People are constantly searching for anything that seems to confirm the possibility of an afterlife. Many of us have searched for confirmation of our faith, while others hope for something better after this life. Still others believe that Mankind is wired to search for God. Whatever the reason, we can safely say that the “evidence” provided by a near death experience provides the hope that searchers have been looking for. The internet is full of such stories. Like everything else on the internet, you can be sure that a significant percentage of the information is false, but if even one NDE is real… Therefore, we must ask ourselves… Can an NDE be verified? Some say yes, others say no. Let me show you why both groups are right, and why I believe we are analyzing NDE experiences incorrectly.

Let’s begin by clarifying the generally accepted conditions that constitute an NDE.

1. The person experiencing the NDE has been declared medically dead.
2. At some point they are brought back to life, either assisted or unassisted.
3. They have a vivid and permanent memory of what happened to them during the time they were considered medically dead.
4. They relate events that occurred during the time of their “death” that they should/could not have known

I have always been puzzled by the lack of clarification regarding NDE. An NDE event is always analyzed as one experience, but there are definitely two distinct parts which must be considered separately. Part 1 of an NDE occurs at the very beginning of the experience. It occurs in this (for lack of a better term) realm and can be verified. Part 2 occurs outside this realm and cannot be fully verified, although certain things occur which I believe pass the test for verification. Failure to understand the distinction between the two parts of an NDE leads to part 1 verification giving automatic credence to part 2. This is both wrong and potentially disastrous.

Many scientists tell us that it is impossible to verify any details of an NDE. That is simply not true. Although some scientists and medical personnel seem willing to accept that something is happening, others do everything possible to deny the possibility. For example, I have heard a scientist say “of course they say they saw a bright light. They were in an operating room with bright lights over the table”. Clearly many NDE events do not occur in an operating room, so the statement is misleading at best. Others say, “we can’t test an NDE since we can never set up an environment where they can be evidenced”. This is a wonderful example of science being unwilling to use other lines of investigation for corroboration.

In the case of an NDE, there is an overwhelming amount of verifiable evidence for events that occur in our realm immediately after the subject begins their experience. These events are corroborated by credible witnesses including healthcare professionals and family. We have all heard the stories of rising to the top of the room and noticing a doctor’s bald spot, or seeing a terminal in the next room that was facing the other way and identifying post-it notes placed there that the patient had absolutely no way to know about, and even nurses running from the room thinking they had killed a patient, etc. I could list dozens. These make up part 1, the verifiable portion of an NDE. The fact that we continue after being pronounced medically dead cannot be denied, even if not conducted in a laboratory environment. The number of verified occurrences far exceed any possibility of chance. To casually dismiss this evidence is a grave error.

However, the automatic validation of part two that goes along with part one is also an error. The second part of a NDE seems to occur outside our realm when the patient leaves the immediate area where their physical body lies. This portion of the NDE is largely, although not completely, unverifiable. For example, NDE patients have recounted meeting relatives they did not know, or siblings who died before they were born. These pieces of evidence can indeed be tested and should not be dismissed out of hand. However, the vast majority of what happens in phase 2 of an NDE simply cannot be verified. None of us can corroborate meeting angels, God or Jesus, visions of Hell, etc.

Regrettably, we tend to give a pass or fail grade to the entire experience taken as one event, but that is an injustice. Since evil exists along with good, we cannot verify that agents with bad intentions are not involved in what happens to us outside our realm. Remember that satan wants to break the bond between God and man. I must admit that designing an experience once outside our realm that leads us away from God and judgement is possible and would be a potent weapon. There is something else that really bothers me about phase two of an NDE. Although we hear of many similarities, I personally am puzzled by the wide variations in phase two. Is it logical? Should it even be logical? Why are there so many differences? Is it because each event is tailored to the individual? And if so, is that necessarily for a good reason?

It is important to remember that whatever is happening is outside our realm. We do not know the landscape, we do not know the players, and we do not know the rules. I believe that we can, however, say the following:

1. Obviously, some part of us continues after death. I believe this has been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt.
2. We should be cautious about anything that occurs in part 2. Giving credence based on part 1 is an error.
3. We should always be mindful of the fact that evil exists in the world along with good and never forget that satan’s primary mission is breaking the bond between God and man. The large number of people stuck in the third degree of separation, including myself for > 30 years, are proof of the danger.