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1. About Returning To Life
At some point in every near-death experience (NDE), the person returns to life. Otherwise, the person’s body would die and their soul would remain on the Other Side. In such a case, instead of an NDE, the person would experience death. But some people are given a choice as to whether or not to return. For example, they might be asked, “Are you ready?” Some people return because of a desire to finish their earthly mission. Once they return to life, they may say that God permitted them to return because their life’s work or mission was not complete. Such people may also say that returning to life was their choice. This choice to return may have been permitted because it stemmed from some sense of responsibility for others such as a mother’s desire to raise their children. On the other hand, some people are not given the choice to stay in heaven or return to life. After receiving a “taste” of heavenly bliss, NDErs may be told that they must return and therefore are forced to return to life. They may try to resist having to return. They may even beg to not be sent back. They may argue. But all attempts to resist are futile and the NDEr returns to life often bitterly disappointed. Some people are told of a specific task they must accomplish such as building meditation centers, starting an organization or writing a book.
Sometimes the NDEr returns to life instantaneously. Sometimes their return coincides with attempts to resuscitate their body such as with a electrical shock to the heart. Some people report of being pushed or forced back into their body. Some people return automatically for no apparent reason. But NDErs usually return from death convinced of a mission they must complete – a job they must perform for the greater good of humanity.
The NDEr may be given a reason why they must return. Usually, they are told by some heavenly being something like, “It is not your time” or “You are not ready” or “Your mission is not fulfilled” or “Your purpose is not complete” or “Your life is not finished” or “There has been a mistake” or “You must go back” or some variation of these. Such messages received by NDErs begs the following questions: Isn’t it strange that so many people are being told basically the same thing? Why are do many people report being given virtually the same message? If NDEs are just hallucinations, as so many skeptics claim, how can so many people be hallucinating the same message? If NDEs are just hallucinations, then aren’t they “mass hallucinations?” Given the fact that so many people are given this somewhat cryptic message, doesn’t this prove an objectivity to the NDE which cannot be explained by brain chemicals? In other words, suppose a large percentage of people are told something just as cryptic such as “Where’s the beef?” or some variation of this. Doesn’t this show that such messages are not a product of the brain? For many people, including myself, the answer is an obvious “yes.”
This article focuses on the aspect of the NDE where the NDEr learns that they must return to life.
2. Being Told “It Is Not Your Time”
After reading so many NDE testimonies on how NDErs are told that they must go back and return to life, one might wonder “Why must they return? Do they have a choice?” The best answer I have ever found to this question appeared In the NDE documentary video entitled Shadows (YouTube video) which is one of the best NDE documentaries I have ever seen. One of the NDErs in the video is named Cindy Massey and she describes a heart-wrenching conversation she had with Jesus on why she had to return to life. It is obviously very difficult for Cindy to recount this conversation with others. The following is the verbatim transcript of her recounting her conversation with Jesus.
Cindy: “I want to come home now.”
Jesus: “No, you can’t.”
Cindy: “But I don’t want to stay there anymore. I don’t like it.”
Jesus: “I know that.”
Cindy: “Well, I just want to come home. They are very mean down there. I don’t like it.”
Jesus: “I grieve for you and what they’ve done to you. And I grieve for what they do to each other. I grieve deeply. I hurt for you and for all of you. You have to go back. You have to return.”
Cindy: “Why?”
Jesus: “Because you promised me.”
Cindy: “But I can do it another time and another place.”
Jesus: “There is no other time. There is no other place. You must do it this time. You promised.”
Cindy: “Well, you don’t understand.” Cindy states that when see looked into Jesus’ eyes, she knew he did.
Jesus: “You promised me, child, it would be this time. You must return but I promise you I will be back when it is time for you to go.”
Cindy: “I don’t know what I am supposed to do.”
Jesus: “You’ll know. You’ll know when it’s time and you’ll know what to do.'” (Cindy Massey)
There is a consistent theme across NDE testimonies: at some point the NDEr learns they must return to life. Whether commanded by Jesus, a Being of Light, a deceased loved one, or an angel, the message is the same: the NDEr is not ready to die, their life on Earth is unfinished, their mission in life still unfolding. NDErs describe overwhelming peace and belonging, and a many protest the return. But they are sent back anyway – to love more deeply, teach, raise a child, or complete a life’s work. Other NDErs, in Hindu testimonies, meet spirit guides who discover a mistake, noting simply that the NDEr arrived too soon. The result is a paradox: while life in the spirit realm is our Home, life’s meaning is realized here in the physical realm. These testimonies reveal that returning from an NDE is never a dismissal – it is an affirmation of how important their mission in life is. They have a consistency that challenges purely neurological explanations. They are directed to continue learning, finish their service, and complete promises made before birth. They consistently point the NDEr to important duties yet to fulfill: more love, more forgiveness, and more responsibility for those entrusted to us.
Betty Eadie: “Gently, he (Jesus) opened his arms and let me stand back far enough to look into his eyes, and he said, ‘Your death was premature, it is not yet your time.’ No words ever spoken have penetrated me more than these. Until then, I had felt no purpose in life; I had simply ambled along looking for love and goodness but never really knowing if my actions were right. Now, within his works, I felt a mission, a purpose; I didn’t know what it was, but I knew that my life on Earth had not been meaningless. It was not yet my time. My time would come when my mission, my purpose, my meaning in this life was accomplished. I had a reason for existing on Earth. But even though I understood this, my spirit rebelled. Did this mean I would have to go back? I said to him, ‘No, I can never leave you now. He understood what I meant, and his love and acceptance for me never wavered. My thoughts raced on: ‘Is this Jesus, God, the being I feared all my life? He is nothing like what I had thought. He is filled with love.'” (Betty Eadie)
Victor Borras: “And it seemed that I heard this voice from heaven speak to me and say, ‘Well done my son.’ Upon hearing this, I then believed that I had been carried to heaven or before the Almighty God. I was so filled with LOVE and JOY. I was content and NEVER wanted to go back to Earth, ever. But I again heard these words, ‘It is not your time – for you have much fruits to bring to me.’ But I did not want to return back to this Earth. Suddenly I felt myself back on my bed and the cloud had left.” (Victor Borras)
Jeanne Ciampa: “I saw Jesus on the cross taking his last breath. I saw my body in a heap on the ground. I was above. There seemed to be no differentiation of time. It was all one. And then I felt his pain and loneliness as he took his last breath and he said without using words, ‘It is not your time to go’ and BAM I was back in my body wrenching in pain strapped to a board bleeding all over.” (Jeanne Ciampa)
Jean Harmon: “I left the room of heat, noise, and pain and lay upon a bed in this cool blue mist and my ‘uncle’ came in and spoke to me. We spoke telepathically for hours which in real time must have been a very short time and when he rose from my bedside to go I came up out of my body to join him with peace and joy only to be told – No! ‘But I want to go with you, I want to go home!’ I cried. And again he said with such kindness – ‘No, Jesus sent me to tell you, now is not your time.’ When I mentally shrugged and gave up (who was I to deny Jesus) everything came back … the pain, the smells, the heat, the noise and I wept.” (Jean Harmon)
