Near-Death Experiences Are Not
Satanic
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Skeptical members of the clergy
and organizations such as the
Christian Research Institute
are often highly critical of NDEs
and view them as a tremendous threat
to the Christian faith and their
parishes. They accuse the Being of
Light to be a sinister lying devil
masquerading as an angel of light
preaching a different gospel because
he's not interested in theology.
Some Christian skeptics believe the
Being of Light only mimics the real
Jesus of the Bible in order to lead
the flock away from the Biblical
Jesus and the authority of Church.
This article makes the case using
Bible references to support the
claim that the "NDE Jesus" is the
same Jesus as recorded the Bible;
and NDEs are not a phenomenon of
Satan.
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As a seeker of the truth who
has studied Christian theology and NDEs extensively for
decades, I am saddened when I hear the misrepresentation
of NDEs by fundamentalist leaders in the Christian
Church. Testimonies of people encountering Christ in
NDEs are often so spiritually beautiful, lovely and
filled with light. Such Christian critics are zealous
defenders of the Christian tradition which is admirable;
but I believe their uninformed criticism of the divine
revelations found in NDEs might be a dangerous thing to
do. In their harsh treatment of the NDE phenomenon, I
believe they may be rushing into forbidden labyrinths
where even angels fear to tread. This kind of
misunderstanding is often the result of not recognizing
divine spiritual phenomenon when viewed through the lens
of a very narrow and literal interpretation of the
Bible. Thankfully, the Jesus as revealed in the Bible
(i.e., the "Biblical Jesus") gave us the proper method
to distinguish truth from falsehood. This article uses
this method to recognize truth from falsehood concerning
the Jesus as revealed in NDEs (i.e., the "NDE Jesus")
and presents the case that the "Biblical Jesus" is the
same as the "NDE Jesus."
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2.
Does the NDE Jesus say and do things contrary
to the Biblical Jesus? |
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The following are rebuttals
against the arguments of a
well-known Christian seminary
professor and
critic of the NDE. In his book the professor discounts
all NDEs as not conforming to his narrow interpretation
of the Bible and concludes NDEs are the work of the
devil.
Professor:
Who is the Being of Light reported in NDEs? It
has been claimed by some people that one of the Beings
of Light is Jesus Christ. This seems to be wrong because
this being says and does things contrary to the Jesus in
the Bible. Since Jesus never changes (Hebrews
13:8) it would be impossible for this Being of Light
to be the same Jesus revealed in the Bible.
Rebuttal:
There are many "Beings" of Light appearing in NDEs. The
Bible declares God is light (1
John 1:5). People in the higher spirit realms
emanate this light that is God. A "Being of Light" in
NDEs can be literally anyone: Jesus, Buddha, the Hindu
god of death, an angel, or even a deceased loved one for
example. It usually depends on the person's religious
and cultural background. NDEs reveal that God's light is
manifested within everything in the spirit realm.
Also, the Being
of Light in NDEs cannot be counterfeit because these
Beings passes the test given by Jesus to distinguish
truth from falsehood. It is the test to determine
whether the spirit is of God or not.
"Do not believe
every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are of God .." (1
John 4:1)
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Jesus himself
gives us the test. According to the gospels, Jesus was
accused by the religious leaders of performing his
miracles by the power of Satan. This is the same
accusation the professor brings against the Being of
Light in NDEs. This accusation is made against the NDE
Jesus even though he bears an incredible amount of love,
joy, peace, and all the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus' reply to
his accusers is:
"Every kingdom
divided against itself will be ruined, and
every city or household divided against
itself will not stand. If Satan drives out
Satan, he is divided against himself. How
then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive
out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your
people drive them out? So then, they will be
your judges. But if I drive out demons by
the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God
has come upon you ...
Make a tree good
and its fruit will be good, or make a tree
bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is
recognized by its fruit."
(Matthew
12:24-37)
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The fruit that Jesus
refers to is the fruit of the Holy Spirit:
"But
the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness
and self-control." (Galatians
5:22-23)
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Anyone familiar
with the NDE Jesus knows he gives an astonishing amount
of love, joy, peace, etc. Jesus made it very clear how
Satan cannot produce such fruit of the Spirit:
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to
you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they
are ferocious wolves.
By their fruit
you will recognize them. Do people
pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from
thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears
good fruit, but a
bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree
cannot bear bad fruit, and
a bad tree cannot
bear good fruit. Every tree that does
not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown
into the fire. Thus,
by their fruit
you will recognize them." (Matthew
7:15-20)
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But what about
the light from the Being of Light? We know God is light;
but does Satan emit light as well? Some Christian
skeptics of the NDE use the following Bible verse to
make the case that the NDE Jesus is actually Satan.
Notice how the
verse says Satan "masquerades" as an angel of light. But
it does not say Satan actually is an angel of
light. Satan may appear to be a "good tree," but Satan
is totally devoid of light and the fruits of the Holy
Spirit. So Satan has the ability to deceive some people
into believing he is an angel of light. But we cannot be
deceived if we recognize the Spirit of truth from the
spirit of falsehood by using the test given by Jesus. In
using his test, we must ask ourselves: is there "good
fruit" emanating from the Being of Light or NDE Jesus?
If so, then this Being or spirit must be of God. If
there are no good fruit emanating from this Being or
spirit, then the spirit must be of Satan.
It should be
obvious to anyone who is even slightly familiar with the
Being of Light (or the NDE Jesus) how the test given by
the Biblical Jesus confirms the Being of Light to be of
God and not Satan. In fact, NDEs reveal the Being of
Light in NDEs emits an astonishing amount of light from
God and an astonishing amount of unconditional love
towards everyone. Experiencing an overwhelming amount of
love is the most common and greatest characteristic
found in my research of 50 NDEs I profile on this
website.
God is light (1
John 1:5). There is no light in darkness. Nor is
there darkness in light. Satan is unable to appear as an
angel of light because he cannot bear the fruits of the
Holy Spirit. The tremendous light from the Being of
Light can only come from God. Even NDEs not involving a
Being of Light produce vast amounts of the fruits of the
Holy Spirit.
Also, there are
very serious consequences of attributing divine
phenomenon to the workings of Satan. When Jesus was
accused of performing miracles by the power of Satan, he
told his accusers:
"And
so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will
be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against
the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who
speaks a word against the Son of Man will be
forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the
Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in
this age or in the age to come." (Matthew
12:31-32)
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Jesus made it
very clear the grave consequences of attributing to
Satan the works of the Holy Spirit. Like Jesus'
accusers, the professor and many other critics are quick
to declare the Being of Light and the NDE Jesus to be
Satan. They are probably unaware how dangerously close
they are to blaspheming the Holy Spirit - something
Jesus said cannot be forgiven "either in this age or in
the age to come" (i.e., two lifetimes).
The
false idea that the NDE Jesus is sinister or Satan
himself, ignores common sense.
