Gaze Into Heaven: Near-Death Experiences in Early Church History

by Marlene Bateman Sullivan

Gaze Into Heaven is a compilation of fifty documented near-death experiences of life beyond the veil, drawn from the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Filled with insight and inspiration, this book melds engrossing personal

Genres: Lds, Religion, Lds Non Fiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating topic! I really found this book interesting. Death is always an interesting topic and beliefs and ideas about life after death have been debated for millenia. This book presents the beliefs and some of the experiences of the LDS Church (The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-day Saints) or Mormons. I liked how the author shared scriptures and quotes from leaders of the church about church doctrine regarding life after death. The stories themselves are varied and thought-provoking. Each person had a unique experience clearly specified for them. There is enough here to provide much to think about and wonder about. Still, there is much we don't know about life after death, but thanks to books like this one, we can have a tiny peek at what the future holds for us and the ones we love. Highly recommended for those interested in life after death and Mormon beliefs on the subject.

[Diane Tolley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love stories from people who have 'died' and come back to tell about their experiences.
Okay, I'm just quirky that way.
I just finished reading Gaze Into Heaven.
It is the best of this genre.
Never has a book been so interesting and yet filled me with such hope and quiet reassurance.
Each of the stories have been extensively researched and most come from actual diaries and journals of the people who experienced them, with other footnotes from family members who witnessed the retelling and thus shared in the experiences.
Categorized according to theme, 'buildings', 'music', 'activities' and many, many more, and with scriptural references to add weight and plausibility to the stories, it is compelling, riveting reading and I enjoyed every. Single. Word.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

I absolutely loved this book. It is very well written and brought me a lot of peace. I recently lost my wife and have been worried about her and her happiness. This brought me much comfort.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book! My only critique is that the book desperately needs more editing as there is a lot of redundancy in the transitions, but the near-death experiences of early LDS church members were amazing and I had a hard time putting the book down. One point that really stuck with me from the author's introduction is that all of the stories were taken from journals/personal histories in a time before electronic viral sharing. In other words, the people recounting these near-death experiences were isolated from one another and likely never interacted to "compare notes" or have their stories influenced by the others. Reading this book increased my eternal perspective and gave me a renewed sense of appreciation for what matters most in the short time we have on this earth.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read some books on the afterlife....including from scientists and some of the big names in this field. I was interested to see what people who were members of the Church of Latter-day Saints of Jesus Christ thought. The author did a lot of research for this. That impresses me. I'm sure this information from letters and journals did not automatically fall into her hands. The author did reuse the same people several times as far as what they saw and felt about the afterlife. The author used information from Dr. Raymond Moody who started this type of research back in the 1970's. So she had done her work. I found one of the most interesting things about this book to be the things missing from other reports of going into the afterlife...that people in the church didn't go down the tunnel...I'm more interested in the science of all this rather than just the reports of it happening because I"ve got 2 degrees in Neuroscience. I'm sure this book is probably a good read for those in the church who are interested in history. If reading in conjunction with other books of this genre, and not reading this first, readers will understand more where this book fits in.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and thought-provoking. It was organized to make it easy to study different aspects of the experiences people had, which meant some repetition. That was quite noticeable when reading straight through. It is quite convincing that these people's experiences have so much in common, though in general they were not aware of what had happened to others. It seems apparent that these experiences were not granted to satisfy curiosity. There was a particular reason these were chosen to have them; it came with a responsibility and accountability.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

"What a comfort to anyone...who loved one dearly to know we shall meet again." I loved the stories in this well-researched book.

"So this is what is called death, but I was more full of life than I was heretofore in my mortal life, why should we fear death, I was freed from all suffering..."

The Author says:
"Life will continue...our sojourn on earth is momentary and...we ought to refocus our priorities and spend our time productively, with an eye toward the next life "

[Sandra Strange · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good read for those interested in near death experiences and how they fit into LDS perspectives and values and theology. The book uses multiple accounts of near death experiences from early church members to explore what we learn from these experiences about death and life after death.

[Donna Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good summary of past near death experiences

The research put into this book and the author’s manner of putting experiences into categories paints a clear picture of what life beyond the veil will be like.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, as it made dying so natural and makes you think about what needs to be done here to improve ourselves.

[Michele Hermansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

This book is inspiring, full of many accounts of life after death and what will happen to us. Highly recommended to all.

[ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gaze into Heaven

Loved the book! It does make me want to be better person. I feel closer to Heavenly Father and the gospel.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Near death experiences fascinate me and they are amazingly consistent.

[Sara Casalino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting! I especially liked the accounts that spoke of animals and music in the spirit world.

