The Dead Saints Chronicles: A Zen Journey Through the Christian Afterlife Read online

  Quotations from the website www.nderf.org and www.adcrf.org are printed with permission from Jeffrey Long, M.D., and Jody Long.

  Names have been occasionally changed to protect privacy.

  Copyright © 2016, by David Solomon and Delynn Solomon. (Dead Saints Media, LLC) All rights reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646.8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, Dead Saints Media, at [email protected].

  Bible Citations

  Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible (Authorized Version). First published in 1611.

  Readers should be aware Internet Web sites offered as citations and/or sources for further information may have changed or disappeared between the time this was written and when it was read. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential or other damages.

  Publisher Information:

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2016935882

  Solomon, David

  The Dead Saints Chronicles: A Zen Journey Through The Christian Afterlife / David Solomon with John Anthony West

  Includes bibliographical references and reference notes

  ISBN: 978-0-9972454-0-0

  1. Spiritual formation 2. Spirituality. 1.Title

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Edition

  Legal Notice:

  The Dead Saints Chronicles discuss suicide NDEs as part of NDE research. The authors DO NOT ENDORSE, ENCOURAGE OR ADVOCATE FOR SUICIDE IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM! If you are feeling suicidal, please know help is available. Though you may feel alone, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! If you are in crisis, call 911 IMMEDIATELY, or contact the Suicide Crisis Hotline in your state or country. Call 1-800-273 TALK (8255).

  For Ben and Angela

  Contents

  FOREWORD

  Part I

  Premonitions

  The Race, the Research, & the Dead Saints Epiphany

  Death is a Lie Humans Tell Themselves

  Earth University

  Rice Paper Teachers

  Dreams: Night School

  The Apprentice Gardener

  The Spiritual Journal

  The Life Review

  The Judgment

  We Die in Character

  Part II

  Is our Mission Finished?

  Death Step by Step

  Transformations

  You Do Not Die Alone

  The Body of Light

  Heaven—The Kingdom of Light

  Ghosts, Apparitions & Earthbound Spirits

  Tragedy, Evil, & Hell

  Part III

  The Governing Laws of Religion Are Not Absolute

  Pre-Existence

  An Uncomfortable Possibility

  Jesus, Planetary Headmaster

  The 13th Path

  Foreword to the Afterword

  AFTERWORD:

  Acknowledgements

  Art and Photo Credits

  Bibliography

  About the Author

  The Way of the Dove

  By Paul Solomon

  …the way of the dove is simple:

  Every being can live in the way of the dove,

  and all religions can follow in the way of the dove

  because the way of the dove is not a religion

  for one may say ‘I am religious and a dove’

  The way of the dove is never instead of

  always in addition to

  it is a journey without a beginning

  and without a known destination

  For when all beings live in the way of the dove

  all beings will live in peace

  and the journey will continue in peace

  then there will be a beginning with no end

  The way of the dove is undertaking

  a seeking to be from which no one can fail

  for as long as today is today

  there still is a way to walk in the way of the dove

  One can never fail for it is the next step

  not the last, that one walks in the way of the dove

  neither shall any dove condemn a mis-step along the way

  for it is not in the nature of a dove to so speak in any discouraging way

  A dove seeks always to honor life and all that live

  and seeks to speak encouragement and praise

  a dove entices and seeks to be joined

  in striving to walk in the way of wellness and wholeness

  Healing is always offered

  but never the dis-eased be condemned

  for displaying a symptom, a stumbling step,

  that seems not to walk in the way of the dove

  No dove is demanding of another

  for every dove knows the value of the way

  and every dove knows that any being who can

  will walk without push or shove

  A dove will not take when it is not offered

  but instead will rejoice that he has it

  and the dove will know what one has

  is not what brings joy or contentment

  Nor will doves hesitate to accept what is offered

  for doves know the joy of giving

  and would not deprive another the joy of sharing

  for a gift is the mark of the dove.

  FOREWORD

  by

  Dannion Brinkley

  New York Times and international bestselling author of Saved by the Light and The Secrets of the Light

  There are very few things I do not know about death and dying, because I have had one death and two near-death experiences. After being struck by lightning in 1975, I was pronounced dead, and yet I was more alive than ever before, as I journeyed through the Hereafter with 13 Beings of Light. Three years later, I was struck by lightning again. This time I was only knocked out for 40 minutes, after being thrown through the bedroom window. In 1989, I had my first real near-death experience during open heart surgery to replace my aortic valve. Then, as the result of brain surgery to drain five subdural hematomas, I had my second near-death experience. So, after all of these experiences, and the time I’ve spent on
the Other Side, I understood why David Solomon asked me to write this forward. As you might have figured out, I have quite a famous reputation as an experienced dead man! But, I must admit, quite unlike David, I didn’t know anything about death before I died myself.

