Appendix C

Glossary of Terms

A Working Reference for the Reader

Condensed Edition

This book draws on theology, philosophy, biblical studies, and near-death-experience research. Each of those fields carries its own vocabulary. This glossary gathers the key terms in one place so you can check a definition without losing your place in the argument. Every entry is kept short. Cross-references point you to the chapter or appendix where the term receives its fullest treatment.

A

A-theory of time. The view that the present moment is objectively real and that time genuinely passes. On A-theory, past events have happened, the present is happening now, and the future has not yet arrived. This book adopts A-theory as the best framework for making the moment-of-death encounter genuinely temporal. See Chapter 14 and Appendix H.

Aiōn / Aiōnios (Greek: αἰών / αἰώνιος). Aiōn means "age" or "era." Aiōnios, the adjective, can mean "eternal," "age-long," or "pertaining to the age to come," depending on context. The meaning of aiōnios in texts like Matthew 25:46 is debated across all three eschatological positions. See Chapter 15 and Appendix L.

Annihilationism. See Conditional Immortality.

B

B-theory of time. The view that all moments in time are equally real and that the passage of time is an illusion. On B-theory, past, present, and future all exist in a "block." This book argues against B-theory because it undermines the temporal reality of the moment-of-death encounter. See Chapter 14 and Appendix H.

C

Cardiac arrest. The cessation of the heart's pumping activity. Blood flow to the brain stops within seconds. Many of the most evidentially significant NDEs occur during documented cardiac arrest, when the brain has no measurable electrical activity. See Chapter 6.

Chronos and Kairos (Greek: χρόνος / καιρός). Two Greek words for "time." Chronos refers to measured, sequential clock-time. Kairos refers to a decisive moment, a time ripe with meaning. The moment of death, this book argues, is the supreme kairos within chronos. See Chapter 15 and Appendix L.

Clinical death. The point at which heartbeat and breathing cease. Clinical death is reversible in some cases through CPR or medical intervention. It is distinct from biological death, the irreversible loss of all brain function. See Chapter 5.

Conditional immortality (CI). The view that human souls are not inherently immortal. Those who reject God finally cease to exist rather than suffering eternally. Also called annihilationism, though some writers distinguish the two. CI is one of three eschatological positions this book treats as compatible with its thesis. See Chapter 29.

Conscious intermediate state. The belief that the soul is aware and active between bodily death and the final resurrection. This book affirms a conscious intermediate state, against soul sleep. See Chapter 8.

Counterfactual (of creaturely freedom). A true statement about what a free creature would do in a given set of circumstances. On Molinism, God knows all such counterfactuals before creating. See Middle knowledge and Chapter 28.

CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). Emergency procedures to restore heartbeat and breathing after cardiac arrest. CPR creates the medical window during which many NDEs are later reported. See Chapter 6.

D

Descent of Christ (descensus ad inferos, "descent to the dead"). The traditional belief, rooted in 1 Peter 3:18–19 and 4:6 and affirmed in the Apostles' Creed, that Christ descended to the realm of the dead between his crucifixion and resurrection. This book reads the descent as a real, salvific event. See Chapter 21 and Chapter 22.

Divine simplicity. The classical doctrine that God has no parts and that all of God's attributes are identical with his being. Critics argue that simplicity makes it hard to affirm genuine temporal experience in God. See Appendix F.

Divine temporality / Divine timelessness. Two rival views of God's relationship to time. Divine temporality holds that God experiences real succession and acts within time. Divine timelessness holds that God exists in an eternal present with no before or after. This book argues for divine temporality. See Chapter 13 and Appendix F.

Dualism. In philosophy of mind, the view that human beings have both a material body and an immaterial soul or mind. Substance dualism holds that the soul is a distinct entity that can survive the body's death. Property dualism holds that mental properties are non-physical but depend on a physical base. Hylomorphic dualism treats the soul as the body's form. Emergent dualism holds that the mind emerges from but transcends the brain. This book affirms substance dualism. See Chapter 8.

E

Ēchmalōteusen aichmalōsian (Greek: ᾐχμαλώτευσεν αἰχμαλωσίαν). "He led captivity captive," from Ephesians 4:8, quoting Psalm 68:18. The phrase is central to the book's reading of Christ's descent and his transfer of the righteous dead from Sheol to heaven. See Chapter 22.

