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Jesus Christ and the Near-Death

Experience
The following are some of the important insights
concerning Jesus from many near-death accounts
and my own research concerning the NDE and the
Christian connection to it. There are many
interesting experiences with Jesus from NDEs and
many insights concerning him within them. Some of
these experiences are humorous and all of them
profound. There are many different descriptions of
the appearance of Jesus which is because, as one
person put it, Jesus appears to us in a way that we
can recognize him. You will find all the various
descriptions of Jesus from NDE accounts on this
website. You will find interesting quotes and NDE
insights concerning Jesus.

Table of Contents
1.NDE encounters with Jesus
2.Interesting experiences with Jesus
3.NDE descriptions of Jesus
4.A comparison of NDE descriptions of Jesus
5.Quotes by Jesus during NDEs
6.NDE insights concerning Jesus
7.Religious insights concerning Jesus
8.Ten reasons why Jesus went to the cross
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1. NDE encounters with Jesus

The following is a list of some very interesting encounters with Jesus
that near-death experiencers had during their NDE:
1. Jesus rescued a man from hell when he cried out for him. (Rev.
Howard Storm)
2. Jesus pled a woman's case before God in order to take her out
of hell. (Angie Fenimore)
3. Jesus hugged a woman and she described it as feeling like a
million volts of electricity going through her. (Susan)
4. Jesus gave a man a hug and told him to, "Go and hug others."
(John P.)
5. A woman was carried in the arms of Jesus toward the light of
heaven. (Linda Stewart)
6. Jesus turned into a giant sphere of light and absorbed a man
with the ecstasy of love. (Carter Mills)
7. Jesus told a gay man that he would send guardian angels to
help him when he returned. It was two gay men who helped
him. (Dr. Liz Dale's research)

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8. Jesus said to a child, "Will you come unto me?" The child told
Jesus, "No." (David Goines)
9. Jesus told a child that because of his visit to heaven the child
would never be the same again. (Randy Gehling)
10. Jesus told a child that her heart condition was given to her to
stay compassionate. (Lynn)
11. A man realized that the light of Jesus is everything in the
universe including himself. (Thomas Sawyer)
12. A woman saw a beautiful valley with people in it and Jesus was
looking over it all. (Kerry Kirk)
13. A woman saw Jesus turn sideways and stretch out his arms as
a bridge between her and God. (Valvita Jones)
14. Jesus told a man to turn around and when he did he saw
himself being pulled out of the car wreckage. (David Dawson)
15. Jesus gave a man something to eat that tasted like chocolate.
After the man ate it, Jesus informed him that he just ate the
Bible and because of this, he will remember its contents.
(Emanuel Tuwagirairmana)
16. Jesus gave a man a guided tour through four afterlife realms.
(Dr. George Ritchie)
17. A blind woman was reluctant to return until Jesus told her that
she is going to have children. (Vicki Umipeg)
18. Jesus revealed a woman's mission to her in order to encourage
her to return. (Betty Eadie)
19. Jesus told a man that his "second coming" will occur before the
man dies. However, the man died in December, 2002 and it is
apparent the second coming of Christ hasn't happened.
However, if Christ's second coming will be like his first coming,
then a case can be made that perhaps Christ has indeed
already returned. He was born into this world by a woman in his
first coming; Christ may return in the same manner. (Dr.
Richard Eby)
20. Jesus had a child look into a television-like device to see her
future. (Clara)
21. Jesus and a man together traveled back in time to the Stone
Age to watch cave men and women. (Guenter Wagner)
22. A man traveled back in time and lived in the minds of Jesus and
his disciples. (Dr. George Rodonaia)
23. A man traveled back in time to witness the actual crucifixion of
Jesus. (Don Brubaker)
24. A man saw Jesus on a cross in heaven and Jesus glanced at
him with a look of great love. (Dr. Gerard Landry)
25. A woman saw Jesus with blood on his robe and he told her,
"This is the blood that I shed on the cross for your sins."
(Lorraine Tutmarc)
26. Jesus gave a woman who attempted suicide the choice to either
reincarnate or return to earth. (Sandra Rogers)
27. Jesus asked a woman if she wanted to be reincarnated. (Jeanie
Dicus)
28. A man saw the Being of light transform into Jesus, Buddha and
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Krishna. (Mellen-Thomas Benedict)

