Do the dead greet the dying?

I read an article on Oct 18, 2010 on CNN.com. This article was actually from Oprah.com. The title is “Do the dead greet the dying” I have never died before, otherwise, I wont be writing this. Neither have I had any near death experience (NDE). However, I know the scriptures. The bible said “it is appointed unto man to die once, and after that judgment” (Heb 9:27).  Before I go into the scripture, let me explain the gist of this article.

The article suggests that the idea of dying alone is not true, even though un-provable. The writer suggest that when people die, their loved ones, mainly the mother would visit them in “vision” a few days or weeks before the person eventually dies. The writer David Kessler claims he had worked with a lot of dying patients and documented their experience. I do not intend to disclaim this, nor do I intend to amend anything. However, I am troubled for some reasons.

This line of thinking is troubling because it gives people a false sense of security that they are ok, after all, everyone is greeted by their loved ones and welcomed into a place of rest.

If what the writer of this article is saying is true, for a Christian (or non-Christian), what then should I do with what the bible said about sin, punishment for sin and eternal hell fire? Also, if the experiences he has recorded all have the same theme and all of them are happy, re-uniting with loved ones, what do we do then with verses and verses of scripture that warns us of the punishment for sin and the reward for a life of Holiness and righteousness.

Think about it, if there is indeed a God and He punishes sin and rewards holiness and righteousness, then it follows that this mans observation are far from truth. Can I prove that? Yes. But before I do, another question has always been posed “ how can a holy God send people to hell?” I want to answer this question by painting reality for you. Why do we have laws, justice system – which punishes offenders? Because we want justice, we want rule of law, we want a society free or anarchy, those might be some answers. But in the case of God, He requires holiness and punishes sin because HE is a HOLY GOD! (Joshua 24;19). He cannot behold iniquity.(Hab 1;13). So if everyone is greeted by their loved ones, escorted to a place of warmth, light etc, what is the motivation then to do the right thing? To live Holy, obey the law etc? and what would be the de-motivation for breaking the law? Whether law of man or God? There must be consequences!

As I quoted earlier, the bible said in Heb 9:27  “ it is appointed unto man to die once, and after that judgment” This verse means that after every man dies – sinner or saint, there is an agenda on every ones calendar, which is a review of your life, in short judgment.

So the question is what kind of judgment does Sally Get? What about Bob, Susie, Jane etc. What are the criteria for judgment, who is the judge, is it a jury judgment. The list of questions goes on.

The bible clearly tells us what to expect at the time of dying. If you are going on a trip, most people would typically park some items- depending on the nature of the trip, the duration and where you are going. For example if it’s a business trip, the items might be different compared to a vacation or relocation. One of my favorite scenes in a secular movie was in the courtroom trial in the move “a few good men”. If you recall the exchange between Tom Cruise (Kaffee), the judge, and Jack Nicholson (Col Jessep), it similar to what I am saying here. Part of Kaffee’s argument was, if Santiago was going out of the base for the rest of His life, Why didn’t he pack anything?, why did He not make a single phone call? For those who might not have seen the movie, I apologize, but the point is this. When you anticipate or plan a trip, you plan, prepare and pack for it.

Everyone that has ever broached this topic agree that this “trip” is a transition from this world to another world or dimension. However, where we all go is a point of contention.  So what happens when people are dying? I think the better question is “how do we prepare for our dying moments” do we just leave it to chance and hope that “mommy will meet us and take us to a warm, safe place’? I think not, especially since this is not a trip to Africa, or California or any other place on this planet, it’s a trip to a place you have never been. It’s a one way, non- refundable trip! I think it’s too important to leave up to chance or some ‘expert’ opinion. So what should be your preparation?

The Bible said that man has corrupted his way before an holy God who created him. This Holy God has a high standard of Holiness that is unattainable by any man. But Jesus Christ came, lived amongst us, felt what we felt, was hungry, slept, had parents, walked, sang, attended wedding, did business, yet according to the bible “without sin”(Heb 4:15). Jesus Christ went forward as the substitute for humanity, bled and died for all mankind. This sacrifice of Jesus was acceptable to God because He met the High standard that God had set.

Therefore, this sacrifice at Calvary cross is now the gateway that opens the door of heaven and eternal bliss with God to Humanity; however, there is a catch. This free gift (Rom 5:15-18) has to be received individually. The husband cannot receive it for his wife or children, neither can the children stand in for their parent. Every man must make his own choice. The bible said “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of the Lord” (Rom3:23). This has no bearing on who you are as a person –weather you are nice, good, hardworking, gives to charity it does not matter. If on the other hand, you are a criminal, hardcore sinner etc. It still makes not difference, because the standard of God is absolute purity! In fact, if you think you are pretty good, just the fact that you were born of a woman (whether natural birth of invitro- fertilization, makes no difference), you are still short of his Holiness standard.

So the ONLY way to make this standard is the accepted substitution sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the father but by me”(John 14:6.)

It is also clear that all our works cannot quality us (works will be things like niceness, charity work, volunteerism, church attendance etc) because all of our righteousness are like filthy rags before a Holy God!(Isaiah 64:6).

Taking chances are part of life.. Some are dare-devils, nothing fazes them. They take what many consider dangerous and take it on. But this is not one of those things you want to leave to chance. There is eternal punishment in hell fire. The bible said “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” Rev 2:15.

If this was my opinion, I would be the first to recommend you trash it, But this is the words of God”

So what must you do? Simple, accept the work that Jesus has done on your behalf. The bible call it salvation, or born- again. It’s a heart thing, not a head accent or mental accent. Believe in your heart that what Jesus did takes away all your sins and you now meet that High standard God has set for holiness.(Rom 10:9-10).

Pray this prayer now ““Jesus, come into my heart, forgive all my sin, be my Lord and Savior.” If you just said that prayer from the heart, you just got born-again!

You have to find a good Bible based church and grow in God! Congratulations and welcome into the family, and the love of God.

Now back to the question that we started with, since you have answered the question of where you are going after you die, you are now sure now whatever happens during those dying moment, you are confident of where you are going, which in my estimation is far more important than the question “do the dead greet the dying?”

For more insight on salvation, death and what to expect, check out our new book 

--Your brother and friend- Funsho Aduloju (Bishop)