go to heaven or hell.  However there are other passages which speak of a "final judgment" or "last judgment" at the "end of the age" (e.g., Matt. 13:37-43, 25:31-46).  Does not those passages confirm that the resurrection is yet future?  Yes and no.  The last judgment at the end of the age refers to the souls caught in prison or "limbo" between heaven and hell, who had not been judged yet as they were not ready.  For these there are periodic last judgments in which souls are judged in mass, and go to either heaven or hell.  One of these judgments took place during the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  But these last judgments occur in the spiritual world, not the physical world.  For in judgment, all the memories of our thoughts, and all our actions, are examined in the clearest detail as to our true intentions.  This can only occur in the spiritual world.

In the 18th century, many revelations were given to Emanuel Swedenborg concerning Christianity, and one of the main revelations was to show that there is life after death, that there is a heaven or hell, and that how we live our life determines our eternal destiny.  The reason for the revelation was that many intellectuals of the modern age had ceased to believe in life after death, and thus Christianity had entered into a period of decline, and one can still see this continue today in western society.  The revelations of the afterlife are summarized in his work Heaven and Hell, and further details are given concerning the last judgments in the spiritual world in his works The Final Judgment and The Final Judgment Continued.  The main last judgment, which mainly concerns the fall of Christianity and the establishment of the New Church, is described in detail in the work Apocalypse Revealed and Apocalypse Explained.

These are large subjects, but when introducing someone new to these spiritual matters it is always preferable to use scripture first, and I would always recommend the passages that I mentioned above in this blog as a starting point.  It is impossible for me to summarize here, but the main point is that the love of our will, not our belief system, determines our eternal destiny.  Truth is only useful inasmuch as it leads one away from evil towards good.  Those who love others, who live a useful life, are on the path to heaven.  Those who are in service of their own self, or love of the world, are on a path in a separate direction. So choose wisely, and your happiness will only grow not only in this life but to all eternity.

The Purpose in Life is to Love

So why are we here? It is very simple: our purpose in life is to love.

Looking at the above picture, it makes us realize that sometime we make things so important that really do not matter.  But it also makes us think we are small and insignificant. But each human being is not insignificant, for the Divine is present over the smallest of things, and constantly reaches out to all of life, for God is love itself. So why are we here? It is to love.

It is when we love, then God comes to live in our heart, for God is love itself. And this is not only our purpose in life, but our purpose in creation:

"The universal end, or the end of all things in creation, is, that there may be an eternal conjunction of the Creator with the created universe; and this conjunction is not possible unless there are subjects in which His Divine can be as in Itself, thus in which It can dwell and abide. And these subjects, that they may be the abodes and mansions of Him, must be recipients of His love and wisdom as of themselves; thus they must be such as will elevate themselves to the Creator as of themselves, and conjoin themselves with Him." (Divine Love and Wisdom, n. 170, Emanuel Swedenborg)

On our world, most of humanity has become separate from God, and are not aware of His presence within their heart. God's love is so great, that in order to make himself known He became incarnate in human form.  This human form, or body, is the "Son":

For God so loved the world,  that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

There are two primary aspects of God: Divine Love (represented as "Father"), and Divine Truth (the "Son") which emanates from his central being of love. When he made a descent into our physical reality, He made a descent as to His aspect of thought, or Divine Truth (the "Word" was "made flesh"). Becoming incarnate, God's power was able to reach down into the lower realms of humanity, and was able to launch a direct attack against hell which had held humanity under its power.

God's love for all is infinite, and salvation is available to all who live a good life, one whose purpose is love, regardless if they know Him or not:

"The mercy of the Lord is infinite, and does not suffer itself to be limited to those few who are within the church, but extends itself to all in the whole world. Their being born out of the church and being thus in ignorance of faith, is not their fault; and no one is ever condemned for not having faith in the Lord when he is ignorant of Him." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1032.2, Emanuel Swedenborg)

Thus, it is not necessary to be "religious" or belong to a certain religion in order to reach heaven. How one lives one's life, is what determines one's eternal destiny.  And this is not just for our world, but for many worlds beyond ours:

"The Lord has mercy toward the whole human race, and wishes to save and draw to Himself all who are in the universe." (Heavenly Arcana, n. 1032, Emanuel Swedenborg)

Below is an account of a Near Death Experience of Raymond Kinman, a woodcarver and Disney artist, He had a Near Death Experience at the age of 9, long before the phenomenon became more well known to the public. And on the other side, what answer did he get about our purpose in life?  It is very simple. Our purpose in life is to love. He has a website, Loving is Why.