Dr. Raymond Moody
is considered the father of the NDE and he responded to
this kind of criticism in his book entitled
The Last Laugh:
"Fervent critics see nothing amiss in
preaching to Aunt Florene, bereft and kindly
and fragile though she may be, that it was
not really the spirit of Uncle Hamperd who
visited her last week to comfort her and to
tell her where he put those important
papers. No, it was actually a malignant
demon disguised as uncle Hamperd, there to
lure her into Hell, so she had better go
home and read the Bible.
"The
doctrine that the Devil can disguise himself
as Christ must be particularly troubling to
fundamentalist authorities as they consider
the possibilities of pediatric NDEs. Does
God permit Satan to fool dying kids by
masquerading as Jesus? Or is God powerless
to prevent that kind of Satanic deception?
If so, common decency dictates that
funda-Christian NDExperts urgently prepare
clear, precise instructions that will enable
desperately ill, dying pre-schoolers to
distinguish a Satanophanic Jesus from the
real, true funda-Christian one. And would
God allow the Devil to sneak up on a dying
toddler by appearing as Santa Claus or Pat
Robertson, Jerry Falwell or the Easter
Bunny?" (Dr.
Raymond Moody)
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To demonstrate
how foolish the skeptical professor's arguments are,
here is a direct quote from the professor's own book on
how the Being of Light is a counterfeit Jesus:
"Even
if the loving, brilliantly illuminated being
you meet during a near-death experience
introduces himself as Jesus, and looks just
like him from the paintings, don't believe
him for a minute! You've got to put him to
the professor's ideological test first.
Jesus has to pass the professor's Bible
exam, before he can even be him!"
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The professor is
wrong because uses his own test for distinguishing truth
from falsehood and not the test given by the Biblical
Jesus. Any NDE which bears the fruit of the Holy Spirit
passes Christ's test and must not be attributed to
Satan. It would be blasphemous to do otherwise according
to the Biblical Jesus..
In
2 Corinthians 12:2-4, Paul describes his own NDE
when encountering the resurrected Christ on the road to
Damascus.
"I
know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago
was caught up to the third heaven. Whether
it was in the body or out of the body I do
not know - God knows. And I know that this
man - whether in the body or apart from the
body I do not know, but God knows - was
caught up to paradise and heard
inexpressible things, things that no one is
permitted to tell." (2
Corinthians 12:2-4)
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By using the
idiom "I know a man," Paul is actually referring to
himself. Paul writes how his NDE was inexpressible and
how people were not permitted to talk about such things
in his day. NDE testimony may have been too lofty for
first century Christians to understand. This may also be
true for twentieth century professors.
In conclusion, we
must test all spirits using the method Jesus gave and
not the test given by the professor.
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3.
Does the NDE Jesus say death is good and not
to be feared? |
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Professor:
Some believe many
of the people having NDEs encounter a counterfeit Jesus.
The Beings of Light appearing in NDEs teach the
idea that death is good and is not to be feared.
Rebuttal: This is not true.
NDEs in general reveal how people who are not prepared
for death often have negative or hellish experiences.
Not being prepared for death should put fear in the
hearts everyone according to NDE testimony. A case in
point is
Reverend Howard Storm's
NDE testimony. Before his NDE, Storm was an atheist and
treated people very badly accordingly by his own
admission. Like many atheists, he did not believe in an
afterlife or that there were consequences for his bad
behavior after death. Storm was not prepared for death
when he died; thus, he ended up in hell with other souls
who continually abuse each other. The following is an
excerpt from Storm's NDE testimony of hell which reveals
why people who are unprepared for death should be
fearful of death:
"A
wild orgy of frenzied taunting, screaming
and hitting ensued. I fought like a wild
man. All the while it was obvious that they
were having great fun. It seemed to be,
almost, a game for them, with me as the
center-piece of their amusement. My pain
became their pleasure. They seemed to want
to make me hurt by clawing at me and biting
me. Whenever I would get one off me, there
were five more to replace the one. By this
time it was almost complete darkness, and I
had the sense that instead of there being
twenty or thirty, there were an innumerable
host of them. Each one seemed set on coming
in for the sport they got from hurting me.
My attempts to fight back only provoked
greater merriment. They began to physically
humiliate me in the most degrading ways. As
I continued to fight on and on, I was aware
that they weren't in any hurry to win. They
were playing with me just as a cat plays
with a mouse. Every new assault brought
howls of cacophony. Then at some point, they
began to tear off pieces of my flesh. To my
horror I realized I was being taken apart
and eaten alive, slowly, so that their
entertainment would last as long a possible.
At no time did I ever have any sense that
the beings who seduced and attacked me were
anything other than human beings. The best
way I can describe them is to think of the
worst imaginable person stripped of every
impulse to do good ... Basically they were a
mob of beings totally driven by unbridled
cruelty and passions. During our struggle I
noticed that they seemed to feel no pain ...
Fighting well and hard for a long time,
ultimately I was spent. Lying there
exhausted amongst them, they began to calm
down since I was no longer the amusement
that I had been. Most of the beings gave up
in disappointment because I was no longer
amusing, but a few still picked and gnawed
at me and ridiculed me for no longer being
any fun. By this time I had been pretty much
taken apart. People were still picking at
me, occasionally, and I just lay there all
torn up, unable to resist." (Reverend
Howard Storm)
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Storm's testimony reveals how fearful we should be about
treating others badly, especially when we are not
prepared for the consequences after death.
Hellish NDEs are frequently reported in NDE studies; so
it is false to claim the NDE Jesus teaches death is good
and should not be feared.
Professor:
The Being of Light
identified as Jesus in NDEs teaches that sin is not a
problem. In fact, the Being of Light believed to be
Jesus often responds to human sin and shortcomings with
humor.
Rebuttal: This is not true.
Many NDE experiencers describe how living a life of
treating people badly can lead to major problems after
death. In fact, the NDE Jesus often appears to be
saddened about the sinful condition of humanity.
Dr. George Ritchie
and his NDE is a case in point. During his NDE, Dr.
Ritchie noticed how sad Jesus was for those temporarily
trapped in hell because of their own sin.
"If I suspected
that I was seeing hell, now I was sure of
it. These creatures seemed locked into
habits of mind and emotion, into hatred,
lust, destructive thought-patterns. Even
more hideous than the bites and kicks they
exchanged, were the sexual abuses many were
performing in feverish pantomime.
Perversions I had never dreamed of were
being vainly attempted all around us. It was
impossible to tell if the howls of
frustration which reached us were actual
sounds or only the transference of
despairing thoughts. Indeed in this
disembodied world it didn't seem to matter.
Whatever anyone thought, however fleetingly
or unwillingly, was instantly apparent to
all around him, more completely than words
could have expressed it, faster than sound
waves could have carried it. And the
thoughts most frequently communicated had to
do with the superior knowledge, or
abilities, or background of the thinker. 'I
told you so!' and 'I always knew!' 'Didn't I
warn you!' were shrieked into the echoing
air over and over ... Once again, however,
no condemnation
came from the presence at my side, only a
compassion for these unhappy creatures that
was breaking his heart. What was
keeping them here? Why didn't each one just
get up and leave? I could see no reason why
the person being screamed at by that man
with the contorted face didn't simply walk
away. Or why that young woman didn't put a
thousand miles between herself and the other
one who was so furiously beating her with
insubstantial fists? They couldn't actually
hold onto their victims, any of these
insanely angry beings. There were no fences.
