Near-Death Encounters in the Bible: What Paul, Stephen & Lazarus Saw Beyond the Veil
When I first started talking with people about their near-death experiences, I began to wonder if there are any of these type of experiences recorded in the Bible.
It isn’t until working on this fourth book that I’ve taken the time to ferret these out. In some of these instances we are looking at a resurrection experience rather than an NDE per se, but we can infer that the person likely did have some sort of an afterlife encounter during the time they were on the other side of the veil.
Paul’s vision of paradise in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4:
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.
Paul describes a man he knew being “caught up to the third heaven” and says this man “heard things that cannot be told.” Both of those phrases are what we would expect to hear from somebody who has had a near-death experience. For instance, most experiencers say the words we have here on earth are insufficient to describe fully what they saw in Heaven.
Most scholars assume that Paul is likely referring to himself. He doesn’t explicitly say that he had a near-death experience, but given that he was stoned in Lystra (Acts 14:19), shipwrecked in Malta (Acts 27;27-28:5), and bitten by a viper in Malta (Acts 28:3-6), we can fairly safely assume he could have very well had an afterlife encounter following one of those circumstances.
Jonah’s experience in the belly of the great fish in Jonah 1:17; 2:10:
“And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. …And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.”
When Jonah calls out to the Lord from the belly of the fish, he describes being in the depths of Sheol (the realm of the dead), praying for God to rescue him. If Jonah literally stayed alive inside the belly of the great fish for three days and nights, that would make this circumstance a symbolic death-and-resurrection experience. However, given the language Jonah uses to describe himself as being in the realm of the dead, I do wonder if he was physically dead during his time of transport in the belly of the whale and God brought him back to life when the great fish vomited him upon the beach in Nineveh. I’m comfortable with either circumstance, although the former plays way better in the Sunday school flannelgraph lesson.
The NDE Conspiracy
Shaun Tabatt
Elijah revives the widow’s son in 1 Kings 17:17-24:
After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”
In this account, the prophet Elijah prays over the widow’s dead son. God hears Elijah’s prayer and brings the boy back to life. While it is not recorded here whether or not the boy had any kind of an experience in the afterlife, it is certainly possible.
Elisha revives the Shunammite woman’s son in 2 Kings 4:32-37:
When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. So he went in and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the Lord. Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm. Then he got up again and walked once back and forth in the house, and went up and stretched himself upon him. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. Then he summoned Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she came to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” She came and fell at his feet, bowing to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.
Elisha’s account of praying to the Lord mimics very much what we just read in the account of Elijah doing the same thing in 1 Kings 17, although the physical actions Elisha took in the process were far more extensive than anything Elijah had described. It also is not recorded here whether or not the boy had any kind of an experience in the afterlife; it is certainly possible.
Eutychus fell from a window and died in Acts 20:9-12:
And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.
I think every young child wants to use this story as a justification for why they too fell asleep when the teaching in the church service or in Sunday school happened to be far too boring on a particular day. But on a more serious note, here in Acts, Luke records the story of a young man named Eutychus who fell asleep while sitting in the window while Paul was talking. As he was snoozing, he eventually fell to his death from the third-story window. It is widely accepted that the child was dead and not merely injured, and it was Paul’s prayer, or in this case more of a brief statement, that prompts God to bring Eutychus back to life. Here as well it is not recorded whether or not the boy had any kind of an experience in the afterlife, but it is certainly possible.
The death and resurrection of Lazarus in John 11:1-44:
…Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
The scene of Jesus calling Lazarus to come out of his tomb is probably the most famous resurrection account captured in the New Testament, eclipsed only by the resurrection of Jesus. Although Lazarus’ sisters sent word to Jesus about his illness, Jesus does not depart immediately, arriving when Lazarus had already been dead for four days. It’s not that Jesus was heartless, ignoring the suffering and sadness of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. His delay was intentional to put his full resurrection power on display, which would then again be displayed when Jesus emerges from his own tomb three days following His crucifixion. As in the earlier resurrection accounts, it is not recorded whether or not Lazarus told his friends and family about what he encountered during the four days he was on the other side of the veil, but once again it is certainly possible.
The Transfiguration of Jesus in Matthew 17:1-8:
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
In this account, Peter, James, and John have what I would consider one the most privileged experiences, next to seeing Jesus following the resurrection. When they are up on the mountain, they see Jesus in what we might generally refer to as a “glorified state,” and while He is shining like the sun, He is joined by Moses and Elijah. Some say this encounter could potentially be interpreted as a supernatural glimpse into the afterlife as Moses and Elijah were both already long dead.
At the very least we can label this encounter as a spiritual trans- formative experience. Given that they were encountering two beings from beyond the grave, it could also edge into the territory of a shared-death experience, but I don’t believe circumstantially we’re close enough to Jesus’ death and resurrection to label it as a shared- death experience. It seems to me that the STE label here is most appropriate.
Stephen’s vision before his martyrdom in Acts 7:54-60:
Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
When I first began to wonder about NDE accounts in the Bible, Stephen’s vision was the first one that came to mind. The text says that Stephen “gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” Although there is no actual bed involved, this is a spectacular example of a deathbed experience when the person dying often reports seeing loved ones, angels, and like Stephen, even seeing Jesus.
What Really Awaits Us Beyond the Veil?
You've read the amazing accounts and heard the incredible interviews of people who’ve died, experienced the afterlife, and come back to tell about it―but can you actually believe them?
As one of the most trusted Christian voices in the NDE space, bestselling author and podcaster Shaun Tabatt has spent years researching and investigating testimonies of near-death experiences throughout history. His interviews with survivors have been heard by millions around the world, and what he’s found will fundamentally change the way you think about afterlife accounts.
In this astonishing, eye-opening book, Shaun reveals the truths, the lies, and the ugly sides of NDE accounts, empowering you to discern what’s trustworthy, disprove what’s dangerous, and confidently know what awaits you on the other side.
Full of never-before-published testimonies of heaven and hell, penetrating research, notable stories and documentation throughout history, and real-world wisdom, this vital, accessible book turns a critical eye on afterlife accounts and the NDE industry, helping you:
Stay grounded in biblical truth and a biblical worldview.
Understand the 9-point NDE framework and standard terminology.
Separate the truth from the lies in NDE and afterlife descriptions.
Expose perilous pitfalls, such as psychics, mediums, aliens, spirits, and memories of past lives.
Share the true hope of the afterlife with others.
Don’t fall for false witnesses or half-truths. What lies beyond the veil is more amazing than you can imagine―it’s time to discover the truth for yourself!