Here is a more longer account of his experience:

A Prophecy of September 11, Fanatical Terrorism (ISIS), Russia and America

I was going through some Near Death Experiences, and found one that contained a prophecy for events that are happening right now. This concerns the rise of religious radicals - including Al Qaeda and ISIS, the attack of September 11, events in Russia and China, and the eventual destruction of New York City. Maybe doctors feel they can explain away NDEs (which they cannot without ignoring evidence - see Proof of the Afterlife...from a brain dead neurosurgeon), but what do you do about a Near Death Experience that contains explicit prophecies and warnings, some of which have come to pass? I think this is important to explore - for once one acknowledges that there is an afterlife, that there is such a phenomenon as prophecy, the end conclusion of that is that there must be a God whom we should all acknowledge. This afterlife realm, which is beyond the dimensions of time and space, was described in most detail in the 18th century by Emanuel Swedenborg, whose experiences have recently been confirmed by the NDE of Richard Sigmund - for a summary comparison see A Journey to Heaven by Richard Sigmund and Emanuel Swedenborg.

This is also timely, for the rise of religious radicalism is the exact result of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Churches are also blind to what apartheid Israel is doing, which is much worse than what happened in South Africa (see Ignorance of Christian Ministers on Prophecies of Zionist Israel). Not only did the U.S. invade Iraq on a false pretense, but also it was the U.S. policy of insisting that Assad should step down which stopped any peaceful resolution to the civil war in Syria. ISIS has been trained and supported with the help of the CIA, intelligence agencies of Turkey and Saudi Arabia (see United States arming Al Qaeda to overthrow Syria - despite internal warnings in the CIA itself). This led to the creation of ISIS in northern Iraq. They did not do this on their own - Iraqi forces in Mosul were told to stand down. ISIS has received financing and training, and is part of a long term goal to partition Iraq into three regions: Kurdistan in the north (see The Kurds and the Lost Tribes of Israel), a Sunni portion to the north-west, and a Shiite portion in the south.And since the U.S. bears responsibility for the creation of ISIS, this is why one sees such a limited military response at the moment. Public awareness can change this. Also terrorist organizations really do help certain military agendas of the west, who always need an enemy. We are also seeing a conflict in Ukraine - a coup of the government by mysterious snipers, followed by the downing of flight MH17 by a fighter jet, contrary to the propaganda in western media (see A Prophetic Dream of Flight MH17: Another False Flag?).

Here is an interview with Ned Dougherty, who in 1984 was given a warning from the archangel Michael - how the United States of America has fallen from its mission, and has turned away from following God, and turned its interest toward money and power:



All problems begin with small gossip, jealousy and hatred towards a fellow person. This needs to be replaced with love and understanding. One should seek guidance through prayer and meditation.

THE NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE OF NED DOUGHERTY

Ned Dougherty, was a rich real estate broker and owned popular night clubs in Palm Beach Florida and Long Island New York. He pursued money and women and had no interest in spirituality, until he suffered from a heart attack after getting into a heated fight with a business associate in 1984. He had an amazing Near Death Experience, after which his attitude towards life changed. He sold his night clubs, became involved in his Catholic Church, and would later become involved in the International Association for Near-Death Studies. Following the NDE he had interior locutions, similar perhaps to Ian McCormack (see The Near Death Experience of an Atheist: Ian McCormack).

During the heart attack while the ambulance is rushing him to the hospital, as is typical with NDEs he has an out of body experience and his consciousness leaves his body. He looks up in the sky and sees a tunnel of light coming towards him. He sees a luminescent blue energy descend towards him through the tunnel, which then forms into a human being. He then recognizes the person: Dan McCampbell, an old friend, who had died during the Vietnam War, whom he never expected to see again. They exchange thoughts telepathically. Dan then tells him:

"You are on the threshold of an important journey. Each of these places and events that are before you are for you to absorb as much as you can. It is important that you remember everything that you see before you. You will be going back, and you must go back with what you experience. You have a mission ahead of you in your life, and this experience will guide you on that mission."