M.L. Gordon: “Now I’ve always told Linda that when I get to heaven, the first thing I want to do is walk the dusty road that Christ walked. As I stood with my hand on the gate, I looked off toward the right, and there was my dusty road. I couldn’t believe it. I could see it right there, just as I always pictured it. I started to turn the lever to open the gate when I heard this voice saying, ‘M.L., go back. It’s not your time.’ I said, ‘But I don’t want to go back!’ And all of the sudden I heard Linda’s voice calling me, saying, ‘M.L., I love you, and I need you.’ ‘Please don’t do this to me,’ I pleaded. ‘Let me go.’ Then there was another voice, coming from beyond the fence saying, ‘No son, it’s time for you to go back.’ And Linda’s daddy said the same thing, ‘Not yet. Linda still needs you.’ I started moving back in the tunnel. It was so black!” (M.L. Gordon)
Robert Coleman: “Two elderly women came. I recognized them as both my grandmothers. They had died some five or six years previously. My father’s mother looked quiet and solemn. My mother’s mother was pleased to see me but, at the gate-keeper’s bidding, was quite firm in her tone. I had to promise solemnly not to try to return. I agreed. ‘Once more, I stood in front of the great dark disk again. As the stars and shapes slowly revolved, a deep voice said slowly, ‘Your time has not yet come.’ Then, once again I was in the long tunnel, feeling the wind against my cheek as I looked away and saw the long wall rushing past me. I awoke prostrate on the floor … I got up and walked thoughtfully across to my bed and sat quietly on it for the remainder of that evening, quietly reflecting on the experience. Echoing in my mind were the faces and voices of the disappointed young people, the revolving disc and the Voice, ‘Your time has not yet come.’ Twelve years later, my young son and daughter were playing one evening and it was time for me to put them to bed. My son turned and looked at me, smiling; my daughter sighed. In the golden twilight I recognized his look and her sigh immediately. They were two of the young people I had seen in my near-death experience.” (Robert Coleman)
Beth Hammond: “I heard a voice say, ‘Be not afraid child. It is not your time. You are not through on Earth. Everything has a purpose and you will have to complete yours before you return. Mankind is doing things the wrong way. Go back and teach humankind that LOVE is what is important. Love one another justly. Help those who cannot help themselves. Teach one another compassion, undying love and respect. My creatures on Earth, large and small, are here for a purpose. They know everything here on Earth. They know everything from the beginning of time till the end of time. They have no fear of death. Mankind needs to learn from my creatures. They are here to teach us what is important in life. If you have no love and respect for my creatures whom you have seen. How can you respect me and love me whom you have not seen? Go back and tell the four corners of the Earth what is truly important, not which religion. You are but the pure in heart. There will be many wars, poverty, storms upon storms to rage the Earth, but will man ever listen? My child go back and tell.’ I awoke gasping for air – screaming for someone to come to me. My daughter said to mom, ‘The air is on 70 degrees. It is cold in here.’ She sped up the ceiling fan a notch.” (Beth Hammond)
Karen Floyd: “Then I saw my Grandmother who had died 15 years earlier of a long and cruel illness and that I had loved very much. She had gangrene in one leg and had to have it amputated. At the time of her death, her illness had really taken a toll on her appearance. But when I saw her she looked radiant. She looked about 35 years old, healthy and had both of her legs! I was SO happy to see her and I wanted to stay with her. I asked her if she was OK and she told me she was fine and then told me I had to go back. She told me, ‘It is not your time. You have many things to do.’ And with that I was slammed back into my body – back was the pain and I felt sad.” (Karen Floyd)
William Harris: “Life here pales in comparison to what awaits us. But I was told, ‘It is not your time!’ … and like a rebellious child I rebuked this and wanted to remain in this realm of ‘completeness’ but found that it was an effort in vain … and I can recall returning to my body like a hand in a glove and bouncing on the floor beneath my hospital bed and up back into my body.” (William Harris)
William Petersen: “I could hear the doctors working on me, saying that they had lost my vital signs. I was on the “All That Jazz” escalator with a long tunnel and a lot of white light. Then I specifically remember a dominant male voice saying, ‘It’s not your time. Get off the escalator. You’ve got shit to do.’ I came to, and got sewed up.” (William Petersen)
Grace: “And I said to him, ‘You must wonder what I’ve been doing, or you must sometimes feel angry with me.’ And he said, ‘No. Here, what goes on in the world has no meaning.’ He said, ‘We’re here to care for you, we’re here to take you on.’ And then there was a sense of drawing back, and I panicked and said, ‘Dad, I don’t want to go!’ He said, ‘You have to go, it’s not your time yet, you must go back. You’re going to have a son, and you’ll have to bring this boy up, bring him up yourself.’ Then Dad told me my marriage was going to break up. (We’d only been married just a year!) And I remember saying, ‘Dad, I don’t want that to happen. I always thought that when I got married, it wouldn’t happen.’ It was a very intense feeling. I said, ‘Dad, I don’t want to go – I want to stay with you. Let me stay with you.’ I was most distressed, I didn’t want to go back. He sent me back.” (Grace)
Vicki Umipeg: Immediately, she [Vicki Umipeg] recognizes this Being to be Jesus. He greets her tenderly, while she conveys her excitement to him about her newfound omniscience and her joy at being there with him. Telepathically, he communicates to her, ‘Isn’t it wonderful? Everything is beautiful here, and it fits together. And you’ll find that. But you can’t stay here now. It’s not your time to be here yet and you have to go back.’ Vicki reacts, understandably enough, with extreme disappointment and protests vehemently. ‘No, I want to stay with you.’ But the Being reassures her that she will come back, but for now, she ‘has to go back and learn and teach more about loving and forgiving.’ Still resistant, however, Vicki then learns she also needs to go back to have her children. With that, Vicki, who was then childless but who ‘desperately wanted’ to have children (and who has since given birth to three) becomes almost eager to return and finally consents. However, before Vicki can leave, the Being says to her, in these exact words, ‘But first, watch this.’ And what Vicki then sees is ‘everything from my birth’ in a complete panoramic review of her life, and as she watches, the being gently comments to help her understand the significance of her actions and their repercussions. The last thing Vicki remembers, once the life review has been completed, are the words, ‘You have to leave now.'” (Vicki Umipeg)
Janet: “And the light communicated with words. He said, ‘You’ll now believe in me.’ He also said, ‘I made you a woman, I created you. I know everything about you and I’m now going to send you back, because it’s not your time to come over. You still have your life’s work to do.’ I felt very humble, very much in awe of such love. I could hardly believe that someone could love me so much. At that time I remember asking what my life’s work was, and I was told, ‘You’ll not know at this time but you will be shown.’ And I think I was still asking questions like, ‘When? (laughing) I was always saying, ‘When?’ I was also told to come back and tell my husband and children what had happened. I was to share it with them. I think it was about then that I regained consciousness. I don’t recall coming back. Strangely enough, I only recall waking up a day and a half later, and by that time I was back in the ward.” (Janet)
Patty: “I saw an angel pass me. I was ready go to the light. Suddenly, the voices said, ‘It is not your time. Go back. I’ve got work for you to do.’ I went back. (Patty)