29. Jesus was observed summoning other beings to join him by
producing a musical note which they could hear. (Rev. Howard
Storm)
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2. Interesting experiences with Jesus

Before an 8-year-old with cancer passed away, the
child had an NDE where Jesus was seen driving a
school bus. Such NDEs experienced by children,
transformed a pediatric oncologist from Yale from an
atheist to a person convinced that NDEs are real
spiritual experiences. (Dr. Diane Komp)

"Ralph Duncan was a cancer patient who had an NDE where he

encountered a luminous being whom he took to be Jesus. Ralph noted
that Jesus didn't look anything like the traditional images of him. Jesus'
eyes where "shooting fire" which resulted in Ralph being cured from his
cancer. (Dr. Kenneth Ring)

John P. was in the presence of the Jesus who expressed unconditional

love and acceptance toward him. Jesus then reached out and gave him a
hug. The hug was symbolic of the lack of affection that John experienced
from being a neglected child. At that point, John was healed from my
past. Jesus then told him to go and hug others. (John P.)

During George Rodonaia's NDE, he realized that all he needed to do

was think about something and it would come to him. He felt it necessary
to learn about the Bible. So, he went back in time and lived in the minds
of Jesus and his disciples. He heard their conversations, experienced
eating, passing wine, smells, tastes - yet had no body. He was pure
consciousness. (Dr. George Rodonaia)

Sandra Rogers asked the light, whom she identified as Jesus, how
people from other religions get to heaven. She was shown that the group,
or organization, that people profess alliance to is inconsequential. What is
important is how we show our love for God by the way we treat each
other. Sandra learned that this is because when we pass to the spiritual
realm we will all be met by Jesus. (Sandra Rogers)

David Oakford was told that Jesus is the being who is entrusted by
God to ensure that souls evolve. He was told that Jesus is of the highest
in vibration than any other soul. He said that God holds Jesus in the
highest of favor because he was the best example of what humans need
to do. (David Oakford)

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Mellen-Thomas Benedict had a conversation with the light who kept

changing into different figures, such as Jesus, Buddha, Krishna,
mandalas, archetypal images and signs. Mellen-Thomas asked the light
to clarify itself. The light responded that your beliefs shape the kind of
feedback you are getting before the light. If you were a Buddhist or
Catholic or Fundamentalist, you get a feedback loop of your own stuff.
Mellen-Thomas then became aware that he was seeing humanity's
Higher Self matrix - a mandala of human souls within each of us. (Mellen-
Thomas Benedict)

Jesus appeared to George Ritchie with tremendous light. Far more

than power, what emanated from this presence was an astonishing
unconditional love. It was a love beyond his wildest imagining. It was a
love that knew every unlovable thing about him -the quarrels with his
stepmother, his explosive temper, the sex thoughts he could never
control, every mean, selfish thought and action since the day he was
born-and accepted him just the same. After a life review, George is give a
guided tour of the afterlife with Jesus. (Dr. George Ritchie)

Guenter Wagner's encounter with Jesus: Jesus

then poured pure love within him and his whole
soul was immersed in love. Jesus told Guenter that
he needed to be cleansed. Jesus lifts him up and
places him into a red light. Afterward, Jesus took
him to the top of a mountain to converse. Jesus
told him that there were very powerful and cunning
beings who were his enemies with whom he had
been constantly fighting. He told Guenter to warn
the world against them. Then Jesus told him to turn around. When he did
he heard people screaming and saw fire and smoke that gradually took
on the shape of a mushroom. Jesus told Guenter that he will do
everything in his power to prevent this from happening. Jesus told him
that this war has been going on for a very long time and the evil beings
had become more and more powerful. Jesus said that if this continued he
would not see any means of preventing them from taking over everything.
He said that if the enemy had really succeeded in coming into his world,
the war would have been lost. He would have been powerful enough, no
doubt, to fight them off, but the war would have been lost in the long run.
Jesus was afraid of loosing this war. Then it was intimated to Guenter that
Jesus needed help. Jesus told him that the only way he could help him
was by going back and telling the world about his experience. Jesus told
Guenter that he would become a new type of teacher. He said that he
was going to teach while being in a sort of sleep. While asleep, Guenter
would be able to hear and talk. Jesus said that people will come to him
and ask him questions. What he will say while asleep will be of much
importance.