Next, Ned is enveloped in the light, brighter than anything he had ever seen, and is in the presence of God, and feels a tremendous amount of love emanating towards him from the light. He feels he is imbued with universal knowledge: whatever question he could ask, an answer was readily available. He is next taken to a heavenly amphitheater filled with spiritual beings. They looked at him and conveyed thoughts of love and support:

"You are doing wonderfully. We are here to support you. Continue to do good work, and we will help you. You are part of us, and we are part of you. We stand ready to come to your aid when you need us, and you will. Call us. Beckon us. We will flock to you when the time comes!"

Ned begins to wonder - how could he be doing a wonderful job? He had just nearly killed someone before his heart attack. Dan then intercedes:

"You were spiritually rescued from a negative event that was taking place in your life. You just tried to communicate a negative thought concerning this event. You cannot speak of such things here. There are no negative thoughts here, only positive affirmations. They cannot hear you; they will not hear you when you speak or think in negativity. You must be positive to perform your mission."

After this, Ned experiences a life review. He reviews all of his actions clearly, and he is the sole judge of what he has done. He is next taken to another building called "The Hall of Records," and encounters a Lady of Light. The lady then shows Ned some future events to befall planet earth:

"The Lady of Light appeared in the room before me. She stood next to a large globe of Earth, which was suspended in a large circular frame attached to the marble floor. The Lady of Light began to speak to me about the future of the world as she pointed to the globe. I watched as she pointed to the Middle East, and I saw a flashpoint of light. She then pointed to Italy, and I saw another flashpoint. Then flashpoints broke out rapidly throughout the Middle East and Europe representing major incidents, world events caused by mankind: acts of aggression, terrorism, and war. Fanatical, self-proclaimed religious groups supposedly acting in the name of God performed many of these acts, but I was told that acts of war and aggression were not part of God's plan. 

"I was shown a vision of a large plateau in the Middle East. The plateau was surrounded by a dusty, dry, and barren region that seemed to be deserted and devoid of any life. I was told that future events at this location in the Middle East would start a chain reaction of man-made catastrophic events, first in the Middle East, then in Africa and Europe, followed by events in Russia and China. 

"The Lady of Light showed me another scene of Earth suspended in space. I watched as the axis of Earth's rotation began to shift significantly. I could not tell how much time the shift took, nor was I shown a time or date when it would take place. I could tell that significant geophysical changes to the Earth's surface would take place as a result of the shifting of Earth's axis. Great earthquakes erupted throughout the world, significantly changing the major continents. There were volcanic eruptions of great magnitude spewing clouds of billowing smoke and ash throughout the atmosphere, sending the Earth into a period of darkness. Great floods resulted from melting and shifting polar ice caps. Many low-lying land areas were engulfed by huge tidal waves. I watched scenes of these events taking place, depicted like black and white movies. I watched one scene from a hilltop location on the coastline of Long Island, New York, as rows of massive tidal waves descended on the coastline, burying the land under the water. I saw another scene from a street corner in New York City. A wall of water rushed down the wide street as surrounding office buildings began to collapse. In another scene, I watched as a massive wall of water hit the coastline of Miami Beach. In its wake, I watched as an entirely new land mass rose up out of the ocean. 

"The Lady of Light told me that none of these future events would have to take place if mankind began to recognize and work with God's plan. The Lady of Light told me:

"The way to understand and work with God's plan is through prayer and meditation, through prayer to call to God, and through meditation to receive His message."

The way to save the word, Ned was told, was not through political leaders, but through small prayer groups. Small groups of prayer could save an entire nation from going to war. He next sees a being with white robes, whom he calls "The Magnificent Man," who fits the description of Jesus Christ who was interested in little children. As he reflects on what the Lady of Light has shown him, Ned realizes that there is no such thing as an "End of the World":

"I was being shown an earthly landscape that would exist following the End Times. I recognized that the End Times did not mean the end of the world. It meant the end of the world as we know it, but it also meant the beginning of a new world. I perceived that the earthly landscape in the distance was part of the new world, but it seemed so far away - barely discernible, almost mystical, like a dream world."

How valid is Ned Dougherty's vision of the future?  In March of 2001 he published his book, Fast Lane to Heaven: Celestial Encounters that Changed My Life in which he said this:

"A major terrorist attack may befall New York City or Washington, DC, severely impacting the way we live in the United States."

