NDEs and God

Chapter 6

LIFE REVIEWS

A Life Review is a phenomenon widely reported in near-death experiences, during which NDErs may be shown their life history in a rapid and generally sequential presentation. It fulfills the scripture 1Corinthians 13:12 NIV “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known”. Many NDErs return to Earth very quickly and before they have experienced a Life Review, but it seems that all those who are in the afterlife for longer will have one.

A Life Review is sometimes described as having had “their life flash before their eyes”. One NDEr described it in these words: “My past flashed before me, out of my control. I had the life events flash before my eyes as fast as you would flip through a book, faster than any speed I can describe. I could focus on all of them, and none of them, at the same time. Again, I cannot describe this as there are just no words to describe this.” (Lack of words to describe some afterlife events gives us a caution. Many sights and events in the afterlife are beyond description as they are so different from on Earth).

However, some Life Review presentations move slower, and Father God, or whomever is guiding the presentation, may allow themselves to be questioned afterwards on any topic. It is frustrating, but the actual answers to the tough perennial questions, such as ‘why are babies and children killed or allowed to suffer in warfare?’ - are removed from an NDEr’s memory before their actual return to Earth, satisfied though they were with the answers at the time.

At least they, and ourselves, can be encouraged that answers exist that satisfied NDErs and that we will probably similarly find the explanations to be adequate when we are in the afterlife.

It seems strange that the answers to some tough questions given to those NDErs during the Life Review have not been stored in their minds in the way that other personal memories are. The other memories of the afterlife remain clear over many years and I quote research on this in Research Notes (Appendix 2).

Why aren’t such revealed truths broadcast across the world by God, or why aren’t the returnees allowed to do this? We do not know, but one guess is that God expects us on Earth to develop our FAITH in Him, since faith is eternal (1Cor13;13). Simply being given more knowledge no longer requires that all-important development of personal faith and trust in God – independent and above what the circumstances look like.

One strange illustration of how comprehensive this memory storage is that God can access, is that NDErs may be shown what others in a room were thinking during a past event, even as far back as the birth of that NDEr. And this is not always limited to the thoughts of the father and mother, but may also include the thoughts of the doctor and attendant nurses and even others who were present at the event. The newborn’s mind could not possibly have known let alone stored these thoughts; consequently, some form of external storage must be in operation – accessible by the mind of God Himself? This may be uncomfortable, but it also can be very comforting, for example when a mother died in childbirth and her son could at last see what she was thinking, and also praying about him, before she died.

That all these thoughts are still stored somewhere and accessible to God is extraordinary and hard to believe, but testimonials of returnees illustrate that He has that resource.