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This page revised and Copyrighted: Theon Doxazo |
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03.4.0 |
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We begin our presentation of the Second Peter Theory with a brief review of the research on Near-Death Experiences (NDEs). In the last 50 years thousands of people have had NDEs and been interviewed about them. These events challenge our Naturalistic understanding of the brain and consciousness. Even when their brains were radically impaired, they report experiences of 'something' after Death. These patients, their physicians, and researchers are increasingly convinced that 'the mind' seems to be able to function, often better!, without the brain. While individual descriptions will differ, several important themes emerge, leading researchers to conclude that these Near-Death survivors came close to something and someone quite different. They whet our appetites for more.
We then consider Jesus Christ as the only one to have actually died and risen from the grave. He is the One that truly understands Death and the afterlife. No other person, ever, has had as complete an understanding of Death and what comes next. When He speaks of the afterlife, HE is the authority!
What do we believe? Well, there's a problem there. Our fear of Death drives us to distance ourselves from, not only Death and Dying, but also from anything that would remind us of them. We tend to bury our fears of Death extraordinarily deeply, and it takes a major effort to, eventually, confront our fears of Death deeply. IF we are able to do so, we come to believe that, even when everything we know is swept away by Death, we are still there.
We've heard about others that have almost died. We've heard about Jesus who did die. We've come to believe that 'something' of us remains after we have died. How can we respond to this? By listening to the Scriptures that tell us of Jesus. We hear of Jesus' offer of a place with Him in heaven to those that follow Him. When we hear this our deepest needs compel us to find out more and, eventually, follow Him. Our weakness and inability before the grave drives us to commit ourselves to His protection when we come to die.
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