Glimpses Beyond Death's Door

by Brent Top

Death is not the end of our existence just a change in our being. It is something that has been partially experienced and thoroughly documented by many individuals around the world. In this inspiring look at near-death experiences, authors Brent and Wendy Top illustrate how numerous recorded accounts of near-death experiences relate to Latter-day Saint teachings. More than just a collection of interesting near-death stories, this book is rich with scripture as well as commentary from Latter-day prophets, creating a doctrinal lens through which to view the near-death events shared by various people from differing cultural and religious backgrounds. From the amazing characteristics of our spirit bodies to the incredible love and learning that will take place, you ll find encouragement and peace regarding that next step we will all eventually take, which is, in reality, the beginning of a beautiful new phase of life. You will be fascinated with reports from those who have seen the other side of the a being of light who greeted them in the spirit world; a sense of having a perfect, vitalized spirit body; the rapid, graphic review of one s mortal life; meeting with loved ones; communication by thought transference; spirits in radiant white robes; travel at phenomenal speeds; expanded comprehension and memory powers; gorgeous scenery and vegetation;and an all-encompassing, overwhelming light and love. While emphasizing how we must critically examine these accounts, the authors say, We were amazed at the similarities and consistencies between near-death accounts and the doctrines of the restored gospel. God lives and loves each and every one of us, and what is waiting for us is inexpressibly amazing and wonderful.

Genres: Lds, Church, Nonfiction

292 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2012

Reviews

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a study of the many near-death survivors accounts and how they support the LDS doctrine of the afterlife. The most interesting takeaway from the book for me was learning about Emmanuel Swedenborg, an 1800's author/religious leader who had many near-death experiences. Overall I found the book too repetitive, too long, and too speculative-thus two stars.

[David L. Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book validated the belief and knowledge I have of the afterlife. I also loved reading about others experiences from beyond the veil. If you fear death, you shouldn't as what is to come is filled with more love, peace, light, and understanding than we can imagine.

[Tanya Wadley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book and may even read it again someday, as well as other books researched to write this one. I read it because a dear friend of mine recently died... I enjoyed thinking of where she is right now!

It's an in depth and well-researched look at near death experiences and how they relate with teachings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints... they relate! I'm so happy to belong to the church of Jesus Christ which sheds so much light on why we are here and where we are going after we die. I'm thankful that those who have had NDE's (mostly not members of our faith) have had a glimpse into what we already learn through our scriptures and teachings of prophets... it's amazing.

The following are some ideas and quotes I would like to remember from the book:

" If we could see things as they are, and as we shall see and understand them, this dark shadow and valley is so trifling that we shall turn round and look about upon it and think, when we have crossed it, why this is the greatest advantage of my whole existence, for I have passed from a state of sorrow, grief, mourning, woe, misery, pain, anguish and disappointment into a state of existence, where I can enjoy life to the fullest extent as far as that can be done without a body. My spirit is set free, I thirst no more, I want to sleep no more, I hunger no more, I tire no more, I run, I walk, I labor, I go, I come, I do this, I do that, whatever is required of me, nothing like pain or weariness, I am full of life, full of vigor, and I enjoy the presence of my heavenly Father, by the power of his Spirit. " Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, 17:142

"For those who have had positive [NDE] experiences, there is no argument whatsoever about the superiority of the next realm.
Moreover, it is enchanting to read NDE descriptions or the scenery and circumstances of that mysterious existence..." p 119

"All the people who live in the celestial kingdom are involved in a love for the Lord, and all the people in the opposite kingdom in the hells are involved in self-love. all the people who are in the spiritual kingdom are involved in a love toward the neighbor, while all the people in the opposite kingdom in the hells are involved in a love of the world." Heaven and Hell, Emanuel Swedenborg, 1688-1772

Very interesting discussion found on pages 271-272! Part of the conclusion of the NDE's is that what matters most is what is in the heart... that God's loving children are welcomed into the spirit world, seemingly with the same joyous reward... then WHY A TRUE CHURCH?