[Gwen Ruebush · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really fun collection of experiences. I like the author's explanations and organization, but she did more than she needed to making me feel like I was reading everything twice.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of near-death experiences recorded in the journals or retold by descendants of people who were early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The book is organized by categories like "Light in the Spirit World", "Attributes of the Spirit Body", Cities in the Spirit World", "Given Choice to Stay or Return to Mortality", etc... There are many amazing accounts, but a couple of accounts I found interesting were that of Mary Hales (pg. 92-95) and of Harriet Ovard Lee (pg. 38-44).

Mary Hales was escorted around the spirit world by her deceased brother. She says "I was surprised to see that while many of the homes were spacious, others were very small. Some were barely larger than a small kitchen, or large bathroom. I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to live in a house so small. I asked my brother about this. 'That was all the material they sent up', was his strange reply. 'What do you mean?' I asked. 'That was all the good works they sent up', he replied, meaning that the size of the house one gets in paradise or heaven is determined by the quantity and quality of the good deeds performed."

Harriet Ovard Lee died from complications after a fall off a haystack. Once dead her husband called for the elders of the church and prayed for her recovery. She says "They remained shut up in my room fasting and praying and administering to me for forty-eight hours." She tells how her body had become cold and lifeless and the mistress of the house had brought a coffin into the room and began arranging for her funeral. The doctors and others thought her husband and the elders were crazy to believe she would come back. Finally, the doctors insisted in coming into the room and the elders said they could stay if they would join them in prayer. One elder started praying and asked to have his sister arise for a sign that they may believe and said "'Harriet, arise', and I arose straight up in the bed, opening my eyes and looking around me in wonderment.... The doctors stood aghast in my presence."

There is another story of Eliza Ursenbach (pg. 20-21) where her mother insisted the elders command her to return and she was told by her deceased husband in the after life that "The priesthood is so powerfully exercised in supplication for your return, that heaven has granted that you return to your body to rear our children."

These last two accounts were eye-opening for me. How often in today's world do you see people exercising faith in their God? People are afraid to talk about religion and their belief in Jesus Christ. These people in these accounts were so certain and had unwavering faith even in the face of plain evidence their loved ones were gone. There is power in having and using faith in our creator and savior.

[Alice Gold · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book that
I have read in several years.
It has completely
changed the way
I view my mortal life.
I have sincerely
become a better
person just by
reading this book.


All of my Mormon friends
MUST READ this book.
And even you non-Mormons
will find this absolutely fascinating.

Gaze into Heaven is a book of complied true near death stories organized in a way that is easy to read. Each chapter is a piece of the after-life puzzle answering individual questions like what is a spirit body like and are there cities in paradise? What a wonderful compilation of early church (Mormon) history this is. The stories are eerily similar. Maybe eerily is the wrong word - I found it absolutely testimony building that all the accounts concurred with one another. "By the mouth or two or more witnesses" and witness they did.

These people who died and went to the other side and came back to tell us what they experienced did not know one another, but as I read their accounts I was stunned at the similarities. As I read the pages my life-long fear of dying dissipated. These Mormon pioneers described the freedom they felt as their spirits separated from their bodies, the joy they felt in the world with other kindred spirits, and the peace they felt in their passing and I found myself looking forward to the experience. For me that is a huge breakthrough. I cannot even explain my phobia of dying, its been debilitating at times. I am truly grateful to Marlene for writing this book and helping me have a greater understanding of my life now and into the eternities.

This book has power in its pages. After getting acquainted with just the first few chapters I felt like I was on hallowed ground just viewing the cover. I didn't even have to open it to feel inspired although I did as frequently as was possible in receiving this balm to my soul. These stories are sacred like the temple and I am so grateful they have been shared.

[Brooke Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is an easy read, and I like that rather than being a compilation of short stories in an unorganized manner, they are sorted by topic.  It strikes a cord with me when stories reflect similar experiences, when the two people didn't live at the same time.  For instance, when I read Heaven Is For Real, the boy tells of seeing his mother and father in different rooms, looking over his body from above, and remembered details he could have never known if he hadn't experienced what he did.  Nie Nie mention's in her book, Heaven Is Here, that when she was in a coma for months, she was able to talk to her desceased grandma and was given a choice as to whether or not to come back and raise her kids.  All of these experiences were shared by people in the 1800's and are told in this story.  I find it comforting and inspiring to read these collections, and I love the conversations this book has sparked with my own family.

If you liked this book for the historical and real story aspect, you would like For All The Saints.

If you liked the after death / spiritual side of this book, you would enjoy reading  Heaven is for Real, and Nie Nie's book.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book of near-death experiences that took place in early church history. It seems like lately there have been books and movies released about modern-day near-death experiences, and I have to wonder about them. Are they genuine, or are the authors creating something that they know will sell, just for their own gain? I also believe that anyone who has such a sacred near-death experience would desire to hold it sacred in their hearts instead of tossing it out for the whole world to view.

