DT, FALL QUARTER, NOVEMBER 1996,
Revised for the Internet, 1999 & 3-6-2011, Up-date 8-12-2011
In the earliest days of the primitive church, there must have been numerous stories going around about what it was like to die, and what it was like to be in the after-life realms. Christ had raised several people from the dead; Christ himself had returned and was seen by many people for many days after his resurrection. Plus, when Christ had been resurrected, numerous others saints had been raised up too, for they appeared unto many. With all these people coming back from the after-life realms, here was an opportunity for many still living in this realm to get a sort of sneak preview of the coming attractions. We can just imagine the questions these early Christians must have had when they had a chance to talk with the risen dead:
What was it like to die?
What did you see when you were on the other side?
What did you feel?
What is it like over there?
Is it better than this realm?
What types of things are people doing over there?
Describe for us what is happening in different realms.
Help us to understand where we will go when we die.
Do our actions and choices in this life determine where we will be in the next realms?
What type of body is your spirit now clothed in?
Will this body ever die again?
Do you need to feed this body to live?
Numerous questions like these must have been asked by those who had a chance to hear first hand these ancient near death experiences (here after as NDES), which experiences are now lost, or written in some undiscovered manuscript, or preserved in a faded and some what legendized form in the numerous books and manuscripts which have been discovered (See: The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 8).
MODERN NDES; PRE-BIRTH EXPERIENCES, & THE PRE-EXISTENCE:
THE MYSTERY OF THE TOY TRAIN!
WHO, OR WHAT COULD HAVE TURNED IT ON?
I opened the door to our baby's room, & saw the toy train up on our baby's book shelve. The wheels were turning round & round, & yet the train had not fallen off the shelve some how. It had a red light on the front, & it made a one note train-horn sound. Which at that point in time, was kind of spooky! For after all, it's not every day that you find one of your child's electrically powered toys on some how! Now who, or what could have turned that little toy train on? I felt a spiritual energy with in that room. It didn't seem to be evil, negative, &, or a bad feeling, for it seemed to be good. In fact, I felt a spiritual surge of love, joy & goodness there. When I had turned on the light, the light in the room seemed brighter than normal. But at the same time the situation was not an everyday type of thing that one experiences, & so it also took me by surprise! I quickly picked up the toy train, while at the same time, I felt this spiritual presence with in the room. Looking around, I noticed that no physical person was in that room, besides myself. I turned off the light, & closed the door behind me, & stood there in the hall looking down at the toy train in my hand. Its' wheels were still turning, the light was on, & that spooky train-horn sound blared out strong & loud. I turned it over & saw that the switch had been turned on some how. I turned it off, & put it up on the kitchen counter-top. I stood there looking at it, while also puzzling over the mystery of the moment. I said a prayer & asked God to bless the apartment. For the rest of that night, I sept with the lights on, & the toy train near by. Just in case it went on again,-- I could turn it off. A number of months later, our son was born. He is now at a point in his mortal-life, where he is starting to like different kinds of toys. This experience and other pre-birth experiences = PBEs, have suggested to me that pre-mortal spirits do make themselves known, at times, & to different family members to be.1
EVER GROWING EVIDENCES
FOR A LIFE BEFORE LIFE
Sarah Hinze, Opening New Horizons & Areas of Research into Evidences for Pre-existence!
Friday, March 26, 1993, at a 7-11 store in Salt Lake City, Utah; I picked up a news paper entitled: The Beehive. It had an article about Sarah Hinze's research project to collect pre-birth experiences.3 I called her on the phone and we began to help each other collect stories about the pre-existence in this new area of research.
It has been about 18 years from the time that I contacted Sarah Hinze in about 1993, & so I gave her a call, 3-6-2011. We talked about how PBEs research has grown & how new areas of research into historic Christian art works, writings, & other books, sources & ancient manuscripts have added to our "bibliography" of understandings about the pre-existence. Sarah's first book, Life Before Life: A Collection of Mothers' Experiences With Their Pre-Born Children, was published by Cedar Fort, 1993. It opened that "new horizon for researchers to consider," that I thought should be explored, back in 1992, when I was collecting research on the pre-existence & other topics in early Christian writings, art works & other cultures. She gathered a number of first hand accounts from Mothers & Fathers who have had experiences, visitations & pre-birth premonitions about spirits seeking to be born. How they communicated in different ways, to their parents to be, that they wanted to be born, or would be soon. Her 2nd book, Coming From the Light, Accounts of Our Spiritual Origins and Personal Destiny, Cedar Fort Inc., CFI, 1994, continued pushing further into that horizon. Another book, Songs of the Morning Star, 2006, went in a similar, but also new direction. In 2006, another book: We Lived In Heaven, Spiritual Accounts of Souls Coming to Earth, offers more evidences from first hand accounts of "dozens of uplifting and remarkable accounts of parents and families who have had the opportunity to meet the souls of their sons and daughters before they were born." Now, in 2011, she's working on another book, that explores a new horizon, that of "premortal memories (PMM)" in The Memory of Angels: Remembering Our Premortal Life. I pray that she will continue to be blessed, guided & helped along further in these horizons of research & areas of knowledge, so that this chapter of our journey through different realms of existences can be explored further.
THE LIFE BEFORE LIFE MENTIONED IN NDE
Near Death Experiences = NDES, opened up new aspects about the pre-existence for some them tell how that they saw some of the following: *
1. Spirits preparing to be born into mortal bodies.
2. Their own pre-earth life as a spirit.
3. The war in heaven; & satan and his angels fall.
4. How that we took part in the creation of animals, etc.
5. We defended the plan of free agency, over satan's plan of force.
6. Some saw the retrogression & demonification of the fallen angels, & those who follow the devil & his fallen angels.
Betty Eadie wrote & tells how she saw a pinpoint of light which broadened into a magnificent whiteness- a whiteness that is beyond comprehension, for it was brighter than the summer sun at noon. The light was radiant & beautiful, some have described it by the word "fire" because of its power & intensity. She could see a figure in the midst of the light, & it was Jesus Christ. He was standing there with open arms to greet her. She knew it was Him; she recognized the Savior with her spiritual eyes, because she had realized that she had also known him from the previous life before earth life, in the pre-existence. There are spirits without bodies, or people who have come to earth, & have died, & have not been resurrected yet. While others are spirits who have not yet come to earth through birth yet. Other angels have bodies, while there are certain spirits of the 2/3 of the host of heaven that chose the Father's plan during the war in heaven; who chose not to come to earth.4
She felt very comfortable with the angels because they were not strangers; they were all people she had known in the pre-existence, before her birth. There is a closeness, unity, & spiritual bonding for eternities even among those we are not related to on earth. She thinks that we even may have chosen our family groups because of the spiritual bonding we felt in the pre-earth life. And that through divine knowledge we recognized true needs & wanted to help & support one another to be able to return to the Father. She was able to see back into time before the earth was created. We all were there. We all were grouped together, talking about the conditions of the world, our covenants, & were rejoicing about the plan Heavenly Father presented to provide for us a world, bodies, & salvation. We literally shouted for joy when we heard the plans of how the world would be created for us to come down to (Job 38:4-8).
We helped with the laws we would be governed by; we promised we'd obey. He promised He would not influence us unless we asked. We actually helped in the planning of this earth; we were able to give input as to what we'd like here. We had a part in the spiritual formation of animals. All things were created in the spirit before they were made in the physical world. Inventions here on the earth are not new, for spirits created them & then we get the inspiration for such things from them.
In the old classic movie: The Blue Bird, Shirley Temple plays a little girl who ascends, with her brother, into a realm where children were waiting to be born. Some of the children were working on inventions that would help the human race. Some of these children were later called to go down to earth so that they could grow up and invent the things they had worked on during their pre-existence. Others were lovers & were sad that they would be born in times where they would be apart & wouldn't know each other in earth life. The dress & sets for these scenes in the movie, seem to be derived from ancient Greek versions of the pre-existence, or at least later Christian versions, that were becoming myths in later centuries.