A few months later, America was attacked on September 11, 2001, in both New York and the Pentagon. It led to the passing of the Patriot Act, the founding of Homeland Security, and the War on Terror. But nothing is ever set in the stone: the purpose of prophecy is to change the future, not predict it. Events in the Middle East have been taking place as predicted. The "flashpoint in Italy" has not yet occurred, but may involve the Catholic Papacy. We are seeing events take place in Ukraine - for that see also Future Prophecies concerning Russia, Turkey and the Papacy.

What about the major tsunami hitting the eastern seaboard of the United States? A similar prophecy was given to Hildegard von Bingen of the 12th century - see An Extraterrestrial Prophecy. Also a similar prophecy was given by an apparition of the Virgin Mary at Turzovka in former Czechoslovakia. From The Apparitions at Turzovka:

I saw a picture of the globe, or better yet a plane representing the map of the world. Below the map I noticed a black board. Whenever I did not understand something an explanation would appear on it similar to movie subtitles... I saw a total of seven different clips: 1st clip: The map was three coloured- blue, green and yellow. The symbolic meaning of the green colour was "goodness", of the yellow "evil"... Afterwards a Demand appeared on the board: Repent! Pray for priests and the religious! Pray the Rosary! 2nd clip: I saw on the map that the yellow colour was spreading and the green was retreating, evil gaining and goodness losing ground. 3rd clip: The yellow colour has already flooded the entire world. A yellow and fiery rain was falling from the sky, as if yellow glistening pieces of tin were falling. The picture represented the sins of the entire world, multiplying of evil and its consequences. A warning appeared on the board: If people do not amend, terrible disasters will come - separately and grouped - and people will die in many different ways. 4th clip: I saw explosions in the sea near the coast. Gigantic explosions hurled great masses of matter from its depths which flooded the earth. Wherever they fell, life ceased to exist. A warning appeared on the board: If people do not amend, they will die! 5th & 6th clips: These parts of the revelation I judged that I ought to leave for myself as a personal secret: the knowledge of them would not benefit people. 7th clip: It showed what the earth would look like if people converted and lived according to God's commandments. The earth was illuminated by the sun rays. It was covered in brilliant greenery and many beautiful flowers. Happiness, harmony and peace could be seen everywhere. The appearance of the Immaculate Conception with a magnificent Rosary in Her hand and with Her right hand outstretched as if protecting nations, radiated above the earth. 

Another portion of the prophecy given to Ned Dougherty is significant which I will repeat here:

I was told that future events at this location in the Middle East would start a chain reaction of man-made catastrophic events, first in the Middle East, then in Africa and Europe, followed by events in Russia and China.

The changes in Africa could perhaps be the Arab Spring, which affected Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. We can see how Russia's involvement in Syria prevented the western-backed overthrow of Assad. The West seems to have countered this move with certain actions in Ukraine, leading to sanctions against Russia. Russia in turn has now turned its eyes on agreements with both China and Iran.

THE NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE OF HOWARD STORM

Howard Storm also had an NDE, and was shown a future vision for America that dovetails with what Ned Dougherty had seen, which he describes in his book, My Descent Into Death: A Second Chance at Life.  He was shown the way things would change by the year 2185. He asked these beings of light the question, "Will the United States be the leader of the world in this change?" The beings replied as follows:

"The United States has been given the opportunity to be the teacher for the world, but much is expected of those to whom much has been given. The United States has been given more of everything than any country in the history of the world and it has failed to be generous with the gifts. If the United States continues to exploit the rest of the world by greedily consuming the world's resources, the United States will have God's blessing withdrawn. Your country will collapse economically which will result in civil chaos. Because of the greedy nature of the people, you will have people killing people for a cup of gasoline. The world will watch in horror as your country is obliterated by strife. The rest of the world will not intervene because they have been victims of your exploitation. They will welcome the annihilation of such selfish people. The United States must change immediately and become the teachers of goodness and generosity to the rest of the world. Today the United States is the primary merchant of war and the culture of violence that you export to the world. This will come to an end because you have the seeds of your own destruction within you. Either you will destroy yourselves or God will bring it to an end if there isn't a change."

