Judaism is not afraid of science. On the contrary, in recent times scientific findings often confirm even ancient biblical Jewish wisdom. This includes experiences of people who were as if dead for a short time and reported from “the other side” after being resuscitated. These experiences are called “near-death experiences” (NDEs), but there is controversy regarding their cause. Some claim that NDEs are caused by the body’s own neurotransmitters released in the dying or stressed brain, by hallucinations due to lack of oxygen, or by various other causes.
One problem is that such hypotheses become increasingly less valid in situations such as under general anesthesia or cardiac arrest.
There are 12 frequently reported characteristics of near-death experiences. These include walking through a tunnel, meeting deceased friends or relatives, meeting spiritual beings, and looking back on one’s life. In addition, many experience an indescribable feeling of happiness, a deep recognition of love and the unity of all reality, and the complete absence of fear and pain.
Near-death experiences in Jewish sources
The descriptions of near-death experiences fit...
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We ought to be careful with believing some of NDEs. Just as Satan is a fallen angel, angelic beings are likely to be fallen ones, so are those who pretend to be “friends and loved ones” of those who saw them, in attempts to send those people back to the earth without learning the truth of God and the Messiah. Those who fall into such schemes are likely to be secular Jewish people.
I recently came across a testimony of a rabbi who had a NDE and met Yeshua there and learned that He is the long-waited Messiah King of the Jews and was told to go back and tell people about Him. That is a good example of genuine NDEs.