From the book, Page 132...
There are two major divisions in the afterlife which get called by different names by different people who have had NDEs.
"The first, "City of Light" by Raymond Moody. Betty Eadie and Melvin Morse, and others say...
"...the other division has been variously labeled "a realm of bewildered spirits" by Moody, a place "devoid of love" by George Ritchie, a place of "earthbound/lingering spirits" by Eadie, and the "sphere of wasted elusive, and missed opportunities" by Joy Snell..."
The second division is said to be...
"complex structure"
"...previous chapter notes..."individuals acquired new senses in the spirit world, one of which is the ability to "know" others' thoughts and desires. This enhanced sense seems to be a factor in the ultimate placement of each individual in the spirit world."
From Pages 132-133...
"There is evidence that a type of judgement occurs at the time of death. This judgement involves a review of a person's life and results in their placement in the spirit world. Many have told about an incredibly vivid, full-color, three dimensional, instantaneous, panoramic review of every single thing they have ever done, thought or said in their lives. In this review people see not only every action they have ever done, but also the effects of these actions upon others...& their emotions (pleasant/painful) that their actions caused....Everyone knows the innermost thoughts, desires, and dreams of everybody else...no secrets...hypocrisy is impossible..."
"The judgement that occurs during the life review is a judgement that comes from within. No court. No judge, or jury is required. Each person knows exactly where he or she stands with the "Being of Light" & all the others in the "City of Light".
> If we are honest with ourselves, even before we have a chance at an NDE, or even if we never have an NDE, we would (& should) examine ourselves whether or not we will deserve the "City of Light" (Heaven with Jesus) or the place "devoid of love" & "sphere of wasted, elusive missed opportunities". "Devoid of love" is that place without God; that place destined to hell and everlasting living death.
Some people are indeed very good living people here on earth. But let us not be deluded by that. God's Word says,
"not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us..." (Titus 3:4, 5)
and as Ephesians 2:8, 9 tells us,
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast."
We all, every single last one of us, must accept Jesus Christ as Savior no matter how many good deeds we have done. Each of us is under 'the curse'. Jesus paid for us all but we must receive His gift of salvation. Your name will then be found in the Lamb's book of life.We are told in Revelation chapter 20 and verses 11-15 about the judgement at the end of time. John reports,
"And I saw the dead great and small, standing before the throne (great white throne) and books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books...and each person was judged according to what he has done...If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
From this, we do see a reckoning day. But even before this event, there has been some categorization as Revelation 20:11-15 also talks about the dead in the sea, and of those in death and Hades. "Death & Hades were thrown into the lake of fire" (v. 14).
The others, the "Book of Life" others, get to revel in the Holy City/New Jerusalem life as seen in Revelation 21:1-8. God has wiped the heart slate clean with the blood of His son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7, 8) and they can be at peace knowing they are safe, sure and happy in their final destination (Revelation 21:27).
We cannot forget the verse "It is appointed unto men, once to die and after death, the judgement (Hebrews 9:27). From all of this we can deduce that yes, there is a reckoning day, a day of judgement. We do not need a NDE to inform us, however the testimonies of those people who have experienced such does bring it closer to home. God in His great mercy wants us human beings to really know this so He does not lose us to His enemy Satan.
"Therefore this is what I will do to you, Israel, and because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God...He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, He who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth-the Lord God Almighty is His name." so says Amos 4: 12, 13.
Prepare now while there is still time; before you really and truly die. Don't wait til it's too late to decide; you'll spend eternity in regret.
"...Now is the time of God's favor; now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).
God wants to reveal His thoughts to us and He is not limited to how He chooses to do so; whether through His Word in the Holy Bible or through NDEs. A word of caution on the latter mode, however, is to be sure that what is "revealed" in a NDE measures up to God's Word. As cautioned before, God's enemy Satan is not adverse to disguising himself as an angel of light. He is the father of lies (John 8:44); beware!