Nothing apparently prevented them from
simply going off alone. Unless - unless
there was no alone in this realm of
disembodied spirits. No private corners in a
universe where there were no walls. No place
that was not inhabited by other beings to
whom one was totally exposed at all times.
What was it going to be like, I thought with
sudden panic, to live forever where my most
private thoughts were not private at all? No
disguising them, no covering them up, no way
to pretend I was anything but what I
actually was. How unbearable. Unless of
course everyone around me had the same kind
of thoughts - Unless there was a kind of
consolation in finding others as loathsome
as one's self, even if all we could do was
hurl our venom at each other. Perhaps this
was the explanation for this hideous plain.
Perhaps in the course of eons or of seconds,
each creature here had sought out the
company of others as pride and hate-filled
as himself, until together they formed this
society of the damned. Perhaps
it was not Jesus
who had abandoned them, but they who had
fled from the light that showed up their
darkness." (Dr.
George Ritchie, see also the
full archive version of his NDE).
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So, it is false to claim that the NDE Jesus teaches
"sin" is no problem. Not only is it a problem for those
in hell, it is a problem for Jesus who has so much
compassion for those in hell.
Professor:
The Being of Light
identified as Jesus in NDEs teaches that there is no
hell to worry about.
Rebuttal: This is not true.
The NDE examples of
Dr. George Ritchie's and
Reverend Howard Storm
above are perfect examples of the NDE Jesus teaching how
there is a hell. So let's be clear here, there are many
hell realms experienced in NDEs.
Perhaps the professor meant to say: the NDE Jesus
teaches there is no "eternal damnation." This would be a
true statement. The NDE Jesus teaches hell is neither
eternal nor about retribution. It is all about
rehabilitation. Jesus' parable of the
Prodigal Son supports this. The NDE
hell
realms are temporary spiritual conditions which
function more like the Catholic concept of
purgatory. NDEs reveal there is no condemnation
after death except self-condemnation. The NDE Jesus,
having the unconditional love of God, condemns no one.
It is a person's
life
review which causes many people to flee the light
and escape into the darkness. This is supported by the
Biblical Jesus:
"This
is the verdict: Light has come into the
world, but people loved darkness instead of
light because their deeds were evil.
Everyone who does evil hates the light, and
will not come into the light for fear that
their deeds will be exposed. But whoever
lives by the truth comes into the light, so
that it may be seen plainly that what they
have done has been done in the sight of
God." (John
3:19-21)
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The NDE God would never allow anyone to suffer eternally
in hell. For one thing, the NDE Jesus rescues NDErs
suffering in hell all the time -
Reverend Howard Storm's
NDE is a good example. Multitudes of NDEs
describe how God's love for his children is
unconditional, infinite and beyond human comprehension -
and we are ALL sons and daughters of God. More than an
earthly parent, our "Heavenly Parent" as revealed in
NDEs would never allow even one of his children to
suffer forever in hell. Many NDEs even describe
angelic-like beings constantly caring for people in hell
although they may not be aware of it.
Dr. George Ritchie's NDE is a good example of this.
The NDE Jesus wants everyone to know the gates of heaven
and hell are wide open and those in hell are free to
leave and choose heaven if they desire. But people in
hell must first want to escape from there. The
gates of a jail cell may be wide open; but the prisoner
must want to be free and leave. Certainly, free
will is one of the greatest gifts God has bestowed upon
humanity. The NDE God does not force anyone to heaven or
hell. However, the NDE Jesus often gives experiencers
"an offer they cannot refuse" in order to entice them to
return to life. Such offers include showing the
experiencer: (1) visions of future children they must
raise, (2) visions of living children who need them to
return, or (3) information that their mission in life
hasn't been completed.
However, on another level, a case can be made for the
existence of eternal damnation.
Time does
not exist in the afterlife. NDE experiencers of hell
have reported how one minute in hell feels like an
eternity. The Bible supports this notion: one day to God
is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one
day (2
Peter 3:8). Also, it is possible for hell to be an
"eternal hell" - an eternal location in the afterlife.
But this doesn't necessarily mean it is an eternal
experience for those who go there.
Nor does the Biblical Jesus teach eternal damnation.
Jesus' parables of the
Prodigal Son, the
Lost Sheep, and the
Lost Coin should be enough evidence of Jesus
teaching universal salvation. There is also abundant evidence
in the Bible of
Jesus
teaching reincarnation as a way of giving sinners as
many opportunities as it takes to attain heaven.
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6.
Does the NDE Jesus say that non-Christians go
to heaven? |
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Professor:
The Being of Light
identified as Jesus in NDEs teaches that all people are
welcome to heaven regardless of whether or not they are
a Christian.
Rebuttal: This is true. The
Biblical Jesus also teaches how a person's religious
affiliation doesn't matter when going to heaven. Jesus'
parable of the Good Samaritan supports this.
In fact, the Bible contains enough scriptural evidence to
prove
universal reconciliation. Nevertheless, the following is
my apologetics on why the Biblical Jesus also teaches
universal salvation:
Professor:
The Being of Light identified as Jesus in NDEs
teach that all religions are valid.
Rebuttal: This is not true.
The Jesus in NDEs states that God does not care about a
person's religion - only the condition of their heart.
Many NDEs show that a person's religious beliefs (or
lack thereof) can make the difference in how they
perceive their spiritual condition in the spirit realm.
All religions have some truth in them which certain
people need. But the Jesus of the NDE does not teach
that all religions are valid; he teaches that religions
are outward doctrines that can lead people within to
true religion - the spirit of unconditional love. For
example, after Rev. Howard Storm was rescued from hell
by Jesus during his NDE he had this exchange with Jesus:
"I
asked them, for example, which was the best
religion. I was looking for an answer which
was like: 'Presbyterians.' I figured these
guys were all Christians.
"The
answer I got was: 'The best religion is the
religion that brings you closest to God.'"
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This information
shows the goal of religion is to bring a person closer
to God. It is also implied that some religions bring you
closer to God than others. Although a person's religious
beliefs (or lack thereof) can influence the quality of
their afterlife experience a person's religious
affiliation or church membership itself does not seem to
matter much to Jesus. After all, if religion really
mattered wouldn't everyone in heaven be Jewish?
Jesus did not
come preaching some new religion. Jesus preached love.
NDEs reveal that it is love, not religion, that creates
spiritual growth and saves us from a hell of our own
making. It is clear from the gospel accounts alone that
Jesus is not concerned about a person's religious
status. Jesus told the religious leaders who killed him
that the prostitutes were going to enter heaven before
they did (Matthew
21:31).
