Colin Perry- Jesus Rescued Him As He Was Descending Into Hell

Brian Smith  0:00  
Close your eyes and imagine what are the things in life that causes the greatest pain, the things that bring us grief, or challenges, challenges designed to help us grow to ultimately become what we were always meant to be. We feel like we've been buried. But what if, like a seed we've been planted, and having been planted, would grow to become a mighty tree. Now, open your eyes, open your eyes to this way of viewing life. Come with me as we explore your true, infinite, eternal nature. This is grief to growth. And I am your host, Brian Smith. Everybody, this is Brian back with another episode of grief to growth. And today I've got with me Colin Thomas Perry's PhD is a writer and a lecturer in media and lives and work at works in Melbourne, Australia. And he has a depth of experience in Christianity and the spiritual relevance of the message of God for the contemporary world. And he's written a book called Dying to be alive. And it's the first thing that can have an incredible experience 2008 He suffered a heart attack and he found himself in an ambulance, blacking in and out in an imminent immediate danger of death. He describes experience of being in the presence of angels engage in conversations with Jesus, and then being offered a choice to return to life on earth or continue on to heaven. So this book is more than just a story, it opens up a way to encounter with heaven, the reaches from beyond the world, deep into the heart and the soul. So I'm excited to have Colin with us today. So thanks for being here.

Colin Perry  1:36  
My pleasure, Brian, great to be with you.

Brian Smith  1:39  
If you wouldn't mind, sharing your experience with the audience, and maybe even start with before you had these experiments. What was your spiritual beliefs? Okay, look, I

Colin Perry  1:50  
was brought up a Christian, I've been a Christian all my life. But I did definitely wander in and out of Christianity. I was a teenager in the 70s. And I left my parents were beautiful people, but very, very conservative in their beliefs. So as a teenager, I was quite rebellious. And also I was and still am a musician, guitarist and songwriter. So I joined the secular music world and the drugs and the lifestyle that sort of goes along with it. And although I didn't stop believing in God, my lifestyle was pretty out there and crazy at that point in time as a younger man. But came back to my belief in God, quite strongly over a period of time, but went through divorce and sort of that shattered my, my ideals, I guess, to some extent, so at the time, we're talking about in 2008, I was about three years out from divorce and feeling quite disillusioned. Feeling lack of purpose, I guess, in my life, and not quite sure in the directions that I should take. So sort of blowing in the wind a little bit, I guess was is the perspective at that point. I had children, I had a daughter who had been hit by a car when she was 70 years old in 1987. And she was profoundly blind injured. So I would spend time with her every couple of weeks, she would come stay with me, she lived in a facility, but she was in a position where she was mentally quite alert, but unable to speak or move due to brainstem damage. So it was a fairly tragic situation. And that was a grief that really weighed heavily on my life. Although I did have four other children, so I really got a lot of joy and love from them. But there was this cloud of grief I guess he got from my life at that point in time. Yeah. So at that point, I was really just drifting along in life. questioning God, not quite sure what he intended for my life, feeling that my life hadn't necessarily gone the way I would have liked it to have gone so. So really wondering what God had in store for me or why these things had happened to me. So feeling a little bit broken at that point in time. And around that point in time, I started to experience chest pain. I was 49 years of age at that time, and that was a concern to me, obviously. So I went to see a doctor and she ran an ECG test on me and just said, look, please relax and take it easy. At this point, because we're not sure what's going on. We'll wait till the tests come back and see how things are going So as I would exert myself in any way, the pain would increase a little bit, so she was saying, well don't push it Take it easy. So a week went by the test results still hadn't been given to me. So I'm starting to feel better. She wasn't 100% sure if this was actually a heart condition, or some other sort of conditions so that at this point, I thought, I have gone, I'm feeling that better, I think I'll go out and do some gardening. So my garden was beginning to look vaguely like a jungle at that point in time. So I went out and started to pull on the lines to try and get the machine started. And it's a stubborn machine at the best of times, and wouldn't kick over. So I was just repeatedly pulling on the cord to try to try and start this machine. And suddenly, out of the blue thing, there was this huge cramping sensation right across my chest. And I knew immediately what was going on. This was unquestionably a heart attack. And I was standing in the yard and feeling very vulnerable. Because this was I was on my own. There was nobody there in the house with me. And I thought, this does not look good. I need to be very careful here. And just as this was happening, I actually heard a very loud voice. Speaking to me, I still to this day, don't know if it was an audible voice or an internal voice. But either way, it was extremely loud. And this voice just said to me, you are going to die. But I have things for you to do. So immediately, I was a little taken aback by this, spoke back into said, what exactly do you mean by this? How can I die but still have things to do. And it's for us to say go inside, call an ambulance, pack a bag and be ready to go. So I just did exactly what that said I was still able to walk and basically function. So I called for an ambulance and pack the bag with some clothes and just waited for the ambulance to arrive, which it did, within about 10 minutes, which was the timing. And the the ambulance officers came into the house and one of them was on his first day format, first day of duty. So he was a total rookie, but there was more experienced men with him. And he was overseeing my treatment and gave me morphine and nitroglycerin, which is the standard sort of treatment for heart attack. And they put me into the ambulance and just said, Okay, we'll take you off to the hospital, we will need to give you another another dose of morphine just to keep your blood pressure down. So they did that. And when they did that, I just said to them, I'm I'm feeling dizzy. Now I'm going to pass out. So at that point, the whole world went like. And I was just floating, basically floating in, in darkness. So I felt totally weightless. I felt as if I was in water, in total blackness in water without any weight without any sensation, but still very much alert and aware of what was happening. So I'm floating along in this dark environment, not quite sure where I am, what, what's going on. And it came to my awareness that this does not feel the same I've passed out before. But this does not feel like the same experiences I've had, at other times when I've passed out. And with that, I began to question Have I in fact, the height, am I still alive or not. And with that came a little, a little misery of fear. So I was riding along just drifting and as I became afraid, I began to feel the sensation of drifting downward, which in turn made me more afraid because my basic understanding of the universe is that that's not the direction I wanted to hit in. And so I just became more and more afraid. And then I actually look down if there is really a down there. And I just sensed this horrible feeling of this great, empty void, this great emptiness beneath me just just nothing that went on forever. Avoid or pit is the only way I can explain it. And I just knew deep down in myself that I didn't want to go in that direction. So having been brought up a Christian I just I just called out Jesus helped me with all my strength. I just screamed it out. I realized now I didn't have a body so it was my spirit was screaming this out. And I continued to drift and continue to go slightly downward and then out of out of nowhere. This is very strong hands came in just grasp my forearm and said you don't want to go that way and started the pull me up forward. And this went on for some period of time, it felt like a few minutes. I don't know if I was going through a tunnel or what, but I could just see things just switching past me very, very quickly. It's a bit like if you've seen Star, star trek a bit like going into warp speed, you know, it's just very, very blurry, fast movement, I felt like I was traveling at an incredible speed, and continued to go up for some period of time. And then we finally came to rest in this quiet, medium, light, cloudy sort of environment, I guess. And I was still adjusting to the environment and where I was. And I gradually became aware that there were six or seven angels standing around me with this one who come and grabbed my arm.