  David, on the other hand, has conducted a remarkably in-depth study of the Near-Death Experience since he was first diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. After receiving this shocking diagnosis in June 2013, David, with the help of his wife, Delynn, embarked on a fantastic journey to verify the reality of the Afterlife, beginning with the comfort of their Christian viewpoint. As a Christian minister, and a leading expert on Biblical interpretation, David did not narrow his search to strictly Christian theology. I feel this book is an incomparable guide for people who are trying to find a way to reconcile their belief in the Afterlife. Most people are afraid of “what’s next,” but this book is about one man’s journey to find out exactly what IS next!

  In fact, The Dead Saints Chronicles, is an intimate account of David courageously coming to terms with his own life and death and with the sincere hope of helping others facing similar situations. So in an open-minded approach, David’s research led him to scour all religious, spiritual and mystical evidence available on the subject. From the work of Dr. Jeffrey Long, David gained a vast understanding of the presence of Jesus in many near-death experiences he’d studied. From Dr. Raymond Moody’s lifelong investigation of the Near-Death Experience, David garnered a great insight into the basic stages of the Near-Death Experience. However, through his own research, David was actually able to add to Dr. Moody’s original list of consistent NDE fundamentals.

  What caught my eye more than anything in The Dead Saint’s Chronicles was David’s statement at the beginning of the book. It absolutely astounded me. ‘When Doctor Ma entered the emergency room, closed the blue curtain for privacy, and she bluntly told me, “Mr. Solomon, we found a mass in your brain,’ no matter how unafraid you think you are of death, no matter what your religion, when a doctor tells you that you have what might be a terminal illness, the news is catastrophic. Suddenly death became real. It was no longer a “philosophy” or just something, that had to happen when I got old. In that moment, two years of Dead Saints research looking for answers to abstract Christian theological debates about death and the Afterlife suddenly became the central focus of my life.”

  Largely written during David’s battle with terminal Glioblastoma brain cancer, the book is also a deeply personal account of how he relates his life’s work to his own tenuous mortality. Through journal entries, recordings of dreams and after-death communications from deceased loved ones, and autobiographical reflections, David is able to give theology, spirituality, and overwhelming concepts like death and the Afterlife a relatable immediacy. Part educational volume, part guide, and part memoir, The Dead Saints Chronicles is unlike anything written to date. Intended for all types, backgrounds, and creeds, the book challenges readers to expand their thinking while providing all the lessons they need to recognize, understand, and eventually experience the state of Heaven.

  David’s journey to the Hereafter includes “live reports” from a “dazzling white light shining through his bedroom window panes.” His heroic approach to his life and his inevitable transition is truly phenomenal! I enjoyed this book immensely. It is extremely well written and definitely belongs in everyone’s personal library.

  Blessings,

  Dannion “Dead Saint” Brinkley

  Part I

  Blooming Azalea Bonsai showing beautiful Nebari “Roots”

  Nebari

  Takanohashi sensei, my deceased Bonsai teacher, appeared in a dream and gruffly said “Nebari!”—pointing at an old azalea trunk and its thick, exposed roots. Nebari is a Japanese word which means “root,” specifically the visible spread of roots above the growing medium at the base of a Bonsai. Thus the book was divided and Part I became Nebari—the “roots” of the Dead Saints Chronicles.

  — 1 —

  Premonitions

  Symbolic Representation of Hallway Leading to Sanctuary with a View of the Holy City.

  June 1994.

  I dreamed I was in Heaven.

  I found myself standing side by side with a group of twenty new spirit arrivals in a small, vaulted, travertine stone room. To my right, the entire wall of the building was missing, opening up to a spectacular view of a great gulf which separated us from a grand shining metropolis I can only call the Holy City of God. It was made of dozens of overlapping golden domes that glowed like golden halos against a crystalline glacier-blue sky sprinkled with stars, galaxies, and nebulae.

  Everything within me wanted to fly through the space opened up by the missing wall, bridge the chasm1, that seemed only a few miles away, enter the Holy City, and have all wisdom and all knowledge bestowed upon me. The pull on my soul was overpowering.

