Good morning on this Saturday, the 20th of August. In last week's blog I wrote about explanations for Near Death Experiences (NDE)s during which people who come to the brink of death say they have hovered above their bodies, seen a inviting light, visited Heaven, been temporarily reunited with loved ones, etc. Some explanations focus upon what changes could be taking place in the dying person's brain which could explain these experiences such as occurrence of hallucinations, or abnormal activity in the temporal lobes and other parts of the brain. Other explanations include lack of oxygen, but oxygen deprivation does not fully explain these occurrences because although there is some commonality in symptoms, many oxygen starved people experience psychotic-like hallucinations, confusion, disorientation, and fear rather than tranquility and peace described by those who have Near Death Experiences. Also not all people who have Near Death Experiences are oxygen deprived. Medication reactions have been suggested as an explanation but fail to adequately explain the phenomenon because some patients are not receiving any medication when they have these experiences. Some psychologists explain Near Death Experiences through the use of depersonalization wherein persons who are facing unpleasant experiences depersonalize and create pleasant fantasies to cope. Truthfully, none of these theories seems to adequately account for and explain Near Death Experiences. The final explanation is that the person's soul does actually temporarily leave their body and experience a glimpse of the afterlife. I have recounted these explanations so you can get an overview of the subject and make your own capable judgment. The Apostle Paul had a similar experience when he reported that he had seen the 3rd Heaven and wrote that he didn't know if he was in or out of his body (2 Corinthians 12:2).

Tomorrow's sermon is the final message on Heaven. You won't want to miss it.

Mel Brown