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[Webmaster's note: This is exactly how Edgar Cayce had his out-of-body
journeys to heaven to obtain information.]

Jesus tells Guenter to write down everything that happened to him. Jesus
then takes him back into time to the Stone Age to observe early humans.
Afterward, Jesus lead him through a life review. (Guenter Wagner)

Betty Eadie's encounter with Jesus: "I saw a pinpoint of light in the
distance. As I approached it, I noticed the figure of a man standing in it,
with the light radiating all around him. As I got closer the light became
brilliant - brilliant beyond any description, far more brilliant than the sun. I
saw that the light immediately around him was golden, as if his whole
body had a golden halo around it, and I could see that the golden halo
burst out from around him and spread into a brilliant, magnificent
whiteness that extended out for some distance. I felt his light blending into
mine. And as our lights merged, I felt as if I had stepped into his
countenance, and I felt an utter explosion of love. It was the most
unconditional love I have ever felt, and as I saw his arms open to receive
me I went to him and received his complete embrace. I felt his enormous
spirit and knew that I had always been a part of him, that in reality I had
never been away from him. I knew that he was aware of all my sins and
faults, but that they didn't matter right now. He just wanted to hold me and
share his love with me, and I wanted to share mine with him. There was
no questioning who he was. I knew that he was my Savior, and friend,
and God. He was Jesus Christ, who had always loved me, even when I
thought he hated me. He was life itself, love itself, and his love gave me a
fullness of joy, even to overflowing. I knew that I had known him from the
beginning, from long before my earth life, because my spirit remembered
him. His light now began to fill my mind, and my questions were answered
even before I fully asked them. His light was knowledge. It had power to
fill me with all truth. As I gained confidence and let the light flow into me,
my questions came faster than I thought possible, and they were just as
quickly answered. I understood that he was the Son of God, though he
himself was also a God, and that he had chosen from before the creation
of the world to be our Savior. I understood, or rather, I remembered, his
role as creator of the earth. His mission was to come into the world to
teach love. This knowledge was more like remembering." (Betty Eadie)
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3. NDE descriptions of Jesus

"I knew right away that it was Jesus. I knew by his eyes." (Randy
Gehling)

"You can see yourself mirrored in Jesus' eyes. He can look straight
through you and into you. He glows with an iridescent golden light."

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(Valvita Jones)

"Ralph Duncan was dying of leukemia and

he had an NDE during which he encountered
Jesus who appeared as an luminous being and
did not look anything like the traditional images
of him. Jesus' eyes were 'shooting fire' and he
communicated a telepathic message: 'That's
enough, it's dead, it's gone.' Ralph understood
this to mean that he no longer have leukemia.
Through Jesus' eyes 'shooting fire' and saying 'That's enough,' it was
understood to mean, in effect, 'I've zapped you with enough voltage for
this to cure you.' Ralph later recovered from his leukemia." (Dr. Kenneth
Ring)

"He is about 5' 9" and about 150 lbs. He is slim and handsome. When
he hugs you, it feels like a million volts of electricity going through your
body." (Susan)

"Everything you would want to see in Jesus' face is there." (Lorraine

Tutmarc)

"He was dressed in white, long sleeve floor-length robe with a wide
gold band around his mid-section and wears sandals. He has a long face
and a broad chin. He communicated by looking at me." (Clara)

"Children tend to be explicit about skin tones when talking about any
religious figure who visited them. Jesus is seen as a man with tan skin.
Adults are the ones who usually see Jesus as white." (P.M.H. Atwater)

"To me he looked like the picture of the 'Sacred Heart,' the one looking
upward." (Stanley Villavicencio)

Margaret Tweddell's description of Jesus: "When I first saw him, the

light and the glory and the surging of power was so tremendous. It was
like an avalanche of feeling over me. At the present time I just don't feel
that I have found a way in which to describe what it was like - an
indescribable contentment and uplifting, a tremendous ecstasy of feeling
on all realms, being completely out of yourself, an unusually vivid
knowledge of the intense, sympathetic love around you - the warmth of it,
the light of it -something that is not external but is part of you. It is like a
sunrise on a mountain that is covered with snow, when the colors come
down and reflect on you- a dazzling brilliance that would make you close
your eyes and yet feel it in every pore of your body. This is the feeling that
you have as you come toward the LIGHT.