When it is mentioned that "judgement comes from within"-we say, yes, as noted earlier we must examine ourselves, but in the end the ultimate Judge is He who sits on the "great white thrown"; "He is the Alpha and Omega" (Revelation 20:11; 21:6) and the One who will give the final verdict and penalty for our sin, or clearance from it.The quotation from The Eternal Journey mentions two divisions: the "City of Light" and the one "devoid of love". We understand from Revelation 22:1-6 that this wonderful place of light where the "throne of God & of the Lamb" (Jesus) is, will not need "the light of a lamp nor of the sun", for the Lord God will give them light. 1 John 1:5-7 tells us that "God is Light; in Him is no darkness at all". 1 John 4:8, 9 tells us "God is love", so where God is, there is all encompassing love; where He is not, that place is "devoid of love". That latter place, devoid of light as well as love is also seen as a place of a "fiery furnace and weeping and gnashing of teeth" and a place of darkness and not just simply "darkness" but "blackest darkness...reserved forever" (Jude 1:13). This place is also where "the devil..has been thrown" in that "lake of burning sulfur" (Revelation 20:10). Please check out Matthew 13:42 and Luke 13:28.
So what those NDE-ers have witnessed is very real as we can understand very well from God's Word in this instance as it matches up with His Word. God in His faithfulness, graciousness and goodness allows some people to see it all with their own spirit-eyes and return to their bodies to tell and warn the living. God does not leave us without witness. Get right with God before it is forever too late.
The Eternal Journey book goes on to tell us on Pages 135-136...
that "...a woman who was shown her life and "experienced a self-judgement. She knew her sins were forgiven but she could not forgive herself for some of the things she did and did not do in life..."
This description is typical and suggests that people know exactly where they belong in the other world."
"...I knew instantly how the Lord felt about each thing I had done in my life..."
"Sometime after the judgement the person is assigned (in many cases this assignment is self-imposed) to a specific place or level in the other world..."
> It is true. We either choose to accept or to reject Christ. We are never forced into it by God. "Whosoever believes in Jesus Christ, shall have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Read John 3:16-21 and take special note of verse 18.
"Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."
God spells out the consequences of accepting or rejecting. The choice is left up to the "whosoever" to decide on the "City of Light" or the "blackest of darkness forever" (Revelation 22:1-6 or Jude 1:13). The choice is yours. Choose wisely. Choose life. Choose light. Choose love. Choose Jesus.
On Pages 136-137, the book also relates that...
"There is evidence of multiple levels in the other world...An individual discovered that there were spheres above, whose occupants could and did visit us and we could always recognize these higher natures by their virtues...But we could not visit their spheres until we had perfectly qualified for it..."
"...This individual went on to observe that although individuals in each sphere are aware of the others' existence, they cannot see, let alone visit, without significant preparation."
"Visiting the higher levels is possible, but the spirits of lower realms must be prepared or covered so they can stand in the presence of great glory".
Page 138...
"...Because," replied she, "those who did go into different states or places and do not see each other at all times, but all the good are in the state of the blest."
> There are many 'good' people in the world doing many deeds to help the poor, marginalized, widows and special needs people, refugees and others. Yet, the fact remains that since Adam and Eve's time of disobedience to God, the human race has been under the curse of sin. The curse of sin being death and at the final judgement, Hell. This is our common destiny.
God in His mercy, stepped in, and gave his One and Only Son" (John 3: 16) to die a sacrificial death to make atonement for the human race; the "whosoever" of John 3:16 who will accept God's offer of salvation. Jesus died and went to Hell and resurrected and is now living in Heaven for us. He waits for each individual to respond and accept His gift. When the individual accepts Jesus as his or her Savior, God then makes that person righteous in His sight Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. God "imputes" His righteousness to him or her. It is then we can say that individual is truly 'good'. Truly good not by their own efforts but by Jesus's. That person, when they die will indeed enter into the "state of the blest;" otherwise known as 'being with Jesus" or "being in Heaven".
As to the "different levels, states or places" mentioned in the testimonies from the NDEers; we can look at the story of the rich man and Lazarus from the Bible. You can read the account in Luke 18:19-31. Both died and went to a place called "Hades" (Greek language). The rich man was "in torment" but he could see Lazarus by Abraham's side at a far distance. Lazarus was not in torment. Lazarus could not get over to the rich man's place (not that he'd want to), nor could the rich man jump over to the state of peace where Lazarus ended up. Abraham told the rich man, "a great chasm has been fixed" between the two areas.
It is good to interject here, that being rich or poor in terms of worldly wealth and goods does not designate which state you end up in. From what Abraham tells the rich man, it can be deduced that listening (heeding) the message, at that time, of "Moses and the Prophets" and "repenting" (vs 29, 30) would be the deciding factors of which side of the great chasm one would be placed in.
It has been noted by the author of another book called One Minute After You Die (by Erwin W. Lutzer), that the rich man "never complained about where he ended up; he complains about the pain but not 'injustice'". So the rich man knew he deserved his torment, that he was not 'good'. The "eternal destiny is irrevocably fixed" so said Lutzer.