  The stone building, I stood in was simple and unadorned, like a humble mountaintop shrine or sanctuary, but it seemed a way station or portal to the Holy City. Those of us standing together were being prepared for our next step in spiritual growth. New “Light Bodies” had been created for our new life in spirit. They floated, lined up side by side, just a few feet in front of us. These new Light Bodies appeared solid to me, I stood facing their backs, so I could not see their faces.

  I don’t remember if I knew any of these souls, but I did know all of us had died back on Earth.

  “How did I die?” I had no memory of the event.

  An unfamiliar Voice suddenly commanded all of us to step forward into our respective new Light Bodies, as if we were an incorporeal, spiritual “mist” that could easily blend into them. As I stepped forward, laughter erupted.

  “No, not that one, silly! The next one!”

  1984 Paul Solomon. Reprinted with permission from FIL Archives

  I moved into the correct body and when I did so, I saw my former spiritual mentor, Paul Solomon, in the corner of the room. He looked as I remembered him when he died, just three months ago. White beard, white hair, big belly. Yes, it was Paul. Instead of being shocked, it seemed completely natural my dead friend should be here.

  He motioned “Follow me” with his finger.

  Suddenly, we were no longer in the quaint little mountaintop shrine, but were walking next to each other on an oak-leaf covered mountain trail somewhere in the wooded highlands of the Shenandoah Valley. We walked quietly for a short distance, before he spoke to me:

  “You know David; it would be a shame you pass over before completing your book. You have a unique ability to put together very abstract ideas. Connect the dots. You don’t have much time.” He gave me the distinct impression my life was in danger.

  The Afterlife encounter with Paul ended abruptly. I awoke with tears streaming down my face, just as the morning sun was rising. Images of the Holy City filled my mind. What had just happened? It seemed as though I had been in Heaven for years, but somehow I was still breathing. I could feel the warmth of the tears, now cooling on my face. Sunlight bounced off the rafters of the vaulted ceiling of my condominium. I was back on Earth in good ol’ 1994.

  I dreamed I went to Heaven, but I didn’t die. How could that be? For the moment, it was just another vivid dream put into the back pocket of my mind.

  God waited. I lived out my life.

  January 18, 2013

  Fast forward 19 years.

  Once again, I dreamed of death. I was driving across a bridge spanning high above a deep river canyon, when suddenly, the bridge and all the cars on it collapsed into the river below. I didn’t see or feel the collapse. I only observed from above.

  The next thing I knew I was standing inside a small ferry with a couple dozen other passengers who sat quietly watching the scenery pass by the ferry windows. The ferry itself was nothing like an actual commercial Seattle ferry, but was more like a city bus, with seats on both sides and ve
rtical floor-to-ceiling aluminum poles to hold onto.

  This “death ferry” was clipping along over deep green and blue tropical waters between islands similar to the San Juan’s where I lived in Washington’s Puget Sound. Snow covered the small mountains down to the water’s edge, which would have been impossible on this warm, sunny dream day.

  Out the windows, I could see angels or spirits flying next to our ferry bus like spiritual tugboats pulling us towards (presumably) heavenly shores I could not yet see.

  I was standing near the rear and noticed the seats were all taken and I was the only passenger standing along with a tall, older woman standing at the front. She had sharp features and pure white hair tied tightly tied into a braided ponytail. She stood angelic. Her face glowed with white Light. She was looking directly at me with incredible bright blue eyes and a warm smile. She seemed familiar. I thought she might have been my great grandmother, but in mid-dream, I wasn’t sure.2

  She seemed to be our spiritual guide across the great waters we were now traversing, heading for our unknown destination.

  “I just died, didn’t I?” I asked, as if it were a fact, not a question.

  She responded in my mind but without moving her lips with a simple, “Yes.” No shock. Just a confirmation. Most of the others on the ferry had died as well, but seemed unaware they were dead. To me it was quite clear. I had died.

  I then woke up. The Afterlife visitation by Great Grandma Miller was the first since Paul Solomon’s visit two decades ago. It was interesting, but nothing felt out of the ordinary. Life moved merrily along. I had no worries at all.

  May 15, 2013

  Five months later, on May 15, I walked through the backdoor of our home into the Egyptian Spa healing room. Suddenly, without warning, I had a gut wrenching realization I was going to die soon. This was a real premonition. Out of the blue with no apparent connection to anything else.

  The moment was palpable. Unmistakable. I could reach out and touch it. I knelt on the cold marble floor and spoke aloud, “Lord, at least if you are going to take me, give me three years to see my daughter graduate high school.”