"And then suddenly to hear the voice that says, "Look at me." And when
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you look - there, just as you've always imagined -you see him. He shows
himself to us according to our own understanding. If I want to think of him
as a man who walked by the lake and a man who looked as the Jews
looked at that time, then I'll see him that way. If in my thought I think he's
modern and bright, then I'll see him that way. We do not see him as the
medieval painters made him. We see him as we, in our own selves, have
pictured him, because otherwise we wouldn't recognize him. How would
we know unless we have the picture already in our own being -in our own
minds, in our own hearts.

"To me he came walking across the air- across the tops of the buildings,
the trees. I'd always known he'd come toward me with his arms and
hands outstretched. He said, "Come, let me show you" - because I have
an insatiable curiosity and I must see and I must know. But there was no
"falling asleep in the arms of Jesus." There was the knowing warmth of
BEING that I've always known would be. It was so much beyond what
words can tell.

"It is true that the Lord Jesus can take a form so solid that those who are
in the body may see him - those who are in the dream state may see him
and be called by him. But when I saw him transcendent, I was days and
days just marveling and sensing and knowing. This was my rebirth. The
body in which I now function was strengthened -made resilient, firm,
aware. When I first came over here, I only knew what I had known and
seen, shall we say, in a vision. But that was to see and not to experience.
Until you have experienced it and been caught up without the ties and the
cord that keep you with the physical body, it is very difficult to
comprehend.

"Until you are released from the bondage of the physical body, you have
no way of knowing the feeling and the uplifting and the thoughts that
come into your head. The body is so much heavier than the personality
which goes on. But even in your personality, there are times when you are
completely detached - we call it a mystical ecstasy. Every time I turn my
mind toward him now, I am engulfed in the power and time has no limits
or meaning. It may be a flash, it may be hours -I know not. It is just a
great knowing. I ask and he's there. He says, 'Follow me,' and we follow.
But we don't follow with our feet. The whole being of you follows him
because he is everywhere - in and through and around and everywhere.
He is a manifestation of God." (Margaret Tweddell)
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4. A comparison of NDE descriptions of Jesus

"Perhaps the greatest reason why Jesus is described in differing ways in
NDEs can best be described by Margaret Tweddell who revealed that
Jesus appears in a way that you can recognize him and/or just as you've
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always imagined you see him. He shows himself

to us according to our own understanding. The
reason for this is that souls can appear in any form
they desire. This phenomenon shows up in many
near-death accounts. For example, May Eulitt and
her two companions, who were sharing the same
NDE, each saw the Being of Light as entirely
different beings. Beings of light asked Rev. Howard
Storm if he wanted them to change their appearance so that he wouldn't
be frightened. Jesus appeared to Dr. Gerard Landry on the cross as if he
were flesh and bones, still with his nail-pierced hands and feet, and the
wound in his side. Hal had a life review and the being who him through
his life review transformed from a ball of light into a hooded and robed
figure. Ignorant souls in the dark realms can transform themselves into
hideous creatures with melting faces and foul odors, for example. Even
the experiencers, such as Reinee Pasarow, can transform themselves
into an orb of light. With this in mind, here are a few NDE descriptions of
Jesus. More will be added soon." (Kevin Williams)

NDE
Hair Eyes Skin
Experiencer
dark brown and blue, piercing, olive and light
Valvita Jones
light red, wavy transparent golden
Lorraine beautiful, large,
auburn, wavy ------
Tutmarc full of meaning
Susan dark brown dark brown ------
dark brown, dark eyes with olive
shoulder length black around
Clara
eyelids, eyes of
liquid love
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5. Quotes by Jesus during NDEs

A 13-year-old child with a heart condition asked
Jesus during an NDE if he gave her the heart
condition so that she would have a cross to carry like
he did as her sixth-grade teacher told her. Jesus
replied, "No, this heart condition of yours is not a
cross from me for you to bear. This heart condition is
a challenge to help you grow and stay
compassionate." (Lynn)