And I was just lying there. And I began to feel sensations that were coming from there. This is a little difficult to explain for anyone who hasn't been there. But it was there was a connection. soul to soul connection, I guess would be the best way to put it where I could hear their thoughts, they can hear my thoughts, there were no words spoken. But we are in a direct line of communication. And I can actually feel what they were thinking, and their emotions and their their state. And this began to seep into me as I was there. And may I say, it was the most incredible experience. These beings made me feel so small, and humble, I felt like a little child in their presence, their their awareness, their their knowledge, their wisdom, this age, or sort of sense of grandeur that was in them was something that made me feel primitive, and unclean, and very, very small, in comparison to who they were. And so I just lay there for a little while just just absorbing what was happening, and then then began to say, you know, am I dead? What's what's happening. And the one who came to get me started to speak to me, with his mind with his soul and say, you have died. But you're here. And we're going to give you a choice, you can either choose to stay here with us and go into paradise. Or you can return to your life on earth. And the choice is yours. So have a think about it. And what do you want to do at this point in time. So I had to think I remember, children, I've got this brain injured daughter, I also even my youngest child was still only eight years old at the time. So I really felt wise plus, I didn't feel like my life's journey was over, I still felt there was a lot of things for me to do. So I thought about that. But at the same time, I also was just so surrounded by love and immersed in love. And it was such an enormous, beautiful sensation of being there with these beings in this place. Just was filled with this gushing enormous sense of love. It was just infinitely large and infinitely beautiful. And I was overwhelmed by that. And I was so caught, I did not want to come back to my life on Earth. If it wasn't for my children, there is no question I would have stayed. It was such a beautiful experience in such a wonderful place and such wonderful beings to be with. So I had a very tough, tough choice to make. Because I really did want to go on and be with them forever like that. There was no question that's, that was the ultimate that was so much better than loving of it. But I felt this feeling of responsibility for my children and, and for my life, feeling unfinished and said to them now look, I think I really do need to return to my life and complete what's happening there. At this point, I actually became a little bit afraid, because once again, remember that, um, did it look better? That's a scary thought. Even though you're in there in this beautiful loving environment, I still became afraid. And with this fear. There was quite a response from the handles, which was very interesting. They all came and gathered around me and said, No, we can't have fear in this place. There is no fear in this place. And they they sort of calmed me, I'm not sure how they did it. But they calmed me and brought me back to a state of contentment and joy and love, which seems to be the standard there. And basically, they just said, Look, fear is out of place in this environment. It doesn't really exist here. So we can't leave you in that state. Which was beautiful at this point. I just turned to the one who had come to get me and said, Who are you? And he just said to me, I'm the one you call board. And to me, that's Jesus. There's only one person I've ever called more than he certainly looked like Jesus and was Jesus. I was at that point, I was just completely overwhelmed by the situation and awestruck by the situation. And so I was just saying, well, it's you. Well, it was basically all I could say, all I could think. And he said to me, at this point, I've been through a lot of grief, as I've explained, and he said to me, Look, I want to do some, some healing within you. So let me let me come into you and heal you basically, just what he said. So I said, Sure, please, please do. And at this point, his, his being sort of entered into my head, and I could feel things shifting and changing within me and I can feel things rearranging on a spiritual level, quite a such a deep level. And I also, for a little while, there, I was actually joined to him, and I felt, you know, I could feel what he was, what he was thinking and his awareness. And it was mind boggling. It was so universal and so huge. He was aware of everything. That's the only way I can put it, he would know what was under a rock in Africa, or he would know what someone was thinking in New York, or whatever that is, awareness was totally infinite. And I was just amazed by that level of awareness. And that level of love and power that was residing in this being in Jesus was was just incredible. And I realized him, Okay, this is, this is the Son of God who's ascended to a higher level. And as you see that the right hand of the Father and this guy has incredible power. This, this is a very, very advanced being this is something beyond which I had, it was understood, even though I was a Christian, which is something beyond and above what any written word can really communicate about who he is, and the extent of his love and His power. So there was, and I said to them, you know, yeah, we'd like to go back and Jesus turned around and said to the angels, so he was actually commanding them telling them what to do. And since then, please go and check the vessel was the term he used. So one of the angels I sort of fly off into the distance. And off in the distance, I could see myself in the end, lots of long, long way. I was still lying on the gurney unconscious, and the attendants were working around me and I could see this angel fly down. And obviously, they couldn't see the angel, but the same, so it was just looking at my body, checking to see what sort of condition I was in. And while he was gone, that they'll just start to speak to me and talk about what I was going to encounter when I went back when I returned. And at this point, he actually started to show me things he and the angels showing me things that were going to happen in my wife and one particular person I was going to meet and, and other things that would kind of eventuate in my life. So it was actually it was as if he was running a movie, of snippets of my future. And telling me the things that were going to come up and telling me I had to be careful of this, I had to be aware of that I had to, you know, there was risk involved in this situation or that and he ran through quite a number of things, some of which I can remember some of which I can't remember. He also was saying that showing this bit, no, show him that bit. So he was being very careful that what he did reveal to me about what was coming up in my future, which, to me that just opened up a whole a whole world of amazement and possibilities that those angels in that level can just see right through time. So if it's not the time for them, it's just something that's that's not of great importance, they can work through time. So I guess after about felt like 20 minutes of being there, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, something like that. Eventually, he said to me, okay, I'm going to send you back. And the angel flew back up and said, yes, the vessel is good. He's okay to return. And so after quite a lot of conversation and things he told me, things that were to come, and all sorts of interesting stuff, which would take quite a long, long explanation. And then he sent me back so I felt myself writing back down and once again, I felt myself I'm floating in this this sort of dark, watery environment. And then Then I saw a light and went towards that light. And bang, I was I was back in my body again. And it was not a pleasant experience coming back it was, it was so beautiful. Where I was, it was just so light and spiritual and loving the sense of love there, I just can't emphasize that enough. The love was so all pervasive, the love was enormous. I felt as if my chest was going to explode with the sense of love, it was so big. And when I when I entered back into my body, it was like, hitting a block of concrete, it was so