Having said that, this book is different in that it is a compilation of near-death experiences from early church history, so these accounts are simply taken from journals. I believe that makes these accounts genuine and truthful, as they were written for private keeping, not intended to be viewed by the world. This book also testifies to the truth of the afterlife since these accounts were written in a time when sharing of this information was much more difficult. These people's reports of their near-death experiences were not tainted by what they had heard from others having similar experiences.

This book has greatly increased my testimony of the afterlife, and has helped me gain a better eternal perspective. I know of course, that I will grieve at the loss of loved ones here, but this book helps to bring such a feeling of hope and comfort. I hope that when those times of loss do come that I can reflect back on the knowledge gained from this book to realize that my loved ones are truly happy, want me to be happy, and that we will most definitely be together again for eternity.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading near death experiences, call me weird, but I find people's views interesting on the subject. I also love history, so put the two together and I am set!
There was such a variety of near death experiences, from Men, Women, and Children. From meeting loved ones who had passed, to meeting Christ. This read was Spiritual and brought me closer to my Heavenly Father.
Even though all the experiences were had by different people, there were so many similarities when you look at all of them. Some people came back for only a short period of time to say goodbye and tell their experience, then an hour or two later they would leave this life for the glory of Heaven. One man had two years to get his life in order and then he would be taken back home.
Two of the stories that stuck out to me both dealt with seeing the Prophet Joseph Smith in a room, with a long table and him walking back and forth being very busy with his work. This came from two very different people, one happened to be a little girl.
I know in my family there have been some near death experiences, which I find amazing! I can certainly wait to die, but what joy I will have when I get to the other side and get to have my own experience in pure Love.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very intriguing and has given me much to ponder about.
I really loved the stories included within its pages.

I find it interesting that all near-death experiences have up to 10 common traints: a sense, of being dead, peace and painlessnes, out-of-body experience, the tunnel experience, seeing people of light, seeing a Being of light, experiencing a life review, rising rapidly into the heavens, reluctance to return, and different being in a defferent time and space.

So why read a book like this?
To learn
To not fear
To prepare
To understand

After reading this book you will want to live a better life and you will strive harder to fulfill the mission you were sent here to earth to fulfill and you will feel more peace about those who have gone on before.

[werejumpinbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gaze Into Heaven is a fascinating easy read. I do love reading about “out of body” or “I died and went to Heaven” books, just something of “out of the ordinary” that I like about them. I love reading about the differences and yet the underlying similarities in the different experiences. I guess we all have asked ourselves what happens when we pass, and this book gives you insight on just that! If you ever asked yourself questions, then I would suggest this book.
We're Jumpin' Books

[Jeffrey Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the time I read this book I was already familiar with NDE through other literature. So for me it didnt blow me out of the water or anything. It might for someone else though. However, I don't know of any other book that was as comprehensive as this one. I particularly enjoy the format of the book, having all the experiences broke up into different topics (What the spirit world looked like, departed spirits relying messages to mortals, what you do in the spirit world, etc). I also liked the review at the end of the book! Very helpful. Its definitively a nice reference book.

[My Book Addiction and More MBA · Rating 5 out of 5]

GAZE INTO HEAVEN was a book filled with actual accounts from people who have experienced near-death experiences. The book was written from a LDS church perspective. While I personally do not belong to that faith, I found the book very interesting. I enjoyed reading the accounts from people who have had these experiences. Recommended for anyone interested in the subject.

Rating: 5

No heat rating

Reviewed By: Rae

My Book Addiction And More

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I plan to re-read this already. It is an amazing book. I highly recommend it. Reading it has changed my life, and that is saying something. I see myself, others, relationships, even the world I see around me in such a clearer way. It can do this for anyone with an open, inquiring mind. It reminds me each person has so much intrinsic worth and that death is not to be feared, nor life, for that matter.

[Jennifer Blaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Near death experiences is a topic I have always enjoyed. This book focuses on early LDS pioneers mainly. I agree with other reviewers who didn't like the redundancy of re-telling a lot of the stories at different places in the book. Other than that there is nothing to critique. It felt very genuine to me. And having just lost a very good friend, I was comforted by this book.

[Cami Koralewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this collection of journal entries from early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. It was fascinating to read their deeply personal experiences with the after life. The book gave me a new perspective on the beauty of life and why we are here. It’s a must read!

[Fay Klingler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This exceptional book is an amazing educational tool. I found it absolutely inspiring, and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning where we go and what we do after death. This testimony-building piece of work answered many of my questions and left me without fear of dying.

[Erika B. (SOS BOOKS) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! So very cool to read about different experiences of people who have died and come back to life. This seems to be a popular topic right now and I can see why because it's super interesting! Also it's comforting to hear about a happy heaven! :)

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection of near- death experiences from journal entries, of early church members. The author analyzes the different aspects of the typical NDE, which is interesting. Quite amazing stories.