In another interview, he describes in more detail the problem the United States of America would experience:

"I asked how [America's purification] would come about, and they said it would be simple, that our society is very dependent on a lot of very fragile things -- energy grid, transportation. In each geographical area of the United States people used to be relatively self-sufficient as far as agricultural products. Now, how long would any state survive without the transport of food and energy?

"What would happen is these very complex and delicate grids of our economic system would begin to break down. We've created a society of such cruel and self-centered people that the very nature of civilization would begin to break down. The angels showed me that what would happen is that people would begin robbing the grocery stores, hording goods, and killing one another for gasoline and tires, and as a consequence everything would break down and would end up in chaos." 

HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD? CHANGE YOUR SELF

Small acts, however small, have a ripple effect.  It starts with amending one's own life and heart, and prayer and meditation. This is the second NDE I have seen which recommended forming prayer and meditation groups - this is the same message given in the NDE of Dannion Brinkley. For it is not only our actions which have a ripple effect, it is our thoughts as well: for we are all spiritual beings, and everything we do or think has an effect, however unseen, in the spiritual world.

The Near Death Experience of an Atheist: Ian McCormack

God did not put us on earth to suffer. He put us here to make a difference, and to have eternal happiness in heaven. Here is an interview with Ian McCormack, who had an NDE after he was stung by a Box Jellyfish five times during a night dive in the Maldive islands. The tentacles of a Box Jellyfish has one of the most deadliest poisons known on this planet - this poison can kill a human being within 4 minutes, after first inducing paralysis and a coma. This Near Death Experience is somewhat similar to that of another atheist, which I covered earlier in Swedenborg on the Near Death Experience of Howard Storm. For those of you who think NDEs is a product of a hallucination I would recommend reading Proof of the Afterlife...from a brain dead neurosurgeon. Ian was given just one small glimpse - he has a web site called A Glimpse of Eternity, and currently gives talks at a church in London. Here is a portion of an interview on CBN, and one can see that even now he is quite affected by the experience.



Below it is a more detailed account I extracted from another interview:

After he is stung his right side starts to become paralyzed, and he is helped to the nearest roadway from the shore, but the person who was carrying him runs back to the shore to see if his brothers are fine. He is on the side of the road, and he feels like falling asleep. He decides that he needs to rest from the ordeal, and is about to close his eyes and rest on the side of the road. Suddenly he hears a voice:

"Son, if you close your eyes, you will never awake again."

He is shocked, looks around, there is no one near him. He next encounters some Indian taxi drivers and asks them to drive him to the hospital. However they haggle over money, and he has no money with him. All three taxi  drivers start to walk away. Again he hears a voice:

"Son, are you willing to beg for your life?"

He is utterly upset with these Indian taxi drivers, and he encountered many Indian beggars in his travels.  He never once begged.  As they walk away, he falls to his knees, grabs his right hand (his right arm was paralyzed), and holds out his arms and starts begging. They all have a good laugh, and two walk away. However one stops, looks at him, and changes his mind. He gives him a ride, but once he realizes he is not staying at a hotel where he can get his wallet, he stops the taxi and pushes him out of the taxi. However his right leg is paralyzed and his foot is stuck in the door, and he pushes his foot out and leaves, leaving him there to die.

He is outside a hotel, finds a bar, and argues with a Chinese man to take him to the hospital. This Chinese man happens to have the only available car in the parking lot. They don't understand, they think he is on drugs or is a cocaine addict, and begin laughing at him. The poison now creeps up into his jaw and he starts chattering, and he can't talk. At this point, out of utter frustration, as the Chinese man is arguing about how stupid he is, he thinks about raising his hand and popping him on the head, or doing a head butt. As he is about to do that, he hears that odd voice again coming from nowhere:

"Son, if you do that, the adrenal rush will kill you, the toxin is too close to your heart."

Finally, a security guard at the hotel recognizes Ian, and calls for an ambulance. The ambulance almost misses them entirely. They put him in the ambulance, which has to climb a hill to reach the hospital. Unfortunately they put him in the ambulance in the wrong way, and the poison that was in his feet now starts to ascend from his lower legs and reach his upper body and head. At this points he starts seeing visions of a young blonde boy flash in front of his eyes, and he realizes that little boy is him. He is starting to have flashbacks, reviewing his entire life in an instant. He starts to wonder - is this death? Am I dying? Is there life after death? Is it really worth the gamble, to assume that their is no life after death? He realizes that to assume that if there is no life after death is sort of like playing Russian Roulette.

