Before I begin today's near death experience story I want to give a big shout out to Seeking
Harmony.
Thank You so much for the Super Thanks.
Growing up I was raised in a very religious family.
We attended church every Wednesday and twice on Sundays.
My Father was a deacon in the church as well so we also had to attend nightly bible studies
he would host in our home.
I never resented being raised like this.
Since all of my childhood friends also attended our church and partook in the bible studies,
I actually thought that eveyone lived this way.
By the age of 13 I could quote verbatim most of the scriptures.
As a teenager I began to meet people at school who were not as devoted to Christ as my family
was and I made it my mission to teach them about Jesus.
This led to more than one altercation in which my face was used for a punching bag and eventually
led to me being removed from that school and enrolled into a Christian Academy.
This did not solve the issue and I ended up suffering through even more mental and physical
abuse from the kids at this school as well.
After graduation I attended Appalachian Bible College where I finally met like minded people
who accepted Christ as the one true savior.
My senior year I would often do guest speaking, standing in for pastors at churches around
the area.
Some of these were paid speakings and some were not but I was doing what I felt I had
been called to do and getting credit through the college for it as well.
The proverbial killing of two birds with one stone.
Up to this point if anyone had mentioned a near death experience to me, I would have
thought them either insane or a false prophet.
That was until I had my own NDE.
I don't think anything in this world can relate to having actually had one and returned to
the earthly plane of existance.
My near death experience occurred while I was walking back to my dorm one night after
a study session with friends.
I began to feel dizzy and my hands began to shake.
I thought that if I could get to my room and lay down things would be better.
Unfortunately I did not make it to my room.
I remember hearing a muffled scream in the distance like when you are swimming underwater
and can faintly hear sounds from above the surface.
Suddenly I found myself unable to hear anything however I could see perfectly.
There on the ground in front of me was...well...me.
A crowd was beginning to gather around my prone body now.
This didn't make sense.
How could I be looking at myself?
This did not last long though as I next found myself floating down a long tunnel.
In the distance I could see a small light that grew in size the closer I got to it.
This tunnel was not scary even though I had now realized I had no body to speak of.
I was merely a soul travelling to a destination beyond my control.
I can not say how long I was in the tunnel for because while it seemed like a really
long time it also seemed to be over with fastand I know that makes no sense, it's just how
it felt.
When I finally reached the light I half expected to see something similar to a star however
this was not the case.
Instead the tunnel opened into a lush green field of grass and while the sky was lit up
by some source of light I can not say what that light source was.
I do remember that I was perfectly warm, not too hot and not too cold.
The entire feeling took me back to when I was a kid and feeling the suns rays on my
skin when my family would visit the beach each Summer.
Oh how I had loved that feeling.
As I stood in the middle of this green field taking in the colors around me, colors in
this realm simply do not compare, I began to see a man in an off white robe walking
towards me.
He had a presence about himself that just said everything you needed to know about Him
while at the same time saying absolutely nothing.
His robe for instance was nothing fancy yet one look and you just knew He was a King.
When he reached where I was He began to communicate with me although his lips never moved.
It was as if his thoughts were being streamed directly into my brain and when I would respond
it was done in the same manner.
His first message which I received was simply a "welcome friend"
I asked him, again mind to mind, "where am I?"
"This is paradise and I am Jesus" He explained.
"So, I'm in Heaven?"
I asked.
"Not quite" Jesus replied, "Only thse who have their names written in the Book of Life
may enter Heaven".
We can go look for your name now if you wish" He continued.
With that I found we had been transported into a large white room that radiated light
from all sides.
In the center of this room was a table, very ornate in design with intricate details made
from pure gold it seemed.
On that table lay a Book.
Jesus picked up the book and opened it, without asking me my name he began to thumb thru the
pages so I began to tell him my name and he simply smiled at me and with a hearty laugh
said "I know your name".
What was I thinking, this was Jesus, of course He knew my name.
After what seemed like an eternity Jesus looked at me and said "Your name is indeed in the
Book of Life"
I don't think I can ever accurately describe how elated I was to hear those words until
Jesus spoke again.
Jesus followed that statement up with " When you return to us again you will be allowed
to enter Heaven"
"Wait" I asked "what do you mean when I return again?"
"It is not yet your time to be here and you still have much left to do on Earth"
"But I want to stay here now" I stated.
In my mind I was already here so it made no sense for me to go back.
Jesus had an answer for this thought as well.
"You have been a good example of what humanity was meant to be however My Father still has
a great many plans for your future that will also aid others in finding their way home.
You are an essential part of those plans and My Father needs you to go back and continue
the path you are on.
The next time you come home we will celebrate your return inside my Fathers mansion"
Those were the last words Jesus left me with and I was suddenly back inside the tunnel
returning to my body.
I awoke in the street just as the ambulance was arriving.
I agreed to go to the hospital with them and be checked out just to get them to stop talking.
At the hospital the ER doctor determined I had diabetes and was dangerously close to
slipping into a diabetic coma.
Since that night I have began taking medication to help control the diabetes and have had
no further issues.
Did I die that night in the street?
I don't know but I do know that what I saw and experienced was real.
Jesus is real and the Book of Life is real.
I have no idea how much longer I am needed on Earth but I do welcome my return Home.