Eschatology. The study of "last things": death, judgment, heaven, hell, the return of Christ, and the final state. This book's thesis is an eschatological proposal about what happens at the moment of death.¹

ET-simultaneity. "Eleonore Stump–Norman Kretzmann simultaneity," a philosophical concept designed to explain how a timeless God can relate to temporal creatures. Critics argue it is incoherent. See Appendix G.

F

Feasible world. In Molinist philosophy, a possible world that God can actually create, given the true counterfactuals of creaturely freedom. Not every logically possible world is feasible, because free creatures might not cooperate. See Chapter 28.

Final judgment. The eschatological event in which God renders a definitive verdict on every human life. This book proposes that the moment-of-death encounter precedes and informs that verdict, but takes no position on the final outcome for those who refuse Christ. See Chapter 29.

Free will (libertarian, compatibilist). Libertarian free will holds that a genuinely free choice requires the real ability to do otherwise. Compatibilist free will holds that freedom is compatible with the choice being determined by prior causes, so long as the agent acts on her own desires. This book assumes libertarian free will. See Chapter 27 and Chapter 28.

G

General revelation. God's self-disclosure through creation, conscience, and providence, available to all people regardless of whether they have heard the gospel. The question of whether general revelation can be saving is central to the problem of the unevangelized. See Chapter 32.

Greyson NDE Scale. A standardized sixteen-item questionnaire developed by psychiatrist Bruce Greyson to measure the depth and features of a near-death experience. A score of seven or above qualifies as an NDE. See Chapter 7.²

H

Hadēs / Sheol (Greek: ᾅδης; Hebrew: שְׁאוֹל). The realm of the dead. In the Old Testament, Sheol is where all the dead go, righteous and wicked alike. In the New Testament, Hadēs carries the same range but is shaped by the two-chamber picture in Luke 16. See Chapter 20 and Chapter 23.

Hellish NDE / Distressing NDE. A near-death experience marked by fear, darkness, isolation, or torment rather than by peace and light. Some NDErs report a transition from hellish to peaceful content. See Chapter 12.

I

Inclusivism. The view that salvation is made possible only through Christ, but that a person may receive saving grace without having explicitly heard the gospel. See Chapter 32.³

K

Kēryssō (Greek: κηρύσσω). "To proclaim" or "to herald." Used in the New Testament for preaching the gospel. The cognate noun kērygma refers to the content of the proclamation. See Chapter 21.

Krisis (Greek: κρίσις). "Judgment" or "decision." In the New Testament, the word carries both senses: God's verdict and the decisive moment that calls for a human response. See Chapter 24.

L

Libertarian freedom. See Free will. In the context of Molinism and optimal grace, libertarian freedom means that the dying soul's response to Christ cannot be coerced or determined. God can arrange the encounter, but the creature's yes or no is genuinely the creature's own. See Chapter 28.

Life review. A feature of many NDEs in which the experiencer relives significant moments from his or her life, often from the perspectives of other people affected by those moments. The life review is the clearest empirical case of compressed clock-time holding extended felt experience. See Chapter 11 and Appendix K.

Limbus patrum (Latin). "Limbo of the fathers." In Catholic tradition, the place or state where the Old Testament righteous waited until Christ's descent freed them. See Chapter 20.

M

Maximal harvest world. In Molinist terms, a feasible world in which the greatest possible number of free creatures freely accept Christ. The concept helps frame the question of whether God's optimal grace can coexist with final rejection. See Chapter 28.⁴

Middle knowledge / Molinism. The doctrine, developed by the sixteenth-century Jesuit Luis de Molina, that God knows not only what every creature will do but what every creature would do in any possible circumstance. This knowledge stands "between" God's knowledge of necessary truths and his knowledge of what actually happens. Middle knowledge allows God to design each soul's encounter for maximum impact without overriding freedom. See Chapter 28.⁵

N

Near-death experience (NDE). An experience reported by people who have come close to death or been clinically dead and then revived. Common features include a sense of leaving the body, moving through a tunnel, encountering a being of light, a life review, and a sense of profound peace. See Chapters 6 and 7.

Nekrois (Greek: νεκροῖς). Dative plural of nekros, "dead person." In 1 Peter 4:6, the gospel was preached "to the dead" (nekrois). The identity of these "dead" is a key exegetical question. See Chapter 21.

Nephesh / Psychē (Hebrew: נֶפֶשׁ; Greek: ψυχή). Often translated "soul," though the Hebrew nephesh can also mean "life," "self," or "person." The Greek psychē carries a similar range. See Soul.

