Rethinking the Afterlife

When I was growing up as a Christian, my view of the afterlife was very straightforward: when you die, you either go to heaven or hell—and once you’re there, you’re there forever. Eternity in bliss or eternity in torment, based on whether you believed the right things and lived the right way. At the time, it seemed like the only logical way the world could work. But as I got older, and especially as I began to study the Bible deeply for myself, I started to realize how deeply flawed this idea really is.

Why Eternal Torment Doesn’t Add Up

The belief that people could be condemned to eternal torment in hell is not only terrifying—it’s also completely illogical. What loving God would create His children, allow them to be broken by pain, ignorance, and circumstance, and then punish them with never-ending suffering? After 25 years of serious study, I can confidently say this: the Bible itself does not truly teach eternal torment. Many of the traditional ideas about hell have been mistranslated, misinterpreted, and passed down through centuries of religious tradition. At its core, the doctrine of eternal torment reflects human fear—not divine love.

A Broader Spiritual Perspective

As my spirituality grew beyond the bounds of Christianity, my understanding of the afterlife shifted. Today, through the lens of the Simple Revelation, I see the afterlife not as a rigid system of eternal reward or punishment, but as a continuation of our journey. What has influenced me most in forming this view are the many near-death experiences (NDEs) I’ve listened to and read about. These stories, coming from people of all cultures and beliefs, consistently point to something far more beautiful and compassionate than anything fear-based religion could imagine.

Books That Shaped My View

Two books in particular shaped my understanding. The first is God Took My Clothes by Howard Storm, which draws on over 600 near-death experiences and distills their common themes into a coherent picture of life after death. More recently, my friend Chuck Crisco wrote Near Death Experiences Demystified, which I consider an even more insightful and updated exploration of this subject. Chuck dives deeper into the patterns and meanings behind NDEs, offering a view of the afterlife that resonates strongly with my own experiences of spirituality.

A Glimpse Into the Journey Home

Here’s one of the most beautiful passages from his book:

“I always thought death would be an ending—a final breath, a last heartbeat, and then nothing. But when that final breath came, I awoke to something far greater, far more beautiful than anything I could have ever dreamed.

It was as if I had slipped out of an old, heavy coat—out of the body that had carried me so long—and stepped into a freedom I didn’t know existed. There was no pain, no fear. Just weightlessness, a feeling like I was being lifted, held in a loving embrace that had always been there, waiting for me to return.

I looked down and saw my body, still and lifeless. But I? I was alive—more alive than ever before. And then, as if the very universe was calling me home, I felt a gentle pull—a magnetic love that carried me effortlessly. Before me, a tunnel of living light and color opened, pulsing with warmth and love that seemed to breathe with me. As I moved through it, waves of love poured over me, soaking into every part of my being.

This was not just love—it was knowing, acceptance, and a profound sense of belonging.
Emerging from the tunnel, I found myself standing in the presence of Light itself—a radiant, intelligent Being that somehow was Love. It saw me. All of me. And loved me without condition, without limit.”

This passage captures the essence of what so many people have reported in near-death experiences: death is not the end, but a return. A return to love, to freedom, to a reality more vivid and beautiful than anything we’ve known here on Earth.

A Universal Experience of Love

What’s especially striking is that these near-death experiences are not limited to one religion, belief system, or way of life. Atheists, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people from all walks of life have reported encounters with heaven and the overwhelming presence of divine love. This directly challenges the narrow claim of some evangelical Christians who insist that only members of their specific group are welcomed into paradise.

Temporary Hell, Eternal Hope

Even in accounts where individuals describe a temporary experience of a hellish realm, there is still hope. Again and again, people testify that when they cried out sincerely for help, the presence of God lifted them out of that darkness and into light. This gives us reason to believe that no soul is ever condemned to remain lost forever—that love always has the final word.

The Purpose of Life and Reincarnation

Another theme that emerges again and again is that our lives here on Earth have purpose. Many who return from near-death experiences report that we are here to learn, grow, and love—and that this journey doesn’t always happen in a single lifetime. Countless accounts describe reincarnation, with souls returning in different lives for different reasons, each time learning something new. Others even speak of transcending beyond all planes of existence and merging fully with the Divine itself, echoing the wisdom found in Buddhist philosophy: the soul becoming one with the universe.

The Simple Revelation View of the Afterlife

From the perspective of the Simple Revelation, the afterlife looks like this:

• When we die, we enter the spiritual realm in full.
• Those who lived with love, kindness, and openness naturally resonate with higher, more beautiful realms—what many traditions call heaven or paradise.
• Those who lived with selfishness, cruelty, or hatred may experience darker, denser realms—a kind of temporary hell. But this state is never permanent. Growth and healing are always possible.
• Over time, every soul can learn, evolve, and rise higher. Some may return to Earth in another lifetime. Others may eventually choose to let go of individuality entirely and reunite with God, like a wave returning to the ocean.

Love Always Has the Final Word

This view honors what NDEs consistently reveal: that death is not about judgment and eternal division, but about growth, healing, and remembering who we truly are. The afterlife is not the end of the journey, but a continuation of it. And no matter where we find ourselves in that journey, one truth remains: we are always, always loved.