Andrew J NDE

Experience Description

Please note that the date range of the experience is given approximately, because I am uncertain of the times or dates, as I was not physically aware for those three days. Those were the days I was unconscious from the accident. I am told that I was dead on the operating room table for three minutes during the brain surgery I was having to correct life-threatening damage to my head.

During this time, I wasn't aware of what had become of my physical body until I awoke to the real world again.

I saw the light. I followed it. People say, 'Don't follow the light,' but you really don't have a choice. It's either follow the light, or be stuck there until you wake up - if you do. So I followed. I emerged somewhere outside the Gates of Heaven. I walked up to the nearest Seraph and didn't even get past stating my full name, when the Seraph simply smiled and said, 'Follow me, He wishes to speak with you.' So I did. We walked in through the gates and I was led straight to the chamber where The Lord sat. I seated myself across a desk from Him, and we began conversing. The desk was completely clear.

To this day, I cannot completely remember all that I talked with Him about - but I get a sense that it was a long conversation, one as if between friends. I do remember some parts of it, however - mainly that He told me directly that I would not remember much of what we talked about.

What I do remember is from the middle of the conversation. Keep in mind that at this point, I did not know my father had passed on in the accident that we had just been in. We had been on our way to go out to eat, as we always did, and he had been driving.

I remember that the Lord said to me, 'Worry not, you will not be kept here. I do not wish to have you home yet, for you have much to live for!' This was in response to my question, 'Am I really 'dead' to my life down there?' The Lord then smiled and my dad walked in, grinning as he went to stand by the Lord's side. It was his usual mischievous 'surprise bearing' smile. It also had a large amount of pride in it.

My dad simply said, 'I'm home.' To which I replied, 'Daniel will miss you, and so will I.' Daniel, who was seventeen at the time of the accident, is my younger brother. My dad simply said, 'Take care of him while you still can.' I said that of course I would.

The Lord then spoke and said, 'Your father spoke to me earlier and did not wish you to die. I granted his wish.' I conversed more with the Lord and my father. This portion isn't something I can remember, but I get the hazy sense that it was just as if we were talking things over, and that they were both consoling me.

My memory picks back up at the point where I expressed my anxiety at returning to life. I think I said, 'Well, I'd like to get back down and check on Daniel.' and I gave my father and the Lord a parting hug. I still remember the hugs well, for when I gave the Lord a hug, he whispered into my ear as I was transported back, 'You will not remember everything we spoke about, but don't worry, and you'll remember what you need to know in life when the time is right. And you will remember it all when you cross Heaven's threshold once again.'

Background Information:

Gender: Male

Date NDE Occurred: 2/12-15/2010

NDE Elements:

At the time of your experience, was there an associated life-threatening event? Yes Accident. Direct head injury Clinical death (cessation of breathing or heart function or brain function) Head injury.

How do you consider the content of your experience? Wonderful

The experience included: Out of body experience

Did you feel separated from your body? Yes I lost awareness of my body

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal everyday consciousness and alertness? Less consciousness and alertness than normal As above.

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness? Unknown. Physically speaking, I wasn't there. Spiritually, I was normally conscious.

Were your thoughts speeded up? Incredibly fast

Did time seem to speed up or slow down? Everything seemed to be happening at once; or time stopped or lost all meaning Time certainly wasn't flowing as it does in life. I can't be sure if it was simply standing still or moving faster in Heaven.

Were your senses more vivid than usual? Incredibly more vivid

Please compare your vision during the experience to your everyday vision that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. In Heaven, I didn't have my glasses on. They were simply missing from my person, and I could see clearly, so I didn't think to look for them.

Please compare your hearing during the experience to your everyday hearing that you had immediately prior to the time of the experience. Sharper than normal in Heaven. I could clearly hear the voices of everyone as I passed them. This included people, angels and other beings in Heaven, regardless of how far away they were. As long as I could see them clearly, I could hear their voices clearly (unless they were whispering or trying to keep quiet).

Did you seem to be aware of things going on elsewhere? Yes, and the facts have been checked out

Did you pass into or through a tunnel? Uncertain At first I saw a point of light that appeared to be in the distance. I walked toward it and it grew in brightness and size until it encompassed me completely.

The experience included: Presence of deceased persons

Did you see any beings in your experience? I actually saw them

Did you encounter or become aware of any deceased (or alive) beings? Yes I met: The Lord. My father. A seraphim who lead me to where the Lord and my father were. As for what was communicated, see my experience description.

