God Conversations between Life and Death – John Burke

What does God say about life after death?

In the God conversations of the early church, we get a sneak peak… Two thousand years ago, the Apostle Paul, John the revelator and Stephen all saw a glimpse of the heavenly realms – as well as several of the Old Testament prophets. But it seems God is still giving glimpses of heaven today!

In this episode of God Conversations, Tania Harris talks with pastor and author John Burke, whose decades of research into near-death experiences (NDEs) reveal striking parallels with Scripture. Once a skeptic of spiritual realities, Burke now shares stories of those who have died and come back to life, and how what they’ve seen can strengthen our faith and expand our understanding of eternity.  You’ll learn about:

1. John’s Story from Skeptic to Believer 

John was once an agnostic engineer who doubted Jesus’ divinity. As his father lay dying, he explored NDEs and was struck by how many described encounters with a loving God. These stories set him on a journey from skeptic to pastor and lifelong NDE researcher.

2. How Near-Death Experiences Mirror the Experiences of Biblical Characters

After studying 1,500 NDEs over 35 years, Burke found remarkable consistency with the experiences of the biblical characters: people saw beauty, light, love, and a divine presence—many of which align with biblical descriptions of heaven. He says these experiences don’t replace Scripture but bring its truths to life in our day.

3. Consciousness Beyond the Brain

Many NDEs occur when patients have no heartbeat or brain activity, yet they later describe verifiable details of their surroundings. Burke cites these as evidence that consciousness continues after death, echoing the biblical view of life beyond the body.

4. The Presence and Love of Jesus

People from all backgrounds report encounters with a Being of radiant light—whom many identify as Jesus. They describe the love that emanates from him as overwhelming and unconditional. Blind individuals even describe “seeing” light shining from all creation!

“It was joy at an unadulterated level… The intensity, depth and purity of these feelings and sensations were far greater than I could ever describe with words and far greater than anything I have experienced on earth… God’s world is exponentially more colourful and intense.” (Mary, Imagine Heaven, p.55)

5. Life’s True Purpose

Another consistent element is the “life review.” In their NDEs, people see their entire lives pass before them in detail: the good, bad and the ugly! They also relive their life through Jesus’ eyes and discover the one thing what matters most – how well they loved others. Many return from their experience deeply changed with more compassion and more focus on things of eternal value.

“And now, I began to experience Jesus’ and the angels’ literal pain, emotional pain with watching the sins in my life… No matter what we watched me do in life, they communicated their deep love for me, even as they expressed their disapproval of the things I did.” (Howard, Imagine Heaven, p.239)

John believes these experiences are part of God’s invitation to see beyond the limits of this world. They remind us that eternity is real, that love is the one thing that endures, and that the hope of heaven is more vivid than we can ever imagine..