Plato's telling of the story of Er, a warrior, who came back to life, is a pre-Christian version of these types; a sort of ancient Greek Near Death Experience. Plato tells of how Er saw souls being prepared to be born into life; thus, we read in some accounts: "Just before he returned, he saw souls which were being prepared to be born into life: "They all journeyed to the Plain of Oblivion, through a terrible and stifling heat, for it was bare of trees and all plants, and there they camped at eventide by the River of Forgetfulness, whose waters no vessel can contain. They were required to drink a measure of the water, and those who were not saved by their good sense drank more than the measure, and each one as he drank forgot all things. And after they had fallen asleep and it was the middle of the night, there was a sound of thunder and a quaking of the earth, and they were suddenly wafted thence, one this way, one that, upward to their birth like shooting stars. Er himself, he said, was not allowed to drink of the water, yet how and in what way he returned to the body he said he did not know, but suddenly recovering his sight he saw himself at dawn lying on the funeral pyre."5
Plato, story of Er: "All the souls had now chosen their lives, and they went in the order of their choice to Lachesis, who sent with them the genius whom they had severally chosen, to be the guardian of their lives and the fulfiller of the choice: this genius led the souls first to Clotho, and drew them within the revolution of the spindle impelled by her hand, thus ratifying the destiny of each; and then, when they were fastened to this, carried them to Atropos, who spun the threads and made them irreversible, whence without turning round they passed beneath the throne of Necessity; and when they had all passed, they marched on in a scorching heat to the plain of Forgetfulness, which was a barren waste destitute of trees and verdure; and then towards evening they encamped by the river of Unmindfulness, whose water no vessel can hold; of this they were all obliged to drink a certain quantity, and those who were not saved by wisdom drank more than was necessary; and each one as he drank forgot all things. Now after they had gone to rest, about the middle of the night there was a thunderstorm and earthquake, and then in an instant they were driven upwards in all manner of ways to their birth, like stars shooting. He himself was hindered from drinking the water. But in what manner or by what means he returned to the body he could not say; only, in the morning, awaking suddenly, he found himself lying on the pyre."
"And thus, Glaucon, the tale has been saved and has not perished, and will save us if we are obedient to the word spoken; and we shall pass safely over the river of Forgetfulness and our soul will not be defiled. Wherefore my counsel is that we hold fast ever to the heavenly way and follow after justice and virtue always, considering that the soul is immortal and able to endure every sort of good and every sort of evil. Thus shall we live dear to one another and to the gods, both while remaining here and when, like conquerors in the games who go round to gather gifts, we receive our reward. And it shall be well with us both in this life and in the pilgrimage of a thousand years which we have been describing."6
In Betty's case, she says that she didn't see any child spirits, for the spiritual essence is in the form of an adult. She saw spirits hovering over their families before their birth--brothers & sisters were waiting to be born. We select our parents. We knew by divine knowledge what we would be inheriting from that family & what we would be, & the choice was ours. We were very confident & excited to come to earth, even under adverse circumstances. We each made the choice based on our own spiritual development. One spirit pointed to a pregnant woman & her husband on earth & said: "This will be my family." Betty thinks she chose her own parents because she would learn patience.
She asked why bad things are allowed to happen. God never creates accidents & He does not necessarily interfere to prevent them. We knew before we came that bad things might happen to us, and yet we were happy to come here. We come here as both a teacher & a student. We switch roles & do some of both every day. We are always in phases of growth. Betty beliefs, based on her experience, that some very special spirits selected crippled bodies; spirits that were whole & healthy were excited to be born handicapped. They were so spiritually developed that they did not need to grow in the same way as we do; they were willing to help someone else develop. Often their parents are very spiritually developed. She cautions them to not resent caring for their handicapped children.
Betty says we all chose to come to earth during different times, and that we selected our parents, & our life situation. These choices were based on divine knowledge of what our spirits needed for growth, not on selfish choices. Betty does not think we saw a detailed "life preview" similar to the "life review" she saw, but we did select our course. She didn't know why some spirits chose to come into families where they would be abused, but many powerful spirits chose coarser ways to come. Life is like going away to college, but we are victims of amnesia. We selected our own course of spiritual study, so we are not all judged the same way. Don't judge others because we are not all here for the same experience. Our lives are not predestined, for it's like traveling down a river that you are very familiar with its course & bends.
You selected the body & river, got on course, but now you have to make decisions on how you interpret the next bend. Your choices can change the course. She remembered watching spirits preparing to come to earth, for some were hovering around their future parents, encouraging them to get married. The spirit may choose for itself when it enters into its earthly body in the mother's womb, so the timing may be different for each fetus, for the spirit can come & go or choose to stay full-term. She got to meet her own future daughter who was an adult female spirit in appearance. She was anxious to come to her family.
In the movie: The Blue Bird, while they were in the pre-existence, a girl runs up to Meeto (Shirley Temple), and tells her that she will become her sister on earth. She also said that the pre-existence & paradise are mingled.
December 1992, Betty Eadie's Embraced By The Light, was made known. On "K-talk" Martin Tanner interviewed Betty Eadie, & Elane Durham, on "Religion on the Line" on KTKK 630 AM Radio, during the evening of 12-20-1992. They mentioned seeing pre-existing spirits preparing to be born into earth life. Betty & Elane seemed to agree that there was a pre-existence. It was said by one of them that we helped in the creation, such as in the case with the forming of animals. Elane was asked by the angelic beings if she would like to see herself before she was born. She then was given a vision of her pre-earth life as a spirit. Betty also talked about the pre-existence as well. She said she saw different spirits getting ready for their journey into earth life.
A woman told me one time that she was with her husband in bed, & wasn't not in the mood for sex. Her husband was sleeping, & she was awake. All at once she heard a little girl's voice, saying to her. "Mommy please." The communication that came to her mind, was that she, the spirit behind the voice, was hinting towards how that she, her future Mom to be, was suppose to have sex with her husband, so that she, this spirit, could come to earth & gain a body. Again and again, she heard a little girl's voice: "Mommy please." At which point she said: "O.K., but not with you in the room, go out please." She said she did not see any spirit. But spiritually detected that a spirit was there, & heard it speaking to her. She didn't feel comfortable about making love with her husband, while the spirit watched, & so she asked the spirit to leave. The spirit did leave, with a girlish giggle; and so she proceeded.7
One man said he was shown the spirits of the children that would yet come to his family if he was faithful. He noticed that they were full grown, but that they were in a different sphere than that of those who had lived on the earth.8
During a meeting where Near Death Experiencers and others gathered to relate and hear NDES, one woman relates how she was asked by an other-realm being if she would like to "see herself before she was born?" In talking with her after the meeting, I asked her to explain what she meant by this. She said that she was shown her own pre-existence in the pre-mortal life, and "the war in heaven".9
Howard Storm was an atheist before his NDE, but not after. He says he was shown by angels, a movie-like depiction of the different forms of life throughout the universe. And after seeing thousands, and thousands of different forms of life, & different creatures of one kind or another, he asked the angels: "How much life is there?" They told him that the universe is filled with life, and this planet has been visited by other world beings from other places in the universe. However, they don't make themselves totally known because this world isn't ready to join the society of the universe & have good relations with other worlds because different members of the human family would abuse their higher gifts of knowledge in order to destroy others. The angelic & divine beings in the universe have given & inspired different ones here on this earth throughout history, to invent different things for originally good purposes; but each good gift from them has been eventually perverted by different ones on this earth for evil purposes. So until this world can learn to stop perverting what little bits of knowledge & gifts that we do have, these angelic beings will not make themselves totally known. Perhaps then, even greater, higher knowledge, & gifts that we could receive, have been with held for our own good. For until we have shown that we are worthy & have shown that we are ready & able to show some responsibility with such gifts of knowledge, such gifts remain suppressed. Howard Storm also said that the universe is forever being created anew. There are worlds out there in the universe that are like unto places of learning. There are different levels of learning. There are worlds like pre-school, others are like grade school, high school & still others are like college. While others are areas of learning even far beyond these. Throughout the universe, different beings go away to these different schools-or-planets for the purpose of learning & growing. And when they are ready for advancement towards becoming more like the Divine beings in the universe, they leave those worlds & go on to the higher ones. But this is not all, for there are also other realms or dimensions that are full of life. And thus continue the renewal process of recreating life throughout the universe. And that's what all these different school-like-worlds are all about. The angels are ready & waiting for the present era of this world's time to be over with. And for us to get past our hateful warring ways so we can move on to the next higher phase, & eventually join the society of the universe in universal peace & love.10
Dr. Melvin Morse says that a girl, Krystal Westover, who died at age 7, in a swimming accident, had told him that while she was having a NDE, she saw two spirit who were waiting to be born. Up-date, 8-12-2011: At the International Associations for Near Death Studies = IANDS of Utah, 8-10-2011, Wednesday; Krystal Westover, now in her 30's, told of her near death experience, in which she mentions how Dr. Melvin Morse had revived her. During his visits with her, as she was getting better, she told him about the experience she had of seeing & playing with two pre-mortal children spirits who were later born. Krystal Westover was also interviewed on K-Talk, KTKK 630 AM radio, Salt Lake City valley area, & on the internet, 8-2011; on Mills Crenshaw's Drive Time Live. Though the recording is not the best quality, the story is still interesting, please, take the time to listen to it by clicking on this link, or by going to Mills Crenshaw's Blog Schedule & Archives of shows.11
MODERN NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES' DESCENT INTO HELL:
`THE PEOPLE THAT WALKED IN DARKNESS HAVE SEEN A GREAT LIGHT'
"So I stepped through the doorway with a certain amount of anxiety. And when I stepped through the doorway into the hall of the hospital, all that I could see was a mist or a fog. It was fairly light; it wasn't dark. And back in the fog in the hedge were people. And they were tall & short, large & small, male & female, young & old but no children-nobody that small or that young looking, as best I could make them out, but they were kind of unclear. And as I went towards them, they would move back away from me. And I'd ask them: "What do you want? Who are you? Where are we going? What am I doing here? How come I'm not in my body? How can this be real? What's the matter with my wife?" I had thousands & thousands of questions I could ask them & they wouldn't answer anything. Everything I asked them they would answer with a "Let's go. Hurry up. What's the matter with you? Don't you want to get better?" Stuff like that. It was very confusing."