It is clear from
NDEs that the Bible and common sense that religion is a
cultural institution. On the other hand, love is
universal and not limited to a particular culture.
According to the Sermon on the Mount, love is the
greatest religion there is. Love is also what many of
the great world religions is all about. However not
everyone practices this religion of love.
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8.
Does the NDE Jesus lead people away from the
Biblical Jesus? |
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Professor:
The Jesus appearing
in NDEs is happy to mimic the Jesus of the Bible if the
end result is that he can lead people away from the true
Jesus of the Bible.
Rebuttal: The Jesus appearing
in NDEs bears much fruit of the Holy Spirit. Remember,
the Jesus of the Bible had this to say about testing the
spirits:
"Make
a tree good and its fruit will be good, or
make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad,
for a tree is recognized by its fruit." (Matthew
12:24-37)
"A
good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad
tree cannot bear good fruit." (Matthew
7:18)
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Even the
professor must admit that the Jesus appearing in NDEs
bears much fruit of love. But since the professor is
testing the spirits using his own narrow interpretation
of scripture and not testing by the fruit. It is HE who
is leading people astray.
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9.
Does the NDE Jesus have a lesser view of the
Bible? |
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Professor:
Many people who had
a NDE come away from the experience with a lesser view
of the Bible. One person even concluded the Lord isn't
interested in theology and another said that God didn't
care about church doctrine at all. The Jesus of the
Bible, however, is certainly interested in correct
doctrine.
Rebuttal: Such generalities
about near-death experiencers having a lesser view of
the Bible is completely bogus. Common sense tells one
that generalities such as this cannot be true. One
cannot make a correlation between having a NDE and
having a lower view of the Bible.
Notice the professor does not
cite the NDEs that lead him to this conclusion.
Nevertheless, the person the professor mentions who
concluded the Lord isn't interested in theology is
Reverend Howard Storm.
It is a true statement to say that God is not interested
in theology. Here is the complete account of what Howard
Storm said:
I asked, for example, "What about the
Bible?"
They responded,
"What about it?" I asked if it was true, and
they said it was.
Asking them why it was that when I tried to
read it, all I saw were contradictions, they
took me back to my life's review again
something that I had overlooked. They showed
me, for the few times I had opened the
Bible, that I had read it with the idea of
finding contradictions and problems. I was
trying to prove to myself that it wasn't
worth reading.
I
observed to them that the Bible wasn't clear
to me. It didn't make sense. They told me
that it contained spiritual truth, and that
I had to read it spiritually in order to
understand it. It should be read
prayerfully.
My
friends informed me that it was not like
other books. They also told me, and I later
found out this was true, that when you read
it prayerfully, it talks to you. It reveals
itself to you. And you don't have to work at
it anymore ... [at the end of his
experience, Storm says:] I try not to impose
my Christianity on other people. If people
have God-like characteristics, a feeling of
compassion and living that out, then its ok.
I respond more to behavior than philosophy.
God really doesn't care about theology (Rev.
Howard Storm).
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If you read about
the NDEs of Reverend Howard Storm and George Ritchie you
will see why God does not care about theology or how
many angels can dance on the head of a pin.
Nevertheless,
NDEs do reveal a great concern for the commands of God.
Love is the command of God (John
15:12,
Romans 13:10) However, concerning theology or
rules taught by men it is clear that Christ himself
doesn't care about it:
"You
hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he
prophesied about you: "These people honor me
with their lips, but their hearts are far
from me. They worship me in vain; their
teachings are but rules taught by men." (Matthew
15:7-9)
Mark 7:7-13 states, "They worship me in
vain; their teachings are but rules taught
by men. You have let go of the commands of
God and are holding on to the traditions of
men.
"And
he said to them: 'You have a fine way of
setting aside the commands of God in order
to observe your own traditions! For Moses
said, 'Honor your father and your mother,'
and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother
must be put to death.'
"But
you say that if a man says to his father or
mother: 'Whatever help you might otherwise
have received from me is Corban' (that is, a
gift devoted to God), then you no longer let
him do anything for his father or mother.
Thus you nullify the word of God by your
tradition that you have handed down. And you
do many things like that." (Mark
7:7-13)
|
Paul has this to say
about rules taught by men:
"Since you died with Christ to the basic
principles of this world, why, as though you
still belonged to it, do you submit to its
rules: 'Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not
touch!?' These are all destined to perish
with use, because they are based on human
commands and teachings. Such regulations
indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with
their self-imposed worship, their false
humility and their harsh treatment of the
body, but they lack any value in restraining
sensual indulgence." (Colossians
2:20-23)
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10.
Does the NDE Jesus not have an interest in
correct doctrine? |
|
Professor:
The Jesus of the Bible is certainly interested
in correct doctrine.
John 8:31-32 supports this.
"To
the Jews who had believed in him, Jesus
said, 'If you hold to my teachings, you are
really my disciples. Then you will know the
truth, and the truth will set you free.'" (John
8:31-32)
|
Rebuttal:
The teachings of Christ is not theology. Jesus taught
unconditional love - not theology. It was theologians
who had Jesus crucified. Jesus taught that love is the
sign of a true disciple of Christ:
"All men will know
that you are my disciples if you love one
another." (John
13:35)
|
Jesus did not
say, "All men will know that you are my disciples if you
hold the teachings of the Church" or "hold the teachings
of the Bible" or "hold the teachings of Christian
theology" or even "hold the teachings of the Christian
religion." It is clear Jesus taught love as the way to
eternal life (Luke
10:25-28) and not theology:
"On one occasion an expert in the law stood
up to test Jesus.
"'Teacher," he asked, 'What
must I do to inherit eternal life?'
"'What is written in the law?' he replied.
'How do you read it?'
"He answered: 'Love
the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your
strength and with all your mind, and,
love your
neighbor
as yourself."
"You have answered
correctly," Jesus replied, "Do
this and you will live." (Luke
10:25-28)
|
Many critics are
completely ignorant about NDEs. Many refuse to find out
for themselves and test the spirits for themselves.
Instead, ignorant things are said about the NDE because
it is not judged by its fruit.
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11.
Doesn't it raise a red flag that the Being of
Light is also the God of non-Christians?
|
|
Professor:
Other people
affiliated with non-Christian religions claim the Being
of Light to be Buddha, or Krishna, or some other
religious figure. Certainly this should raise red flags
in a Christian's mind.
Rebuttal: The only thing this
proves is that there are many Beings of Light appearing
in NDEs. God is the light. Many beings can manifest this
light regardless of their religious affiliation or
church membership. Jesus himself had this to say about
Beings of Light:
"You
are the light of the world. A city on a hill
cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a
lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they
put it on its stand, and it gives light to
everyone in the house. In the same way, let
your light shine before men, that they may
see your good deeds and praise your Father
in heaven." (Matthew
5:14-16)
|
The professor
sounds as if he is either a religious bigot or
religiously intolerant. Jesus certainly taught religious
tolerance. Jesus was a Jew who was killed by religiously
intolerant people.
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12.
