What about all of the people who claimed to have died and gone to heaven?
What are near death experiences?
It's time to UNLEARN the lies.
UNLEARN
Hey, welcome to UNLEARN.
My name is Lex, and I'd like to invite you to join us each week as we UNLEARN the lies
and dig deeper into the truth of God's Word.
Now, let's get started.
There have been a number of books and movies based on claims that people have gone to heaven
then returned to tell about it.
It seems to be quite a popular subject, and many people have been convinced that these
stories are true, but do those stories line up with what the Bible says?
The Bible should always be our authority on these things, and we must let it to guide
us to the truth.
The Bible gives us some great examples and descriptions of heaven through visions that
certain prophets recorded in the Scriptures.
These visions of heaven can serve as a guideline for helping us determine if a particular experience
was real or not.
When we examine the stories of near death experiences, many of the authors seem to focus
on how they felt, who they saw, and how important they are for having seen such things.
They often point out things they came to understand through their experience, which they could
not have learned through Scripture alone.
These stories end up being very self-centered and shallow in contrast with the Biblical
visions of heaven.
Three Biblical authors recorded visions of heaven (Isaiah, Ezekiel, and John), but none
of them are described as having near death experiences.
As we look at the Biblical visions of heaven, notice that they focus completely on the majesty
of God, and say nothing about themselves except that they are unworthy to be in God’s presence.
Isaiah gives us a perfect example of this.
“…I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe
filled the temple.
Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with
two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole
earth is full of His glory!"
And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house
was filled with smoke.
So I said: ‘Woe is me, for I am undone!
Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean
lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.’"
- Isaiah 6:1-5
Notice that Isaiah didn’t tell us about getting to speak with departed family members,
or how happy and peaceful he felt.
When he saw the vision of heaven, he said, “Woe is me, for I am undone…
I am a man of unclean lips…”
He was not comforted by his vision of heaven, nor was he reassured of his goodness and accomplishments.
He was made acutely aware of his own sinfulness and he understood how unworthy he really was.
Notice also that everything in his vision points to the glory, holiness, and majesty
of the Almighty God.
When standing in the presence of God, Isaiah was not concerned with talking to dead relatives
or sight seeing, because he was completely captivated by the Holy One on the throne.
When we compare this with the stories of people who claim to have died and gone to heaven,
we find that they couldn’t be more different.
If those people truly went to heaven, they would not be preoccupied with familiar faces
and strange conversations, because their full and undivided attention would have been focused
on God Almighty.
Paul also mentions a man who had a vision of heaven, but explains that he "heard inexpressible
words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter" However, those who claim they went
to heaven have no problem talking about everything they saw and heard, often claiming they were
sent back to share what they experienced.
This testimony also contrasts the words of Yeshua who said,
"If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one
rise from the dead."
- Luke 16:31
Did God change His mind?
Did He decide to start sending people back to tell us how beautiful heaven is, so that
we will want to go there?
This simply doesn’t make sense.
God has given us His Word, and if we will not listen to Moses and the prophets, then
why would He send someone back to write a New York Times bestseller about heaven?
If we believe the Bible, then we cannot believe the testimony of someone who claims they went
to heaven, because the Bible plainly says,
"No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of
Man who is in heaven."
- John 3:13
We shouldn’t listen to fanciful tales from people who claim to have gone to heaven, because
they are not compatible with the Word of God.
I’m not saying they are all liars.
Some people sincerely believe they saw heaven, but many of these experiences are caused by
extreme trauma leading to vivid dreams.
Others remember things from long ago that seem very real.
Lack of oxygen and the introduction of drugs in the brain also play a role in the things
people claim to have experienced.
No matter how sincere they might be, they did not actually go to heaven.
However, there are also a number of greedy liars who make up elaborate stories, hoping
to get rich off those who flock to read their rubbish.
These people are selfish charlatans who peddle their poison for profit.
They are doing the work of the devil, but claim they were sent by God.
Beware of false prophets , and do not let them fool you with fables.
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their
own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables."
- 1 Timothy 4:3-4
We cannot let personal experiences guide our beliefs.
The Bible must be our source for doctrine, and everything else must be put to the scrutiny
of the Word of God.
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