"And I followed them & we walked [for] ...what seemed like days, weeks. I had no real concept of the time frame, because my sense of time wasn't working--because I hadn't figured out that there wasn't any sense of time there!... As we walked, the fog kept getting thicker & darker, & finally we got to the point where I couldn't go on. I was exhausted, & I couldn't go with them any further. It wasn't a physical exhaustion; it was a mental exhaustion. I felt that there would be no end to it, & I realized that we were in the dark in this very thick fog in complete darkness. And I said: "I don't want to have anything more to do with you." They had become increasingly crueler & difficult. Actually they got to the point of making jokes & being sarcastic. And when I said I wouldn't go any further with them, they started pushing & shoving, & I started punching & kicking & hitting."
In the K-Talk interview, Storm said that he could punch them as hard as he could in the face, but it seem to have no effect. In fact they mocked & laughed at his efforts to try & defend himself. He said that he could sense them coming at him from all sides, in massive mobs & demonic hosts.
"In stead of there being just a few of them or a dozen of them, I had a sense that there were lots of them, many, many, many, of them. In the dark I had no idea but I could tell by the voices & everywhere I turned someone was pushing, someone was punching, & I was hitting back. And I felt like a wild man, & the fight went on for a long time ...because they weren't in any hurry to win.... Everything that hurt me gave them delight. And there was a lot of laughter & a lot of insults to me (which I don't need to go into), but I can't imagine anything more degrading or horrible than what took place. And ultimately I was so badly torn that I was laying in a heap in that place--in the dark.
People were just sort of kicking at me...trying to get me to react, & I was beyond reacting." (In the K-Talk interview: Storm said that as he laid their ripped & torn, & after they had violated him in the most unspeakable manners, & while they surrounded him. A voice came from with in side his mid section that said "Pray." He said, because of his Atheistic attitude: "I don't do that, that doesn't work, I don't believe in God.... That's a cop-out." And the voice said: "Pray to God." Well, I haven't done that since I was a kid, & the voice said: "Pray" again. And I felt...My first reaction was I'm going to try this, but I don't know what it is. I can't remember how to do it, because praying to me was always watching some adult doing it somewhere, & it always sounded real fancy....So I tried to recite prayers like remembering small pieces of the 23rd Psalm, & the Lord's Prayer, & I threw in the Pledge of Allegiance, & I threw in pieces of God, Bless America, & anything I could think of that sounded potent, that sounded churchy. And I started out tentatively with this stuff (and it was just bits & pieces, phrases here & there,) & these beings that had been persecuting me in this darkness were real angry with what I was doing. And this really incited me to say this stuff with a little more force & conviction. And they were yelling at me--that nobody could hear me & what a coward I was & they thought less of me...." (He said they had also used a lot of vulgarities, & were swearing at him the whole time). They told him that there was no God, & that he was a fool for attempting to pray because nobody cared, or no body could even hear him, that it was useless, & that he was worthless. However, he noticed that what he was doing caused them to back away from him into the darkness.
"...I couldn't see them but I could sense them, & I certainly could hear them, & they just kept backing up. And so I'm down there yelling: "And though I walk through the valley [of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; see: Psalms 23], "God bless America!" And it was really kind of a funny scene, & I was really feeling pretty empowered by all this stuff. I wasn't actually up; I was just lying there doing this stuff & I realized that there wasn't anyone around anymore." "I was all alone. They were gone & this next period that I have very little to say about took a long period of time, but I laid alone in the dark. I had no idea where I was. I felt horribly & painfully alive & real. The pain that I had suffered during the day was nothing compared to what I was feeling now. I even was at the point of hoping that they would come back! I was really beginning to think that if they come back, maybe I could be with them or something."
In the K-Talk interview: He said that maybe he could get these beings to help him some how, but he knew that it was hopeless, so he sank down into a state of deep depression & despair.
"This was all a long time, & I became increasingly hopeless, & I began to think that this was really the real, real end of my existence.... And then that funny voice that had asked me to pray before started to sing to me something from my childhood. This voice was just coming from me, which was a rich experience for me because I had never heard it before in my life..." And what that meant to me at that time...was that somewhere out in that darkness, there is something that is good & something that wants me,... To me there was a childhood memory that Sunday School teachers had planted in me & it was recalled. I thought growing up in a Protestant church that God/Jesus (one in the same) loved me, & I wanted someone to love me....and it was like it was a shot in the dark but I believed that somebody out there did love me, and I screamed:
"Please save me! Jesus, please save me!"
"The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." Isaiah 9:2.
"In the dark I saw a small point of light. My first reaction was a star. How come I hadn't seen it before & how beautiful. And it kept getting brighter & brighter. And I realized that it was moving & my next though was: "Oh-no. It's a meteorite & it's headed right at me." And it kept getting brighter & really fast. It was so intense; it would be like looking into a spotlight, except that not only did it not feel bad--it felt wonderful to look into it. And I knew in that life, I was seeing more color, more beauty, more radiance than anything I had ever seen before,...It was just amazing! And as that light came to me & came upon me, I very quickly realized that it wasn't light at all; it had nothing to do with light. It was brilliant & it was radiant, but it was a being. When that being enveloped me, I was down & I rose up off the floor..."
In the k-talk interview, Storm said that this beautiful angelic being of light & love also healed him of the abuse that he had received from the demonic beings. He said that he saw his wounds healed). He said: "I didn't lift myself; I just rose up, upright into the light, & I felt this light embracing me & lovingly. I was crying & crying ....And I knew that this being of radiance, of brilliance, knew me & loved me--no questions asked, nothing expected. It was proverbial unconditional love. And I didn't speak; I didn't ask. I had the most wonderful experience of ecstasy!"
A 14th century painting shows a war taking place in mid air between demons & angels who dispute over the spirits of people who had just died. In the same painting, some people (who perhaps are on the side of the veil of the living), seem to be unaware of the battle taking place over their heads above them in the sky. Some souls are carried away safe in the arms of angels. One portion shows a demon attempting to pull a spirit down while an angel clasps the soul by the wrists to pull them away from the demon's grasp. Thus a sort of "tug-of-war" is depicted between the forces of light & love, and the forces of evil & darkness. Thus, a battle takes place during what might be the early moments after death.12
Storm continues: "We rose slowly at first & then increasingly rapidly out of that place, upwardly, & we started picking up light speed. And then off in the distance I saw that we were coming toward more light, more radiancy. They were moving... All were moving toward the great center, & some were coming out. There was this great center of light, & there were countless beings like going in & out. And as we got closer to it, the radiance that that center was giving off was so powerful that my sensation of ecstasy & the sensation of power was piercing me... Each being of radiance was more bliss, more power, more ecstasy. I thought to myself: "I can't bear to get any closer." I just felt like if I got any closer I would blow up out of joy & pleasure & goodness."13
RESCUED OUT OF HELL:
Storm goes on to say that: "the worst that evil can do in this world, the very worst thing it can do is to keep a person from God, but God's not ever going to allow that to happen because everybody's going to end up with God, sooner or later. God's got a lot of time. If a person fails in a lifetime, they might have another life experience or they might live in another world or they might live in another dimension or they might spend 50 billion years in heaven learning from the angels themselves. There are endless numbers of levels of learning & this is just one of them, so if a person doesn't learn here, they may learn some place else or they may learn differently here. God has got the whole situation in hand. You do your best, but you've got to trust God..."