"Without compromising our standards or diluting our unique doctrines, we should put more effort into searching for common ground with our fellow men. We have seen how the Lord loves His children with a perfect love. if we claim to be members of His church, it is for us to exhibit this same kind of love toward our brothers and sisters on earth. If we have not charity, even if we belong to the true church, we are nothing. Shortly before his death, the Savior taught his disciples that godly love of one another is the mark of true discipleship.
Moreover, the accounts about the personage or "being of light," who seems to be the Lord's representative to those entering the spirit world, can teach us not only about love but also about mercy and righteous judgment. Though this being apparently has great power and knows virtually everything about the person whose review passes before him or her, still he refrains from condemnation. He gives love, support, and guidance but never denigrates, demeans, or humiliates the experiencer. not only does this teach us to refrain from criticizing and censuring others, whose hearts we cannot see, but it also teaches us the profound truth that love has greater power to change lives for the better than fear, anger, coercion, or any of the many other negative tools we mortals tend to resort to in seeking to influenceor change others. It seems a great irony that we can do more to get people to repent by loving and accepting them (not their sins) as they are. As we so this they begin to feel lovable and worthwhile even in their imperfect state (as we all want to feel). This also inspires them to love themselves and instills in them a desire to please the One who loves them so completely. Most NDErs who have this wonderful experience with the light go back to earth and change their lives for the better, not because they fear condemnation, but because of the overwhelming desire they have to once again bask in such infinite love. Although we cannot equate this feeling of divine love with ultimate forgiveness, this love can powerfully affect a person' attitude and behavior..." p274

I have personally felt a strong sense that something hard about the next life would be seeing pain that we caused others. For that reason, I really don't want to hurt others and am sorry for pain that I have unknowingly or intentionally caused to others... so this part of the book was interesting and validates my "strong sense":

"So many times, fundamentalists think the NDE takes away from the judgmental aspect depicted in the Bible. But when you go into this Light, you realize the injustices that you as a person have created in the lives of other people. for me, it was feeling those injustices. I felt the pain I had caused. you feel it all. You feel yourself judged. but at the same time, you feel loved and forgiven." After the Beyond, , Charles Flynn, p 83

"...those who have NDE come back more inwardly converted to the Lord, but often are less concerned about outward rituals and actions which, in and of themselves, seem to them meaningless. This is also an important lesson for us. In a religion which requires observance in all aspects of life, some Latter-day Saints, like the ancient Jewes under the Mosaic Law, may become obsessed with outward performances of the commandments and forget the spiritual purposes for which they are given-- to help them love God, above all, then neighbor and self. Live the New Testament scribes and Pharisees whom Christ condemned, we may make the mistake of measuring our worthiness and the worthiness of others by how well we fulfill the letter of the law. There are those who become almost neuroti about the gospel and drive themselves to emotional collapse trying to be outwardly perfect because they think this is what God requires or because they are so worried about what others may think about them....The gospel of Jesus Christ is first and foremost a gospel of love, joy, and peace. " p 275-276

"If I esteem mankind to be in error, shall I bear them down? No. I will lift them up, and in their own way too, if I cannot persuade them my way is better; and I will not seek to compel any man to believe as i do, only by the force of reasoning, for truth will cut its own way. Do you believe in Jesus Christ and the Gospel of salvation which He revealed? So do I. Christians should cease wrangling and contending with each other, and cultivate the principles of union and friendship in their midst; and they will do it before the millennium can be ushered in and Christ takes possession of his kingdom." Teachings, Joseph Smith, p. 313

"You and I are believers, and preachers of a glorious gospel which can deepen all human relationships now as well as projecting all relationships into eternity. We, more than others, should not only carry jumper and tow cables in our cars but in our hearts by which means we can send the needed boost or charge of encouragement or the added momentum to mortal neighbors....Service keeps us from forgetting the Lord our god, because bein among and seving our brothers and sisters reminds us that Father is ever there and is please when we serve, for while the recipients of our service are our neightobrs--they are His children." When the Heat of the Sun Cometh, Neal A. Maxwell