Doesn't the Biblical Jesus' teachings make the NDE
Jesus a lying spirit? |
|
Professor:
In view of the fact
that these ideas go against what the Jesus of the Bible
taught, we have reason to conclude that the Jesus
appearing in NDEs is in fact a lying spirit.
Rebuttal: This is not true.
The NDE Jesus does not go against
what the Bible teaches. Such experiences may go against
the professor's narrow interpretation of what Jesus
said; but they do not go against what Jesus said. The
professor has not tested the spirits properly. He is
making the same mistake of the Pharisees by testing the
spirits using your own narrow interpretation of
scripture. The correct test is Jesus' test to judge by
their fruit. If no fruit of the Holy Spirit is present,
then it is safe to assume it is not of God. Jesus bore
much fruit of the Holy Spirit yet was condemned by the
religious leaders because he did not fit into their
interpretation of scripture. Had they properly tested
the spirits and judged Jesus on the basis of his fruit,
he probably would not have been crucified. In the same
way, if the professor would test the Jesus appearing in
NDEs based on his fruit he would not be accusing him of
being a lying spirit.
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13.
Isn't the NDE Jesus actually Satan trying to lead
people to hell? |
|
Professor:
The Jesus appearing
in many NDEs is Satan trying to keep people away from
the Jesus of the Bible.
Rebuttal:
This is not true. The professor seeks to keep people
away from the Jesus appearing in NDEs. Jesus' gospel of
unconditional love was too dangerous for the political
structure of the religious establishment in his day.
Jesus' message of unconditional love found in NDEs is
too dangerous for the political structure of today's
religious establishment. Ignorance prevented the
religious establishment from accepting the message of
Christ then; ignorance is preventing the religious
establishment in general from accepting the message of
Christ in NDEs now.
Professor:
First off, let me
suggest that you not limit your search for truth to
near-death experiences only. Both spiritually and
academically, that may not yield you the most success.
Rebuttal: Yes. I do not limit
my search for truth to only the NDE. This is why I
believe one should also consider science, philosophy,
religion and other fields of thought to find truth. It
has been said beliefs can limit an open mind. It is
important to keep an open mind and to be receptive to
every concept and at the same time to be the pure
skeptic: neither accepting nor rejecting a concept until
it is proven true. It is good to have an opinion. But
when talking about truth, we must leave our opinions to
yourself. In this respect, it is a good idea to not
believe NDEs prove life after death exists. This has not
yet been proven to be true. The same is true for the
Bible. Like religion, the NDE has its own limitations.
Especially in that such experiences are often colored by
the experiencers own religion, philosophy, cultural
background and perspective. What is true for one
experiencer may not be true for another experiencer.
Just like here on Earth, during a NDE it is possible we
generally create our own reality.
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14.
Is Jesus himself, the individual and
personality, the only way to heaven? |
|
Professor:
You had a profound
experience with Christ that taught you that he is not
the only way of salvation? Sounds like error.
Rebuttal: The Bible and NDEs
show that God is the way to heaven. God is love. Your
religion is the personality cult of Jesus. Jesus
manifested love in a way that perhaps relatively few
people have. Again, the way to heaven is love - just as
Jesus taught in
Luke 10:25-28. This love is not limited to
Christians or the Bible.
Professor:
I think God's
desire is that ALL men be saved and come to the
knowledge of the truth. Coming to the knowledge of the
truth occurs in only one WAY - and that Way's Name is
Jesus.
Rebuttal: This may be true
for you but it may not be true for Jews, Hindus, or
Buddhists for example. Even Christians do not agree on
virtually every doctrine of the faith. We should
understand the limitations concerning dogma and the
letter of the law. After all, Jesus emphasized the
spirit of the law rather than the letter. This is
because it is really love - not religious dogma or
rituals - that creates spirituality. Dogma can only help
people come the path of spirituality; but the religious
structure itself is not necessarily the way.
Jesus himself
affirmed that love for God and love for your neighbors
is the way to eternal life (Luke
10:25-28) John, the disciple who is claimed to know
best the love of Jesus said, "Everyone who loves is born
of God and knows God because God is love." (1
John 4:7-8) Peter had this to say about it: "Truly I
perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every
nation anyone who fears Him and does what is right is
acceptable to Him." (Acts
10:34-35)
I am convinced
that Christianity was never meant to be the personality
cult it is today. I don't think Jesus was ego-centric
when he said, "I am the way, the truth, the life. No one
comes to the Father but by me." (John
14:6). Like everything Jesus said we must often try
to understand the deeper spiritual meaning behind the
literal words.
It is evident the
Bible mentions that God is love, life, and light. It
states that this is true for the Jew as well as the
Gentile. The central focus of almost every major world
religion is how to attain at-one-ment with God - in the
way that Jesus and Buddha did - for example. According
to many religions it is love that is the central focus -
love for God and love for others. So when Jesus says he
is the way, the truth and the life, I interpret this to
mean that Jesus shows people the way to heaven through
example. He is the example. He is a pattern for which
people can follow - unconditional love through
self-sacrifice and self-denial.
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15.
Does the Biblical Jesus' greatest commandment to
love make his sacrifice on the cross unnecessary? |
|
Professor:
Do you suggest
humans can love each other enough to be saved and not
need the BLOOD of Christ to cover their actions and
intents that are not lovely?
Rebuttal: Would you be
pleased if someone tortured and killed your son so that
you can forgive people? What about slitting the throats
of thousands of innocent animals? Would you be pleased?
Wouldn't you instead be horrified?
The Bible is
filled with symbols. The references to blood, the lamb,
sacrifice, the way, born again, baptism, etc.. are
symbols that have a deeper spiritual meaning. I don't
believe the Christian doctrine of salvation is through
literally believing in Jesus' name or believing things
about Jesus or even worshipping Jesus. My understanding
is that sanctification comes by emulating the love Jesus
by practicing unconditional love. Blood does not save us
in a literal way. The death of Jesus has a much deeper
spiritual meaning. The blood of Jesus demonstrates the
self-sacrifice and self-denial we must face in attaining
divine unconditional love. Jesus taught that we must all
"take up our crosses and follow him." Not in a literal
sense, but in a spiritual sense. It is by walking in
love that we reach at-one-ment with God. Love comes from
God. (1
John 4:7) Everyone who loves knows God because God
is love. (1
John 4:8).
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16. Does a person trying to live a
perfect life make it to heaven?
|
|
Professor:
Religion is man trying in vain to live a perfect life to
make heaven.
Rebuttal:
I disagree. If this is true than you would have to say
that the religion of taking your cross and following
Jesus is in vain. Most religions teach the importance of
love. Religions only point they way to heaven: love.
Many religious doctrines in themselves, such as
believing that Jesus died for our sins or that we must
worship Jesus, are trying in vain to reach heaven.
Remember, it is faith AND works. Not faith alone. Even
demons believe in God.
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17.
Does the belief of NDE testimony lead to
rejecting the Word of God? |
|
Professor:
You receive the
testimony of men on matters of after-death experience,
but you reject the Living and enduring Word of God that
abideth forever?
