End of Times - "The dead shall be raised"

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One of the most popular questions we ask ourselves (especially as we get older) is what happens when we die?

Is there some other life after our physical bodies cease to function, a rebirth or new life on a different plain? Or do we simply vanish from existence?

Many believe that we move on to a different life or level. This may be based on some genuine belief that it is possible, or nothing more than wishful thinking.

Reincarnation is usually understood as meaning "to be made flesh again", a belief that some essential part of a living being survives death to be reborn in a new body. This essential part is often referred to as the spirit or soul.

Religion plays a big part in how we view the possibility of life after death. Many Eastern religions and traditions tend to support the belief of life after death, but these views are rarely shared with religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam and others.

Reincarnation had a much greater following in ancient times, but to have spoken about such things in Italy just over 400 years ago, would have seen you burnt at the stake!

In more recent years the interest in reincarnation has returned and many experiments have been carried out in an attempt to discover the truth. Unfortunately, this is a subject that is very hard to prove (one way or the other).

Many people feel that they have had "past lives" and the most popular way of exploring this possibility is using hypnosis to try and take the subject back to these times, to activate memories that are not visible under normal circumstances. This technique is called Past life regression (PLR).

Whilst most of the results have proven inconclusive, there have been occasions when people have provided details of "past lives" with incredible detail and accuracy. The following example is just one of many cases.

Professor Ian Stevenson, from the University of Virginia, spent over 40 years devoted to the study of children who have apparently spoken about a past life. In one case "A boy in Beirut spoke of being a 25-year-old mechanic, thrown to his death from a speeding car on a beach road. According to multiple witnesses, the boy provided the name of the driver, the exact location of the crash, the names of the mechanic's sisters and parents and cousins, and the people he went hunting with - all of which turned out to match the life of a man who had died several years before the boy was born, and who had no apparent connection to the boy's family"

Some scientists argue that "there is no evidence of a physical process by which a personality could survive death and travel to another body" a view shared by Professor Stevenson. Unfortunately, scientists tend to base their conclusions on "known" science, but that does not mean it is not possible. Until we fully understand the capabilities of our brain, such statements are just as speculative as those made by believers.

Another point often raised by doubters is that most people do not remember previous lives (at least not without the help of hypnosis), but again, this is hardly sufficient evidence to dismiss the claims.

I have my own theory on Life after Death/Reincarnation. It is not connected to any religious beliefs (I am a non-believer), but simply a logical look at the possibility, using the information available.

As I have already mentioned in other subjects in my book (The Unexplained Explored), I believe our brains have the ability to transmit and receive information. By this I mean that information can be sent from one brain to another.

If this is true, and I believe it is, it might be possible for the memory (or soul if you like) of a dead person to be transferred to a living person and stored in their brain. Our brains have a huge memory capacity (much of which we do not use), so in theory this would not be a problem as far as storage space is concerned.

However, as we do not appear to be aware of this event, the "new" memories must be placed in an area of the brain that we do not use or need, which may explain why we do not remember "previous lives"

Technically, they are not "our" previous lives, we are merely acting as a host for other people (who have lived in the past). Maybe using hypnosis enables us to recall these hidden memories?

Unfortunately, it is by no means certain that the "souls" of those who have died make it to the brain of someone living (assuming it is even possible). Researchers have noticed that many of these "past lives" met their deaths by violent means, something I commented on in the chapter related to ghosts (in my book). This would seem to suggest that something traumatic needs to occur in order for the memories of the dead person to transfer somewhere else.

As the brain transmits signals to our body by means of electrochemical pulses (and other methods), perhaps we can speculate that a traumatic experience (like facing a violent death) might produce such a response as to turn the brain into a kind of transmitter, sending out a signal that carries the entire memories of the person who has just died.

In theory, such a signal could travel some distance before eventually being collected by a "receiving" brain, which accepts the information and stores it. In principle, the new host could receive many "souls" in this way, which become part of the new host's memories. These too could be passed on when that person dies and so the process is repeated.

This may explain why some people have more "past lives" than others and why the lives continue to go back further and further in time.

If all of this is really possible, does our brain have some instinctive safety device that allows it to transmit our "soul" when we die, or does this happen by accident? And if it is by design, what is the purpose?

Clearly, from the limited information we have, the "soul" (or souls) that we may carry with us in our brains, seem to have no power over our lives, or do they?

There is a condition called Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) which is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a condition in which a single person displays multiple distinct identities or personalities (known as alter egos or alters), each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment. The diagnosis requires that at least two personalities routinely take control of the individual's behavior with an associated memory loss that goes beyond normal forgetfulness.

DID is often confused with schizophrenia, but they are different. It is a condition that is still not fully understood and there are many suggestions as to what causes it (stress being high on the list). Is it possible that under certain conditions the "souls" that may reside in our brains are allowed to surface and occasionally take control of our real identities?

This theory was certainly considered many years ago, but most doctors and scientists seem to rule out this possibility nowadays. Is this another situation where the "experts" have decided to dismiss an idea because it does not fit in with known science?

Although many religions frown on the subject of reincarnation, should they? Is there not mention of Christ returning at the End of Times, where "the dead shall be raised". Surely this must mean their souls, not their physical bodies?

Could it not be part of Gods "plan" to have "souls" remain in the living until the second coming? If "souls" must wait until the End of Times to be raised, does that mean it is not possible to do so until Christ returns? If so, they need to remain somewhere until this time comes.

For those of you (like me) who do not believe in a "Biblical God", you may be more comfortable with the idea of some advanced Alien being (or beings) involved in monitoring our destiny.

Imagine for a moment such a race of beings, which have the task of protecting ALL life on our planet (if faced with extinction). To physically remove every living creature to a safer location would be an enormous task, even for the most advanced Alien beings, but to take just their memories would be more feasible.

It might be difficult to picture ourselves as some "download" for an Alien race, but our brains are not that different to the computers we use every day. And if information can be taken, it is reasonable to assume that information can be given as well.

Many people who claim to have had some "contact" with Aliens, often refer to this experience taking place in their minds. Could this all be in their imagination, or is it really happening?

As with most things that are difficult or impossible to explain, there are many possibilities, and until further proof is obtained we can not rule out any of these.

To explore many other unexplained mysteries, be sure to download my book.