primitive and heavy. And I just realized for the first time, just how, how much lower we are than the angelic existence. We our lives here are just so primitive in comparison to what is happening at that level that I experienced beyond death. And I was in a bit of pain, but you know what, I wasn't afraid anymore. There was no more fear. No more fear of this. Well, if I die, and I go back there, whoo hoo. That was what I was laying there thinking. some really interesting things happened when I came back. I felt as if I'd been water is, so explain them. When I when I got back, there was no shirt on me. And the ambulance operator, first thing he said to me was, you're back with us. And he was standing next to defibrillator pads. And they were about to about to Zapien within half said yes. Wow. It must have been a long time. I've been gone for ages. And he said, What are you talking about? You've only been gone for one year, which I was stunned to hear that because they'd been this long period of time, I had spent at least 20 minutes as I said, and this had all taken place in Earth time within one minute. Which is just not possible. So I can only assume there's two very, very different timeframes at work going on there. And I hadn't shared where's my shirt? I said, it was sopping wet. And just throw it over in the corner there took it off and threw it over in the corner there sopping wet. So I said can I have it back on a bit chilly. So he passed it back to me and it was dry. I said this shirt is completely dry. And he was shocked. He couldn't understand how the shirt had been sopping wet one minute and dry the next. So it's as if the the reality from beyond death had almost seeped through, into into this earthly reality. And he had felt it as wet but levels not. Very, very interesting things that were going on. So I went on into hospital was tested. And yes, I've had a heart attack. And they they operated on the input of stenting. But I was still hearing angels talking to for quite some period of time. And they they said some interesting things to me. They said we've we've healed three arteries, but this one we won't heal. And I sort of didn't understand I just took that for, for what they what they said. And the head cardiologist came and saw me after the operation and said you're a very lucky man. He said most people just simply die at your age when they have this particular sort of heart attack. And then he said, You're also very lucky man, because you've obviously had a heart attack before because there's been some bypass arteries have actually come into being in your heart, your your, your artery system, and your heart has actually grown around blockages. Wow. I thought wow. That's, that's interesting. So it's like, it's like, I believe the angels have literally performed bypass. So there was only one artery left that needed a stent, which was then put in me and I had a fairly good recovery experience from there on him. But interestingly, while I was there lying in hospital, the angels said to me, the person you're going to meet that Jesus had spoke to me about was within one kilometer of the hospital. Well, okay, all right. And sure enough, 334 weeks later, I did meet someone very important to me who lived about 800 planes from that hospital and someone I spend a lot of time with and actually the married are where we've since divorced again, unfortunately, but that was something they told me And it came to pass it was it was a truth. So there was a lot of not only experience for me personally, but sort of hard evidence, I guess that this was a reality that they were able to tell me. Things that would happen to me in my life in advance and show me all of this. So incredibly interesting to me that this goes on, I've always believed in it. book knowledge, always believed in it. But when you experience it firsthand, it goes to another dimension, literally. You understand there is a God, there are angels, they are caring for you. They do see your future, they do look after you and guide you and care for you. It's a wonderful thought.