Storm has expressed here some concepts that are like unto some of the things that some of the early Christians believed. For example, Origen, who may have been influenced by his teacher, Clement of Alexandria; thought & wondered if even the devil & his fallen angels could eventually be saved in the process of time. Origen seemed to have believed also that Christ's atonement also included the sins of the fallen angels, & thus they might even one day be able to come back, despite how deep their fall may have been. Though such beliefs were not shared by too many other Christians, the question was considered in the early century of Christianity. About 541 A.D., a local council at Constantinople condemned certain opinions attributed to Origen in these words: "If anyone asserts the fabulous pre-existence of souls, and shall assert the monstrous restoration which follows from it: let him be anathema." Origen's version of pre-existence of souls, eventually was rejected in the later Christian church council, 553 AD, the council of Constantinople.14
Storm seemed to suggest that there may be some souls that will retrogress for years away from God, & away from any light & love that they may have once known & enjoyed. But that in some point in their existence they may become so tired of their hate, & their bitterness, & situation, etc., that they may finally turn around & attempt to find their way back towards God after having wandered for endless ages. And do you think that a loving God is going to turn them away? And when that happens, He'll be there to pick them up, to receive them with open arms, to welcome them back home (Luke 15:3-32).
"...(Question: Before the angel of light came to you, who were the beings, & why were they nasty & mean?) I'm quite sure that they were people who had died, & they were very loveless & cruel, & they were living in a spiritual realm. They didn't want to have anything to do with the light. They didn't want to believe in God. God's not going to force Himself on anyone who doesn't want Him. He's not going to make you love Him. If a person is cruel & loveless throughout this world & they die & go in the spiritual, where are they going to go? Are they just suddenly going to be transformed into loving, higher angelic beings? No, that's not who they are, so they get to do what? They get to live that out...." [Until they out grow it, or get sick of their own hate]. "God allows cruel people to live in a world of darkness & cruelty & separateness from God, & theoretically sometimes they are going to outgrow that. How long will that take? How long does God have? They can be there a billion, trillion, zillion years. He'll wait.
And the minute they say, "I'm tired of hurt. I'm tired of hate. I'm tired of loneliness. I need someone to love me." God is going to be right there with an angelic being of light whose going to pick him up in his arms, just like he did me, & take him home.... I don't know about God finding someone so unworthy that He would have to never let him back. That's inconceivable. It doesn't fit into my system. It's possible, because God can do whatever He wants us to do. But I think sooner or later, everyone's going to find their way back to Him-hopefully. Someone told me everyone will get to Heaven, some kicking & screaming, but everyone will get to Heaven."
"Question: Have other people had negative experiences in their NDE-like you did? They aren't very common, but there are people out there who have had negative NDE's. Dr. Maurice Rawlings wrote a whole book above them. I think there are a couple of reasons why I had that. First of all, I tried to point out to you an accurate depiction of what my mental state was in going to my death--confusion, anger, frustration, disbelief, no appetite or desire for love or the light or anything like that. I think it's real important that people should understand the dying process, so they can do it gracefully, not with the kind of difficulty that I had. I don't want anybody to have to go through what I went through, just because to them death is the final insult to their body (which is the way the medical profession sometimes describes death, as the ultimate insult is to life). Death is not an insult; it's a transition. We should look at death with grace & beauty, & help people through that, like, for example, they do in Buddhism. The Tibetan priest will come in & read The Book of the Dead, which describes the different levels of possible experience to the dying person, so they can make a graceful & knowledgeable transition, & deal with what they're dealing with. It's been said that the Tibetan priest knows where the person is in their death experience. He knows what level they're on, whether they're on, whether they're with the monsters or whether they're in the light. It's a fascinating book. In our society, we turn death into something horrible & scary. We're setting people up for negative experiences."15
I talked with Dr. George G. Ritchie on the phone about "Demonification"--(retrogressing towards becoming like the devil & his demonic forces of hate & darkness). He agreed that that was another choice that the human family could choose. In his book he points out that there are some "mixed-up beings" who have gone astray, & who could cause us to go astray if we don't focus our attention on Christ & his teachings. We talked about this a bit. I asked him, after making references to some of the early Christian fathers about the idea that Christ & his angels had gone out into the world, to every realm, place or condition that the human family could be found in. To those lost & wandering in what ever realm, place, & condition. He seemed to agree, & based on his experiences, he saw angels everywhere attempting to find the lost souls, preaching & ministering to them. Trying to get them to repent & change their ways in the different places & realms that they could be found. He agreed that Christ did go to other nations of the earth, after his resurrection, & (I mentioned a number of early Christians who suggested this also), & then he reminded me that our own book of Mormon says this. He said that Christ did go to every nation because he is a God of love. We talked some more, & I thanked him for his book & the love he had for others which I discerned from him. And I asked him if I could call him again sometime. He said that would be fine. He is an interesting man to talk with & seems to try & give off the feeling & spirit of love to everyone he talks with & meets.16
Moody also wrote about those who have seen "cities of light," & paradise type of places. There is also a realm of "bewildered spirits" where spirits seemed to be trapped in a most unfortunate state of existence. They seem to be unable to free themselves from the attachments to the physical world. They have focussed their attention on the things of the physical world that they left behind, when they died. They seemed bound to some particular object, person or habit that they couldn't give up. Or refused to give up. They seemed "dulled" in their consciousness, they seemed limited, as compared to others. Thus Moody called them "dulled spirits" who were trapped in their own negative attitudes & bad habits. They were to be there until they could over come or solve whatever problem that was holding them back, or was keeping them in that perplexed state of existence. Some people he talked with said that they saw beings or spirits attempting to talk with people in the physical realm, but that they were unsuccessful. The living couldn't see or hear them. In one account, a man mentioned that he saw a realm occupied by evil spirits. The wicked & unrepentant were confined to a certain district by themselves. The confines were said to be definitely determined & impassable until the person held there had changed & repented. Much activity was happening in different spheres in that their was much effort being made to reclaim the lost spirits through the missionary work.17
George G. Ritchie describes a hellish sort of realm, in which he saw people fighting over different things. Some spirits were attempting in vain to perform all kinds of sexual acts, others were attempting to kill one another. Still others were fighting over different religious issues. They could not hid their thoughts in this realm of hateful, selfish, & wicked--unrepentant spirits. He also said that he witnessed the bad effects that false religious ideas can have on a person. For example, he says that he saw spirits who had put themselves into some kind of self-induced sleep because they had believed that when they died, that was it, there was no more life after death until an angel came to awake them for the resurrection. He also realized that God's angels of light & love had been in every realm & place, where ever the human family could be found or was at. And they were in the act of attempting to communicate with the different spirits everywhere. They were ministering unto to them, attempting to get the unrepentant spirits to change their evil ways. But many of these spirits' minds seemed to be shut. They were locked into their own wicked habits of one sort or another.18
This is not to say that they couldn't repent if they wanted to. Howard Storm learned that these negative beings could change if they wanted to. And that perhaps after millions of years in seeking darkness & hate, they might decide that they had had enough, & would seek to change & would seek help. And do you think a loving God would ignore such beings' attempts to change, or their pleas for help? No! He will come or send his angels to love & help them, as (Howard said), they did with him, & they will be there.
NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES AND DEIFICATION
HOWARD STORM: "This world is full of divine beings becoming more divine moment by moment day by day. This is like a huge garden full of divine beings, & that's what we are. We're divine & we're growing up; & we're growing up into realizing our divinity."
In the T-talk interview, Storms presents the concept that many early Christians have taught, & that is deification, (to become a divine being, or gods in the cases with the males, and goddesses in the cases with the females). But also he seems to suggest another opposite extreme & negative path way that a person could go down, in opposition to the other extreme, or path way towards light, love & deification. This negative path is a retrogression pathway towards what I have called demonification, (becoming like unto a demonic being of hate & sin).
This is another concept that we find in early Christianity, such as in the writings of Origen Against Celsus, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, volume 4). Storm says that one of the things that he had learned during his NDE was that the human family does not stay stationary. For you can go towards one extreme or the other. The human family can either advance towards becoming like unto the angelic beings, & even towards becoming like God. Or they can retrogress down towards becoming like unto the demonic beings that had tormented him in the darkness. The beings in the fog & darkness seemed to be "trapped" & where retrogressing away from any light & love that they once might have known at some time in their existence. Thus the human family can go towards one extreme or the other, & may be found at different points between these two extremes, either progressing or retrogressing.19
Storm: "...Everybody probably is going to end up being an angel sooner or later, no matter how much we resist it." "Heaven is a distinct possibility. That`s where the Creator wants us all to be: with Him participating in the creation as procreators. becoming ever more in tune & in harmony with the whole heavenly hosts of angels, all creating this creation which is all without beginning or end. This first of creation is like right now & always has been always will be & is getting ever more wonderful, ever more different.