Jesus told Randy Gehling that he should never worry if people doubted
his story or could not understand what he was telling them. "One day,

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everyone will come to see for themselves what you have seen." (Randy
Gehling)

As Jesus was about to leave me with them, I felt his amusement again,
and he seemed to whisper to my spirit, "Go learn of things," and I
understood that I was free to see and experience all that I wanted. (Betty
Eadie)

"During Dr. Richard Eby's NDE, Jesus commanded to tell people

that: "These are the last days before I return for my body of believers. I
am coming for them soon!" Jesus explained that he would be giving some
of his children many documenting evidences to validate his prophecies.
Jesus told Eby that: "I need eyewitnesses of my glory and truth now. You
are but one. Go, tell them. There is but little while until I come for my body
of believers." (Dr. Richard Eby)

Vicki Umipeg, blind since birth, saw Jesus during her NDE. She
noticed that he is a figure of great radiance. Jesus greeted her tenderly
while she conveyed her excitement to him about her newfound
omniscience and her joy at being there with him. Telepathically, Jesus
said to her: "Isn't it wonderful? Everything is beautiful here, and it fits
together. And you'll find that. But you can't stay here now. It's not your
time to be here yet and you have to go back." (Vicki Umipeg)

Jesus lifted Linda Stewart from the void and into the light filling her with
ecstasy and love. She realized that the only reality is God and that there
is no other. And God is love. She turned to Jesus and said, "This is
beautiful. I am home. This is where I want to be. I want to stay." And
Christ answered: "You can stay for a little while and then you must
return." (Linda Stewart)

"In the NDE documentary video entitled "Shadows", Cindy Massey

described a conversation she had with Jesus about having to return to life
during her near-death experience. Describing this conversation with
Jesus to other is difficult for her. She stated, "This parts really hard. As
many times as I tell it, I keep thinking I'm going to get through this
[sobbing]."
Cindy: "I want to come home now."
Jesus: "No, you can't" He replied.
Cindy: "But I don't want to stay there anymore. I don't like it."
Jesus: "I know that."
Cindy: "Well, I just want to come home. They are very mean
down there. I don't like it."
Jesus: "I grieve for you and what they've done to you. And
I grieve for what they do to each other. I grieve
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deeply. I hurt for you and for all of you. You have to
go back. You have to return."
Cindy: "Why?"
Jesus: "Because you promised me."
Cindy: "But I can do it another time and another place."
Jesus: "There is no other time. There is no other place. You
must do it this time. You promised."
Cindy: "Well, you don't understand." When Cindy looked into
his eyes, she knew he did.
Jesus: "You promised me, child, it would be this time. You must
return but I promise you I will be back when it is time for you to
go."
Cindy: "I don't know what I am supposed to do."
Jesus: "You'll know. You'll know when it's time and you'll know
what to do.'" (Cindy Massey)
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6. NDE insights concerning Jesus

Before the universe was created, every soul that
ever existed and will exist, including Jesus, was
created by God. Millions of years ago, some of these
souls entered into the universe and some entered the
path of the earth and desired to experience it. They
began to possess the bodies of ape-men and through
the process of millions of years of evolution became
homo sapiens. The race of humanity was influenced by a soul who had
completed its experience of creation and returned to God. This is the soul
known as Jesus. (Edgar Cayce)

After reincarnating as the Biblical personalities of Adam, Enoch, and

Melchizedek (to name a few), Jesus knew that he needed to create a
pattern for humans to follow to attain at-one-ment with God to lead them
back to their heavenly origins. He did this through his final incarnation as
the humble carpenter from Galilee. By becoming triumphant over death
and the body, he laid down a way for people to follow to crucify self and
the ego and return to God. (Edgar Cayce)

Dr. PMH Atwater, researched the identity of the initial greeters met in
near-death states. She discovered that religious figures usually conform
to the predominant religion the experiencer was exposed to, but not
always. Jesus has appeared in near-death scenarios of Jewish people,
for instance; a Muslim man once told her he was met by Buddha. (P.M.H.
Atwater)