Brian Smith  25:45  
Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for sharing that so much. I just have a question. So you said initially you find yourself in the blackness and in the watery like environment, and you find yourself drifting downward? Do you believe that's because of the fear that you had?

Colin Perry  26:03  
I think that played a part in this. I don't fully understand that claim to fully understand what was going on at that point in time. I think I believe in heaven. And hell, I'm not I'm not a big sort of hell Bible bashing sort of Christian. I'm not going around saying to everyone, you're going to hell. But I certainly felt something very, very frightening. Yeah. deeply, deeply afraid of, of going down into that that darkness. And that, to me was quite important. Did that the fear certainly took me in that direction. I don't believe it was responsible for what's there. I think there's there's two, two directions up and down in universal wherever that is. And yeah, I certainly was calling out to go in the upward direction, not the downward.

Brian Smith  26:56  
Yeah, yeah. And Jesus obviously responded when you when you made that call.

Colin Perry  27:02  
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. And often after this experience, I think back to studying the Bible deeply, but even more so after this experience. And I think back to the words, he said, and one of them was anyone who calls on the name will be saved. So that's, that's a great thought, yeah, I didn't call on the name of the Lord. I was saved. So it gives that another context. Yeah. to consider. Yeah.

Brian Smith  27:28  
So when when Jesus was showing you, what would happen in your future was presented as these things are going to happen, or these things are possibilities or probabilities.

Colin Perry  27:38  
He did talk about that. Actually, he did say to me, one of the things he said very clearly to me was, whether you come back here is to do with your choices. And if you choose the wrong path, you won't necessarily come back. But if you choose the right path, he will. And he was very clear that there were choices for me to make. And that is, in fact, what he was showing me and talking to me about those choices. So I again, have a very good understanding of the fact that our life is just absolutely full of choices where we can go one way or the other. One thing I do understand more after being there is the importance of right and wrong, good and evil in our lives, and what an enormous role that plays. And with my studies and what I've done, I'm beginning to understand that that's like another dimension, we talked about time being the fourth dimension, I think, good and evil is the fifth dimension, in that type directions we can go in, in our lives, that they are measurable, that we can do good, or we can do bad. And that if we head in one direction, there's going to be one direction outcome. And if we hit in the other direction, there'll be no direction outcome. And that's really important, I think, to every human being to understand that. And that's why, you know, I love the Christian message so much because of its forgiveness because of its its mercy and its love for overcoming that evil side. That was very important. I'm glad you brought that up. Thank you.

Brian Smith  29:17  
So you mentioned before you had this experience, you kind of felt like you were adrift. I know you were you were raised Christian and you kind of what do you mean when you say you were adrift? How does that? How does that play out for you?

