Thank you for providing a forum for those of us blessed enough to have
been witness to the glory of God. Several experiences have happened to
me within the past several years, and I would like to share these with
your readers.
In 1988, I became very ill. The evening that I was admitted to the
hospital, I fell into a deep sleep with my wife next to me. I thought I
was dreaming as I looked down on the bed I was in and saw my wife and
myself lying there. Then I felt a floating sensation and began to enter
a dark tunnel (the same one described by people who have near death
experiences) and at the end of this tunnel, a bright light, about the size
of a pinhole. My soul was very aware of what was happening, noticing
other souls were floating next to and in front of me, going toward the
light. The feeling of being freed from my body and moving around in air
with no pain was magnificent. But I was also aware that my soul was out
of my body, and I became frightened at the idea that I may never see my
family again.
I was able to make choices as my soul moved through the
tunnel. I decided that I did not want to continue through the tunnel,
so I passed through the 'wall' of the tunnel. My soul became
overwhelmed by a blackness and then a brilliant white light as I came
into a large room, floating near the top of it. I had not found Christ
before this experience, therefore I did not place a lot of importance on
the white doves that were flying all around me as I looked down into the
room. There were hundreds of souls standing in this room, all of them
speaking to each other as they walked through large doors, with huge
columns on either side of them. I began to understand, by some
unexplained insight, that if I floated to the floor of this room and
entered through the doors, I would meet Christ and be judged for my time
on earth. Remember that I did not have a religious background at this
time, and only through this 'insight' did I understand the concept of
being judged by Christ.
I decided I did not want to enter the room, so
I turned around and tried to leave by going back through this black
'wall'. To this day, I believe that I was beginning the struggle to
remain alive. I was able to get back to the tunnel, and saw my wife and
myself lying on the bed. I tried to wake up but could not. I called for
my wife to wake me up but she did not hear me. How could she? My soul
was not in my body, so my body could not function at all. I tried to
wave my arm toward her so that she could help me to wake up, but she
could not feel my arm moving out toward her. I began to panic and
realized that if I were going to wake up that I would have to get my
soul back into my body with no assistance (not until several days later,
after quite a bit of reflection did I realize that Christ let me go
back). I struggled to get back, feeling my eyes rolling back in my
head, screaming to my wife to help me come out of this. Eventually,
with extreme effort, I woke up.
Within an hour I was in the hospital,
where I remained for 3 weeks with blood poisoning. The doctor told me
that it was a miracle that I was alive. All I said was, 'i know'.
To many people who have never had a near death experience, this may seem
an unlikely account. I would like to hear from those who have had a
similar experience so they can share it with others. After this
experience, I began a journey that has brought me into a close
relationship with Christ. I no longer fear death, even though my
experience may sound frightening. My understanding from this experience
is that we must live a Christlike life, praise His glory, help others,
evangelize the Word of Christ, all of which will prepare us for His
judgment.
Thank you for your time. God bless you. Gary.