Rebuttal: If by "Word of God"
you mean a book, then I have to tell you I don't accept
all of the Bible as fact. If by Word of God you mean the
divinity which was in Jesus then my answer is that I
certainly don't reject Jesus. However I am very
interested in what others who have been in the presence
of Jesus on the other side have to say. I don't limit
God to a book.
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18.
Does excluding Jesus' sacrifice on the cross in your theology
make you a heretic? |
|
Professor:
I am coming on
strong because if you know what the WORD says, and you
even use parts of it in your web site ... you also know
that it is better to have a millstone tied around your
neck and be cast into the sea than to teach any little
one to go astray. Love is great - Love is Jesus - if you
leave him and what he accomplished on the Cross out of
your theology - it is heresy. Just get real with him and
he will be REAL to you.
Rebuttal: Again, "the Word"
is God and not a book. You are worshipping the Bible as
the Word. The true Word is the Spirit of Jesus - love.
And God is love.
Concerning the
cross of Jesus there are some references to it found in
NDEs. Here are some of them:
Valvita Jones
--
Gerard Landry
--
Lorraine Tutmarc
--
Don Brubaker
--
Dr. George Rodonaia
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19.
Must NDE testimony correspond with the
Bible to be valid? |
|
Professor:
Actual first-hand
experiences can only be verified if they measure up to
the BOOK.
Rebuttal: Again you are
worshipping a book as the Word. The true Word is Jesus.
It is not a book alone that measures truth. Jesus stated
that we must measure the truthfulness or falsehood of
things by the test he gave. When the religious leaders
were accusing Jesus of performing miracles by the power
of Satan, Jesus gave us the test. Jesus said that a tree
is known by its fruit. (Matthew
12:24-37) A good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor
does a bad tree bear good fruit. What does Jesus mean by
this? The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, etc.
(Galatians
5:22-23). It is by their fruit that you will know
whether they are of God or not. Since the NDE bears much
fruit of the Spirit we know it is of God. Therefore it
is not the Bible that we measure truth. It is by the
fruit of the Holy Spirit.
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20.
Must NDE testimony mention that Jesus is the only way to
heaven to be valid? |
|
Professor:
If NDEs don't show
that Christ shed his blood for our sins, and that the
PERSON of JESUS CHRIST is the ONLY WAY to heaven, then
NDEs DO NOT show the truth.
2 Corinthians 5:10 - "For we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive
what is due him for the things done while in the body,
whether good or bad."
Rebuttal: You erroneously
believe that you are going to heaven because you worship
Jesus. Reread the gospels and you will see that Jesus
said it is not those who say, "Lord, Lord." Rather it is
those who do what Jesus commands. His command is love.
God is love. This is what gets you to heaven - walking
in love as Jesus did. Confessing Jesus with your lips is
not going to get you anywhere.
There are NDEs
that deal with the sacrifice of Jesus. I already gave
you all the ones I have. There are numerous reasons why
Jesus' death benefited so many people. I already stated
one of them and that is that Jesus' self-sacrifice and
live of love shows us the way. Another reason is that
Jesus' martyrdom was greatly responsible for
proliferating his teachings all over the world. Jesus
said that when he is lifted up he will draw all men to
himself.
Another reason
Christ's death helped humankind is that he presented a
strong case for life after death. Another reason is that
Christ's death helped demonstrate how sincere Christ was
in his devotion to God and how he was willing to die for
his beliefs and teachings. Only a sincere and truthful
person would subject themselves to such torture for the
truthfulness of his teachings. A fake would probably not
die this way for a lie.
Another reason is
that Jesus emphasized the fact that God has forgiven us
and his life, death and teachings greatly gives us a
reason to believe it.
As for
everyone appearing before the
judgment seat of Christ, the Bible clearly says
Jesus is the "Judge of all" and that the Father judges
no one (John
5:22). But the Bible also says Jesus judges no one (John
8:15-16,
John 12:47,
Luke 12:13-15). And it's not a contradiction if the
"Judge of all" judges no one. A judge can choose to
judge no one and still be the judge of all. Also,
because God is love (1
John 4:7-8), a case can be made from the Bible that
God and Jesus do not keep records of wrongs because love
keeps no records of wrongs (1
Corinthians 13:5). In fact, Jesus said we
will be our own judges and any condemnation comes from
self-condemnation (Matthew
12:37,
1 Corinthians 6:2-3,
Luke 11:19,
Titus 3:10-11,
1 John 3:19-21).
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21.
Does placing a high value on NDEs and not wanting to limit Jesus to a book - mean the
NDE Jesus is false? |
|
Professor:
As far back as
Colosse, people were tripped up by things that seemed
spiritual but really only made people focus on
themselves and move away from Christ. You are high on
experience and your own opinions but you don't want to
"limit Jesus to the Bible." Then what Jesus do you
emulate?
Rebuttal: An experience with
Jesus is what saves you. Not a book. No matter how much
you limit Jesus to a book it won't do you any good
unless you have an experience with Jesus.
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22.
Does believing in a fallible Bible mean you
cannot use it as an authority? |
|
Professor:
Upon reading your
comments I was stirred to comment. You use the Holy
Bible as a foundation when quoting "Jesus is the way
shower." Why do you use the Bible as an authority if you
don't believe it is the infallible word of God?
Rebuttal:
I don't believe the Bible is God. The
universe is a far greater revelation of God than any
book. The Bible as it exists today was put together by
the Pope and a handful of bishops. The Pope had many
writings cut out which were considered scripture in
Jesus' day. For example,
Jude - who was the brother of Jesus - quotes in the
Book of Jude from a book that was part of Hebrew
canon at the time of Jesus' ministry on Earth and for
many years after by early Christians. I am referring to
the
Book of Enoch. Here is the quote in
Jude 14-15 of
1 Enoch 1:9.
"In
the seventh [generation] from Adam Enoch
also prophesied these things, saying:
'Behold, the Lord came with his holy
myriads, to execute judgment on all, and to
convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly
deeds which they have committed in such an
ungodly way, and of all the harsh things
which ungodly sinners spoke against him'." (Jude
14-15)
|
Peter also
references the Book of Enoch in
2 Peter 2:4 and
1 Peter 3:19-20. Now if the Bible quotes from the
Book of Enoch then this means the Book of Enoch is
divinely inspired and should be included in the Bible.
The Book of Enoch existed centuries before the birth of
Christ and is considered by many to be more Christian in
its theology than Jewish. It is very likely that
Jesus read the Book of Enoch and believed it to be
scripture. It was considered scripture by many early
Christians as well. The earliest writings of the Church
Fathers is filled with references to this book. The
early second century
Epistle of Barnabas
makes much use of the Book of Enoch. Second and third
century Church Fathers such as
Justin Martyr,
Irenaeus,
Origen and
Clement of Alexandria all quote from the Book of
Enoch.
Tertullian even called the Book of Enoch "Holy
Scripture". It was widely known and read during the
first three centuries after Christ.