Colin Perry  29:30  
Well, by that I mean look, I still believe very much that I was wondering. Okay, God, you You love me. I'm your child. I believe in you. Why are these bad things happening to me? Why? Why has this happened to my daughter? Why am I divorced and lonely or why is the why is my life gone wrong? Sure. I'm basically fairly selfish at its at its roots. But that's what I was wrestling through at that. point in time. And interestingly, since then I've read a lot of other books from from people who've had near death experiences and almost without exception, either they have gone through or are about to go through some very, very difficult, difficult circumstances. And it's as if God is giving them something to grasp onto and suddenly say, yes, there is hope in the universe. Yes, there is love in the universe. And I know that's the effect that had on me, it totally changed my viewpoint on who God is, and what he does for us and how He cares for us. Because they are the things I was I was questioning and confused about the list very much. Yeah,

Brian Smith  30:42  
I think that's very, very human. It's very normal when we go through things like that. And I know you talked about the experience with your daughter, and the accident. And I can only imagine that feeling of abandonment, I would guess that the guy didn't let that happened. So did you What was the insight you got when, from your experience in terms of why these things happen to us?

Colin Perry  31:04  
I think we live, we live in a very flawed level of the universe, universe, whatever it is multiple dimensions, it's a little hard to describe, but I believe we live in a multi dimensional universe with the best way I could put it. And I think this just being here, just being in this world, in this human body comes with the territory of disease, deaths, pain, suffering, they are part of the deal. Unfortunately, that's just what we have to put up with here. It's part of this physical existence. And I've come to understand that now. I don't mind god for that anymore. realize that's just it's where we are. And it's the way things work here, because we are in a physical body. But simultaneously, we are a spirit of soul. And, and our souls just just very naturally don't feel quite at home here. This isn't our best way of understanding if we don't feel like this is where we belong. And I can I can really relate to that, that we're just visitors here on this planet. And that there's something more there's something eternal, which is why humanity always has grasped for the eternal in one form or another. Because I think at a deep, deep level, we know, we know that that exists. And we know that we are eternal beings at a soul level. So yeah, that's, that's my best way of explaining it. And I think, you know, Jesus didn't come into the world to offer us a way, and to offer us love at the core of it all. And when you get down to the core teachings of Jesus, it is all about love. Love is the number one principle. And that was certainly my experience when I was with him and with the angels is that love is love is the essence of what God is and what he brings into our lives to this level.

Brian Smith  33:04  
Right? Well, I think that's, that's universal. I want people that have had near death experiences. It's all it's all about love. It's all about us being one, you know, unity. So, you're Jesus, when you when you came back? Do you feel like you came back to spread the message of nd ease? Or was it something else? Or what do you think,

Colin Perry  33:28  
undoubtedly came back to well, all of the above. He didn't tell me it's important that you spread the word of this. By that he meant, I think the end of hate I by that, I think he met him and the angels and the love. They were transmitting to me. And he was just saying spread the word of this as far and as wide as you can. And I think that is something that I'm certainly not alone in this 1000s upon 1000s of people have had NDAs if you've heard of the near death experience, Research Foundation, there are there are 1000s of Indies recorded there. And as you say, universally, the theme of love is the strong is the common point. For all of these things, people just saying, I felt enormous love when I was there, I met with a beam of light who, who just pour with love into my soul. And that's very much at the core of what have what is there and what I believe is waiting for everybody if if they, you know, follow after the path of light and love and goodness.

Brian Smith  34:42  
Yes. So, um I think you said that you had said in another interview, possibly that you've you were told there was going to be some pushback against spreading the message of India. Is that true? Yeah, yeah,

Colin Perry  34:55  
very much so. And there is a lot of pushback. Sometimes unexplainable comes from a lot of different directions

Brian Smith  35:04  
does universally, I

Colin Perry  35:07  
think people are afraid of what they don't understand. But I've had some really abusive responses to my story, some accusing me of just wanting to make money from writing a book about it. Which is very far from the case. If anything, I've lost money on the book, I've written about it, but there is this suspicion, negativity around it. And yeah, I find it unfortunate. But I think it's just a part of human nature that whenever there's something that rises to that high spiritual level, there's people trying to tear it down and destroy it, as has happened to Jesus has happened to so many of his followers.

Brian Smith  35:55  
Yeah, we talked a little bit before we started recording, the pushback comes from from multiple sides, it comes from the atheists, or the materialists that say that, you know, there's, this is impossible. It's just, it's an artifact of a dying brain. It's a lack of oxygen, you know, all the other things that say, and then, you know, you and I talked about it, and I do want to address it while we're talking here. When I post videos and near death experiences, a lot of times I have some Christian people, and it's some will say, This can't be true. This this is this is hallucination, this is of the devil, etc. Have you gotten any of that?