Anne Horne: “I looked forward and saw a lighted tunnel and at the entrance were many people. They saw me coming and alerted the person in charge. This person came floating up to me. He reached me in an instant. I immediately knew him as ‘Uncle.’ I remember thinking, ‘I don’t have an uncle who looks like him.’ He was dressed in khaki pants, a white shirt and a tan sweater vest. He carried a clipboard. I thought, ‘How odd.’ He had floated just a bit in front of my path blocking me from going further. Then he telepathically said, ‘It is not your time.’ In the same manner I told him, ‘I am going home!’ (It was sort of like saying, ‘What are you talking about?’) Seeing how I willed to go forward, he talked to ‘others’ who were somewhere else. They told him to show me something. Then he came up beside me and we both looked down onto the Earth. All over the U.S. and some other countries, there were groups of people, some three, some one person, some many people, etc, at work doing what looked like triage work of mending hearts by putting their hands over the hearts of others. It seemed at times they would roll them into what looked like caves. Once they were healed, they would be wheeled out again and set on their way. Most of the healings worked but some failed. They were working so fast to get as many healed as possible. They also wore white. I asked if they were nurses? ‘No,’ he said. I said almost in disbelief, ‘But there are only thousands of them!’ And then he said, ‘That is all we need.’ They would tip the balance. What they did was all that was necessary to do to accomplish what needed to be done. Then I saw this whole group of people become one consciousness because of something ‘they’ on the Other Side had activated within them. They became ONE. At that moment, ‘they’ were able to send a bolt of pure light into the world through their bodies. It entered through their backs, behind their hearts, and exited through their chest and out into the world and into every nook and cranny of the world. Then the fog of shadows and fear rolled back and a new age of Heaven on Earth came. It wasn’t going to last forever, but it would for many thousands of years. Everything would be different. I looked at him and he said, ‘We need you there.’ Then I remembered it was my ‘contract’ to be there and to do my part. It was my husband’s part to send me over to see this and experience what I was seeing. It was just a role for which he had no bad intentions. It was up to me to remember and not play a victim. With that, I found myself back in my body but there still were no sounds.” (Anne Horne)
3. Being Told “You’re Not Ready To Die”
During an NDE, people often meet a loving presence – a loved one, a Being of Light, a spirit guide – who tells the NDEr, with love and even humor, “You’re not ready to die.” It is not a rejection but a confirmation of the NDErs mission. For example: sight is restored so a grandmother can teach her grandchildren; a heart strengthened so a voice can speak again; a life turned back toward unfinished lessons and work. However, the message is the same: your life on Earth still matters. The following testimonies involve being told to return – not as punishment, but as purpose – emphasizing how love and light often accompany the words, “You’re not ready to die.”
Randy Gehlng ran to his grandfather and felt his strong arms close around him. Grandpa Hansen had been a farmer all of his life in Minnesota. He had died, still a powerful man, when Randy was six. Randy asked his beloved grandfather if he would now be living with him in heaven. “One day,” Grandpa Hansen told him. “But not just yet.” When Randy questioned his grandfather, he told him that he still had things to learn on Earth. “You nearly bought the farm this time, Randy-boy,” Grandpa Hansen said with a chuckle. “But you aren’t ready to cash in your chips yet.” Aero seemed puzzled. “But it seemed to me that I was doing the right thing. The word that I received indicated that now was Randy’s time to return home.” Grandpa Hansen shrugged. “I was told to meet you at the bridge and tell you to take him back home. He’s got some lessons that he hasn’t learned yet – and lots of work that he hasn’t even started to fulfill.” (Randy Gehling)
Clara: “He led me up through what seemed like a tunnel. I seemed to be walking, but my feet didn’t touch a floor. Suddenly I heard what sounded like a city-sized playground full of kids, laughing and playing. Hearing them calmed me. Another man came to meet us. I didn’t see him either. He asked the one leading me who I was, then he went away. When he returned he told the man with me that I had to go back, that they weren’t ready for me yet.” (Clara)
Patricia B.: “It did seem as though I was walking toward a brilliant white light. A thought developed and a statement came from nowhere. ‘No go back, you are not ready‘.” (Patricia B.)
Elizabeth S.: “His (Jesus’) arms were reaching out to me, and then he spoke. He said, ‘You are not ready to die, you still have work to do.'” (Elizabeth S.)
Cyril C.: “But then came this enormous but gentle hand that pushed me back and calming voice said you are not ready.” (Cyril C.)
Ramon: “I came to a barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will. If you are not ready, the light will not receive you.” (Ramon)
Chris V.: “Then as the light began to increase and the calm began to increase, then out of nowhere a voice said ‘you’re not ready yet’. I remember realizing I had a body that this wasn’t all I remembered and I said the exact words, ‘I’m not ready yet.’” (Chris V.)
Kali K.: “I looked at him (a spirit guide) curiously, asking why he stopped me. He replied with four simple words, that have stuck with me. ‘You’re not ready yet.‘ Confused, I asked him what he meant. Again, he said, ‘You’re just not ready yet.'” (Kali K.)
Matthew B: “I heard in a loud yet whispered, steady comforting voice, ‘HE’S NOT READY‘.” (Matthew B.)
Bernardette L.: “Before I got to the light, a lady appeared to me. She said, ‘Come on Bernadette, it’s time to go.’ I was still crying and said, ‘NO! I want my mum!’ She looked at me and said, ‘You’re not ready to go yet.'” (Bernardette L.)
Andrew B.: “Someone was telling me, ‘It is not your time yet. You’re not ready.'” (Andrew B.)
Randy K.: “I started to shoot straight up into a white light. I was fine up to that point but I started to think to myself that I might never come back and I wanted to ‘go home’. As soon as I thought that thought, I heard a voice say, ‘You’re not ready yet.'” (Randy K.)
Dr. Raymond Moody’s NDE research: “At first, when the light came, I wasn’t sure what was happening, but then, it asked, it kind of asked me if I was ready to die. It was like talking to a person, but a person wasn’t there. The light’s what was talking to me, but in a voice. Now, I think that the voice that was talking to me actually realized that I wasn’t ready to die. You know, it was just kind of testing me more than anything else. Yet, from the moment the light spoke to me, I felt really good – secure and loved. The love which came from it is just unimaginable, indescribable. It was a fun person to be with! And it had a sense of humor, too – definitely!” (Dr. Raymond Moody’s NDE research)
Dr. Kenneth Ring’s NDE research: A diabetic Mexican woman who speaks no English (Steve is fluent in Spanish) and who, Steve ascertained, was completely unfamiliar with NDEs before her own experience. Here is her story: “Prior to her experience, she had lost the ability to see. Diabetes had taken away her retina, and her heart wasn’t supplying enough circulation to her brain to allow her to speak. She was in very poor shape. They prepared her for surgery. Open-heart surgery on a diabetic woman of sixty-seven is full of risk. The doctors went outside to discuss their strategy. While they were conferring, she saw the wall open up and a brilliant light pour out. A bearded man in white stepped up beside her. He was made of white light. ‘You’re not ready to follow me yet … you’re not prepared. I’m going to give you back your eyesight. You’ll need it to finish your life. And I’m going to heal the heart valve, so you can speak again. You still have a few more things to do. Your grandchildren need you to teach them.’ According to the woman’s account, he placed his hand on her chest, and her eyesight returned. [Later] she sat in a wheel chair, serene, full of confidence, and smiling. Her legs were gone, but her eyes were clear, and she was happy in a calm way. Her cardiologist later told her, ‘Something has happened to change you body. We don’t have an explanation for it. I personally ascribe it to be the will of God. You can go home now. We did nothing.'” (Dr. Kenneth Ring’s NDE research)
4. Getting Ready For When It’s Time
When NDErs talk about “getting ready” for death, they describe tuning spirituality to the frequency of love so we naturally recognize where to go when it’s time to die. Across NDE testimonies, the pattern is consistent: helpers arrive for the soul – the Light, Christ, spirit guides, or loved ones – and our next step depends upon our readiness to die. Readiness comes at our own pace, shaped by choices that move us toward or away from the Light. Heaven is a higher dimension with many realms – cities of light, schools, libraries – where we assess, heal, remember who we are, and prepare for further growth.