He was asked the question: "What do angels do all day?" He answered: "...The universe is constantly being created new, & I don't mean just quantitatively, but more importantly, qualitatively. In other words, the reason why you exist & why I exist is because nothing like it has ever been before....The thing that God needs to grow & nurture slowly is more things with their unique will, with their own unique identities. The way that God increases His Beingness & His creativity qualitatively is by increasing experience. So what does He do? He multiplies the creative spirits in new & ever-changing forms all over the whole universe. That's what we are. When we go into this reality of this existence, which is what happens when we die... Although this is like reality, it is like a little playpen-reality & I'm talking about the real reality, & we begin to see the real nature of time & space & our being in relationship to all other beings. We can really, really participate in that creation, & like on a lower eschelon type of job, there is learning, participation, observation, & experience. Like, for example, you might become an angel who comes back to a world like this world & just watches & learns & experiences what's going on. A greater responsibility would be an angel who had the power to discern when to intervene & when not to intervene, how to generally nourish this person & nudge that person, & allow that person to go down the slippery slope into chaos, if that's what they need to do. Some people need to feel chaos for awhile, so that they can ultimately evolve out of it. You've got to know when to let a person destroy himself & when to keep a person from doing it. That takes a real strong sense of discernment, & that would be a higher power."*
The early Christian Apostolic Father, PAPIAS, [A.D. 70-155]: "...Papias conflated the ancient story of the Watchers angels with another Jewish Apocalyptic tradition that held that God appointed angels to govern the earth and its nations. Each nation had its ruling angel, but these angels had abused their power and fallen under the sway of the evil prince of this world, a circumstance that explains the warfare and persecutions of the nations. As yet, Christian thought remained largely figurative and mythical and deeply influenced by Apocalyptic speculation."
"To some of them [angels] He gave dominion over the arrangement of the world, and He commissioned them to exercise their dominion well.... but it happened that their arrangement came to nothing." [Note 3- "That is, that government of the world's affairs was a failure." This note goes on to say that an Ancient writer suggests that this was hinting to "the arraying of the evil angels in battle against God." The Ante Nicene Fathers, vol.1, p.151, 155, & note 3).
Storm continued: "On another level, on another higher eschelon, you might be an angel watching over a whole planetary system. On a higher level you might be an angel watching over a whole dimension. On an even higher level you may be creating new dimensions & new realities- anything you can comprehend. The higher you go in your evolution, the more god-like you become. Going right back to Genesis, we were created in the image of God--that's what we are. Not in a physical sense, but that we are god-like & we were called to become like God & with God & one with God. In time we'll have a sense of what we were & who we were; we'll be nearer to God."20
Howard Storm seems to suggest here what the Bible & many early Christians have shown. The doctrine of deification, (becoming like god & even progressing towards perfection & godhood. That's the ultimate end of the journey. The human family can become divine. Thus God & the other holy angelic beings gain fellowship with additional beings that have returned home. The heavenly beings of light & love would rather see us become more like them by becoming divine, than they would that we should retrogress into becoming like unto the fallen angels, & the demonic beings. Many of the early to later Christian Fathers, & writers believed that deification would be the results of how the human family had first been created in the spirit form; then of how they came down from heaven into the bodies; then having grown & learned in those bodies to one day set them aside in death. Then to go on into other realms depending on how one has lived, which path they took. Then to be clothed in glorified bodies that shined as bright or like unto the sun. For their resurrected bodies would shine like unto Christ's resurrected & glorified body. They would receive the robes of righteousness & would be crowned & deified a god or goddess under the other divine beings. They would not take over the Most High God's position, nor that of Christ's, but they believed that they would become heirs with Christ & would share in his glory. And because they had shown that they could be trusted, & were faithful in a few things, they would be made ruler over many things. Even some Jewish writings talk about the deified as inheriting a number of worlds. Other ancient documents speak of the deified person being able to have their "seed" (descendants or children), scattered throughout the universe. Suggesting to us that the ancients may have believed they already had the answers for the purpose of life & the origins, & reasons for the creation of the universe. It was created for the purpose of being filled with the creations & children of the Gods of the deified souls who had also passed through the school (an earth life) & had graduated to higher levels of intelligences & even eventually graduating to divinity, being gods or goddesses.21
George G. Ritchie also points out in his NDE, that those who had kept Christ the center of their attention must have been changed into glorious beings of light & love as Christ had been glorified.22
K-Talk, July 15, 1990, the subject of deification was challenged by a caller, Elane Durham pointed out that it was true, Martin Tanner agreed with her that God was once a man, that he lived on a planet & grew towards Godhood, He became divine. Now the same thing can happen with us. We can become divine beings.
Storm: "...(Question "What did they tell you about the 2nd Coming of Christ?") Storm said that he was not religious enough at the time of his experience, & didn't get to that question. However, "..."I've done a lot of exploration since then & what I'm very convinced of is that we are all called to become sons of God, not just children of God. Not lesser, but sons & daughters, co-equal with God, to be truly like God. God will still be God, but we will be like God & with God, & with Christ, meaning that Anointed One. As Jesus of Nazareth became both fully human & fully divine, we're all called to follow in His footsteps. The Second Coming is when we all become Christlike--not to be silly...I don't mean that we have to wear sandals & have beards & stuff like that. What we`re supposed to do is become as fully human & fully divine as we can possibly be. When Christ, the Anointed Spirit is in us (another way to put it is, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God), when that is fully in us, the 2nd Coming will have taken place. I think the idea that Jesus the Man is coming back in His bodily form & enforcing His will over mankind is ludicrous to the whole spirit that He lived in & died in. What He invited us to do was become like Him, to have that kind of communion, or oneness with God. To be Biblical, you could say, "Father, not my will, but Thy will"--& know the will of the Father. Jesus could talk to God & God talked to him, & he heard what He was saying. I'm trying to be like that, but sometimes I'm not. My ambition is to more & more be like that. That's a subject I feel really strongly about. To hope someone else will do it for you: "Send the magic men down & make it all right for me & absolve me of all responsibility." They want us to do it. They want us to become Christ-like...."
I also asked Dr. Ritchie about what he meant by the human families ultimate destiny. He seemed to have suggested in his book that we have it within us to make this earth into a heaven. And that we can grow & progress towards becoming one with our Father even as Christ is one with the Father. Meaning that we can become glorified beings of light & love, even as Christ had become glorified & perfected. He showed us the way to follow, & we can choose to follow that path way, & if we do we will also become like the beings he saw in his NDE, who had the same brightness & glory & love as Christ had. I asked him if he knew of the early Christian doctrine of the 2 ways, the 2 paths. He said that he did not. I told him about some of the early Christian examples. How that different writers seem to have suggested that we can progress towards deification, or choose to retrogress down towards the other extreme, demonification. He said that he agreed, that we can go towards one extreme or the other. I asked him if we could become divine beings, or even gods. And he said that that was what he was shown in his NDE. In the city of light that he saw, there was bright beings of light & love, like unto the Christ who was at his side during this journey into the different realms. This final ultimate realm of light & love was where the human family could advance to if we follow Christ's example & teachings. I asked him if we could become co-creators with the gods as Howard Storm suggests. In his book he cites a number of scriptures, and says that Christ said that we could do even greater things than he has done (John 14:12-16). Not that we will take over our Father in Heaven's position, or that of the Christ's, but that we will develop to the point were we will be able to do the same sorts of things as Christ has done. I asked him if we would be able to create new worlds & universes. And he seemed to think that that was not an impossibility. We would not take over God & Christ's position but would, like the early Christian writers have suggested, become gods, ranked next below the Christ. Christ would always be our brother, & Savior, and God our Father would always be our Father & God. But we have it with in us to reach up towards godhood as our ultimate destiny in the eternities to come.
Many ancient to modern NDEs describe beings or personages of love & light. Some have interpreted these bright beings to be the gods, or angels. But some have also have claimed that these beings are departed love ones who have gone on before them, & that they come to greet their family members into the next realm. Others have claimed that Jesus Christ came to them as a glorified man, or being of light & love.
Christ is often depicted in early to later Christian art works as having a face or body that is giving off light. Other nations' "gods" around the world, have also come to different people as moral teachers, lawgivers, & often their legends speak of these "gods" as glowing bright beings of light & love.
