Former Skeptic Who Studied 1,500 Near-Death Experiences Says Evidence Points to Jesus

Billy Hallowell : Feb 12, 2026
Faithwire

"The thing that I like to point out is that many of these people that I've interviewed and write about, they were CEOs, they were spine surgeons, commercial airline pilots, bank presidents, lawyers. They don't need money, and they have nothing to gain by making up crazy, wild stories about dying and going to Heaven and seeing Jesus, and yet, they consistently say it was the most real thing that ever happened to them." -John Burke, Author

[Faithwire.com] A pastor and author who has investigated more than 1,000 near-death experiences (NDEs) believes there's definitive evidence that many of these experiences are authentic. (Image: Pixabay)

John Burke, co-author of "Imagine the God of Heaven Devotional: 60 Reflections on the Heart of God from the Bible and Near-Death Experiences" with his wife, Kathy, told CBN News he was once a skeptic.

"Not only did I not believe in near-death experiences, I didn't believe in Jesus or God," he said. "Many ... decades ago, my dad was dying of cancer and someone gave him the very first research that coined the term near-death experience."

Burke said this came in the form of a book, which he ended up reading. At the time, Burke wanted evidence—and the book provided just that: stories of people who were clinically dead and resuscitated. Among the stories, he noticed many of those experiencing NDEs claimed to have seen Jesus.

"That really began my whole faith journey, because so many saw Jesus," he said. "I was like, 'I better be open to the Bible.' So I started reading, and studying the Bible, came to faith."

That was the start not only of Burke's faith journey, but also his foray into NDEs. Over time, his intrigue bloomed into an investigation of 1,500 real-life cases... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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