Christian Andreason: “When your time comes … and the Light, the tunnel, Christ or your departed Loved ones come for you to take you home … go with them and go to Heaven! That is where you really belong! Just know that when you love God or Christ … you will just naturally sense or feel where you need to go in Heaven and arrive in that place automatically.” (Christian Andreason)
Dr. Kenneth Ring: “We progress at our own rate to reach the light. If you do things that take you away from the light, then you are perpetuating your time here.” (Dr. Kenneth Ring)
Cecil: “The first city was like first grade. People stayed there until they were ready to go to the next city – your eternal progression, from city to city.” (Cecil)
Christian Andreason: “There is such tremendous LOVE, PEACE and JOY there that you can think of no other place you would rather be. There is no way to really describe the high Heavens. It has to be experienced by the individual. And all individuals will have this experience when they are ready and it is time for them … Contrary to what many of us were taught in our various religions, ‘Heaven’ is not a reward for good behavior, it is a ‘higher plane of existence’ that awaits those who ready themselves to enter. The only way to enter through the door … is to hold the key of Love.” (Christian Andreason)
Jan Price: “Since your arrival here, you have been escorted through several different realms; there are many more, and nothing is restricted. Each person is free to experience fully, and the only governor is the state of the conscious mind. Deeply held beliefs are what come into visible expression here, just as they do on the dimension from which you have just come. Not everyone will have the same experience, for truly we create our own. However, subtle energies gently press on closed, restrictive minds, and like the rosebud’s petals, they slowly open and expand and are soon willing to accept greater understanding. Then they are ready to move from their limited concept of life to the eternal adventure, for there is ever more to know, to do, to be.” (Jan Price)
P.M.H. Atwater: “We stay in heaven (and there are many divisions to this vibratory level) for however long best serves our development. There is a sense of benefit here, as if one has found one’s true home and all is well (what some people call ‘recess,’ or a time of rewards). In heaven, we have the opportunity to assess our progress as a soul, to evaluate pros and cons and outcomes, to remember all truths including that of our real identity. We experience the glory of love and the power of forgiveness. This is not an end point, but, rather, the realization of our purpose in creation’s story, how we fit, and what possibilities for future growth and learning exist. We do not leave until we are ready for our next advancement either in the world of form or beyond it.” (P.M.H. Atwater)
David Oakford: “I thanked this loving being for explaining and showing me what he did. He told me that there was more for him to show me if I was ready to experience it. I told him I was ready. I did not know why I was chosen but I was not about to question why. It just seemed small to me then.” (David Oakford)
Betty Bethards: “Some people may want to hang around their old surroundings on Earth rather than go on to discover for themselves the beauty and wisdom which is offered to them on the other side. This may take a long time, but they are coaxed along slowly. Nothing is forced on a soul, neither attitudes nor understandings. This is why we are always counseled here on Earth never to force our beliefs on another person until one is ready to hear them. The free choice of every individual should be acknowledged … On the other side you see things with a clearer, more objective nature, but you are not given total knowledge because you would not understand it or be ready to use it, any more than while you are here on Earth. We are given knowledge only as we are ready to receive it, whether we are in or out of the body … As you are ready, and as you choose, you will be shown your past lives. If you do not believe in reincarnation it may take a long time before you are able to deal with this. Eventually, you must learn to understand yourself in a continuity of growth over many lifetimes.” (Betty Bethards)
Josiane Antonette: “There is much, much work for you. You have to go back and tell them. Life is a precious gift. Each moment is filled with great opportunities. Don’t waste your time on Earth. Spread love and understanding. We will always be with you guiding you, protecting you, awaiting the time when we will be reunited when your work on Earth is over.” (Josiane Antonette)
P.M.H. Atwater: “Concerning the transcendent experience (i.e., expansive revelations, alternate realities): Exposure to otherworldly dimensions and scenes beyond the individual’s frame of reference; sometimes includes revelations of greater truths. Seldom personal in content. Usually experienced by those who are ready for a mind-stretching challenge and/or individuals who are more apt to utilize (to whatever degree) the truths that are revealed to them. Incident rate: 2% with child experiencers, 18% with adult experiencers.” (P.M.H. Atwater)
5. Being Told “Your Mission Is Not Complete”
When NDErs describe being “sent back,” the message is often startlingly direct: your work on Earth isn’t finished. In these testimonies, the experience of love and peace comes with a higher purpose. Some are given instruction (“You have a mission”), others as a command (“You cannot stay”), but the meaning is the same: life involves deeds that only they can complete. After panoramic life reviews and encounters with light beings, NDErs realize that love is the measure, service to others is the method, spiritual growth as the aim – realizing their time in the body still matters.
Edgar Cayce: “Each soul enters with a mission. We all have a mission to perform.” (Edgar Cayce)
Darren Corlett: “During this NDE I was ‘told’ I had to come back (from there) because I had a mission.” (Darren Corlett)
Betty Eadie: “Now, within his words, I felt a mission, a purpose; I didn’t know what it was, but I knew that my life on Earth had not been meaningless. It was not yet my time. My time would come when my mission, my purpose, my meaning in this life was accomplished. I had a reason for existing on Earth. But even though I understood this, my spirit rebelled. Did this mean I would have to go back?” (Betty Eadie)
RaNelle Wallace: “‘It’s not just your children, RaNelle. You have things to do – things that aren’t finished yet.’ ‘No, I’m better off here. I don’t want to go through all that.’ I pointed to my body. ‘I refuse. I want to stay here.’ I sensed my grandmother’s awareness that time was growing short. ‘You must go,’ she said. ‘Your mission isn’t complete.’ (RaNelle Wallace)
Robert L.: “I was at total peace so there was nothing I needed. I asked if I could stay and a voice boomed, ‘Your mission is not complete. You cannot stay.'” (Robert L.)
Sheila E.P.: “It became clear telepathically, after that life review, that it was just not my time to go. I must have seen that I did not complete whatever mission or task that I had come to my life to accomplish.” (Sheila E.P.)
