What Does the Bible Say About Near-Death Experiences?

A near-death experience (NDE) is an incident in which a person who is at the brink of death is revived and, upon recovery, reports a spiritual experience during the time he or she was unconscious and near death. The memories are often vivid and involve an out-of-body experience, a meeting with dead family members, seeing a white light, or some sort of vision of heaven or hell.

Scriptural Analysis and the Example of Paul

There is no specific scriptural support for near-death experiences. However, some people use 2 Corinthians 12:2–4 as a biblical proof text for near-death experiences. In that passage, Paul writes, “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.” Applying Paul’s experience to the modern concept of an NDE is taking liberty with the passage. There’s nothing in the text to say that Paul was near death (or actually dead) when he found himself in heaven. Paul is simply relating a vision that God gave him of heaven. Assuming this was a near-death experience goes beyond what the Scripture says.

God’s Prerogative and the Validity of Visions

That being said, it is not impossible for God to give someone near death a vision of heaven. If God wants to relate some information to a person suffering trauma, that’s His prerogative. If He chooses to allow a nearly dead person to see some relatives in heaven, He certainly can do that. However, with the completion of the biblical canon, we should not expect visions to be normative for Christians. Also, when Paul returned from his journey to paradise, he was silent about what he heard: “No one is permitted to tell” of those things, he said.

We need to be extremely careful how we validate our experiences. The most important test of any experience is comparing it with the Bible. Satan is always ready to deceive and twist people’s thinking, and “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). The unchanging Word of God must take precedence over anyone’s experiences, no matter how “real” they seem. Any description of a near-death experience should be held up against the truth of Scripture. If such an experience comes from God, it will line up with what He has already revealed in His Word.

Commonalities and Interpretation

Experiences like these are far more common than most people realize. The Gallup Poll found one out of every twenty-five people (millions) have had a near-death experience, where they reported various common elements of the life to come. After 35 years of studying the Bible and near-death experiences, researchers have discovered amazing commonalities across NDE stories that align with the Bible. However, individual interpretations of their experiences could wildly vary and even at times seem at odds with the Scriptures.

I always advise people to let the Scripture interpret the NDE, and not the other way around. While interpretations vary, the core experience points to what the Scriptures say. NDEs together as a whole can illustrate with vivid color the picture of the life to come that the Bible paints.

Key Data and Statistics on Near-Death Experiences

Prevalence: One out of every twenty-five people (Gallup Poll).
Typical Elements: Out-of-body experiences, meeting deceased relatives, seeing white light, visions of heaven or hell.
Primary Biblical Test: Comparing experiences with the unchanging Word of God (2 Corinthians 11:14).
Theological View: Visions are not considered normative following the completion of the biblical canon.
Research Scale: Over 1,000 cases studied involving cardiac arrest or cessation of brain waves.