O

Optimal grace. Jerry Walls's concept: God extends to every person the best possible opportunity for salvation, calibrated to that person's circumstances and freedom. This book applies optimal grace to the moment-of-death encounter, arguing that God uses middle knowledge to design each soul's encounter for the greatest possible chance of a free yes. See Chapter 28.⁶

Out-of-body experience (OBE). The sensation of perceiving the world from a vantage point outside one's physical body. OBEs are common in NDEs and are sometimes veridical: the experiencer reports details later confirmed by witnesses. See Chapter 8.

P

Paradise. Jesus promises the dying thief that he will be with Christ in Paradise "today" (Luke 23:43). In this book's two-stage framework, Paradise refers to the blessed chamber of Sheol before Christ's death. After the resurrection, it refers to heaven itself. See Chapter 20.

Physicalism. In philosophy of mind, the view that human beings are entirely physical. There is no immaterial soul that survives bodily death. Christian physicalists typically affirm the resurrection of the body as God's re-creation of the whole person. See Chapter 9.

Pneuma / Pneumata (Greek: πνεῦμα / πνεύματα). "Spirit" or "spirits." In 1 Peter 3:19, Christ preached "to the spirits in prison." Whether these pneumata are human dead, fallen angels, or both is a central question. See Chapter 21.

Poreutheis (Greek: πορευθείς). "Having gone," an aorist participle of poreuomai. In 1 Peter 3:19, this participle describes Christ's movement to the realm of the spirits. Whether this "going" is a descent to the dead or an ascent to heaven is debated. See Chapter 21.

Postmortem opportunity. The belief that salvation remains available to some or all people after bodily death. Most proposals place this opportunity in the intermediate state. This book proposes that the opportunity is concentrated at the moment of death itself. See Chapter 16 and Chapter 17.⁷

Purgatory. In Catholic theology, a state of purification after death for those who die in God's grace but are not yet fully sanctified. This book does not affirm or deny purgatory. It notes that a moment-of-death encounter with Christ could serve a purgative function on some models. See Chapter 33.

R

Restrictivism. The view that saving faith in Christ is possible only in this earthly life and only through explicit knowledge of the gospel. After death, no further opportunity is given. See Chapter 32.

Ruach (Hebrew: רוּחַ). "Breath," "wind," or "spirit." In the Old Testament, ruach is used for the breath of life God gives to humans, the human spirit, and the Spirit of God. See Pneuma and Chapter 15.

S

Sequenced ("staged") encounter. The proposal that God composes the order of elements in each soul's moment-of-death encounter. For some, the encounter may open with a period of felt darkness or isolation before Christ appears or is called out to. The NDE pattern in which a hellish phase gives way to a Christological one supports this possibility. See Chapter 28 and Chapter 12.

Soul. The immaterial dimension of a human being. On the substance dualism this book affirms, the soul is a real entity distinct from the body, capable of surviving bodily death and experiencing the moment-of-death encounter. See Chapter 8.

Soul sleep. The belief that the soul is unconscious between death and the final resurrection. This book rejects soul sleep, arguing that NDE evidence and biblical texts support a conscious intermediate state. See Chapter 8.

Substance dualism. See Dualism.

T

Thanatos / Muth (Greek: θάνατος; Hebrew: מוּת). "Death." In both testaments, death is more than a biological event; it is the threshold at which the soul departs the body and enters the presence of God. See Chapter 5.

Tota simul (Latin). "All at once." Boethius's classic definition of eternity: God possesses the entire fullness of life tota simul, in a single undivided present. The phrase anchors the divine-timelessness tradition. See Appendix G.⁸

Transworld damnation. A concept from William Lane Craig's Molinist framework: a creature who would freely reject God in every feasible world in which she exists. If such creatures exist, not even optimal grace can save them. See Chapter 28.⁹

Transworld sanctity. The mirror image of transworld damnation: a creature who would freely accept God in every feasible world in which she exists. See Chapter 28.

U

Universal reconciliation (UR). The view that God will eventually redeem every human being, that hell, if it exists, is not the final word. Also called universalism. UR is one of three eschatological positions this book treats as compatible with its thesis. See Chapter 25 and Chapter 29.

Universal salvific will. The doctrine, rooted in 1 Timothy 2:4, that God genuinely desires the salvation of every human being without exception. This is one of the book's foundational commitments. See Chapter 2.

V

Veridical NDE / Veridical perception. An NDE that includes verified observations the experiencer could not have obtained by normal means. Pam Reynolds's visual and auditory observations during cardiac arrest are the best-known example. Veridical NDEs provide the strongest evidence for substance dualism. See Chapter 8 and Appendix B.