What one non-LDS woman got from her NDE:

"The most important goal in my life is to use my experience in a positive meaningful way to help others. My greatest problem is determining in what capacity I can best serve. It is my sincere hope that I will be able to link up with someone who will be able to advise and help me. There is no doubt in my mind that I will accomplish my mission on this earth. I firmly believe that this experience was given as a gift to me to be shared with others. I WILL make a meaningful contribution to the research and the application of the life after death phenomenon regardless of the skepticism I shall encounter from those I reach out to. this work is far too important for my own personal feelings to be considered.
I am motivated only by the gratitude I feel in being a recipient of this experience. For giving me a glimpse for a few moments of a life beyond the present one, i owe it to my fellow man to lovingly share this great truth with them.
When I ultimately make my transition to the next world and meet Him again I'll say, 'Lord, for the precious gift you gave to me while I lived on the earth, I did my very best work for you. This is MY gift in return to you." Heading Toward Omega, Kenneth Ring, pp. 222-23

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this after Brent was a guest on the LDS Perspectives podcast. I've never really been interested in life after death or near-death experiences but after the death of my newborn daughter I found myself searching for answers about where she was so I bought the book. The authors are careful to note that doctrine can't be extrapolated from a single experience but I found great comfort in reading the accounts and the authors' conclusions about them. It's a bit of a dry read, written more like a research paper with lots of citations but I think it is a really thorough book. The accounts of near-death experiences are not from those of the LDS/Mormon/ Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints faith but the book is definitely from an LDS perspective.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking for comfort after my mom passed away. This book delivered. After years of research of near death experiences (NDE), the authors compiled these accounts - the majority non LDS - coinciding with LDS views on the after life. The authors emphasize this is not to be taken as doctrine, but I hope it is insight into what my mom is doing in the next life.

[Heather Kubitski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and confirmed what I know to be true. Seeing the varied perspectives of those who have experienced NDE from different cultures and religious backgrounds and their distinct similarites also confirmed that we have a living, loving Father in Heaven and Savior, Jesus Christ who are very much in the details of our lives!

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book.
Life is about love and learning. Prepare to meet God.

I can't describe all the things that I loved and the profound things that hit me.
But live the best you can to become better and learn more and everything that doesn't seem to make sense will one day and will be worth it.

Death is birth into eternity......

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read. Well documented from an LDS perspective. Highly recommend if you have even the slightest interest in NDEs and I found this to be one of the most complete works yet on that subject.

[Lorena · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not a huge fan of near-death stories, and this book was no exception. I read about half-way. I don't need to read other people's experiences to validate my belief in an after-life. Nothing I read compares with my personal feelings on this subject.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved everything I’ve read by this author and this book was no exception. A super insightful and uplifting read.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book inspired me to be kinder, more loving, to learn more, and to feel more at peace with death. It is a long book, however.

[Jason Burt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting study of near death experiences.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty awesome book!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating!

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! I learned so much. I look forward to reading it again.

[Sher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think everyone is at least a little bit interested in NDEs because we all want something to be on "the other side of the veil." I learned a lot from this book. The authors pass no judgement on any of the NDEs they review, but rather try to show commonalities among the many experiences people have had. The importance of different things in life, based on this broad cross section of NDEs, seem to "boil down" to two main premises: 1. love and 2. knowledge. I'm good with that.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say enough wonderful things about this book! It was very well researched and very well put together. This book is a compilation of near-death accounts. It is written for someone who is a member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but all of the accounts are from people not of that faith - and I would recommend this book to anyone interested in this topic!

The accounts are arranged by topic. At the end of each chapter there are scriptures or quotes from church leaders supporting the ideas and descriptions provided in the near-death experiences. There are many topics you would find in typical near-death experience books, but there were a few that I had never encountered before (like exploration into negative near-death experiences).