The
Book of Enoch and many other books became discredited
and declared heresy by the Pope during the
Council of Laodicea
in 363-364 AD. After being banned by the Catholic Church
it gradually passed out of circulation. By studying more
about the Roman Church's tremendous influence in
developing the New Testament canon, you will agree that
the New Testament was arbitrarily put together by a few
men who had tremendous power in deciding what was the
word of God and what wasn't. You can read more about
this website.
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23. Does the Bible invalidate other
religions that don't teach Jesus is the son of God?
|
|
Professor:
The Bible, if you believe the Bible, says, "There is ONE
mediator between God and man ... the man Christ Jesus."
Find one mention of Buddha or Mohammed, or any other
religion exempting Jesus Christ as the son of God, in the
Bible. It's not there.
Rebuttal:
You believe you are saved because you
worship Jesus and read the Bible. I am saying it takes
more than that. It means taking up your own cross and
not relying solely on the cross of Jesus. You must walk
in love as Jesus commanded. It is love - not religious
dogma or the Bible - that creates spiritual growth. God
is love - not a Bible. Believing the Bible and
worshipping Jesus will get you nowhere. Jesus, like many
other highly enlightened spiritual leaders, affirmed
that love for God and neighbors is the way to eternal
life. Since God is love those who teach love are
teaching God.
I am convinced
that Christianity was never meant to be the personality
cult it has been for thousands of years. Jesus was
certainly not ego-centric. Even when he claimed:
"I am the way and
the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me."
(John
14:6)
|
Everything Jesus taught must be understood on a deeper
spiritual level. It is evident the Bible mentions that
God is love, life, and light. The Bible mentions that
these teachings is true for the Jew as well as the
Gentile. The central focus of many religions around the
world is how humans can attain at-one-ment with God.
Practically every religion teaches that love is the way
to at-one-ment - love for God and love for others. So
when Jesus says he is the way, the truth and the life, I
interpret this to mean that Jesus shows people the way
to at-one-ment. He is the example and the pattern to
live your life as. That life is love. Buddha and Krishna
taught the same teaching that living a life of love is
what matters.
As
for "finding one mention of Buddha or Mohammed or any
other religion exempting Jesus Christ as the son of God
in the Bible," I don't believe any religion exempts
Jesus as the son of God with the possible exception of
Judaism, whose followers generally exempts Jesus as the
Messiah. And worshipping anyone leads nowhere.
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24. Does believing in universal salvation
contradict Jesus' teachings that the road to
heaven is narrow?
|
|
Professor:
There is only one original word of God documented back
1000's of years ago ... long before counterfeits came in
to establish themselves. Jesus said the road is narrow.
If you could get to heaven through any and all religions
... it would make the road WIDE and Hitler, Osama,
Saddam, etc. would be saved and heaven-bound for they
are "religious!"
Rebuttal:
The Word is not a book! If you think otherwise you are
worshipping a book and not Jesus. Jesus himself is the
Word - and the Word is God - and God is love. According
to the Bible, the Word of God is the Logos, the Spirit
of Jesus, the only one original Word of God (see
Revelation 19:13).
Jesus taught a gospel that is love - a love that loves
everyone, wills to save everyone and actually saves
everyone.
Professor:
To me, religion has never saved one soul. Jesus has
saved many.
Rebuttal:
But don't you see that by saying that Jesus, as a
personality, is the way to heaven you are making
religion a very very important part of salvation.
Granted, no religion is the way to eternal life
including Buddhism - Christianity - Hinduism etc.,
because the way to heaven is love [God]. Love is
universal. It is not limited to only Christians. God
does not love only Christians. God loves the whole world
and it is dishonoring to God to think that God loves
everyone but throws the vast majority of humanity into
hell for not believing or hearing about the name of
Jesus.
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26. Was Jesus the
only person having the Holy Spirit dwell within him?
|
|
Professor:
He is God in the flesh. And the only one!
Rebuttal:
Not so! Yes, Jesus is the son of God; but we too are
sons of God. God lives in us through love. Even Jesus
said that God was within us:
"'We
are not stoning you for any of these,'
replied the religious leaders, 'but for
blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to
be God.'
Jesus answered
them, 'Is it not written in your Law, 'I
have said
you are
gods?'
If he called them gods, to whom the word of
God came - and the Scripture cannot be
broken - what about the one whom the Father
set apart as his very own and sent into the
world? Why then do you accuse me of
blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's SON?'"
(John
10:33-36)
"I said, 'You
are gods;
you are all
sons
of the Most High.'" (Psalm
82:6)
"Because
you are sons,
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our
hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba,
Father.'" (Galatians
4:6-7)
|
The main debate after the
death of Christ was the nature of Christ. Was Christ God
in the flesh, or was Christ as man who manifested the
Spirit of God in a manner very unique. I have evidence
to believe that Jesus was a man who manifested the
Spirit of God in a unique manner.
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27. Does
John 3:16
say everyone who believes in Jesus
has eternal life and those who don't will
perish?
|
|
Professor:
May I ask you sir, do you believe that
John 3:16 is the exact message God intended? "For
God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten
Son that whosoever believeth (has faith) ... (opposite
of doubt) ... in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life."
Rebuttal:
Yes I believe
John 3:16
is the heart of Jesus' message and the gospel. I believe
it wholeheartedly. It says that God loves the world
(every human being who ever lived). He gave us his Son
to bring humanity the message of this unconditional love
that God has for the world. Whoever believes in Him will
not perish but have eternal life. Now, the question is
this: What does it mean to "believe in him?"
What does it mean to
"believe in Jesus?"
1.
To believe Jesus existed (and nothing more.)
2.
To believe in his name? (There is power in
the name of Jesus.)
3.
To believe things about Jesus? (Jesus is
Lord, God and Savior.)
4.
To believe in his redemptive work on the
cross? (I've been washed in the blood of the
Lamb.)
5.
To believe you must worship Jesus? (Praise
his holy name!)
6.
To believe in the Bible? (The Word of God,
Jesus is the Word.")
7.
To believe you must be a Christian? (Reading
the Bible and going to church.)
|
I think the answer is no to
all of these. Isn't Jesus saying that whosoever believes
in my message by taking up their own cross and following
him in a life of love for God and others? After all, if
faith is all that is needed then even the demons will be
saved. Faith alone is not enough. Faith without works is
dead.
Some
Christians believe we must be baptized to be saved. Some
believe we must speak in tongues. Some believe we must
believe Jesus is God. Some believe we must worship
Jesus. Some believe we must be a member of a particular
church. People believe religion is the way to heaven.
But unless the religion you practice is unconditional
love then you are not following in Jesus' footsteps.
"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in
God, and God in him." (1
John 4:16) |
The gospel is love - love for God and love for others.