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The so-called "trinity" that Christians talk about (i.e., Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit) is actually how God can be viewed from the earth's three-
dimensional perspective. That is, God can be viewed three-dimensionally
as Mind, Body, and Spirit. In this sense, the trinity can be explained as the
"Mind of God", the "Body of God," and the "Spirit of God." The Bible
describes this as the "Mind of Christ" which is the Son - the light of God.
The "Body of Christ" which is the Father - the life of God. And the "Spirit
of Christ" which is the Holy Spirit - the love of God. This is why Jesus
could say that "you are gods." In other words, all humans can be as Jesus
was: one with the Mind of God, the Body of God, and the Spirit of God.
(Edgar Cayce)

"The way out of the void (outer darkness) is simple. You must think of
love. If you are a Christian and you think of Jesus and you see Jesus as
love, then you will be thinking of love. To recognize love as a reality is the
key to escaping from the void." (Brian Krebs)

The Biblical references to the title of "Christ" (the anointed one) is a

reference to the divine consciousness within human beings. In this
respect, it can be said that Jesus and Buddha became Christs because
they were a manifestation of the divine nature in humanity. This divine
nature is also known by other titles in various religious traditions such as:
Dharmakaya, Brahman, Collective Unconscious, and Universal
Consciousness. This union of the human with the divine is the ultimate
goal of everyone and is spiritually possible for all. (Edgar Cayce)

"The higher one's soul development, the brighter the light will shine
from their spirit. What determines what one looks like in the spirit world is
the person's quality of heart and life. One's inner quality is perceived as
light. One's features are visible but the light that comes from their very
essence is the identifying feature. For example, because they lived totally
for other people, Jesus and other religious leaders emanate brilliant light."
(Nora Spurgin)

Edgar Cayce foresaw that Jesus would return in the year 1998. Critics
who are not very familiar with the Cayce material have pointed out that
1998 has come and gone and the second coming has not occurred. Such
critics wrongly expect the second coming to happen when Jesus appears
in the sky with a chorus of angels while Gabriel blows a horn and dead
bodies crawl out of their graves. This idea of the resurrection was the
result of a misunderstanding of the concept of reincarnation - the ancient
concept of birth and rebirth. (Edgar Cayce)

"The fact that Christianity is so dominant in the West may be the

reason that the Being of Light appears in the form of Jesus so frequently
in western NDEs. To Buddhists, the Being of Light often appears in the

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form of Buddha. To Jews, the Being of Light may appear in the form as
Adam (as revealed in the Zohar) or the Jewish Messiah. To Hindus, the
Being of Light may appear as the Lord of Death." (Kevin Williams)
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7. Religious insights concerning Jesus

Jesus teaching his disciples about the reincarnation of Elijah as John
the Baptist:

Jesus said, "For all the prophets and the law have prophesied
until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who
was to come." ...
And the disciples asked him, saying, "Why then do the scribes
say that Elijah must come first?" But he answered them and
said:
"Elijah indeed is to come and will restore all things. But I say to
you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him, but
did to him whatever they wished. So also shall the Son of Man
suffer at their hand."
Then the disciples understood that he had spoken of John the
Baptist ...
"But I tell you, Elijah has come." (Matthew 11:13-14; Matthew
7:10-13; Mark 9:13)
"The main controversy during the early Church age was about the
nature of humanity and how humanity is saved. It involved two pictures of
Jesus: Either he was God who had always been God or he was a human
who became God's Son. If he was a human who became God's Son, then
that implied that other humans could also become Sons of God. This idea
was unacceptable to the orthodox, hence their insistence that Jesus had
always been God and was entirely different from all created beings.
Otherwise, it implied that the soul did not need the Church to achieve
salvation." (Elizabeth Claire Prophet)

"Jesus constantly taught the importance of good works of love to

achieve spiritual growth. The idea that people achieve at-one-ment
merely by giving verbal assent to Jesus, or by worshipping Jesus, or by
merely believing in his name, or by believing in his work on the cross, is a
gross distortion of his teachings. Having faith in Christ alone means
nothing. Having the faith of Christ means to become like Jesus through
living a life of love and good works toward everyone." (Kevin Williams)