At this point Ian starts to see something else weird: he sees his mother in front of him, who begins to pray. He now thinks, "What is my  mother doing here in the ambulance?" Little did Ian know, half way around the world, his mother had a premonition. She had a habit of praying for her children, and she was the only Christian in the family. A voice spoke to her and said:

"You elder son Ian is nearly dead, pray for him now."

Ian at this time sees his mother praying, and hears her say:

"Ian, no matter what you have done in your life son, no matter how far from God you may be, if you call out to God from your heart, God will hear you, and God will forgive son."

Ian then thinks, forgive me, is there a God? If there is a God, who can he possibly be? He then says to himself, "I have no idea what to pray, please help me to pray." He then sees these words flash in front of his eyes:

FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AND SINS.

Ian then thinks, "How could God forgive me? Its too late. No, God could not forgive me, I have done too many things wrong. I would feel like a hypocrite to even ask that." He then sees his mother, who says, "Son, pray from your heart." Ian then says to himself, "God, I don't know if you can forgive me. I dont know if there is any soft tissue in my heart. But if you can, I sincerely ask you to forgive me of all my sins. Please forgive me." The moment he says this, he sees new words flash up in front of him:

FORGIVE THOSE WHO HAVE TRESPASSED AND SINNED AGAINST YOU.

Ian then says to himself. "I am not a vindictive person, I can forgive those who have sinned against me." Then right in front of him flashes the face of the Indian taxi driver who shoved him out of the taxi. He then hears a voice:

"Will you forgive this man, for pushing you out of his taxi tonight, and leaving you for dead on the side of the road?"

Ian then thought, "NO - you must be joking, I am not forgiving him."  Then the image in front of him changes, and he now sees the image of the Chinese man who had laughed at him:

"Will you forgive this man, for not taking you to his car tonight, and leaving you to die in the hotel?"

Ian again thought to himself, absolutely not. Then he began to think, "Who on earth is this voice? Who am I speaking to? Who is talking to me?" Part of him still wanted to take vengeance on these two men. Ian then decides to say this prayer:

"God I don't want to forgive these two men. But if you can forgive me of all the stuff I have done in my life, and I don't know how you do it, but if you forgive me, I will forgive these men. I will never touch them or lay my hands upon them."

When Ian finishes that prayer, the faces of the two men disappear. Now new words flash in front of his eyes:

THY WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.

Ian read this, and realizes that is God's will. He has done his own will for twenty-four years. He then prays:

"God, I don't know your will. But it appears only a miracle will spare my life at this point."

He then adds:

"God if you are real, and you can hear me, I give my will to you. I surrender my life to you. I will try to follow you all the days of my life."

At that moment, he sees the entire Lord's prayer appear in front of his eyes. He then repeats the Lord's prayer. An amazing peace falls upon him. At that point the ambulance arrives at the hospital, and is rushed to the emergency room, after a few delays from the nurse. They can't get a pulse, and now realize how serious it is. They try to find a vein in his right arm, in the other arm they start to pump in anti-toxins. He is trying to keep his eyes open, but the poison then starts to come into his eyelids, and sweat is pouring off his forehead into his eyes.

And then, at that moment, Ian closes his eyes. He then hears the machine flatlines, and he is pronounced dead. And then something strange happens.

He opens his eyes, and finds himself in a standing upright position, fully awake. But it is pitch black. He can't see anything around him. He then thinks, "Why on earth did those doctors turn off the lights in here?" He tries to grope around for the wall, can't find it.  He then comes back to his bed, and realizes he can't find that either. He then thinks great, he has lost his bed, now what?

As it is pitch black, Ian decides to get a look at his hand. He brings his hand up to his face. His hand passes through his face to the backside of his head.  He then touches other parts of his body, but his hand passes through where his body should be. There was nothing physically present where his body should be. He is confused.

Now, as he looks into the darkness, he sees that the darkness has an evil presence. Cold, encroaching evil, pervaded the atmosphere. He then feels invisible eyes checking him out. Ian then senses something move towards him, and he starts to move back.

A man to the right then screams out, "SHUT UP!"

