Job 7:9 (KJV) What Does the Bible Say About Near-Death Experiences?

Job 7:9 (KJV)

As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.

Over the years, many people have asked me about those who claim to have died and been revived. Some have even made themselves evangelists of sorts, telling their beyond-the-grave stories in speeches and books. People often ask whether I believe their stories.

I generally respond with remarks like these:

1. If someone truly died, saw Jesus, and came back to tell us about it, I believe his life would be more radically changed than most of these accounts reveal.
2. The story of Saul calling Samuel from the grave seems to teach that such experiences are not of God.
3. The account of the rich man in Luke 16 and his request for someone to return from the dead to warn his brothers also teaches against it. He is specifically told that the Word of God is sufficient. If they would not believe the Scriptures, neither would they believe though one came back from the dead.

Job later affirms that even if he dies, he will one day see God in the flesh. Here, however, he argues that when a person dies, he is not coming back. I believe he means he will not return as a ghost, a spirit, or in some visible form before Christ calls the dead from their graves.

I do know of one boy whose family was involved in a terrible automobile accident. He was critically injured and remained in a coma for many weeks.  

After several months, he regained the ability to speak. His pastor, a friend of mine and by no means a sensationalist, eventually asked him, "Do you remember anything from the time you were in the coma?” The boy answered, "Yes. I played with my brother, and I talked to Jesus. He told me my brother was going to stay, but I was supposed to come back to earth and serve the Lord here."

I have no answer for the boy's words. But I can say this: I watched him grow into adulthood. He is physically handicapped, and that certainly affected his life. Yet he did not become an extraordinary evangelist with an amazing story to tell.

God has already given us everything we need to know in His Word. No story from beyond the grave carries more authority than the Scriptures.

#DailyVisitWithGod #GodsWordIsEnough #TruthFromScripture #TrustTheBible #KJVBible

What Does the Bible Say About Near-Death Experiences? Scripture Over Stories

What do you think? Should Christians accept near-death experiences as reliable evidence, or is God's Word all we need? Share your thoughts in the comments—I’d enjoy hearing your perspective.

For more Bible-based encouragement and practical studies from the King James Bible, visit marvinmckenzie.org. You'll find hundreds of free devotionals, articles, and resources to help you grow in your walk with the Lord.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7200 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

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Job 7:9 (KJV) What Does the Bible Say About Near-Death Experiences?

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/Ugkx4gCNzUl5BbBPR_CIt7prC8DSZm9hW-Et?si=vOaYGlQ1_SG3cX06

Job 6:28 (KJV) The Limits of Self-Defense

Job 6:28 (KJV)

Now therefore be content, look upon me; for it is evident unto you if I lie.

John Gill comments on this verse:

"Job addresses them in a respectful manner, and entreats them they would be so kind as to look favourably on him, and entertain better thoughts of him; and give a fresh and friendly hearing of his case..."

Job respectfully pleaded with his friends to consider that they had judged him unfairly. He simply asked them to look honestly at his life and believe that he was telling the truth.

It made no difference.

The remainder of the book is filled with accusation after accusation. Job explained his motives, defended his integrity, and answered their charges, yet his words fell on deaf ears. His friends had already reached their conclusions.

So it is at times in our own lives.

We ask those who oppose us to refrain from assuming the worst. We sincerely explain our motives and our desires. We do our best to help them understand what we believe is really happening. We hope that one more conversation will finally resolve the misunderstanding.

Sometimes it does.

Often it does not.

Job could not simply walk away from the discussion. He continued answering his friends, but throughout it all he also continued speaking to the Lord. God was present through every accusation, every defense, and every painful exchange, though He remained silent.

Then, in His perfect time, the Lord entered the conversation.

What man could not resolve, God settled. The arguments ceased. The friends had no reply. Instead, the Lord instructed Job to pray for those who had wounded him, and afterward He restored and blessed His servant.

There are conversations we cannot avoid and accusations we cannot immediately silence. Faithfulness is not always found in escaping the debate but in patiently waiting for the Lord while we endure it. God may not speak when we wish He would, but when He does, His word accomplishes what ours never could.

#TrustGodsTiming #BookOfJob6v28 #FaithUnderFire #GodHasTheFinalWord #DailyVisitwithGod

The Limits of Self-Defense: Waiting on God

Have you ever reached the point where explaining yourself accomplished nothing? Share your thoughts or testimony in the comments—I’d love to hear from you. 

For more daily Bible encouragement and practical Scripture studies, visit marvinmckenzie.org and join me for another Daily Visit with God.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7200 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Job 6:28 (KJV) The Limits of Self-Defense

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxKLPb5-KB55abaJUK2JZMgLRUfBNKBxnj?si=OSinMt4eTF25eZoJ

Job 5:1 (KJV) Standing Alone Doesn't Mean You're Wrong

Job 5:1 (KJV)

Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn?

