Out of all the near-death experiences I've read about, that of the English preacher John Bunyan was perhaps the most striking of all. In an era when near-death experiences were not as widely reported as they are today, he narrated a story that can easily catch people's attention, even those who are not really interested in NDE's.
John Bunyan lived in 17th century England -- to be exact, between 1628 and 1688. He was imprisoned several times for a period spanning more than a decade, mainly because of a violation of a law which today may seem quite vague and unjust. It was prohibited back then in his country to preach without a license, and for this Bunyan was many times guilty.
He narrated that when he was a young man, he had a friend who apparently did not believe in God, and being an intelligent person that he was it came to him that this might be true, considering that this friend of his was someone that he respected and perhaps admired in an intellectual sense. The only problem was that he had been a Christian for a long time and had a fervent belief in a God that created all things.
In his confusion he confided to his friend that he was inclined to believe him, only that he needed more assurance. He said that his friend seemingly laughed the matter off, telling him in a sense that he will get over it any way. So instead of getting assurance John got into more confusion, until this led to a spiritual and psychological dilemma that he was not able to handle anymore.
To think about it, this kind of dilemma that John Bunyan experienced does not often occur among Christians or among men living in present-day England. But what was amazing was how he reacted to this dilemma - he decided to take his own life in order for him to know for sure if there really was a God or not, or if heaven or hell really indeed exist!
Imagine that! How many people today will try to commit suicide for such a reason! You see, it's very easy for a lot of people to have a suicidal impulse when they are heartbroken, financially ruined or on the brink of being incarcerated for a long time. But this one is different. John Bunyan tried to kill himself because he was confused about whether to believe in God or not! This just proved how committed to Christianity he was before he became aware of the new philosophy he learned from his friend.
To make the long story short, John Bunyan told us that as he was about to take his own life in the woods where he planned it to take place, he was stopped in his tracks by a voice which turned out to be that of an angel who subsequently brought him to a realization of what his suicide might have turned him into - an undying soul that forever suffers in hell.
John Bunyan's experience may not be what we may refer to as a near-death experience because he was not dying when it happened (except for the fact perhaps that he was on the brink of death at the time because his intention was to die). However, the afterlife experience that he narrated has similarities with normal NDE's, and is worth taking the time to read. John Bunyan's afterlife story and his other books can be read freely on the internet so if you have the time, read them and you'll see the interesting thing that happened next.
Jace is a web publisher who's also interested in NDE's or near death experiences. He also writes about romantic getaways, particularly in Georgia, USA. If you happen to be residing in Georgia you can check out his website at http://romanticgetawaysingeorgia.org.
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