Quite often the authors quote Emanuel Swedenborg, a man who published his book "Heaven and Hell" in 1758. He says he was allowed to see the realm of heaven and hell for a period over 13 years and he wrote his book "hoping for the enlightenment of ignorance and the dispersion of disbelief by this means". The amount of knowledge Emanuel was given was staggering and this book is worth reading for his quotes alone, although there is much more of great value in this book than just his quotes!

A few concepts I have thought a lot about are the following:

1. We have physical bodies and spiritual bodies. Death occurs when these two separate. Physical bodies are made of "coarser" or more "gross" material. Spiritual bodies are also made of physical matter, but matter that is more fine or pure. "It [spirit] is invisible to us, unless we are quickened by a a portion of the same element." (pg. 38)

2. Spirit and light are related. "and these grosser particles of light that illuminate the heavens and enable us to behold the works of nature, are from that same Spirit which enlightens our minds and unfolds the things of God. As that light comes forth from the sun, so the light of God comes to us. That natural light is the grosser substance or particles of the same Spirit." (pg. 89-90)

3. "The more inward [elements] and the more outward elements act in unison, with the more inward ones displaying themselves in the more outward ones"... "For in heaven's light, everything looks the way it really is." (pg. 176) This is specifically referring to the physical appearance of those in the after life. "Angels of the inner heavens... are in the loveliest and most perfect human form. Angels of lower heavens are less perfect and lovely in form. It is the other way around in hell. People there, in heaven's light, hardly look like people at all, but rather like monsters." (pg. 175) "This is why angels who are in the inmost heaven are the most beautiful - because they are forms of celestial love. People who have loved Divine truths more outwardly and hence have lived them more outwardly are less beautiful." (pg. 53)

4. The connection between our bodies and perfect recall of all our deeds. "every thought, word, and deed has an effect on the human body; all these leave their marks, marks which can be read by Him who is Eternal as easily as the words in a book can be read.... Men's bodies will show what law they have lived." (pg. 196) "Just as the details of thought and intention are written on the brain because their origins are there, so they are written on the entire body as well, because all elements of thought and intention move out from their origins into the entire body, where they are bounded as being in their final forms." (pg. 197)

A thought-provoking read. I recommend everyone read it.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're LDS this is an excellent NDE book. It correlates the LDS beliefs with several different accounts of the afterlife from both non-LDS and LDS experiences, with an emphasis on non-LDS NDEs. It helped me understand a few scriptures in ways I had never before considered. It also did an excellent job explaining why some NDEs seem incongruous with both LDS doctrine and different than the majority of other NDEs out there. This book further helped me to look forward to death, though I am still concerned about the actual process to die.

[Rebecca Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book! Gave me more insight into what happens after death. I love the writings of Brent L. Top, I have read many of his books.

My Dad passed away in 1995 and I began reading lots of books on this subject. My Mother passed away in July of 2014, so here I am again reading these wonderful books again.

I can just picture my Dad and Mom together and I am so grateful for my testimony of eternal families. Death is but the door that opens into our next post-mortal existence. What glorious await us!

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though the authors are LDS and it's written towards a LDS audience, I think anyone with a belief in an afterlife will get something out of this book.

The authors state, more than once, that this book is not meant to convince one about an afterlife or to convert someone to Mormonism. It's written for those who already have faith in life after death - to strengthen and clarify beliefs. I not only throughly enjoyed the book, if found that it did indeed strengthen and add perspective to my existing beliefs.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! It discusses the similarities between near-death accounts and gospel teachings from the scriptures and writings of the prophets. It gave a me a new perspective on life and this is one book I will want to re-read every so often. I highly recommend this book if you know someone who has died or if you think you might die someday! :)

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting a book full of near-death experiences. Instead it was a comparison and explanation of what many near-death experiencers have in common to give better insight into what may be beyond death's door. I was enlightened and inspired. It was all in keeping with the doctrine of the LDS church.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always been interested and fascinated by accounts of near-death experiences. This book is written from an LDS point of view.

[Apzmarshl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched. Compiled accounts based on subject, not just a linear description of a few NDE accounts.
Bottom line, there is life after death. This life is to learn and to love.