Helen D.: “They (Light Beings) said there is no right or wrong religion. It is what is in your heart that counts. They also said that our purpose on this Earth is to love. After my review, they told me I had to go back my mission in life was not complete.” (Helen D.)
Wanda H.: “I came to a definite conscious decision to return to life. I was told that I was needed here on Earth and my mission was not complete. I agreed to return.” (Wanda H.)
Ashley M.: “I was told my mission was to speak to the world about my experience and to teach that God is love and our purpose here is to show love and kindness to everyone.” (Ashley M.)
Juliet Nightingale: “One might wonder why so many of us have been brought back while others remain on the Other Side. This is mainly due to the fact that we were needed to fulfill and complete something significant in our own lives…as well as to honor a special mission to help humanity finally come to the realization that there is indeed no death.” (Juliet Nightingale)
Sherry Gideons: “I was then told that I was being given the choice to stay or to be given a second chance to complete my purpose. I was told that my purpose was a big mission. I was then told that I was being given a blessing, to be shown that which I had not yet finished.” (Sherry Gideons)
Jack: “Then I was told, ‘Jack! You must go back. You have not finished your mission on Earth.’ I was not told what I was to tell them. I was not told what that mission was to be.” (Jack)
JoAnn M.: “I encountered a form, who I knew was God, who told me it was time to now go back. I started arguing with God in my own little obnoxious way and God said I needed to go back because my mission here wasn’t complete.” (JoAnn M.)
James F. M.: “My past flashed before me, out of my control No review of past, although I did see several things to help me complete my task, mission, goal – not sure what to call it.” (James F. M.)
Kavis: “I could feel the peace, happiness radiating towards me but felt this overwhelming feeling that I had a mission or something to complete that was greater than my own peace.” (Kavis)
Renate: “The spirit world would need me to complete a mission for them while back on Earth… Since then I have a constant homesickness for that place but know that I will return there once my mission is complete.” (Renate)
Sue D.: “A golden glowing Love that was so intense that I felt my heart wouldn’t be able to contain it all. Then somebody spoke to me in a loud voice. It was my dad. He said I had to go back because my mission wasn’t over yet.” (Sue D.)
Steve B.: “At any rate, life’s mission wasn’t fulfilled yet, and I was afforded the opportunity to come back to this world in order to carry out my life’s purpose.” (Steve B.)
Linda M.: “Although I had all my worldly senses, I had no physical body. My dad had a physical body though. I assume that it so I could recognize him. I was told telepathically that I had to go back and complete my mission.” (Linda M.)
Steven L.: “I said, ‘I’d like to stay.’ [The Being of Light] said, ‘Maybe another time, but not now. You have a mission to do on the Earth and you must do it. No one else can do it but you…’ My mission is basically to share my story down here on the Earth.” (Steven L.)
Chantal L.: “The Being of Light, sensing my anguish, asked me, ‘Would you like to stay or would you like to go back?’ I immediately replied… ’I must go back; I have not accomplished my mission’. In that moment, I sensed I was going backward into a tunnel and I found myself back in my body.” (Chantal L.)
One Soldier: “Your mission is to help others and to protect them. You will learn more about your mission as you go along, but for now you need to go back. This is your home and you will return, but for now you need to go back and discover your mission in full.” (One Soldier)
Catherine Ann M.: “Other individual’s lives end, before they complete their divine mission. Why some people have [a] helper, who save them from death; whereas others do not receive that assistance, I’ve been told this is because of good karma, acquired from past lives.” (Catherine Ann M.)
Cesar G.: “My deepest desire was to assist others on planet Earth, and that my mission was not finished yet. Then, God said, ‘Then, it looks like you need to return. It is your decision to either stay here, go back in your body or go back in different body. But you have to take a decision now.'” (Cesar G.)
Gail K.: “[I entered] a clearly mystical or unearthly realm – a dimensional feeling of purity, brightness, love, forgiveness, as well as a heightened sense of a ‘mission‘ that I was supposed to accomplish here before I could go ‘home’ to the bright light again.” (Gail K.)
William Si: “What I was shown was that each one of us, including Hitler, have all been shown what our ‘mission‘ on this Earth would entail… However, we were also shown various paths that we could take during the course of our life. None of these paths are predestined.” (William Si)
Stefania B.: “The supreme being spoke to me as if I had known very well what my mission was and why we were carrying out all this human experience. At that moment, I knew it very clearly, it seemed that we had planned it together, now I can only guess… Our mission is to return to the source voluntarily.” (Stefania B.)
Steve L.: “This light being asked the question I answered, ‘I don’t know who I am.’ The light being replied, ‘You are love.’ I asked if I could stay because it was so beautiful there and I didn’t want to come back to Earth. The light being said, ‘No, you have a mission that you must do.'” (Steve L.)
Maureen K.: “In an instant, I returned to Earth conscious of my connection to God as my ‘I AM presence’ was activated. My mission became to experience what I had felt in Heaven here on Earth. I chose that for myself more than anything else.” (Maureen K.)
Mark: “My three angels, still perplexed as to how to get me back to my body – did not like my response of, ‘I don’t want to go back down there; it is painful.’ ‘You must! Your mission is not yet complete!’” (Mark)
Rachelle G.: “I also felt that I had a purpose, a mission that was not yet fulfilled in this life. This was not a work I had to finish, but rather a stage that I had to complete in this life, a form of spiritual growth.” (Rachelle G.)
Don C.: “He (Being of Light) told me that it was not my time to enter into my heavenly home but had a mission to fulfill and my life was going to be very hard… If I would get through this mission, I would be allowed to return home.” (Don C.)
Rosa M.: “Without speaking, [Jesus] communicated to me that it was not my time yet. He let me know that I have a mission on Earth.” (Rosa M.)
Lariza GWT: “Jesus told me, ‘Go back. It is not your time. You have to go back because I gave you a mission.” (Lariza GWT)
Malena S.: “I was in a state of extreme joy when suddenly I hear a very strong Voice, powerful and omnipotent, that told me that I had to go back. I did not want to go back, but this Voice was so powerful that it was impossible not to obey the order, ‘You must return to life. You still have three missions to complete.'” (Malena S.)
Gracie T.: “Then almost instantly, I felt like I was given a job to complete, or a mission to fulfill, but I couldn’t tell you what that was… Day to day chores are now just common, and nothing except this mission that I’m on consumes me.” (Gracie T.)
Anna A.: “Suddenly, I saw what [God] saw, ‘I see our planet and there are no borders dividing countries. The borders are gone!!’ He said, ‘This is why you’re going back. You have a mission.’ That’s how I came back.”‘ (Anna A.)
6. Being Told “Your Work on Earth Is Not Complete”
When NDErs experience the radiance of the Other Side, many report an unexpected reality: they must return to life because their work on Earth isn’t complete. One NDEr stood before Jesus and simply knew his earthly work remained incomplete. Another NDEr was told by angels that life itself is a mission to be completed before entry into heaven. Another NDEr, reluctant to leave such beauty, learned that her lessons were not finished – that she still had much to learn and much to teach. Another NDEr sensed she had to return because her time on Earth was not yet fulfilled. Together these testimonies give a consistent message: heaven affirms our worth, but sends us back to grow, to serve, and to complete the particular mission that only our lives can accomplish.