THE LIGHT BEYOND THE VEIL OF DEATH:
Gordon B. Hinckley, in April 1975, said towards the end of his talk, (entitled: The Symbol of Christ): "I know that my Redeemer lives-- Triumphant Savior, Son of God, Victorious over pain & death, My King, my leader, my Lord. He lives, my one sure rock of faith, The one bright hope of men on earth, The beacon to a better way, The light beyond the veil of death. O give me Thy sweet spirit still, The peace that comes alone from Thee, The faith to walk the lonely road that leads to Thine eternity." (The Ensign, May 1975, p.92-4).
Isaiah wrote that the "light" would shine on those in the "valley of the shadow of death." (Isaiah 9:2). We also read that the righteous would "shine forth as the sun in the Kingdom of their Father." (Matthew 13:43). Christ said that the "light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, they whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness." (Matthew 6:22-3). Christ had also said: "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." (John 17:5). Stephen had a pre-death vision in which he say the glory of God & Jesus standing on the right hand of God (Acts 7:55-6). Saul who later had his name changed to Paul, saw the Christ & his glorious body that had been changed. He had been glorified as he (Christ) had asked of his Father in heaven to do. Thus Paul witnessed Christ in his glorified condition, for Christ's resurrected body shined with great light & glory (Acts 9:1-5). Paul later wrote of the different kinds of light & glory that resurrected bodies would shine forth with (1 Corinthians 15:35-42). He also wrote that our resurrected bodies may be changed into the same image (& type of body that Christ has in the resurrection), from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). And that our vile bodies could be fashioned like unto his [Christ's] glorious body (Philippians 3:20-21). In that we could become joint-heirs with Christ, & also glorified together (Romans 8:6-18). Peter wrote that we could become "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). John also wrote that we could also be like Christ, & even be purified as He (Christ) is pure (1 John 3:2-3). John saw a bright and glorious angelic personage who had once been a prophet who had lived on the earth, died, & then later must have been either resurrected, or at least in a glorified condition. For John had mistaken this angel for God, & was about to worship this glorified angelic being of light. But the personage told him not to worship him because he was one of the servants of his brethren the prophets (Revelation 1:10-15, 19:5-10). Daniel also wrote of a bright being who's face was of the brightness of lightning (Daniel 10:6). And that the righteous would shine as the firmament (Daniel 12:3). Matthew wrote of the time when Christ would come in his glory, & his holy angels with him, & then he would sit down upon the throne of glory (Matthew 25:31). The angels' brightness & glory are compared with the brightness of lightning & white snow (Matthew 28:2-6). Light is given to them that sit in darkness in the shadow of death (Luke 1:76-79). Angelic beings shined with glory & light when they proclaimed the birth of Christ (Luke 2:8-20). From these scriptures, & others that we could consider, we learn that other realm beings of the heavens, glow & shine with great brightness & light.
In the ancient to later Christian concepts & doctrines of deification, the deified persons' bodies are changed like unto the same brightness & glory as Christ's glorified body (The Nicene & Post Nicene Fathers, vol.8, p.15-16, Basil). Many ancient & modern NDEs also speak of how they saw their loved ones (who had died earlier) as being glorified; for they glowed & gave off a heavenly bright light & feeling of love.
In Raymond Moody's 3rd book, The Light Beyond, p.107; he tells us of a man who said that he saw "his own body bathed in an illumination of soft white light" during his NDE. On p.117, Moody cites from Michael Grosso, who said while reflecting on his own studies in NDEs, that he sometimes had wondered if maybe what "one of the great Hindu sages said is true. His idea was that just by being in the presence of a highly evolved being, the less evolved gets a shock of the spirit-kind of like a laying on of hands." He went on to say: "I sometimes wonder if that is the attraction of listening to these tales, that by being in contact with these people we are experiencing a kind of influx of energy. I think it is truly a divine energy, too. I believe, as do many others, that NDE is an inlet into a divine dimension of human consciousness that is latent in all of us. Other researchers have either suggested or argued that there are other ways to make contact with this dimension of consciousness. So in a sense, if you use Plato's Teutonic model of knowledge---that knowledge is a recollection of things we already know--then this spiritual awareness is already latent in us. So I wonder if the reason for this profound attraction to NDEs is that hearing them triggers a memory deep within us. It is sort of like a homecoming."
On p.118 we read of a man who had attempted to commit suicide. "He described images of some horrific beings clutching & clawing at him. It was something like descending into Dante's inferno. He had a claustrophobic, hostile, nightmarish NDE, without the slightest positive experience. No out-of-body episode, no being of light, nothing beautiful, nothing pleasant. But this experience totally transformed him. He was a different person & I felt it."23
A 16th century depiction of the last supper, show ghostly outlines of angelic beings present at the last supper. They fly through the air & witness the events below them. Christ & 11 of the apostles have the aura of light about their faces. Christ's aura shines brighter than the others. Another person at the table, who might be Judas, (who later went against Christ), is depicted here as having no aura or light about him, suggesting that his wicked plans & desires had taken away that light & glory that he might have had with the others, had he not had it in his heart to betray the Christ.24
CONCLUSION:
There are some things we come to know through intellectualizing things through intense and extensive research and endless documentation. Then, there are things that you can come to know are true through a spiritual quest for discerning and feeling the spiritual energy behind what is written, spoken, and depicted in art works. Even words on a page can communicate a powerful feeling of the most powerful witness of love and joy that speaks peace and comfort to the inner spirit with in our mortal bodies. I certainly hope that that type of loving spiritual energy has added some spiritual special effects to this paper and the tapes. If anything, at least for me, this whole pilgrimage through numerous books has given me a perspective about something we lost when we were born; for as one Near Death Experience tract put it, we are "a Spiritual Being having a Human Experience, rather than a human being having a spiritual one."25
The testimony of history seems to suggest that the human family can improve, develop and grow. And if that can continue, logic suggest that we will eventually progress way beyond what we are now, just as how we have progressed now, (in a lot of ways), far beyond the way we were. When we start to see the whole and bigger picture of the whole journey from it's beginning to end, it is then that we will start to see things in a new light and with a different perspective. If anything, the ultimate destiny says something positive and hopeful about the human race. And that is that if we can learn to have unconditional love towards all people, we will be taken home to that family in heaven and return to glory and a school of endless knowledge, growth, and endless possibilities. That certainly is a powerful thought to think about!
END NOTES
* Some of the NDEs which mention the pre-existence:
Beyond the Veil, by Lee Nelson, 1988 Cedar Fort Inc., Orem, Ut., c.3, "I Wanted Those 2 Little Girls" by Janet Christensen, p.37-42. Ibid., 1990, vol.3, c.12, p.87-90, "I Saw My Children," by Juliann Johnson Bradshaw. Melvin S. Tagg, The Life of Edward James Wood, p.117-118, "Unpub. Writings of Myrtle Olsen," Cardston, Alberta. "Edward J. Wood, Record," 1952, Church Historian's Office. Interview of Preston Nibley, May 29, 1959. Henry Zollinger, "My Experience In The Spirit World," unpub. in the possession of his wife, at Provident, Cache Co., Ut. Henry's NDE, Aug. 7, 1920. See also: Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology V.7, #2, Nov. 1979, p.101-7, by C. R. Lundahl. George C. Lambert, "A Modern Stoic," Treasures In Heaven, 15th bk of the Faith Promoting Series, SLC, Ut., 1914, p.21-22. From N. B. Lundwall, The Vision (SLC. Ut. Bookcraft not dated), p.146-7. Duane S. Crowther, Life Everlasting, 1967, (1990), Bookcraft, SLC. Ut., p.36-42. Radio interviews of some people who have had NDEs. KTKK 630 AM Radio, Ut. "Religion On The Line" hosted by Martin Tanner, Nov. 5 & 12, 1989, & July 15, 1990, Also Betty Eadie on KTKK, as Mr. Tanner's guest, June 7, 1992, (Also, in the course of this show. A Lady called in & told of her own NDE while giving birth, & in which She saw the spirit of her child to be. The Salt Lake Chapter Of The "International Association For Near Death Studies" = (IANDS). And the "Friends of IANDS." = (FOINDS). News Letters numbers 4-7, Nov. 1992, #4, Dec. 1992 -- JANUARY 1993, #5. Feb. 1993, #6, & March 1993, #7, by DT. Some of our "Friends of IANDS" meetings were held on Sept. 17, 1992, (4th meeting); November 19, 1992, (5th); January 21, 1993, (6th); & Feb. 18, 1993, (7th) in the Murray/Salt Lake City area in Utah. See also: Reflections On Life After Life, by Raymond A. Moody, Jr. M.D. A Bantam BK. Pub. Mockingbird Books, June 1977. Typescript of Howard Storm's NDEs, from a 1988 cassette tape, typed by JBB, Silverdale, WA, from NDE Research Institute, Thomas KY. PBEs: The Ensign, July 1992, p.56-7, (Mormon Journal), "Not Too Much to Ask," by Cheryl Cayer, as told to Judy M. Sweeney. The Grand Pilgrimage, pp.5-17, 25-31, 61-6. Harold A. Widdison’s book, Trailing Clouds of Glory: First Person Glimpses into Premortality.