These are, again, the words of Eliphaz and should not be viewed as spiritually accurate. While there are some truths in this chapter, a truth spoken with the wrong motivation, spirit, or purpose can become misleading.

I read verse one as sarcasm.

"Call now. See if anyone will answer and help you!"

"Look around. See if there is any child of God who will support you!"

The word saint means set apart, especially for spiritual purposes. In our pagan world, the term has taken on meanings the Bible never intended. A saint in God's Word is not what the Catholics claim. Some have suggested that, particularly in the New Testament, saint refers only to saved Jews. That view doesn't fit the biblical usage. A saint is every believer. We have been called out of the world and set apart for God.

Eliphaz looked Job squarely in the eyes and challenged him: "Call and see if there is a believer on earth who is on your side."

Even if there wasn't, Job was still right with God.

When God is on your side, it is a blessing when others stand with you. But even if no one does, God's approval is enough.

#DailyVisitWithGod #StandWithGod #BookOfJob5v1 #FaithfulRegardless #KJVBible

Standing Alone Doesn't Mean You're Wrong: When No One Stands Beside You, God Will

Have you ever had to stand for what was right even when no one stood with you? Share your story or thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear from you. 

Then visit marvinmckenzie.org for more daily KJV Bible studies, biblical encouragement, and practical lessons to help you stand faithfully for Christ.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Job 4:15 (KJV) How Do You Know the Holy Spirit Is Leading?

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/Ugkx4gCNzUl5BbBPR_CIt7prC8DSZm9hW-Et?si=-Vg8VNV8K76yuINe

Job 1:5 (KJV). extra

Job 1:5 (KJV)
And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

Early in the book of Job, his children almost seem to become a secondary thought. The focus is so strongly fixed upon Job that his sons and daughters can begin to look like little more than a part of what happened to him. His servants are killed. His livestock are taken. His children die. Even Job’s wife receives only a brief and unfavorable mention.

Yet Job 1:5 reminds us that his children were not unimportant. Job prayed for them continually. He offered burnt offerings “according to the number of them all.” Each one mattered to him.

The narrow focus of the account does not mean that God was unconcerned with the others. It means that the Holy Spirit is showing us what God was doing in Job’s life. Because the spotlight is on Job, everyone else can seem to fade into the background.

That can happen in our lives too.

Our attention can become so fixed upon what God is doing in us that the people around us begin to look like tools He is using for our development. A difficult person teaches us patience. A faithful friend strengthens us. A family member deepens our compassion. A church member tests our spirit.

There is truth in that. God does use people to shape us. But that is only one side of the matter. While God is using them to work in us, He is also using us to work in them.

I have often told young preachers that there may be only one or two people in a church who are truly interested in growing in the Lord. God may use the entire congregation to help produce that growth. Prayerfully, we are among those who are growing.

But even then, the others are not without value. God is working in their lives as surely as He is working in ours. We may see them only through the narrow focus of our own experience, but God sees the whole picture.

Others may look like tools in our story. In God’s hands, every life matters.

Job 4:15 (KJV) How Do You Know the Holy Spirit Is Leading?

Job 4:15 (KJV)

Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up:

A young preacher is working his way through the book of Job in our church's midweek services. The other night, he commented that a preacher friend had advised him that when he came to the conversations between Job and his friends, he should always hear Job's responses before making a judgment about his friends' words.

They can sound correct.

But they aren't.

I remember that just after I started living for the Lord, a man I worked with—a Pentecostal Christian—remarked from this text that one way to know the Holy Spirit is speaking to you is when the hair on the back of your neck stands up. Years later, just after planting the church in Astoria, a member of the local Assemblies of God church made the same remark.

Here's the thing: the man in Job who said that was very likely influenced by the wrong spirit.

I wonder how often professing Christians mistake a spiritual impression for the leading of the Holy Spirit, when in fact they are being led by an entirely different spirit.

#TestTheSpirits #RightlyDivideTheWord #Job4v15Study #BiblicalDiscernment #KJVBible

How Do You Know the Holy Spirit Is Leading? Learn Biblical Discernment

Have you ever mistaken a strong feeling for God's leading? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below and join the conversation. 

For more Christ-centered Bible studies and daily devotionals, visit marvinmckenzie.org.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Job 4:15 (KJV) How Do You Know the Holy Spirit Is Leading?

Here's a comic version of the lesson.

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxwHFCmHWG372AxWZMF3D7Zvv1fHlEANhn?si=wBG7ENHjzgkvTNWa