Colin Perry  36:34  
I have had some small instances of that. Look, I think there's a particular group of Christians who are very quick to, to label things as of the, without much evidence, or without much reason they think Jesus was under the devil. Yeah, exactly. And, and all the prophets, like, whenever there was prophets, or men of God, that got up and spoke out these spiritual truths. Inevitably, some, usually, unfortunately, usually, the religious institutions, were the ones that protect them the hardest, and the most traditional of the institutions are often the ones who, who speak out the loudest against these things, because it threatens their, their world order as such that they have a tradition, and I believe they are right and their ways the correct way. So anything that that brings up a challenge to that. They just label it off the double bang. I think it's it's a fairly primitive way of thinking. And I'm, I feel sorry for them. To be honest, I just think it's a shame that they have to do that, because I myself, and almost everybody else I know who has had an Indian will be is somebody who is seeking to better the planet Earth and the people here. So it's said that this is thrown against us yet.

Brian Smith  38:02  
It is sad. And I do want to point out that it's not all Christians, there's there's a subset of them. And you've mentioned before, you know, John Burke, who I've actually interviewed in my program, who is a pastor of spreading this word of near death experiences, I think is right in line with what Jesus teaches is right in line with what the Bible teaches, it's where we're spiritual beings, we're, we are here for, you know, for a short time, and then we're going back home. I, I, the only reason that I can explain the pushback, as you said, is like, it has to be my way. And there's, there's, there's a lot of fear around and I I feel sorry for those people, but they do they, whenever I post the Near Death Experience video, you know, some of those people come come out of the woodwork. And I just, you know, I think of what Jesus said, you know, Father, forgive them because they don't know what they do. Because the universal message is, you know, and Jesus said, you'll know a tree by its fruit. So when I listen to us talk, and you're spreading love and hope and peace. And you know, goodness, how could that be? Bad?

Colin Perry  39:05  
Yeah, yeah, exactly. I mean, I'm spreading the word of Jesus, I'm spreading Jesus love. I'm trying to talk to people about coming to know God, to communicate with God, to let God communicate with them. Yeah, exactly. I think what I'm, what I'm doing, and what so many other people in my situation are doing is, as you say, directly in line with the message of Jesus with the Christian message. So, but look, there's been people throwing stones for so many centuries now. It's nothing new. And all I can do is keep on going and just ignore it as much as possible. Because I don't think it's I've got that sort of behavior. I think it's very much of humanity and selfishness and, and power. I think it has to do with power and saying, I've got the exclusive right to To know what God is and how he works. And I also think there is an overemphasis on the written word in the Protestant Christian movement, of which I am a part. But the Bible is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful document inspired directly from God, I absolutely believe in its truth in in every word. But I think when when we put a book ahead of the reality of God in our lives, I think we're on dangerous territory. And I think that's where a lot of this stuff comes from, in that they're saying, Well, you don't fit this verse, you don't fit that verse, I would come back to them and say, Well, I don't think you fully understand that for us. I don't think you fully understand the context of how this book was written. I don't think you fully understand what it's saying, You believe in an interpretation of this book. But in its in its essence, it actually goes beyond what you believe. And it's bigger than you believe. And I think we've just got to open up our minds, and accept that God is doing things in the world today through people that sort of explained by the Bible, but perhaps they are things that are new. And Jesus talked about this, he said, you know, you can't put old wine into new wineskins, you need to have a new wineskin. To, to understand and to contain what what I'm putting into people and into the world. And I think that's the situation that's been going on ever since he was on us is that things continue to develop to grow. And new, new understandings continue to emerge. And I think this current movement of MBAs is very much a new understanding for the people that this has come about, through MediCal, medical possibilities, with so many people are being revived and brought back from death, that it's just becoming overwhelming. And doctors themselves or even even non believing atheist doctors are saying is there's something going on here. Particularly when when people come back to life and start telling them what they were doing in the room, down the corridor, etc. And they have no choice but to believe it. It's, it's a reality, which certainly throw some big questions over the sort of scientific, atheistic view of the world.

Brian Smith  42:25  
Exactly. Well, I think what you just said was, was so important, it's brilliant. I want to I want to emphasize that because you talked about people emphasizing the written word and a guy and I can't quote him directly, but someone posted just recently in one of my videos, I don't believe in man's experiences. I only believe what the Bible says. And I feel like the Bible is about man's experiences. You know, it's just these are men from a long time ago. And they'll believe like Paul's account on the road to Damascus, you know, because it's written in the Bible, but they won't believe someone like yourself that says, this just happened to me.

Colin Perry  43:01  
Yeah, I fully believe full. I've read Paul's books inside out hundreds of times, I fully believe he went through a near death experience. And yeah, he was stoned to death at one point he was carried off as dead and then revived. And many of the things he talks about really resonate with me. He talks about, you know, once I knew a man who went to the third level of heaven, and he's very mysterious, and his language appears, he's talking about himself. He talks about the book of Romans 838, I think it is right at the end of the book of Romans chapter eight and talks about no one can keep us from the love of Christ, not hide in the depths, not past nor future, not good nor evil, but not authorities, not angels, or demons. I feel like he was running through the different levels of, of the universe as such. And, you know, I fully believe Paul experienced this. And that's why he was just so dedicated, and so firm in his faith, because he'd experienced that while twice really once on the road to Damascus. And once when, when that stoning took place.