1- Based on my personal Journal, Saturday, August, 10, 1991, DT.
2- The Grand Pilgrimage, [Footnoting In & "Out of the Best Books" (D&C 88:118), by DT, Vol.1, Part 1, Based on Issues 1-4, revised, April - Aug. 1992, which included issue #3, June- July 1992, p.25, see also pages 1, 25-31, & 65-66.
3- The Beehive, Vol.18, #5, p. 25, Feb. 1993, "LDS Author Seeks "Life Before Life" Stories" by Jill Adair. Sarah Hinze's blog on Pre-Birth Experiences - PBE.
4- Radio interviews with Betty Eadie, December, 20, 1992, & Feb. 7, 1993, on KTKK 630 AM Radio, "K-Talk", Religion on the Line, hosted by Martin Tanner. See also: Embraced by the Light, 1992.
5- Raymond A. Moody, Jr., M.D., Reflections On Life After Life, (Toronto; New York; London & Sydney, Bantam Books, 1977, 6th printing, Nov. 1983), p. 12-13, 28, note 1: Edith Hamilton & Huntington Cairns, eds., The Collected Dialogues of Plato, trans. Hugh Tredennick, Bollingen Series 71 (New York: Pantheon Books, 1961), p. 844.
6- Plato, The Republic, Book X, written about 360 B.C.E., Translated by Benjamin Jowett, emphasis added.
7- This experience was related to me in 1992, by a women in Utah, who requested that I would not give her name.
8- In the Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology Vol.7, #2, Nov. 1979, p.101-7, the writer C. R. Lundahl, tells us in a research paper entitled: "Mormon Near Death Experiences."
9- Revelation chapter 12; Jude 6, Ephesians 3:14-15; 2 Peter 2:4; Isaiah 14:12-19; Ezekiel 28:13-19; The council in heaven, (Psalms 82:1-6. Other NDES have described similar events. see also: Beyond the Veil, Lee Nelson, 1988, p.37-42. From: NOVEMBER 1992, NEWS LETTER #4, OF THE SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH CHAPTER, OF INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR NEAR DEATH STUDIES= (IANDS). NOTICE FOR UP COMING MEETING. BY DT). IANDS, November 19, 1992, the 3rd Thursday of this month, 5th meeting at the Cottonwood Hospital, 5770 South, 300 East in Murray, about 7:00 P.M.
10- Typescript versions & tapes of the NDE of Howard Storm. There are a number of different accounts that I have collected, & some of which have been given to me. There is a radio interview, tapes of group meetings, & also unpublished accounts. One of which is entitled: "Near-Death Experience of Howard Storm" & which is based on notes typed by JBB, Silverdale, WA, from a 1988 cassette tape from N.D.E. Research Institute, 702 N. Ft. Thomas Ave., Ft. Thomas, KY 41075. George G. Ritchie, Jr., M.D., mentions in his NDE, seeing spirits working on scientific inventions which were beyond anything that he had seen on earth in 1943. But later, in 1952, after his Return From Tomorrow, (or return from death), he saw some of the same instruments he had seen in the other-world realm of peace & great learning, while looking through the Dec. 1952 issue of Life Magazine. He believes therefore, that we are inspired by these other world beings to come up with the different inventions in order to help the human race to advance in knowledge in which to benefit there by. (See: Return From Tomorrow, p.68-74, & 119-121. And: My Life After Dying, by George G. Ritchie, p.25-30. Also based on a radio interview on KTKK 630 AM Radio, K-Talk's "Religion on the Line." The Host, Martin Tanner, Nov. 12, 1989, with Dr. Ritchie, by phone). In the movie The Blue Bird a realm of children waiting to be born show some of the children working on inventions that they will cause to be invented after they are born.
11- Closer to the Light, by Dr. Melvin Morse, 1990, p.6-7. Krystal Westover was the young girl that told of seeing pre-mortal spirits in her NDE.
12- Italy, History-Art-Landscape, by Mercury Art Books Florence: Edizioni Mercurio, 1954-7, by Mercurio, p.200, wall painting, attributed to Orcagna. See also Jude 9.
13- Radio interview, K-Talk, 630 AM, Utah, Religion On the Line, host: Martin Tanner, July 15, 1990, Howard Storm as one of the guests. See also: Typescript of Howard Storm's NDEs, from a 1988 cassette tape, typed by JBB, Silverdale, WA, from NDE Research Institute, Thomas KY, entitled: Near-Death-experience of Howard Storm.
14- Ibid., Typescript and tape. Bryce Rich.net, Wednesday, 12-12-2007, Apokatastasis in the Thought of Origen and Gregory of Nyssa. See also: Mick Burke, Origen, Church Fathers, Creeds & Church Councils. Internet article. See also, Council of Constantinople, 553 AD., the rejection of Origen's version of the pre-existence of souls, by certain bishops & EMPEROR, Justinian I, 527 - 565. Satan, The Early Christian Tradition, by Jeffery Burton Russell, 1981, p.197; Russell, The Prince of Darkness, Russell, 1988, p.81; Acts 2:25-36; Rom.8:38-39; 1 Pet.3:15-22, 4:5-6; Eph.4:7-10; Isa.42:6-7; 1 Cor.15:19-28; Gal.6:7-9.
15- During the month of April 1992, DR. LYNN JOHNSON gave me [DT] a letter of a type script of Howard Storm's near death experience. Earlier he had given me a copy of Howard Storm's experience on some tapes. This type script was based on the tapes. The information of this type script was typed by JBB, Silverdale, WA, from 1988 cassette tape from N.D.E. Research Institute, Ft. Thomas, KY. I had also given him some taped radio interviews of other people, plus Howard Storm's interview with Martin Tanner, July 15th, 1990 on "Religion on the Line" 630 AM RADIO, (KTKK- "K-Talk"), Utah. Later, on Thursday, September 17, 1992, at the 3rd meeting for IANDS's branch for the Salt Lake City valley area in Murray Utah, at the Cottonwood Hospital. (IANDS = International Associations & Near Death Studies). I obtained another version of Howard Storm's NDE, which was being made available at that meeting. Dr. Johnson told me that it was another version, besides the others he had given me earlier. This version was based on a tape recording made in 1989 at the NDE Research Institute, in Kentucky. The typescript of this 1989 taped version has been entitled: An Experience of Howard Storm. The following is based on these tapes, & the July 15th 1990 "K-Talk," interview & this later 1989 version & typescript.
16- May 13th, 1992, Wed. evening. I talked with Dr. George G. Ritchie, Jr. on the phone for about 20 minutes or so. I had just finished reading his second book: My Life After Dying, Becoming Alive to Universal Love, published in 1991, by Hampton Roads, see p. 12-30, 104-110, & 136-147.
17- Raymond A. Moody, Reflections on Life After Life, (New York: Bantam Books, 1977), p. 12-39; Omega, Vol.12 (4), 1981-2, The Perceived Other World In Mormon Near Death Experiences,: A Social & Physical Description, by Craig R. Lundahl, Western New Mexico Un., 1982, Baywood Pub. Co. p.319-327; Raymond Moody, Jr., M.D., Reflections On Life After Life, p. 9-46. Ritchie, Return From Tomorrow, p. 72-3. Also the K-Talk interviews, Nov. 12, 1989. In his book: My Life After Dying, Ritchie cites from the early Christian Father, Irenaeus, who taught this concept also. (See: My Life After Dying, by George G. Ritchie, 1991, p. 136-147. See also: John 17: 17-24; Matt. 5:48, & 41:22-23; Luke 6:40; Romans 8:16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:35-42; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; Phil.3:20-21; Dan.12:3; Col.1:27-28; 3:14; 2 Tim.3:15-17; Heb.2:9-11; Isaiah 41:22-23; Psa. 82:6; Rev.3:21. Also: Eph.4:7-14; 1 Pet. 1:3-16; 3:15-22, 4:5-6; 2 Pet. 1:2-11; 1 John 3:2; The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1, p.488, verse 4, & Irenaeus, Against Her. Bk.4, 38:3-4; The Early Christian Fathers, by Henry Bettenson, p.94-6 & 106. Pub. Oxford Un. Press, 1956, etc.