But we were talking about the "different states or places" or "spheres". According to Lutzer various ones in the Bible refer to Hades or Sheol. Hades & Sheol being one and the same place. The Sheol term is used in the Old Testament and is Hebrew, where in the New Testament, Hades is the Greek term; both mean the world of departed spirits." (Pages 41-43 of One Minute After You Die).
Lutzer says Isaiah (14:9, 10) tells us that Sheol is somewhere in "the hollow part of earth". Ezekiel (26:20) calls it "a shadowy place of darkness"...not a part of existence. Job (26:5, 6) says its a "place of pain". Sheol is also a place where people are united with their ancestors as Jacob (Genesis 49:33) and Abraham (Genesis 15:15) are said to be 'gathered to his people" upon death. "It is a reunion of some kind in the world beyond...." (Pages 37-41 of One Minute After You Die).
It is not all the same experience. For some its a "region of gloom", for others, "a place where they dwell with God" (Psalm 73:23-25).
We get other hints in the Old Testament that Sheol has different regions: wicked & righteous people. The wicked such as Korah and Dathan were rebellious and went to the "lowest part of Sheol" (Deuteronomy 32:22). The righteous, such as Jacob, as we've seen, Lutzer goes on to say, that though "the righteous and the wicked enter Sheol when they arrive, they do not have the same experience". (Pages 37-41 of One Minute After You Die).
Lutzer continues that being in Hades the spirit is "fully conscious immediately after death; he's got memory, he can speak; experience pain, or bliss; and as was indicated earlier, the rich man's insatiable desires (for water) of both the nether world and a man's lust (the torment compartment).
Indeed in Proverbs 27:20 it states,
"Death and destruction (referring to Sheol and a place called 'Abaddon') are never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man."
There is also: monotony, isolation, boredom and triviality; one feels "hemmed in" and as was already noted, "the realization that being there is fair and just," so Lutzer reports.
And in all this, it is not yet the full heat of Hell; not yet in Hell. "Someday, Hades will be thrown into Hell (Revelation 20:14) but it has not, as yet, happened."
There is more to that which Lutzer explains from page 49 of his book,
"What about the believer, Lazarus? Was He in that region of Sheol or Hades, which is called in Scripture, (King James Version), "Abraham's bosom". But after the ascension of Christ believers are said to go directly to Heaven. In other words, the two regions of Hades no longer exist side by side; there is reason to believe that Abraham's bosom is in heaven today...Perhaps at the ascension Christ took those who were in Abraham's bosom (near those who suffered in Hades), to Heaven with Him. So Abraham's Bosom, paradise and Heaven all refer to the same abode, namely the place of bliss in the presence of God (2 Corinthians 5:8)."
"Hades, as far as we know," says Lutzer, "now only has one region and that is where unbelievers enter. It is still for departed spirits; a temporary intermediated state for those who haven't received God's forgiveness...wait there for further notice".
In Singapore there is a Buddhist Hell depicted called Haw Par Villa and Tiger Balm Garden. There are ten regions of Hell in their beliefs. Each level is for a worst crime with corresponding 'just' punishment. For example, if a person had been ungrateful &/or had shown disrespect for their elders, they would go to the third level down where they will have their heart cut out. If a person had been a rumormonger &/or had sown discord among family members, that person would get put down at level seven. There their tongue will be cut out. This you can see on the internet with corresponding gruesome pictures. I think you can get the picture without even viewing those pictures nor visiting the Singapore Villa. Eeeeek! What a name for the place: "Villa"; "Garden"?! What were they thinking?!
The antidote to eternal misery, is to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of your life. He offers this gift to us here and now, today. Accept Him now without delay while there is still "TIME"! Do not run out of 'Time'.
"Now is the day (or Time) of salvation". (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Accept Jesus's salvation before it is forever too late.
No matter which level of Hades you end up in, it is still impossible to get out. Once in Hades area of gloom and despair, always there, til the intensity of Hell comes. I implore you to accept Jesus and in the end of life on earth, choose to live in bliss and everlasting joy with Jesus.
Oh Father, God, I know that you do not wish "any to perish but to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). I ask that all who read the above words will seek You until they find You and accept Your offer of salvation through faith in Your Son Jesus Christ. May they find forgiveness of sins and receive everlasting life with You in time to come. I ask this in Jesus's name, Amen.
~ERC 2016~
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