This is the way to eternal life. This is the gospel that
Jesus taught (see the Sermon on the Mount)
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28. Can a Christian go to heaven
if they don't believe Jesus is the
only way to heaven?
|
|
Professor:
Do you also take
the approach: I do not deny or affirm this concerning
basic salvation doctrine? Because according to this
particular word of God there is no option to deny or
affirm. Otherwise, the maybe or maybe not approach to
this particular scripture would land you in hell. I pray
not Kevin.
Rebuttal:
I don't believe any religious doctrine is the way to
eternal life. Only practicing what Jesus taught and
lived - love for others and God - is the way to eternal
life. Not a lifestyle. Not something we profess with our
lips our believe in our head. Not worship. It is walking
as Jesus did in unconditional love for everyone.
The gospel you believe is that worshipping Jesus and
believing he is Lord is the way to heaven. But unless
you are taking up your own cross and following Jesus -
not just letting Jesus do all the work - then it is you
who are going to hell. Faith alone can land you in hell.
Even demons have faith in God. Instead of heaven, some
people create hell within themselves because they do not
live the example that Jesus gave us - a life of love for
God and others. It is true that having unconditional
love for everyone is a very high goal; but it is the
standard that Jesus taught - love for even your enemies.
Believing Jesus is Lord is no ticket to heaven. Demons
know Jesus is Lord.
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29. Are people saved by
faith alone and not by performing good works?
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Professor:
I wanted to know what you make of this verse:
"For
it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith - and this not of yourselves, it is
the gift of God - not by works, so that no
one can boast." (Ephesians
2:8-9)
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This clearly
shows that to get to heaven you are not saved by your
works - but by Jesus Christ. I do not believe in what
your site states about the way to get to heaven. The
only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. God sent him
to die on the cross so we could go to heaven to live
with God when we die. If Jesus never came we would all
go to hell.
Rebuttal:
In the above verse, Paul
declares that salvation is by faith alone. This is in
complete contradiction with the teachings of Jesus and
the other apostles who knew Jesus and his teachings much
more than Paul did. Paul also got into disputes with the
other apostles who believed salvation was based on good
works and faith, not by faith alone:
"You see that a
person is justified by what he does and not
by faith alone." (James
2:24)
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Some Bible
scholars believe that Paul hijacked the Christianity
taught by Jesus and his apostles. Paul was a
self-appointed apostle who taught that following the law
no longer applied and that Judaism is no longer relevant
to Christians. However it is clear that Jesus never
taught that the law no longer applied and he never
repudiated Judaism or the law. Jesus was a Jew. Paul was
constantly in conflict the Jews and the apostles in his
day because Paul taught that the law no longer applied.
But it is clear from Jesus' teachings in the gospel that
Jesus taught how salvation is by good works. In fact,
Jesus emphasized good works over faith all the time.
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30. Are you suggesting there
are contradictions between
the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of Paul
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All this, of course, assumes
the Bible is fallible.
This agrees with the fact that there are many
contradictions and errors in the Bible. In my opinion,
Paul's teachings are in direct contradiction to the
teachings of Jesus. And there are many contradictions
between the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of
Paul. Again Paul never knew Jesus except in a vision.
The authority of the other apostles should be held in
much greater respect than Paul. Here are just a few
contradictions between the teachings of Jesus and of
Paul:
Contradictions Between
the Teachings of Jesus and Paul |
PAUL: "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." (Ephesians
2:8-9)
JESUS: "You
see that a person is justified by what he
does and not by faith alone." (James
2:24)
PAUL:
And if by grace, then it is no longer
by works. (Romans
11:6)
JESUS:
Then the King will say to those on his
right, "Come, you who are blessed by my
Father; take your inheritance, the
kingdom prepared for you since the creation
of the world. For I was hungry and you
gave me something to eat, I was thirsty
and you gave me something to drink, I
was a stranger and you invited me
in, I needed clothes and you clothed me,
I was sick and you looked after me, I
was in prison and you came to visit me."
(Matthew
25:31-45)
PAUL: "Therefore we conclude
that a man is justified by faith without
the deeds of the law." (Romans
3:28)
JESUS:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the
law, or the prophets I am not come to
destroy,
but to fulfill. For verily I say to
you, till heaven and Earth pass, one jot
or one tittle shall in no way pass from the
law, until all be fulfilled. Whoever
shall break one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men so, he shall be called
the least in the kingdom of heaven but
whosoever shall do and teach them, the same
shall be called great in the kingdom of
heaven." (Matthew
5:17-19)
PAUL: "Christ has redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a
curse for us for it is written, Cursed is
every one that hangs on a tree." (Galatians
3:13)
JESUS:
"On one occasion an expert
in the law stood up to test Jesus.
'Teacher,' he asked, 'What must I do to
inherit eternal life?' 'What is
written in the law?' he replied. 'How do
you read it?' He answered, 'Love
the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your
strength and with all your mind, and, love
your neighbor as yourself.' 'You
have answered correctly,' Jesus replied, 'Do
this and you will live.'"
(Luke
10:25-28)
PAUL: "We who are Jews by birth
and not 'Gentile sinners' know that a man
is not justified by observing the law,
but by faith in Jesus Christ." (Galatians
2:15-16)
JESUS:
"Not everyone who says to
me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but only he who does the will of
my Father who is in heaven. Many will
say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we
not prophesy in your name, and in your name
drive out demons and perform many miracles?'
Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew
you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Therefore
everyone who hears these words of mine and
puts them into practice
is like a wise man who built his house on
the rock. The rain came down, the streams
rose, and the winds blew and beat against
that house; yet it did not fall, because it
had its foundation on the rock. But everyone
who hears these words of mine and does
not put them into practice
is like a foolish man who built his house on
sand. The rain came down, the streams rose,
and the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it fell with a great crash." (Matthew
7:21-27)
PAUL: "But join with me in
suffering for the gospel, by the power of
God, who has saved us and called us to a
holy life - not because of anything we
have done but because of his own purpose
and grace." (2
Timothy 1:8-9)
JESUS:
"For the Son of man shall come in the
glory of his Father with his angels; and
then he shall reward every man according
to his works." (Matthew
16:27)
PAUL: "Therefore
no one will be
declared righteous in his sight by observing
the law; rather, through the law we
become conscious of sin." (Romans
3:20)
JESUS: "One of the teachers of the
law came and heard them debating. Noticing
that Jesus had given them a good answer, he
asked him, 'Of all the commandments,
which is the most important?' 'The most
important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this:
'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord
is one. Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind
and with all your strength.' The second is
this, 'Love your
neighbor
as yourself.' There is no commandment
greater than these.' 'Well said,
teacher,' the man replied. 'You are right in
saying that God is one and there is no other
but him. To love him with all your heart,
with all your understanding and with all
your strength, and to love your neighbor as
yourself is more important than all burnt
offerings and sacrifices.' When Jesus saw
that he had answered wisely, he said to him,
'You are not far from the kingdom of God.'"
(Mark
12:28-34)
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We can conclude
from this, despite fallibility of some of Paul's
letters, acts of good works and obeying the law and
following the commandments of Jesus are very necessary
and an important part of our salvation.
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