"We can each experience a taste of His embrace by opening ourselves

to His unconditional love and then by giving that love away to everyone
we meet. The ripple effect, from its very source, is available to all who are
willing to pass it along to others. Heaven can be anywhere." (Betty Eadie)

"More information about Jesus and his mission can be found in many
NDEs such as [1], [2], [3], [4], and [5]." (Kevin Williams)

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"The promises of Jesus given in the Gospel of John can help you
unlock your inner self." (Edgar Cayce)
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8. Ten reasons why Jesus went to the cross

Central to mainstream Christian doctrine is that
God required a human sacrifice for sin. The gospels
tell us Jesus believed the culmination of his divine
mission was to die for the sake of others. In Jesus'
day, it was believed animal sacrifices were necessary
for the forgiveness of sins. This made good sense to
people two thousand years ago; but to the modern
mind it is utterly ridiculous. The idea that God needs
human or animal sacrifice to be appeased seems repulsive and barbaric.
It is also incredibly unjust for God to require the killing the innocent for the
transgressions of the guilty. The Bible suggests there are much deeper
spiritual reasons for Christ's death and why Jesus ultimately volunteered
to have himself killed. The following list describes some of these deeper
spiritual reasons.

1. Jesus' death was a way to emphasize the major point of his

teachings which is to practice unconditional love through self-
sacrifice, self-deprecation, and self-denial by crucifying your
lower beastly nature of humanity which is self-gratification, self-
indulgence, self-centeredness, self-righteousness, self-
importance, self-condemnation, selfishness, and humanity's
constant clamoring for SELF (i.e., the ego, the "false god", the
"devil").
2. Because of Jesus' death, his teachings proliferated and drew
worldwide attention. The incredible injustice of his execution,
combined with his life-changing teachings, made Jesus one of
the greatest spiritual teachers the world has ever known.
3. Because of Jesus' death, he demonstrated his testimony to be
highly credible because of his willingness to die in such an
extremely horrible execution for the sake of his testimony and
teachings. A liar would not suffer this much and die for the sake
of a lie. A lunatic would not say the profound things Jesus said.
The only other option left is that Jesus was who he said he was
and his teachings are therefore true.
4. Because of Jesus' death, he fulfilled a large number of Hebrew
prophecies which drew a large number of Jews to his cause to
build the foundation for his church.
5. Because of his death, Jesus was able to return to heaven in
order to continue his ministry on earth at a later time. His return
to earth from heaven will satisfy prophecies demonstrating him
to be the Christian Messiah. Should his return be a spiritual
return instead of literal one, his return may represent a time
when the Holy Spirit will rule the collective consciousness of
humanity.
6. Because of Jesus' death, he was able to visit his disciples in

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spirit at a later time. Their testimony of Jesus' ability to conquer

death provided the world with strong evidence of life after
death. His after-death visitations with his disciples are
remarkably similar to modern reports of after-death
communications.
7. Because of Jesus' death, he was better able to serve humanity
through the outpouring ministry of the Holy Spirit which Jesus
manifested throughout his life. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit
resulted in the spreading of his teachings throughout the world.
8. One particular near-death experiencer, Arthur Yensen, said
Jesus also came to stop the age-old practice of slaughtering
innocent animals as scapegoats for human beings in the name
of God. Killing animals for nourishment is one thing, but killing
them for the purpose of removing the guilt of people's
misdeeds is abhorrent. Spiritually mature people pay their
OWN debts and seek the forgiveness of those they offended.
Having an innocent one killed to pay your debts is for the
spiritually immature. Jesus himself said we must take up our
OWN cross and follow him.
10. According to Betty Eadie, life on earth is our opportunity to
learn unconditional love as Jesus taught it and to serve and
sacrifice personal welfare in behalf of others. Part of Jesus'
mission was to demonstrate this ... our mission is to live as he
did.

I am sure there are other spiritual reasons for Jesus' death. Unfortunately,
for thousands of years the human sacrifice motif has been the dominate
motif in Christianity concerning Christ's self-sacrificial death.
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"Believing in Jesus is not enough to attain

heaven. We get to heaven by emulating the
love of Jesus rather than by worshipping
Jesus." - Kevin Williams
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