prgclb@ihuxm.UUCP (06/28/83)
Cliff Morgan's report of Dr. Eby's "life after death" experience suggests that ardent non-Christians may get the chance to know Christ in life-threatening situations when someone else offers intercessory prayer. I do not want to confirm or deny Cliff's reports, but I do wonder how such a claim can be reconciled with the doctrine of election, as subscribed to by people of the Reformed denominations (e.g. Presbyterians). This doctrine maintains that people who become Christians have been so ordained by God since before the beginning. Perhaps the unusual experiences cited by Cliff are among the ways that God reconciles certain of his "elect" to Christ. Carl Blesch Bell Labs - Naperville, Ill. IH 2A-159, (312) 979-3360 ihuxm!prgclb
cliffm@tektronix.UUCP (06/29/83)
In a recent article, I made brief reference to the testimony
of Dr. Richard E. Eby (please note correct spelling of last name;
several replies erroneously mentioned "Ely"). This has generated
considerable interest, both on the net and in personal replies,
so I am including more information for those who would be interested.
Dr. Eby's amazing experience occurred in 1972 when he and his
wife went to the home of Mrs. Eby's aunt who had recently passed away.
Dr. Eby, a physician, stepped outside on the second story balcony to
discard some cardboard boxes when suddenly the railing collapsed.
Mrs. Eby, hearing the crash from inside the house, rushed outside
to find her husband dead in a pool of blood on the ground. The
skull had been badly damaged and there were other extensive internal
and external injuries.
In spite of the horrible shock, Mrs. Eby summoned the strength
to call for help. A Christian prayer chain was immediately contacted
and an ambulance arrived within a very short time. However, when
the ambulance crew noted the condition of their dead patient they
seemed in no particular hurry. Yet Mrs. Eby continued to intercede
for her husband's recovery, trusting that Jesus could raise him from
the dead even as He had raised Lazarus from the dead.
The ambulance attendees seemed to be moved by Mrs. Eby's faith,
and as a result sped up their trip to the hospital. When the
ambulance arrived, Dr. Eby's body was still in the form of a lifeless,
bloodless corpse, so after some time, arrangements were made to
perform an autopsy. Also, it was decided that the staff at the
hospital would try to clean up and sew up the mangled head of the
body to save the mortician some work.
[During this time, the spirit of Dr. Eby was having the time
of his life. While Dr. Eby's recollection of the events surrounding
the accident is somewhat fuzzy (his wife supplied many of the details)
his memory of his time in Paradise is crystal clear. He notes that
he was instantly placed in "a new body" that seems to be transparent.
This "new body" is able to experience the incredible beauty of the
new surroundings with very keen perception. Also, he notes that
his mind now operates at lightning-fast speed. For example, he
sees a beautiful clump of flowers and wishes to pick them. No sooner
is this thought conceived than the flowers instantly appear in his
hand.
Dr. Eby becomes very fascinated and curious about his new
existence, and at that point Christ appears. In answer to his
questions, the Lord explains to him that this is Paradise -- an
intermediate place where He will teach Christians to be "kings
and priests" for the life that is to come. A number of other
questions and answers were exchanged before Dr. Eby understands
that his life on earth is not yet finished and that he will be
raised up again to bear witness to the reality of man's eternal
destiny.
As Dr. Eby's spirit begins to long for his wife, he senses himself
being drawn away from this place of astounding peace and beauty,
and soon he is aware that, once again, his mind is very fuzzy and
that he is vaguely aware of his surroundings in the hospital.]
As the hospital staff was beginning to perform the autopsy,
some strange vital signs began to occur that convinced them to
postpone the autopsy. The complete story of Dr. Eby's recovery
is quite involved, but to make a long story short, the "bloodless,
blipping corpse" was shipped off to intensive care where they
tried to figure out what to do with it. (According to testimony,
a blood transfusion was never performed because it is against the
law to transfuse a corpse.) Incredible as it may seem, Dr. Eby
regained a complete supply of blood and body fluids within a few
days, and within a matter of weeks was well on the path to complete
recovery.
The complete story of Dr. Eby's amazing recovery and his visit
to Paradise is detailed in his book "CAUGHT UP INTO PARADISE"
(FLEMING H. REVELL CO., -- OLD TAPPAN, NEW JERSEY), and makes
for very interesting reading. Having also seen Dr. Eby on the
700 Club TV program and also in person, I am quite convinced of
the reality of what he experienced. When I saw Dr. Eby in
March of this year (he spoke at a local meeting of the Full
Gospel Business Men's Fellowship), he appeared to be extremely
sharp and in excellent health. The only physical evidence of injury
that is apparent is a very large scar on the forehead that extends
almost from ear to ear.
While the "visit to Paradise" is itself quite remarkable, the story
doesn't end there. In 1977, Dr. Eby was visiting the Holy Land.
He and several others were inside the "tomb of Lazarus" when suddenly
the light went out. Hearing the frightened screams of the women in
the tomb, Dr. Eby was about to calm them when suddenly he recognizes
the form of a Man -- the same one he had seen five years earlier on
his "visit to Paradise". [The Lord told him that for two minutes he
would experience the reality of the destiny that would be experienced
by those who refuse His offer of pardon. Time does not permit
a complete description of what he saw, but it was so horrible that
he experienced continual nightmares in the week or two that followed.
Christ's final message to Dr. Eby was that He is coming very soon and
that He has given everything He had to prevent anyone from having to
go to the place that is prepared for Satan and his angels.] Well, just
then the electricity was restored and the other tourists in the tomb
left without comprehending what Dr. Eby had seen. However, Dr. Eby
was so moved by his experiences that He has given up his medical practice
and most of his wealth to proclaim, full-time, the message that Christ
gave him.
Dr. Eby's experiences would perhaps be open to question were it
not for the fact that Holy Scripture and the testimonies of many
others seem to concur with his experiences. While many of the
life-after-death accounts relate to Paradise, there are also many
that do not.
I recall reading the testimony of a sawmill worker here in the
Portland area who fell off a trestle and into a mill pond. Having
injured his head during the fall, the man was under the water for
a considerable period (about 30 minutes as I recall) before being
rescued. This man had been adamantly opposed to any attempts to
become reconciled to God. Yet he was fortunate enough to have
a close relative who interceded in prayer on his behalf. During
the time that he was in the mill pond, he actually saw the reality
of hell. He recalls seeing Christ come and pull him away from
the edge of hell -- at which time he regained consciousness and soon
committed his life to Christ.
At least one reader of this net seemed to imply that everyone
who dies will have a second chance to accept Christ after death.
Based on some of the testimonies I have read, it would appear that
God is merciful and that there ARE times when fervent prayers of
close friends make it possible for some persons to have a second
chance after briefly experiencing the prelude to hell. However,
I have not found any scripture that implies that everyone will have
a second chance, and I think it would be very foolish and presumptuous
to deliberately reject Christ's offer of pardon on the basis that
there may be a second chance.
In any case, several scriptures do seem to indicate that a prelude
to heaven or hell is experienced immediately upon death. One notable
example is Christ's promise to the thief on the cross that he would
be with Him that day in Paradise. The Apostle Paul also relates the
experience, following when he stoned and left for dead, in which he was
caught up into "the third heaven".
I would welcome further questions or comments on this subject,
particularly with regard to scriptural references. Though I've tried
to present an accurate capsule summary of Dr. Eby's experiences, I
would encourage anyone who is interested to read the book mentioned
earlier. Certainly, each one of us must settle the question about
where we will spend eternity, and this book should help to settle
that question.
Good bye, God bless!
...Cliff Morgan
tektronix!cliffm