Brian Smith  44:16  
So I know that I hate to bring this up, but I know you've had a daughter that's passed. That's something that we have in common it was that before or after your near death experience.

Colin Perry  44:26  
That was about a year after my near death experience. It was it quite quite amazing. I still get emotional. Thinking about she was hit by a car as I said, when she was seven years old and was in a coma for three months. They were really didn't expect her to survive. At one point she had very severe brain injury, particularly at the brain stem and which controls sort of the the flow of information between the brain and the body. And so a movement was is almost completely compromised, but she could use one hand. And she could sign yes and no. And she still had a slight verbal communication ability. She couldn't really speak, but she can use voice intonation. To get things across. This she was undoubtedly fully alert and fully aware, but unable to speak in any detail. And as I said, she was in a coma for three months. And I remember just sitting with her after my experience and explaining to her what had happened. And she became extremely excited, and started to squeal with joy. And she started pointing at herself, just pointing, pointing at herself like that. And I stopped and I said, back, have you experienced something like this yourself? It's Yes, the finger went straight up. Yes, yes, yes. So I gather that when she was in that coma, she was actually in a heavenly experience for some some period of time. So when she finally passed, it was it was very unfortunate. She had broken her leg. Her bones were very chalky, because of being in a wheelchair for so many years. Who leg was caught in a doorway, and as she was pushed through the doorway and broke her leg. Simultaneously, she she caught the swine flu. This was 2009, when the swine through flu was around. So they, they realized she was sick, she had a very nasty cough, they took her in the hospital. And within three days, her lungs had almost completely dissolved from this pneumonia from the swine flu. So she had just no chance of survival, poor girl. And so as she was passing, I just was able to sit with her and say, Look, we know what's at the, what's at the end of this and what's on the other side of this. And it was such an incredibly comforting, beautiful thing to be able to sit there with her and just talk to her. And I can see the relief on her face when I said, you just remember, remember what's there, what you experienced, remember what I experienced, and you know where you're going, you know, there's a really good place. And I could just see your face, just just the relief just flooding into her face. She couldn't respond much, but I knew she was well aware. And as she passed, it was, well Oh, a very sad experience, also very beautiful experience.

Brian Smith  47:33  
I can only imagine that your experience gives you some comfort, but you still grieve.

Colin Perry  47:40  
Of course, of course. I don't think we can ever imagine that. It's that grief is not to be felt when you lose a loved one. It's I've lost both my parents, my daughter, I'm well accustomed to the Senate. And it's hard. It is hard, although you know, where they are going. And what's happening. It's still a sense of loss, because they've they've passed on, they've they've moved on and left you here. And that's the grief, that is the pain that they're not with you anymore. I've had some incredible experiences with my father as he was passing on to very much in in a semi conscious state, right in his last day, and they're hardly able to breathe. And I started to read Psalm 23 to him because he used to love that sound. So I just started to read Psalm 23. And out of this semi conscious state, he put his head up. And he recited the entire sound from start to finish. And then lay that back down again, I thought, wow, this is this is supernatural. This is this is something incredible, he could hardly even talk, let alone recite the entire 23rd Psalm with Vega. He was really, really enthused by it. It was it was incredible. And you just realize with these things, and often that death, these things do emerge that really reflect there's so much more at play here. There's so much more spiritual going on that we than we understand. And we've got to be open to just the power of God at that level, particularly regarding death. And those sorts of things.

Brian Smith  49:21  
Yeah, abs absolutely able to describe as the term is terminal lucidity for people that are listening. I mean, this is this is a real thing that people that had been in comments, people that have had Alzheimer's and haven't spoken in years, suddenly they'll get a burst of clarity. Usually right before usually a couple of days, hours, maybe before they pass.

Colin Perry  49:44  
Yeah, and I think that reflects literally the passing of out of the body into into the spiritual life beyond death. And I think it's part of that process. So very, very precious time. And although people are deeply grieving, I think it's really important to have that belief that there is something beautiful, awaiting your loved ones when they do pass. And to hold on to that, enter, thank God for that. Because it's so important that we, that's at the core of our belief. You know, the very core of Christianity is, you know, God so loved the world, he sent his only begotten Son that those who believe on him would not die, but have eternal life. That's the core of Christianity. That's John 316. And all of these near death experiences are the living example of that in life. Although we've got that verse there, the reality of it is what people who come back from India he's telling you about, Yeah, it's

Brian Smith  50:51  
weird. It's really interesting. I'm watching the chosen right now, I don't know if you know what that is. chosen is for people that are listening to my No, it's a it's a mini series about the life of Jesus. And it's really, it's really well done. And so people, you know, they watch Jesus perform the miracles and stuff. And then they believed, and as you said earlier, God is still showing us the way God is still speaking through people like yourself, you know, allowing us to get these glimpses into what we call heaven, allowing us to come back and giving us evidence. And it's really sad that so many people are ignoring this, this, I think, beautiful message that we're getting over again, I think we need it desperately people forgotten who we are.

