John Burke: ‘The Evidence That Took Me From Agnostic to Believer.’ How NDEs Changed His Life
Skeptic John Burke’s life was forever impacted by a gift. As his father was hospitalized and dying with cancer, a friend gifted a book about near-death experiences (NDEs). As he kept vigil at his father’s bedside, John read the entire book. His curiosity was sparked. A thorough investigation of many religious texts and exploration of the evidence led him to know the truth of the Bible and Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. John left his career in engineering for ministry. He is the founder of Gateway Church in Austin, Texas, and the president of Gateway Leadership Initiative, a non-profit organization working to help church-planting pastors and ordinary Christians raise the church out of the culture. He has authored several books including The New York Times best-seller Imagine Heaven (22 languages) and Imagine the God of Heaven. His books expertly detail how many of these reports tie directly to scripture. He also provides critical interpretive keys in discernment with these testimonies. His work has impacted me personally and people around the globe. I believe God has given him a unique and important calling. – Julie
I am John Burke, and 45 years ago, I was an agnostic.
I've always had a very analytical mind. I constantly questioned how things work and sought to understand them. This mindset extended to questions about the existence of God and Jesus. I figured people probably just deified good people like Jesus over time.
During this period, my dad was dying of cancer, and someone gave him a book that discussed near-death experiences (NDEs). These are instances where people clinically die but are resuscitated by modern medicine or a miracle from God, and they come back talking about experiences of the afterlife. Reading about these experiences, especially the recurring themes of encountering a loving God of brilliant light, and seeing Jesus, made me pause. I thought, What if this God and Jesus stuff is real? This sparked my search for truth.
Several years later, I came to faith in Christ through studying the Bible. Eventually, I left engineering and went into ministry. Despite this, my fascination with NDEs continued. Over the years, I kept encountering people who had experienced NDEs. Just this week, I talked to a guy trimming my trees who had one, as did his boss. These encounters kept happening, drawing me deeper into the subject.
Over the last 35 years, I’ve not only gone to seminary and studied the Bible, but I started a church for skeptics just like me. I’ve studied over a thousand NDEs and how they tie to the scriptures. I wrote Imagine Heaven to showcase the amazing commonalities in these experiences reported by people worldwide—children, doctors, bank presidents, commercial airline pilots, CEOs—saying the same things as people from different cultures. For me, these accounts serve as modern-day evidence that God and heaven are real, echoing what’s been said by the Jewish prophets and Jesus.
In recording these reports, it is important to remember that theology is to be based on the Word of God. While experiencers are eyewitnesses of something, they may have a different interpretation of what they saw. For this reason it is very important to have a solid knowledge of scripture as we navigate these testimonies. For instance, if I could travel back to the day of Jesus and interview various witnesses who saw Jesus do miracles, some would say He is the Messiah and some would say He is a sorcerer. They saw the same Jesus, and the same event, but had different interpretations. For this reason we must interpret these in light of what God is saying through the scriptures.
In Imagine Heaven, I documented over a hundred NDEs. There are 42 common descriptors of heaven and hell that people have reported, aligning closely with biblical descriptions. The Bible’s teachings on the afterlife can often be fragmented, but I believe these NDEs help give color to the Bible's systematic and hopeful picture of what is to come.
Gallup found that one in 25 Americans has had an NDE, and the European Academy of Neuroscience reported one in ten had an NDE across 35 countries. These experiences are not uncommon, though people are often hesitant to share them. Common elements include a heightened sense of reality, leaving the body, traveling through a tunnel or pathway of light, vivid colors beyond what we see here, a life review, and encountering loved ones and a God of light and love.
People who report these testimonies often struggle with words to adequately describe the experience. A common analogy I use is imagining our current life as being lived on a flat, black-and-white painting. Death is like being torn from that painting and experiencing a three-dimensional world of color for the first time. People are grasping to describe this new reality using their limited earthly senses and language.
Many NDEs involve seeing what’s happening around them during resuscitation, which often can be verified, convincing many doctors and scientists of their authenticity. For example, Vicki, a blind woman from birth, described details she couldn't have known otherwise. She leaves her body after a car accident. She reports seeing the scene in the operating room and realizing she died. She flies out of the hospital to see a cityscape, travels through a tunnel, and to a heavenly place where light and love emanate from everything. She describes meeting Jesus and being completely captivated. Jesus gives her a life review. In this review she sees two friends who had passed that she knew as children who were also previously blind and handicapped. For the first time, she was able to see their handicaps in this life review. After she was revived, the observations she noted about the young girls and their physical handicaps were later verified by the housemother who had cared for the girls.
A life review in the presence of God is a very common report I hear from experiencers. Interestingly, most say they felt no judgment as they watched their lives replay (see Romans 8:1). Not only do they claim to see their lives, they say that they feel the good and the bad from their own perspective, and from the perspective of others impacted by their actions. I believe this is just what Jesus said that nothing will be hidden, that every motive, thought and deed will be laid bare (Mark 4:22). Paul also said that God wishes to reward us for our good deeds (1 Corinthians 4:5). Most return saying, “God wasn’t condemning me, I was condemning myself (see Matthew 12:37). God was trying to love me and support me and help me learn.” The number-one thing they learn from this review is that God is love and how we treat one another really matters to God (Mark 12:30-31).
One of the things that helped convince me of these reports’ validity are the countless evidential reports of people traveling outside their bodies. There was a woman in London in a hospital who died while giving birth. After she was resuscitated she reported traveling to this amazing place and meeting a God of love and light. She noted that as she came back into the room and floated past the ceiling fan that she noticed a red sticker on the ceiling side of the fan. She convinced a nurse to use a ladder to inspect the top side of the fan blades and there was, just as she described, a red sticker on the ceiling side of the fan.
Another frequent element is meeting a man of light, often identified as Jesus, who emanates a palpable light and love. Jesus’ presence is described as more real and brighter than the sun, yet not hard to look at, offering a sense of profound peace and understanding. Never in history, until now, have we been able to hear from so many people across the globe who have been brought back from clinical death…and they are encountering the same captivating God of the Bible.
Some of the powerful revelations that people have in their experience include the power of prayer. Many experiencers have reported seeing the prayers going up to heaven. Descriptions include shooting stars, crystalline streams of light, even contrails shooting up to God the Father. Some have seen angels being dispatched. Some were told that every prayer is recorded in heaven. Many return with a newfound appreciation of the power and importance of prayer.
About 23 percent of NDEs report hellish experiences. These accounts also align with biblical descriptions of hell. The good news is that many people experiencing these hellish NDEs cry out to Jesus to receive forgiveness, and He rescues them, changing their lives profoundly upon return. An important thing to understand is that through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, God has removed every barrier between us and God except one. Our pride and refusal to accept Jesus is the only barrier that can keep us from God. Even in these hellish experiences, many cry out to God for rescue and they are given a second chance. They return completely transformed and often give their lives to ministry.
If you are skeptical, I encourage you to read Imagine Heaven, or Imagine the God of Heaven, and explore these testimonies. While NDEs sparked my curiosity around the possibility of an afterlife, I came to faith through the historical evidence of Jesus, such as the prophecies in the book of Isaiah, written long before Jesus was born, and which accurately foretold His life and mission. We now have the Dead Sea scrolls. There truly is so much evidence.
I am convinced that NDEs are God’s gift to the world-evidence of God’s great love for all people. Of all of the wonders of heaven, the beauty, the reunions, the mystery, consistently they would say, “All I wanted to do was be with Him. There’s nothing like the presence of the Lord. He is the love we’ve always wanted.”
Jesus said that all the sorrows and sufferings on Earth come from being separated from God. On His last day with the disciples He told them, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (John 15:11.) Joy is our birthright. Even in our struggles, when we walk with Jesus, we can experience His joy.
I hope my work can break the box that we often put God in. He is far more majestic, sovereign, loving and in control than we can possibly imagine. But He is also more relatable and fun. He is the God of joy. The Bible at its core is the greatest love story of all time. I pray that all may come to know the profound love and light of God, as revealed through these experiences and the teachings of Jesus.
If you're seeking a connection with Jesus, it begins with a simple, heartfelt prayer. God knows your heart and wants to welcome you. Just express your desire for forgiveness and a relationship with Him, and He will respond.
Further Reflection
John Burke’s journey from agnosticism to a profound faith illustrates the transformative power of seeking truth and encountering God’s love. His fascination with near-death experiences (NDEs) highlights the consistency of these testimonies with biblical descriptions of heaven and the love of Jesus. Reflect on your own questions and doubts about faith and consider how you can seek a deeper understanding of God’s presence in your life. How do you respond to evidence of God’s love and the testimonies of those who have experienced divine encounters?
Imagine yourself standing before Jesus, experiencing His profound love and peace. How can you allow this vision to deepen your faith and guide your actions? What steps can you take to strengthen your relationship with God and share His love with others?
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the inspiring journey of John Burke and the profound truths revealed through near-death experiences. Help me to seek a deeper understanding of Your presence and to trust in the evidence of Your love and grace. Strengthen my faith and open my heart to the transformative power of Your love. Guide me in my daily walk with You, and help me to share the hope and joy of knowing You with others. May my life reflect Your light and love, and may I be a beacon of faith and encouragement to those around me.
Amen.