Matthew Dovel: Eventually realizing he was in heaven, Matthew Dovel, a child with no religious training, stood in the presence of Jesus and immediately understood that his work on Earth was not complete. (Matthew Dovel)
Timothy P.: “I went to Heaven through the tunnel and spoke with Angels that told me my work on Earth here is not complete and that I must go back. They told me that life is a mission that we must all complete before we can go to the Heavenly Kingdom.” (Timothy P.)
Lina R.: “I truly think that I was stopped from going further because my time on Earth was not complete.” (Lina R.)
Karen M.: “They (beings of light) told me my lessons were not complete and I still had much to learn and much to teach others. They told me that I was needed. They told me that they are always with me and that I must remember that I am not alone.” (Karen M.)
Lina R. : “I truly think that I was stopped from going further because my time on Earth was not complete.” (Lina R.)
Karen M.: “I couldn’t understand why they thought I would want to go back. Being there with them was so beautiful. They told me my lessons were not complete and I still had much to learn and much to teach others.” (Karen M.)
7. Being Told “Your Life Is Not Yet Finished”
When NDErs are told “your life is not yet finished,” this revelation is both merciful and commanded. It defines life as part of a Grand Design – one that values spiritual growth, service to others, and promises yet to be realized. Many NDErs resist the return, drawn to the beauty and love of the Other Side; yet again and again, spirit guides and councils make the same point: there is more work for you to do.
Alise: “However, I did not want to come back but I was told that my life had not finished and that I must. I argued and lost. So I reluctantly came back and got into my body and woke up.” (Alise)
Palden Jenkins: “In the inner world, Michael and I were walking hand in hand towards the Pearly Gates. It really was the Pearly Gates! I never knew the Pearly Gates actually existed, but they did – at least, in my experience. The wise guardian of the gate came. He welcomed us and addressed Paul (Mike had changed his name to Paul) in connection with joining the ‘Children of God.’ This wise being said some things to Paul such as, ‘Off you go. Go in through the gates.’ I was about to follow and he said, ‘Stop! You’re not finished yet.’ (Palden Jenkins)
Tracy M.: “‘It’s time. It’s time to go’ my first grandmother said. I did not want to leave. I pleaded ‘I do not want to. I can’t’. ‘You must,’ she said ‘you have a child. You’re not finished loving. You’re not finished remembering. You’re not finished knowing. GO.’ The words were from everything that existed there and beyond that, maybe what perhaps could be called God.” (Tracy M.)
Carole: “There was a bright white light and I felt the most incredible love (peace, forgiveness, tranquility) ever. I knew I was dying and I wanted to go to the light. I was very disappointed when I heard a voice (and I knew it was a higher power) say, ‘You are not finished yet. You cannot die. There is so much more you have to do.'” (Carole)
Frances W.: “God spoke to me, but I could not see him, I was stopped, if I went any further, I could not go back to Earth. I had a choice to return or stay but I wanted to stay, God wanted me to go back and told me my purpose was not finished on this Earth, I would have children. I wanted to do God’s will. I told God I wanted to stay but in my heart to do his will was stronger.” (Frances W.)
Johanna S.: “I came to a barrier that I was not permitted to cross; or was sent back against my will I was told that my work was not finished and so I had to return.” (Johanna S.)
Brandon C.: “It was as if I was being held in a waiting room, and I knew that I was loved. I knew somehow that I am not finished with my time here. I knew other things, but cannot describe them. I realized I was a part of a bigger picture.” (Brandon C.)
Halil T.: “I heard an authoritative voice say, ‘You shall not enter. You have not finished your life. When you have completed your life and continued to be a good person, you will earn your place here.'” (Halil T.)
Georgina R.: “I did not want to come back to my life. I heard a voice tell me that I was not finished yet. I was devastated that I was forced back into my awful life.” (Georgina R.)
Ana R.: “The next thing I remember is looking up and seeing a cross with great light around it. I never saw any beings or anything, but I heard a voice say ‘I am not finished with her yet‘, talking about me as if I wasn’t there.” (Ana R.)
Mari C.: “The decision to return was based on the knowledge that I was not finished in my life and there were things to accomplish and fulfill.” (Mari C.)
Angel: “My past flashed before me, out of my control It was more like in one moment I understood my entire life to that point and knew that I was not ‘finished’ here.” (Angel)
Mark H.: “The voice said, ‘You must return; I have given you a task, you have not finished.'” (Mark H.)
Ashli: “I told Jesus that I did not want to leave him and that I refuse to go back. He very gently, like a parent, told me that I must return and that I’m not finished yet.” (Ashli)
Jennifer V.: “I had to come back because I still had work to do down here, I am not finished yet.” (Jennifer V.)
David Oakford: “These Beings knew what I was thinking and I had to tell them I felt I could have done a better job on Gaia. I knew what I had come to Gaia to accomplish and was well on my way to doing that but I knew I was not finished yet. They agreed and told me that I still had many things to do and that I may want to go back and do them. I was told it was understood how difficult it would be for me but it was necessary for the universe for me to finish. They said it may be wise to go back and live my life how I had originally planned it. They said I had set lofty goals for my life on Gaia and the events in my life were achieving the goals I had set. They said I originally came to Gaia to learn and share with others using the gifts I have accumulated over several lifetimes. They said I am needed on Gaia to help souls bring themselves and Gaia back to harmony. They said I have great potential to affect other souls, to help them grow and Gaia is the best place to do that. I was told the events I had experienced thus far were preparing me to make a large contribution to the universe and my experiences were not to be considered personal attacks in any way. I did not want to accept it. I wanted to stay. I told them that. I told them I was tired and wanted to stay because life on Gaia is hard and unforgiving. I felt going back would be dangerous for the universe because I was not advanced enough in my spiritual evolution. They said that was precisely why it would be in my best interest to go back to Gaia. They said I was more advanced than I give myself credit for. They said it was possible for me to stay but I would need to finish my work on Gaia sooner or later. The type of work I was destined for can only be done on Gaia. I could stay if chose to but I would only be prolonging the completion of what I needed to do for this universe. They explained the fastest way to finish my work would be to go back to Gaia as soon as possible.” (David Oakford)
8. Being Told “It Is Not Your Time To Die”
Many NDErs are given a firm message: it is not your time to die. They may learn they have unfinished work to do, unshared love, unoffered forgiveness, “fruits” yet to ripen. The desire to remain in the Light is powerful; but the “pull” to return is stronger. Some are reminded of promises to care for people who need them. What follows are testimonies that echo this same paradox: a reluctant homecoming marked by mission to complete.
Marilyn R.: “He (Jesus) had kissed my forehead with his hand on the basement door and said ‘You go back now child, it’s not your time.’” (Marilyn R.)
Chris M.: “He (Jesus) touched my forehead with two fingers of His left hand and said, ‘It’s not your time. You cannot stay, you things to do for Me.’ I said that I was home and didn’t want to leave. He said, ‘You have to go. When it is your time I will call for you so, be ready.'” (Chris M.)