Ian responds, "Shut up? I have said nothing. What are you talking about?" Ian holds up his arm bracing himself for a hit.

Then another voice off to his left then yells out, "YOU DESERVE TO BE HERE."

Ian then thinks, "Deserve to be where? Where am I?"

Another man in front of him then shouts, "YOU ARE IN HELL. NOW SHUT UP!"

Ian was an atheist, and did not believe in hell. He thought it was a lie to scare people in religion. He realizes that these men could read his thoughts, as he said nothing, and his thoughts were really annoying them. As he wonders about it, he thinks of the prayer he uttered in the ambulance before he came into the hospital.

At that point a radiant beam of light comes through the darkness and touches him. His body lifts up off the ground and ascends upward. He feels like a speck of dust drawn toward the light. He looks around and sees he is travelling through a tunnel.

A wave of light comes toward him and passes through him: COMFORT. His fear disappears.

Another wave of radiant light comes toward him: PEACE.

He can see his arm: it is transparent, but full of light.

Another wave of radiant light comes toward him: JOY.

He pops out of the tunnel, and he is now surrounded by light. In front of him is a brilliant light, with phenomenal radiance and power. Ian then asks himself, "Is there someone in there, or that just an energy source for the cosmos?" A voice then comes from the light:

"Ian, do you wish to return?"

Ian then realizes this was the same voice that spoke to him before. He then begins to wonder if this is real, or is he just comatose from the poison, and this is just a dream? He looks back, and sees the tunnel closing behind him. Ian then says, "I don't even know where I am. If I am out of my physical body, I wish to return. I have no idea where I am." The voice from the light then says:

"Ian, if you wish to return, you must see in a new light."

Ian then thinks what does that mean? He looks around and sees he is surrounded by light. Ian then asks, "Are you the true light?" He then sees these words:

GOD IS LIGHT, AND IN HIM THERE IS NO DARKNESS AT ALL. 1 John 1:5

Ian then remembers he read that somewhere, but does not know what "1 John 1:5" means, thinking they are Roman hieroglyphics. This was foreign to him, for every other philosophy he heard was that God was Yin and Yang, encompassing both opposites: light and dark, good and evil. As Ian stands there, he wonders, "Could that be God?" Whoever it is, he knows his name, and seems to be able to read his thoughts. He reasons only God could do that, God must be able to see every sin he ever committed in his life. He knew that the light could pierce through everything and could see everything.

He then feels he does not belong there, and wanted to hide under a rock. He starts to move back to the darkness. As he moves back, he then sees another wave of radiance come from the light towards him. He fully expected it to catapult him back into the darkness. To his surprise, all he got was one thing: LOVE. He then said "God can't love me, I have cursed him." Another wave came, more love, this time stronger. He then asks, "Why are you loving me God? Don't you know what I have done?" He remembers his sins: he has slept around, did drugs... more love came towards him, tingling his whole being. All he felt was love, forgiveness and acceptance. He began to weep, as he felt the love move through him. He then looks around, he is surrounded by radiance, and his body is now full of light.

The waves of light cease, and Ian then wonders if he could step through that core of light, and see God. He is so close. He then asks him, "God, may I come in?" He thought if he can love and accept me for who I am, surely He won't mind. He steps through the radiance, the light was very dense. He sees shimmering veils of radiance, sparkling. He then feels healing touching his broken heart. As he moves in he wonders if he could see God. The light begins to open up, he first sees a man's feet, and then a white garment or robe of light. His eyes move up and sees his chest, and his arm are outstretched. As he comes to his face, he had to turn - the radiance was so pure, so bright - many times brighter than all the light he had just seen. He then comes closer, he thinks if he gets closer he could see God's face and know who he is. He is now a few feet away, and puts his face into the light. As he gets close, he suddenly moves to the side. He wonders, "Why did he do that, I was so close."

He looks ahead, and sees an opening into a realm - a green meadow, fields opened up before him, it looked like a new planet. There was a crystal clear stream working its way through the field. He felt this is home, he belonged here. He wondered why wasn't he born here? The thought came that one must be born again to enter here - he then realized that God had heard his prayer in the ambulance, and he was born again, and had been spiritually washed of his sins. Everything he saw there was giving off life. As he starts to move in, God's presence came back, and blocked the way. He then asked,

"Ian, now that you have seen, do you wish to go in, or do you wish to return?"

