Most near-death experiences have led to a deep encounter of God's love, new research has revealed.
In a study by the Near Death Experience Research Foundation, the reoccurring theme of a "deep" and "unconditional" love appears throughout the majority of the thousands of anecdotes shared by those who have had a near-death experience.
"I was struck by the remarkable consistency," Dr, Jeffrey Long stated about his research, also noting that it could not be explained merely by preexisting cultural or religious beliefs.
"They represented a wide spectrum of those from various faith traditions or no faith at all."
Some of the responses provided were:
"No human can ever love with the love I felt in that light. It is all-consuming, all-forgiving. Nothing matches it. It is like the day you looked into the eyes of your child for the first time magnified a million times. It's indescribable."
"I came to realize that God is more loving and caring than I could ever imagine."
"The entire encounter was about God, the ultimate power of God, and God's forgiveness. The message was, 'Love is the greatest power in the universe.' "
"This love was unique. I felt completely safe; nothing bad could happen. I was no longer in pain, and all my worries and fears were left behind with my body. Not many can get even the slightest idea of what this love is like."
Whether or not God was directly mentioned, such descriptions are very much aligned with the Biblical account of God's all-consuming love.
Dr. Long also interestingly points out that despite a close encounter with death, these people returned with messages about the meaning of life.
His investigation into the afterlife is detailed in his latest book God and the Afterlife.