Douglas T.: “He (Jesus) replied, ‘If [you] want to enter here you have to change.’ I said, ‘But I don’t want to go, it’s so peaceful here.’ Jesus said, ‘You have to go back it’s not your time yet.’ I again said, ‘I don’t want to go.’ Jesus said, ‘Tell them about me.’ I said, ‘I’ll give them hell.’ Jesus grimaced as if he didn’t care for that comment.” (Douglas T.)
Charles T.: “We got closer and He (Jesus) looked over at us, held out His left hand, and said ‘It is not your time.'” (Charles T.)
Keith R.: “As I got to the end of the tunnel, I was stopped by Jesus, who said ‘It’s not your time.’ Then he reached his hand out and pushed me back to Earth.” (Keith R.)
Jean Harmon: “We spoke telepathically for hours which in real time must have been a very short time and when he rose from my bedside to go I came up out of my body to join him with peace and joy only to be told – No! ‘But I want to go with you, I want to go home!’ I cried. And again he said with such kindness – ‘No, Jesus sent me to tell you, now is not your time.’ When I mentally shrugged and gave up (who was I to deny Jesus) everything came back……the pain, the smells, the heat, the noise and I wept.” (Jean Harmon)
Beth Hammond: “I heard a voice say, ‘Be not afraid child. It is not your time. You are not through on Earth. Everything has a purpose and you will have to complete yours before you return… My creatures on Earth, large and small, are here for a purpose.'” (Beth Hammond)
Vicki Umipeg: “Telepathically, he communicates to her. ‘Isn’t it wonderful? Everything is beautiful here, and it fits together. And you’ll find that. But you can’t stay here now. It’s not your time to be here yet and you have to go back.’ Vicki reacts, understandably enough, with extreme disappointment and protests vehemently. ‘No, I want to stay with you.’ But the being reassures her that she will come back, but for now, she ‘has to go back and learn and teach more about loving and forgiving.'” (Vicki Umipeg)
Victor Borras: “Upon hearing this, I then believed that I had been carried to heaven or before the Almighty God. I was so filled with LOVE and JOY. I was content and NEVER wanted to go back to Earth, ever. But I again heard these words, ‘It is not your time for you have much fruits to bring to me.’ But I did not want to return back to this Earth. Suddenly I felt myself back on my bed and the cloud had left.” (Victor Borras)
M.L. Gordon: “I started to turn the lever to open the gate when I heard this voice saying, ‘M.L., go back. It’s not your time.’ I said, ‘But I don’t want to go back!’ And all of the sudden I heard Linda’s voice calling me, saying ‘M.L., I love you, and I need you.’ ‘Please don’t do this to me,’ I pleaded. ‘Let me go.’ Then there was another voice, coming from beyond the fence saying, ‘No son, it’s time for you to go back.’ And Linda’s daddy said the same thing, ‘Not yet. Linda still needs you.'” (M.L. Gordon)
Missy M.: “I was about to take a step, when my deceased father and grandmother both said to me, ‘It’s not your time, not yet. You have to go back.'” (Missy M.)
Wendy G.: “She (deceased grandmother) then said something unexpected to me, ‘You have to go back, it is not your time, yet.'” (Wendy G.)
Jaime G.: “My [deceased] grandmother told me, ‘You have to go you can’t stay here. It’s not your time.'” (Jaime G.)
Kristie T.: “My grandfather Dennis, who passed away nearly four years ago, and who had never ever shouted at me in my life, shouted into my right ear, ‘No! Go back! It’s not your time!'” (Kristie T.)
Justin M.: “I heard a voice say, ‘Stop, don’t go, it’s not your time,’ and ‘You still have a job to do.’ When I turned to see who was talking it was my mother, she died when I was 6 months old.” (Justin M.)
Adrian W.: “I asked [The Voice] something and the answer was, ‘Is not your time. Your son is not born yet; there are many things to do. You have to go back.'” (Adrian W.)
Peter B.: “Suddenly, from no place at all, there was a voice. It was a warm and soft voice that said, ‘You have to go back, it is not your time you have things to finish that are not done!'” (Peter B.)
Jewel H.: “Without warning, I was suddenly and violently sucked down toward my body. I was still face down on the ocean floor. On the way down, I was told ‘It’s not your time yet.'” (Jewel H.)
Barbara J.: “The angel guy asked me for my name, and I told him. When he looked for it he said, ‘I’m sorry but it is not your time.‘” (Barbara J.)
Steve T.: “My [deceased] father walked towards me and said, ‘Son it’s not your time, you’ll have to go back.'” (Steve T.)
9. Being Told “There Has Been A Mistake”
The following are NDE testimonies where the NDEr is told that there has been a mistake.
Satwant Pasricha’s NDE research in India: “The Hindu near-death experiences profiled here are typical of the cases studied in India by researchers Satwant Pasricha and Ian Stevenson. The subject does not view his or her physical body, as do many subjects of western near-death experience cases. Instead the subject is taken in hand by ‘messengers’ and brought before a man or woman who is often described as having a book or papers that he or she consults. A mistake is discovered. The wrong person has been ‘sent for,’ and this person is then brought back by the messengers to his or her terrestrial life; or the subject is ‘pushed down’ and revives. The error supposedly made is often a slight one, as a person of the same given name but a different caste, or someone living in a different but nearby village, should have died and been brought instead of the subject of the near-death experience. In six of their cases, the informants said that another ‘correct’ person (corresponding to the subject’s information from the ‘next world’) did, in fact, die at about the time the subject revived; but the researchers did not verify those deaths. In contrast, subjects of western near-death experiences usually give no reason (in psychological terms) for their recovery; if they do give one they may say that they revived because they decided to return of their own accord, often because of love for living members of their family. Sometimes they are ‘sent back’ by deceased persons who tell them ‘their time has not yet come.‘ Indian subjects sometimes report meeting relatives and friends in the ‘other realm’ in which they find themselves, but these persons have nothing to do or say about the prematurity of the subject’s death and a need for him or her to continue living. The idea of prematurity of death, or ‘your time has not yet come,’ occurs in the cases of both cultures; but the persons involved in sending the NDEr ‘back to life’ differ.” (Satwant Pasricha’s NDE research in India)
Laurelynn Martin: “He kept saying, ‘All is known. You have simply forgotten.’ I didn’t feel like I knew anything; yet, there was a place in me that knew everything. I asked Wills if I could stay. He said, ‘It’s not your time yet. There’s been a mistake. You have to go back.'” (Laurelynn Martin)
Kathleen Young: “I was totally aware that God was there but I was also aware that it was a mistake I was there and He fixed it very quickly.” (Kathleen Young)
Marie W.: “He (an angel) explained in quite a bit of detail how mistakes could happen in a death. He said the journey of death is more complicated and lengthy than humans realize. It is rare, but things sometimes can go wrong.” (Marie W.)
John C.: “Then I heard the a voice (Jesus) call me and address me as Jim, which isn’t my name… I asked Him at that point that my name isn’t Jim, why was I called that? Jesus replied that a mistake was made and it wasn’t my time.” (John C.)