He thought, return? What for? He wanted to go in, but God was in front of him. He had nothing to return back to - he was a single man, and had no family. He then thinks no one in his life ever loved him, he has nothing to go back to. The love he was experiencing was greater than he had ever felt. He asks, "Can I stay here, I have no desire to go back." He was about to look back and say "Goodbye, cruel world." As he looks back, he sees a clear vision of one person who loved him: his mother, who had prayed for him every day of his life. If he were to go now, his mother would have no idea that God had heard her prayer. He then says to God, "God I wish to return for my mum. I have lived such a selfish life, I want to return and tell her that what she believes is real." God then says,

"Son, if you wish to return, you must see things in a new light."

From this he thought he must begin to see things from God's eternal perspective, not his own selfish perspective. He needs to love people in a different larger way. He wonders how he could go back. He looks, but now he not only sees his mother, but his father, his siblings, and behind them, thousands upon thousands of other people. There was a sea of humanity. Ian asks, "God, who are all these people?" God answers:

"Ian, if you do not return, most of these people will not step inside a church any longer to hear My name."

Ian says, "Church? Well neither would I. I don't even know these people. I know my mum, I wish to return for her, I love her." God responds,

"Ian, I love all of these people. I desire for all of them to come to know Me."

He thinks, "What?" This was not something he expected. He feels the heart of God reaching out to all of these people Ian does not even know. Ian responds, "God I don't know about them, but how do I return, back through the tunnel, back through the darkness, and back to my physical body?" God responds,

"Son, tilt your head." Ian tilts his head. "Now feel the liquid drain from your eye. Now open your eye, and see."

He opens his right eye, he is looking down the length of his body, which is on a slab in a morgue. His leg is held up by a doctor with a scalpal, prodding his foot like a dead piece of meat. The doctor gets spooked turns around and sees Ian's eye looking at him, and his face goes white as a sheet and yells in surprise. Ian then hears God's voice:

"Ian, I have just given your life back."

Ian thinks, "If that is true, could you help me tilt my head to the left and look out my other eye. I am getting sick of looking at this doctor." His head tilts, now his left eye opens, and through the doorway he sees nurses and orderlies staring at him. They jump up and collide with each other. He looks, no one was giving him CPR or electric shock - the doctor is holding the scalpel, shaking. Eventually he is told that he has been dead for 15 minutes. Ian realizes, if he has just seen God, he now has to change his life.

He then thinks, "God, if you have given my life back, can you please heal me, and allow me to walk out of this hospital and live a normal life? If not, I would rather be dead, please take me back into your presence." He then feels this warmth and power course through his body in successive waves, healing his body. Within 3-4 hours, he got total movement and feeling back. He walked out of the hospital the next day on his own, completely healed. When the fishermen of the island saw them, they thought they were seeing a ghost and ran and yelled. He could look at people, and see what was going on their life - what was oppressing them, what was making them sad. He asked God, "Why is that?" He heard God's voice say,

"Ian, you are now seeing people in a new light. Don't judge people, I want to heal them. Set them free from the oppression of the darkness that is tormenting them. I want to see them set free, out of the darkness, and into My light."

Ian sees that his life has changed - he does not want to party, does not want to do drugs, or chase after women - he wants to live a pure life. He asks God, "What has happened to me?" God then responded,

"Ian, you are a reborn Christian. That prayer in the ambulance saved your soul, son." 

He then asked God, "What must I do then?" God responded:

"Read a Bible."

Ian did not know what a reborn Christian was, and had never read a Bible. For the first time in his life, he asked his father to give him his Bible. He read it in six weeks. As he read, he began to see the stuff he had seen in the other life mentioned in the scriptures. He wept, thinking to himself, "You arrogant pig. You have mocked this from a distance, and foully cursed God. You never took the time to read this book. You fool." He then realized why he had to forgive others before God could forgive him - without forgiveness, the hate we hold in our heart will grow like a cancer, and keep us in darkness. When we forgive, we release ourselves from darkness, and God can then enter in, and cleanse our heart from sin. God then becomes our Lord, and we are given a new will in life.

Here is a trailer of the movie, The Perfect Wave:



Here is the full interview, from which I extracted a summary for this blog post: