Near Death Experiences - Can A Person Die, Leave Their Body, And Then Return For A Second Chance?

The next person to be raised from the dead was Tabitha (Acts 9:36–43). Tabitha, whose Greek name was Dorcas, was a believer in Jesus who lived in the coastal city of Joppa. The Apostle Peter prayed for her. Dorcas was known for "always doing good and helping the poor" (verse 36). When she died, the Believers in Joppa were filled with sadness. They laid the body in an upper room and sent for Peter, who was in the nearby town of Lydda (vs 37–38). Peter came at once and met with the Disciples in Joppa, who showed him the clothing that Dorcas had made for the widows there (verse 39). Peter sent them all out of the room and prayed. Then, "turning toward the dead woman, he said, 'Tabitha, get up.' She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet" (verses 40–41). The overjoyed Believers received their friend, and the news spread quickly throughout the city. "Many people believed in the Lord" as a result (v42).

Eutychus was a young man who lived, died, and was revived in Troas (Acts 20:7–12). He was raised from the dead by the Apostle Paul. The Christians in Troas were gathered in an upper room to hear the Apostle speak. Since Paul was leaving town the next day, he talked late into the night. Eutychus was one of Paul's audience members and had sat by a window to hear him. He fell asleep, slipped out of the window, and tumbled three stories to his death (v9). Paul went down and "threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him" (verse 10). Eutychus came back to life, went upstairs, and ate a meal with the others. When the meeting finally broke up at daylight, "the people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted" (v12).

There were a number of people in Jerusalem who were raised from the dead at the exact moment of the resurrection of Jesus as well as at the moment of Jesus' death on the Cross as the "earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open" (Matthew 27:51-52). Those open tombs remained open until the third day. At that time, "the bodies of many holy people . . . were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus' resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people" (Matthew 27:52-53). On the day that Jesus was raised to life, these holy people were also raised and became witnesses in Jerusalem of the life that only Jesus can give.

The Disciple Stephen had a supernatural revelation just before he died from being stoned to death by an angry mob that revealed a celestial scene where the Triune God was at work and on display. As he was dying, "full of the Holy Spirit," he "gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:55-60).

The widow of Zarephath's son was raised from the dead (1 Kings 17:17–24). The prophet Elijah was staying in an upper room of the widow's house during a severe drought in the land. While he was there, the widow's son became ill and died. In her grief, she brought the body of her son to Elijah with the assumption that his presence in her household had brought about the death of her boy as a judgment of her past sin. Elijah took the dead boy from her arms, went to the upper room, and prayed, "Lord my God, let this boy's life return to him!" (v21). Elijah stretched himself out on the boy three times as he prayed, and "the Lord heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived" (v22). Elijah brought the boy to his mother, who was filled with faith in the power of God through him: "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth" (v24).