Beatriz S.: “I heard the black man (spirit guide) tell the white man (another spirit guide) that there had been a mistake, that it wasn’t my time, that he had make a mistake or something like that.” (Beatriz S.)
Giselle RV: “They (beings of light) told me that it was not my time but that due to a medical mistake I arrived home once again.” (Giselle RV)
Roy S.: “Then she (being of light) looked back at me and said, ‘Roy, you have to go back to Earth; there’s been a mistake. I’m sorry, but you will have to return. You’ll be back someday, I promise.’” (Roy S.)
Maria C.: “It (a being of light) asked me questions, and then seemed to consult some files. He could see it wasn’t my time, because to begin with it asked me what lessons did I take with me, and had I died? Then he said that I had to return. It left me feeling they had made a mistake or some other glitch?” (Maria C.)
10. Being Told “You Must Go Back”
The following are NDE testimonies where the NDEr is told that they must go back.
Liz Dale’s NDE research: “At that moment I asked God, ‘What do you want me to do?’ And the answer that came to me was that I had to go back into my physical body in order to complete certain goals that had already been set into motion.” (Liz Dale’s NDE research)
Lynn: “The light spoke and it said, ‘Lynn, it is not time for you yet. Go back, child.’ I put my hand up to touch the top of the light. I knew then that I had touched the face of God. I told God that I loved him, and I wanted to stay with him. Again the light said, ‘Lynn, go back. It is not time for you. You have work to do for me. Go back.'” (Lynn)
M.L. Gordon: “I started to turn the lever to open the gate when I heard this voice saying, ‘M.L., go back. It’s not your time.‘ I said, ‘But I don’t want to go back!’ And all of the sudden I heard Linda’s voice calling me, saying, ‘M.L., I love you, and I need you.'” (M.L. Gordon)
William R.: “They (spirit guides) both laughed and with assured me ‘No, no it is not yet your time.’ I replied, ‘What do you mean it is not yet my time?’ They turned the book so I could see it, and they opened it up… They replied, ‘You must go back. You are a part of God’s plan, and if you stay here now, this is all there will be for you,’ as they pointed deeper in the place where I was. I replied, ‘What do you mean this is all there will be? Do you mean there is a place better than this one?’ They replied, ‘It depends on your works on Earth but we cannot send you back.’ I asked, ‘What do you mean I am a part of God’s plan and I must go back and you cannot send me back?’ They said, ‘We will take you to God. He will know what to do.'” (William R.)
Andrew Petro: “The Light said, ‘Andy, you must go back.’ I said, ‘No, I’m not going back, I’m not leaving. I’m never ever going back.’ The Light said for a second time, ‘Andy, you must go back.’ I repeated my first response, ‘No, I’m not going back ever.’ Just the thought of returning to my body back on Earth was repulsive to me. It felt like I would be trying to force the universe in a tiny, brittle bottle. Then the Light said a third time, ‘Andy, you must go back.’ The next instant, without pause or delay of the smallest increment of time, I was back on Earth.” (Andrew Petro)
Raymond Kinman: “I was told that I must go back… that it was not my time. This is somewhat fuzzy here, but I remember an intense feeling of regret and being filled with a ‘No, No, please let me stay’ feeling. But wherever the ‘voice’ was coming from was adamant…it was not my time and I must return. I had no choice in the matter.” (Raymond Kinman)
Christine B.: “Just as I was about to settle into being ‘Home’ again, there came this calm, steady, male-like voice which said quote: ‘You must go back, you have more lessons to teach.'” (Christine B.)
Fred G.: “God told me that I could not come into heaven in the condition which I was in because I was strung out on drugs and alcohol. God said again that I must go back, and I moved further away, still pleading to stay. Then God said, ‘All of the alcohol and drugs that you do won’t kill you. And I am going to bring you out of it.'” (Fred G.)
Steve T.: “Then a mighty, but powerful voice saying, ‘He must go back NOW.'” (Steve T.)
Jean: “The one slightly in front communicated with my heart and mind and told me I could not stay, I must go back. The presence felt masculine, although I did not identify it as any known spiritual figure. I begged him not to send me back. He told me very firmly that there was something I had to do, but that they would be there for me and I could come back to them when I had finished my work.” (Jean)
Richard L.: “One of them (spirit guide) spoke to me. ‘You’re not supposed to be here, yet. You have to go back. You know what you agreed to,’ he said. I told him that I didn’t want to go back. I liked it here. It felt like home. I felt like they were amused by my response. ‘You must go back, you have work to do. We’ll send you back, soon.'” (Richard L.)
Leonard: “At some point God told me, ‘You must go back to Earth.’ I refused then; no way I should go back into that sick body. Then God showed me a vision of my mother who cried because I was dead, and then I came back.” (Leonard)
Kathi B.: “I was told that I was too early. I still had work to do. What work? I would be able to figure that out. I would have to go back. I didn’t want to. I really wanted to stay. I was immensely saddened. I understood that it was my duty and that I wouldn’t be asked to do it if I wasn’t capable. I realized that I must go back, but I was afraid. The light provided me with an escort to guide me safely back.” (Kathi B.)
11. Conclusion
These NDE testimonies reveal that returning from the Other Side is never a rejection – it is an affirmation of their mission in life. Whether the words are “It is not your time,” “You’re not ready,” “Your life is not finished,” or “You must go back,” the meaning converges: life on Earth still matters, and the love glimpsed in the Light asks to be practiced in the physical.
These NDE testimonies repeat with a consistency that challenges purely neurological explanations. The directive is to continue your learning, finish your service, complete promises made before birth. Even cross-culturally, where details shift (as in Hindu cases featuring clerks and “mistakes”), the core message still returns the NDEr to life with purpose.
While the Other Side is “home,” Earth is a “school.” The life review, the cities and libraries of wisdom, the councils of loving beings, consistently point the NDEr to important duties yet to fulfill: more love, more forgiveness, and more responsibility for those entrusted to us. Many NDErs are shown why their return to life matters – children to raise, and work to complete. Others are given the admonition: you’ll know what to do when its time. Either way, their mission becomes a connection between the Other Side and returning to life
For the skeptic, this call for the NDEr to return to life is evidence. So many people, across eras and cultures, report variations of the same message. It is at least an empirical fact to be accounted for. For the seeker of truth, the practical implications are revealed: readiness for death grows from how we live – by aligning with love, mending what can be mended, and using our particular talents in service to the Whole.
Taken together, these testimonies suggest a simple, compelling revelation: Love is the measure of spirituality. Service to others is the method. Growth is the aim. And Earth is the staging ground.
Because of this, being told “it is not yet your time to die,” is merciful. It grants more time – time to forgive, to tell the truth, to create what only we can create, and to love those people we were born to love. It redefines struggle as part of the curriculum where eternal qualities are developed.
So the message that brings NDErs back to life also speaks to those of us who never had an NDE: begin your work now. If you have amends to make, make them now. If you have more work to do, do it now. If you have love to give, don’t postpone it. Readiness for the death is the daily practice of becoming the person your own life review would celebrate.