18- Ritchie, Return From Tomorrow; Ritchie, My Life After Dying, & the Nov. 12, 1989 K-Talk radio interview, Martin Tanner as host of Religion on the Line, on KTKK 630 AM radio, Salt Lake City, Utah area.
19- Psalm 3:3, 14:1-5, 16:8-11, 82:1-8, 88:2-18; Isa.24:21-22; 42:6-7; 49:8-9. Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 6-20, 8:4-38, Alma chapters 36 & 40. N.T. Matt.6:19-24, 7:13-14; Acts 9:3-7 7:55-60.
20- Howard Storm's NDE in scripts cited; Matt. 17:1-9; Mark 9:2-10; John 17:1-5, 20-24; Acts 9:3-7; Rom.8:16-18; 2 Cor.3:17-18; Phil.3:20-21; 2 Pet.1:2-4; 1 John 3:2-3; Rev.22:8-9; Matt.13:43; Dan.12:2-3; 1 Cor.15:40-42).
21- Jeffery Burton Russell, The Prince of Darkness, p.55. John 17:17-24; 1 Cor. 2:9; ch.13; 15:35-42; 2 Cor.3:17-18, 5:17; Phil.3:20-1; Col.1:27-8; 3:14; 2 Tim.3:15-17; 4:6-8; Heb.2:9-11; Isa.41:22-3; Dan.12:3; Rev.3:21, 1 :10-15, 19:6-10; 1 Pet.1:3-16, 4:11, 5:4-6, 10-11; 2 Pet.1:2-11; Psa.82:6; Matt.13:43. Luke 6:40; Matt.5:48, Rom.8:14-19. The Early Christian Fathers, Henry Bettenson, p.94-6 & 106, 243-4. Against Heresies, 4.38 Cp. 4.11; The Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol. 1, p.17, 61, 76, 84-5, 87-8, 91, 148-9, 154, 207, 214, 224, 226, 229, 230, 242, 262, 488, 520-22, 531-33, 535, 540, 544, 549, 553, 556, 560-1, 565-7. Vol.3, p.480, Vol.4, p.344-5, 475, 486-8, 509, 547-551, 593-4, 601, 626, 658, 668, Vol.5, p.150-1, p.237 Hippolytus "Discourse on the Holy Theophany" The Gospel Through the Ages, Hunter, 1945, p.108-9. Celsus On The True Doctrine R. Joseph Hoffman p.74. Christianity & Classical Culture by Charles Norris Cochrane, 1st Pub. by Clarendon Press 1940. Paper back ed. Oxford Un. Press in 1957 p.266-7. Also: Caesar & Christ (The story of Civilization: Part III), by Will Durant, 1944, p.226-7, 256, 260, 266, 269, 274, 280, 291-2, 309, 388, 430, 432, 523, 623, 640-1, 646, see also index on "deification," p.716. The Homilies of Saint Jerome, p.106-7, 353, Pub. The Catholic Un. Press, Wash. DC 1964. Clemens Alex., Strom., vii. c. 14, vol.ii. p.549. Origen, de Principiis, i. c. vii. The Nicene & Post Nicene Fathers Vol.4, p.596, 65, 159, 329, 374, 386, 411, 413, 415, 502, 572, 576, 578, Vol.5 p.325, & 518-4, etc. & Vol.8, p.15-16, Vol.X p.321-3; Vol.12 p.163, 165, 167-9, 176, 179, 182-3, 188 & 190. Vol.13 p.3. The Horizon History of Christianity, Roland H. Bainton, 1964, p.214-5.
22- Heaven: A History by Colleen McDannell & Bernhard Lang, (Yale Un. Press, N. Haven & Lon. 1988), p.113, pl.10, p.129, pl.19, p.149, pl.27, p.179, pl.33, p.244, pl.48. pages 83-4. Also: Mormonism & Early Christianity, Nibley, ibid. p.16-17. Approaching Zion, 1989, Vol.9, Nibley, ibid. p.18-19, 30-1, 41, 112-3, 126, 163-4, 341, 434 & 448. For sources mentioning the "left hand path" etc. see: The Encyc. of Witches & Witchcraft, by Rosemary Ellen Guiley 1989, p.101. Man, Myth & Magic, Vol.1 p.277, Richard Cavendish. Hammer of the Gods, by Stephen Davis 1985 p.4-9. Matt.7:13-14. The Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 9:6-16, 18. Heb.12:22-3. Teaching of Sylvanus: 111:8-13; Tripartite Tractate 70:32-35; Gospel of Philip 75:25--76:5. A History of Christian Thought, by Arthur Cushman McGiffert, Vol.1, p.140-1; & ft.nt.s 1-4, Pub. Charles Scribners's Sons, N.Y., & Lon., 1934 & 54. S. Angus, The Mystery Religions & Christianity, p.106. Ps.82:1, 7. Russian Illuminated Manuscripts, by Olga Popova, Trans., by Kathleen Cook, & others, 1984, Aurora Art Pub., Len. p.20, dated about the 15th cent. AD. The Illustrations of the Heavenly Ladder Of John Climacus, by John Rupert Martin, 1954, Princeton Un. Press, fig.108-120, 265, 269, 273, 274-77, 281, 293, 296-7, etc. The Ancient Civilizations of Byzantium, by Antione Bon, 1972, p.114. Rev.21, 22:14; 4:1; The Secret Book of Revelation by Gilles Quispel, 1979, p.48. The Messiah Texts, Jewish Legends of 3000 Years, by Raphael Patai, 1979, p.251. Babylonian Talmud, Seder Tohorot Uk., Mishnah 12. Chaim Rabin's translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Damascus Document 2:7ff. The Nag Hammadi, Asclepius 68:25-34. Heb.11:13-16. Rev.5:9-13; 6:11; 3:5; 12.
23- Raymond Moody, The Light Beyond, (New York: Bantam Books, 1988), p. 107, 117-118.
24- Eleanor C. Munro, The Golden Encyclopedia Of Art, Pub. by Golden Press, N.Y., in 1961, p.165, fig.4. Tintoretto: The Last Supper, 1594, here Tintoretto foreshadowed the art style known as Baroque.
25- Friends of IANDS, of Seattle Washington, news letter, June-July 1996, Accelerated Inter-Dimensional Shift, by Scoot Croft, 1995.
Additional sources to consider:
Raymond Moody's 3 books: A. Life After Life. B. Reflections on Life After Life. C. The Light Beyond. George G. Ritchie's 2 books: A. Return From Tomorrow. B. My Life After Dying. Carol Zaleski's Otherworld Journeys (Accounts of NDES in Medieval & Modern Times). Heaven: A History, by Colleen McDannell & Bernhard Lang. Glimpses of Eternity, by Arvin S. Gibson. Life Everlasting by Duane S. Crowther. Anastasis (The Making of An Image), by Anna D. Kartsonis. (This book explores different legends, traditions, & art works concerning Christ's other-realm travels, etc.) The Journey Beyond Life (Vol.1), by Michele R. Sorensen & Dr. David R. Willmore. The Illustrations of the Heavenly Ladder of John Climacus, by John Rupert Martin, (Historical other-realm journeys in early to later Christian art works & writings). Joseph Heinermann's books: A. Spirit World Manifestations. B. Guardian Angels. Journal of Near-Death Studies. Ancient & Modern Explorations Into The Realms of the Spirits, (unpublished.) by DT. The Pilgrimages & Struggles of The Human Family In & Through the Different Realms of Existences, (unpublished research paper), by DT. Lee Nelson's 3 books: Beyond the Veil. Embraced By The Light, by Betty Eadie. TRANSFORMED BY THE LIGHT, BY MELVIN MORRIS. EMBRACED BY THE LIGHT, BY BETTY EADIE. THE BOOK OF ENOCH THE PROPHET, (READ ABOUT ENOCH'S OTHER REALM JOURNEYS IN THE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE BOOK OF ENOCH.)
HIERONYMUS BOSCH, BY CHARLES DE TOLNAY, (THIS BOOK SHOWS BOSCH'S 16TH CENTURY DEPICTION OF THE ASCENT OF THE BLESSED THROUGH A CIRCULAR SHAFT THAT LEADS TO PARADISE.) OMEGA, VOLUME 12(4), 1981-2, PAGES 319-327.