The experience included: Light

Did you see, or feel surrounded by, a brilliant light? A light clearly of mystical or other-worldly origin

Did you see an unearthly light? Yes It started out small, as if in the distance. I followed it and it grew to surround me as I walked toward it. The walk wasn't too far.

Did you seem to enter some other, unearthly world? A clearly mystical or unearthly realm I visited Heaven. See my description of the event. It was a VERY beautiful place, but I can't remember it fully.

What emotions did you feel during the experience? The entire spectrum, as I would normally. Overall, I was unbelievably happy to be in Heaven and see my dad.

Did you have a feeling of peace or pleasantness? Incredible peace or pleasantness

Did you have a feeling of joy? Happiness

Did you feel a sense of harmony or unity with the universe? I felt united or one with the world

Did you suddenly seem to understand everything? Everything about the universe

The experience included: Life review

Did scenes from your past come back to you? My past flashed before me, out of my control As the Lord returned me to my life; I got a nice sort of show of past events. It was nothing that I didn't already know. It wasn't a chaotic sort of 'life flashing before your eyes' thing; it was more like it was all being replayed back to me in 1x speed, like a movie. It wasn't my ENTIRE life, mind you, but more like clips of significant experiences the way I went through them at the time they happened. Nothing new.

Did scenes from the future come to you? Scenes from the world's future

Did you come to a border or point of no return? I came to a barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will

God, Spiritual and Religion:

What was your religion prior to your experience? Moderate 'Christian, Protestant but NON-DENOMINATIONAL.'

Have your religious practices changed since your experience? No

What is your religion now? Moderate Same as time of experience.

Did you have a change in your values and beliefs because of your experience? No

The experience included: Presence of unearthly beings

Did you seem to encounter a mystical being or presence, or hear an unidentifiable voice? I encountered a definite being, or a voice clearly of mystical or unearthly origin

Did you see deceased or religious spirits? I actually saw them

Concerning our Earthly lives other than Religion:

During your experience, did you gain special knowledge or information about your purpose? Yes Just as the question states. There was a sense of having special knowledge. It is inaccessible to me for now. I feel as if I wouldn't be allowed to share it all anyway, but I'd share what I could share, if asked directly. Right now I don't know what I was taught when I spoke with the Lord Himself - just that I will remember it only when the time is right.

Have your relationships changed specifically because of your experience? No

After the NDE:

Was the experience difficult to express in words? No

Do you have any psychic, non-ordinary or other special gifts after your experience that you did not have before the experience? Yes The ability to see when time is flowing at more or less than 1x (its normal rate of flow). I have a few other gifts, the nature of which I simply do not wish to share. People would misjudge them and the Lord warned me about exposing those gifts to anyone that has not been similarly gifted - anyone I couldn't personally sense was in possession of that same sort of Gift from the Lord.

Are there one or several parts of your experience that are especially meaningful or significant to you? Seeing my dad and the Lord in Heaven was the most significant. Why wouldn't that be? I do not believe that many people have that experience.

Have you ever shared this experience with others? Yes Not even six weeks after I was discharged from the hospital, I told it to my aunt with whom I lived then. Of course, the version I told her was 'edited' for brevity. She did not seem to take me seriously. She even went as far as implying she thought it was just something I made up. I sharply corrected her without my usual polite demeanor. (I wasn't too rude, but I wasn't polite, either, in my retort.) I didn't discuss it further with her again, unless she asked me directly about it.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience? Uncertain I knew NDEs happened to some people. I do not believe my knowledge of that fact affected the experience I had.

What did you believe about the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened? Experience was probably real Shortly after it happened, I thought the experience was 'probably real.' For one thing, at that time, I was focusing on my recovery and not on whether or not my experience had been real. Also, I was taking into consideration that I had just suffered a brain injury, and wanted to wait until I felt confident that my mind was working soundly. That took about three to four months.

What do you believe about the reality of your experience now? Experience was definitely real Now I see my experience as 'definitely real.' It had to be real. There were many things in the conversation between my dad, me and the Lord, that I can remember, that perfectly match what I know. I won't go into detail about those things, because they were simply personal details, and I consider them of minor importance.

At any time in your life, has anything ever reproduced any part of the experience? No