Aunty Jane, the NDE studies were done by trained, educated physicians. They threw out any cases that could possibly be otherwise explained, including machine malfunction. The studies included literally thousands of documented cases. There are also cases that rule out any chemically induced delusions. For example, people born blind from birth, who have absolutely no referential information with regards to sight that a delusional brain could draw upon, report being able to see, in color. They don't know the name of the colors, but report, for example, that the nurse's eyes were the same color as the doctor's shirt. They didn't know that color was called blue. There is no way the brain could make that up for someone born blind from birth. Trying to find a quote in Scripture and twist it to fit your desires is not what Scripture is designed to do.
Since the Bible does not teach that humans have a conscious immortal soul that survives death....there is no other way to interpret this “evidence” than to imply that the great deceiver is at work trying to perpetuate his first lie....that humans “surely will not die”.
If you can find even one scripture that uses the words “immortal” and “soul” side by side, I would like to see it.
Like Eve, people still don’t want to believe that they actually die.....they want to believe that only the body dies and a conscious soul lives on.....it’s a lie. Nothing survives death. We are like the animals as Solomon lamented....in sin, when we die, we have no superiority over the beasts.
“for there is an outcome for humans and an outcome for animals; they all have the same outcome. As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit. So man has no superiority over animals, for everything is futile. All are going to the same place. They all come from the dust, and they all are returning to the dust.” (Eccl 3:19-20)
Which is exactly what God told Adam. (Gen 3:19)
The grave (sheol, hades) is where the dead “sleep” awaiting a resurrection. No conscious part of man survives death.....the “soul” is the person, not something that lives inside of them that can continue to live on somewhere else. The “spirit” is the animating force in all living, breathing creatures, that keeps a soul alive. When breathing stops, the soul dies....all consciousness is gone. (Ezekiel 18:4; Psalm 146:4)
People have been swallowing the lie of immortal souls for centuries because it was common in pagan religions, but never taught in the original Jewish faith. There is no mention of it in any of their scripture. Therefore Jesus never taught about it....and neither did his apostles.
What they taught was about God’s Heavenly Kingdom, and those who have a role in it.....those who would be “kings and priests” in this arrangement, (Rev 20:6) which will bring all redeemed mankind back to God’s first purpose, which was to have sinless humans living in paradise conditions on this earth, forever.(Rev 21:2-4)
Only the elect will go to heaven, because only they are invited by God for that role.
I would caution you not to try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to God's message. St. Peter warned against personal interpretation of Scripture in 2 Peter 1:20-21.
“For you know this first, that no prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation. 21 For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were moved by holy spirit.”
Yes, that is exactly true.....and no “church” has the right to alter what Christ taught, or to change Christianity into something that Christ would find unrecognisable...and yet at the judgment, this is what he will find....(Matt 7:21-23)
When studying the scriptures carefully, I came to understand how drastically the RCC had changed Christianity in the minds of the people centuries ago......and this remains right down till the present day. Most are unaware of how far they have strayed and how much paganism is renamed and presented as “Christian” beliefs and practice. “Sun” worship is passed off as “Son” worship, most of it deftly woven into ambiguous scripture over a long period of time. It’s the only “Christianity” they know.
There is a long list of these beliefs and practices in Roman Catholicism (and in Protestant religions) that contradict the Bible, but I’m sure you have heard them all.
The Bible is not, nor was it ever intended to be a stand-alone, do-it-yourself kit. One need only look at the thousands of different/contrary beliefs of those who rely soley on the Bible (which is, by the way, a man-made doctrine not found anywhere in the Bible itself), to see that this approach doesn't work. Jesus didn't write a book to spread His truths. He founded a (one!) Church to do so. It is this Church that wrote and set the canon for the New Testament ouf of the oral teachings given the Apostles by Christ.
Oh dear......surely you are not suggesting that the Roman Catholic church “wrote and set the canon for the NT”?
It is God’s word, not any man’s. All “the church” did was compile what was already written, and I can assure you that no Catholic writers contributed a single word. All were Jewish. The “church” then made sure that no common person could even read God’s word, which they kept as their exclusive right to access it....under penalty of death I believe. Who would dare question them?
As the Almighty God, YHWH can use even his enemies to accomplish his will....which he has done in the past.
He used Babylon to punish his unfaithful people, but later destroyed Babylon for its conduct. There is a “greater Babylon” spoken about in Revelation....and we are told to “get out of her”. (Rev 18:4-5) This disgusting “harlot” has many daughters who left home to start their own ”churches”. All are going to be destroyed by the God they claim to worship because they took their mother’s false teachings with them....one such being immortality of the soul, along with hellfire.....neither of which is in the Bible and portray God as a fiend who enjoys torturing people......this was seen reflected in the wicked Inquisitions.
“The oral teachings of the apostles” which were not recorded, were also deftly altered little by little, to make the state religion of the Roman Empire acceptable to its pagan minded constituents. Constantine himself was a worshipper of Zeus all of his life. His “baptism” virtually on his deathbed, was as sincere as his sacrifice to Zeus.
The RCC gave birth to “Christendom”, which is not “Christianity” by any biblical definition.
