Short Answer
Near-death experiences should be approached with caution because many of the teachings that come from them contradict the Bible. Scripture does not encourage believers to rely on personal experiences to understand the afterlife but instead points them to God’s revealed Word. Any claim about heaven or the afterlife must be tested by biblical truth.
The Overview
Stories about near-death experiences have become very popular, with many books and testimonies describing people who claim to have briefly visited heaven or another spiritual realm. While these stories can be compelling, they should not be treated as reliable sources of truth about the afterlife. The Bible provides the authoritative teaching about heaven, hell, and eternity, and personal experiences must always be evaluated in light of Scripture.
One reason for caution is that many near-death testimonies produce teachings that do not align with biblical theology. Instead of emphasizing repentance, salvation, and the seriousness of sin, many accounts suggest that everyone will be fine after death and that there is nothing to fear. This message contradicts the biblical warning that people must be reconciled to God through faith in Christ.
Additionally, some near-death stories have later been exposed as exaggerated or even fabricated. In certain cases, individuals admitted that their accounts were partly invented to sell books or attract attention. Even when people sincerely believe their experiences were real, physical trauma, medical conditions, or hallucinations may influence what they perceived during those moments.
The Bible itself offers a very different pattern. The closest example to a near-death experience in Scripture is the apostle Paul’s description of being caught up to the third heaven in 2 Corinthians 12. Yet even then, he was not permitted to describe what he saw in detail. This shows that God did not intend for personal experiences to be the primary source of knowledge about the afterlife. Instead, believers are called to trust the clear teaching of Scripture.
Key Takeaways
- Near-Death Experiences Should Be Evaluated Carefully
Personal stories about the afterlife should not be accepted automatically as truth. - Scripture Is the Ultimate Authority
The Bible provides the reliable teaching about heaven, hell, and eternity. - Many Near-Death Accounts Produce Unbiblical Ideas
Some testimonies promote messages that contradict biblical teachings about sin and salvation. - Some Stories Have Been Proven False
Certain near-death experience claims have later been admitted to be exaggerated or fabricated. - The Gospel Remains the Central Message
The Bible emphasizes repentance and faith in Christ as the only true hope beyond death.
The Source — The Speaker Transcript
00:00:00
What do you think about some people who’ve had near-death experiences? I wrote about this in a book I wrote for Harvest House called 10 Mistakes People Make About Heaven, Hell, and the Afterlife. And I I dealt with it having studied these uh books and u testimonies and people giving their stories and churches about their near-death experiences. And um on the whole, I would say this that it seems like most of these, and much like I said with the last caller, you’ll know them by the fruits. Most of the theological fruit
00:00:31
that comes from people on the teaching circuit uh or writing circuit when they write these books on their near-death experiences uh leads to bad theology. And the only near-death experience we have in scripture, so to speak, is Paul there in 2 Corinthians 12. And he talks about having being been taken up into the third heaven. But God didn’t allow him to say anything about it. He didn’t write a bestselling book about it. And the point is whatever is going on in the other world, even in Jesus’s parable
00:01:01
about someone who’s gone to the other world and wants to go back or send someone back, the answer is always no. It’s appointed a man wants to die. And therefore, I think there’s a lot of hallucinogenic hallucinogenic effects of being near back. But I’m really concerned when I read about some of these books, and I may even footnote some of this in my uh book on the topic. I well it’s all about heaven, hell, and the afterlife. But as I researched this um some of the books themselves have
00:01:29
been recounted because people have admitted we just wrote this stuff. Not all of it was true. We took a kernel of truth and built something that would would sell. And that’s horrific when people are lying in these contexts. Uh and not that all of them are. I think some people legitimate legitimately believe I died on the operating table or I died in that car accident and I went toward the light and I had a conversation and then I went back. But we don’t usually see pe people coming out of that uh having biblical things to
00:01:57
say. They often have unbiblical things to say. And I judge that uh kind of experience by the fruit of it. If your fruit is telling everybody, for instance, a lot of these near-death experience testimonies are everything’s going to be fine. Don’t worry about death. It’s all good. You walk toward the light. I felt good. I felt fine. And it’s not a call to repentance and faith, right? It’s all about it’s all going to be okay. Don’t fear death. Well, the non-Christians should fear death. So,
00:02:22
anybody who’s telling people not to fear death, right, you better be focused on the gospel because that’s the only hope I have. So, Gina, that that’s my concern. I could talk more about it. There have been other books that have been written critiquing a lot of the near-death experiences, and maybe I footnote that in my book. I’d have to look it up. But, if you want to read a little bit about death, the concept of death, and why the near-death experiences don’t always um impress me,
00:02:44
and they they make me uh some of them rightfully very skeptical of even the veracity of what they’re saying. But uh also the fruit of it I can easily judge by God’s word that what they’re saying is not true. Hope that helps Gina.