Colin Perry  51:37  
Absolutely, we are a soul, that and I think that's at the core of it all. We are a soul, a spiritual entity that's in a physical body. The Bible itself tells us that time and time and time again, that you know this, this mortal coil, you know, this, this tent that will pass away from us. It's something that is constantly reinforced. And I think the NDA experiences are just in line with that 100% And perhaps recontextualizing, that into the current day, so taking it out of the word, Bible knowledge, into everyday life. And I think that's why it's so important for people to hear about it. And for people to understand God is working right now. in people's lives, everybody's lives without exception, that's across the board, and people can accept or reject. I think that's the choice, I was talking about the good and evil that people can accept God and love into themselves and express that in their lives, or they can reject it bitter, and angry, and all those negative emotions, they're the choices we are grappling with. And I think for those who have lost loved ones, their response to that is very important. That you can be angry at God, you can shake your fist at God, but basically, you're shaking your fist at yourself. God is a part of all of us. And yes, it's sad, but we need to remember, we're all without exception, or going to die. And the outcome for children who buys particularly beautiful, from all the MDA experiences I've read, I've heard about children just immediately embraced into the arms of God, there's no doubt about that. They are pure innocence of God just loves them and welcomes them. So that is something I just get the sense there's people out there quite a few who've lost children and be confident. Yeah, just just be comforted and know that God's got your child, God's got your child in his arms, caring for

Brian Smith  53:52  
Yeah, you know, the thing that we talked earlier about fear, and we talked about not knowing and for me, we fear what we don't know. And the more I learn about near death experiences, the less fear I have, because everybody I've spoken with has had a near death experience and said, I don't fear death anymore, right? That's not something that so this idea that we have in our society, that death is a bad thing. It's the ultimate victory. It's you know, it's it's, it kills all of our dreams. It's just simply not true.

Colin Perry  54:22  
And great. Look, I think what I was talking about earlier that we we have this innate, understanding that we are eternal. I think there are such deep things at play here. beyond our understanding in terms of multiple dimensions, and levels of heaven that are mentioned in the Bible, and that we don't come from here. I think that that story of the Garden of Eden and Genesis, I think it's based on very real events. We don't come from here we've been relegated to here because of some impurity, something some reason that I don't fully understand But to do with good and evil, and those sorts of areas have been discussing, but that we really do belong in an eternal existence that death is actually foreign to us. What really dies is your physical body. What really dies is the the clay, the carbon, that's what dies, we do not die. And that's what I think everyone, so many people do understand that. And that, I think, is the essence of belief in God. I think he's really expressing that that we are eternal beings, a part of God, and heading back towards God. That's our destiny. And I believe as long as we follow after the path of light and love, that's, that's the direction we're going to heading. So that's very much the message I'm trying to bring to everybody. Be a not because fear is not a positive emotion. What is the the apostle John says perfect love casts out fear? And that is the way it should be? Yeah, absolutely.

Brian Smith  56:14  
Well, I think that's a great way to wrap up. So if you could remind people of the name of your book where they can get it. And if people can reach out to you how can people find you? Okay,

Colin Perry  56:24  
look, I right under the name, see Thomas Perry. And my book is called Dying to be alive. If you just do a search, it's on Amazon, it's Barnes and Noble. All the major book, book supply should have it available. So not a problem finding it there. If you do a search, dying to be alive. See Thomas Perry, if you want to be in touch with me, see Thomas Perry author@gmail.com. Or you'll find the see Thomas Perry author page on Facebook. So they're the best ways that you can contact me and discuss things quite happy. I regularly respond to people who send me emails or messages. So I encourage you, if you want to be in touch, please do feel free.

Brian Smith  57:09  
Awesome. I want to thank you for for being bold enough to carry your message or this message forward. I think it's, it's, it's going to inspire a lot of people. It's going to bring a lot of people hope. And I appreciate you what you're doing.

Colin Perry  57:24  
Thank you, Anna, I really appreciate the opportunity to talk with you, Brian. It's been great.

Brian Smith  57:28  
All right, have a great day. I'm excited to not I have a great new resource. It's called gems, four steps to move from grief to joy. And what it is it's four things that I found that I do on a daily basis to help me to navigate my grief. And I'm offering it to you free of charge. It's a free download. Just go to my website, www dot grief to growth.com/gems G m s and grab it there for free. I hope you enjoy it.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai