R.I.P. (Rest In Peace) is a popular acronym many Christians use when a person dies.
Yes, of course “Rest In Peace” sounds nice and is understandably meant to honor the deceased as well as comfort those who mourn the loss of a loved one. But, like many things surrounding death, R.I.P. is far from accurate. Why?
For many, Rest In Peace conjures up images of our deceased loved one lying down and passively and peacefully resting or even slumbering in death. It makes it seem like death is somehow one big, long relaxing nap. 😴
However, after studying over 5,000 Near-Death Experiencers (NDErs) who died, went to Heaven, and came back to tell the rest of us about it, I can assure you that dead people don’t give a R.I.P. about Resting In Peace. In fact, resting is DEFINITELY NOT what we or our deceased loved ones do in Heaven!
Instead, R.I.P. should be realistically reconfigured into these six eye-opening and much more accurate acronyms: 😳
1. R.I.P. – Reawaken In Paradise
Instead of passively Resting in Peace, Near-Death Experiencers tell us we’ll really Reawaken In Paradise.
We’ll feel much more alive and awake than we ever did on Earth as we enter an amazing, otherworldly realm many call Heaven. Our five senses expand exponentially and we can see, hear, and sense things in much greater detail. In Heaven NDErs tell us we will feel far more alive, free, and expansive than we did on Earth.
“What we refer to as being dead is the most breathtakingly beautiful experience I’ve ever had. The afterlife is real, more real and more utterly magnificent than anything we could ever dream of on this side of the veil.” Dannion Brinkley 😇
“My experience [on the Other Side] was the most realistic event of my life. While I was on the Other Side all my senses were expanded beyond anything possible in mortal life. By comparison, earth life is the dream world.” Dr. Joyce Brown 😇
2. R.I.P. – Relish In the Perfection, Beauty, and Bliss of Heaven
Further, the sheer beauty and overwhelming bliss of the Other Side blows the minds of Near-Death Experiences. NDErs tell us we’ll see amazing sights and feel pure unconditional love when we arrive in Heaven. There is no time for resting because there are so many sights to see, things to do, and places to experience!
“Flower-filled grassy meadows spread out on the hills around me and huge deciduous trees in full leaf, trees larger and more grand than any here on Earth, surrounded the meadows… That was the visual. But there is more to Heaven than what we can see with our eyes. Below the surface visuals was a well of feeling fueled by love, peace, and an abiding Presence that I will call Spirit or God… The Beauty I felt really does deserve a capital “B”. It wasn’t just pleasing to the eye, there was something deeper to it, more harmonious, more blessed, more powerful. Everything felt tied together by love and peace, and the beauty of the scenes around me were the product of this unconditional love. While the beauty of Heaven took my breath away, the sense of love completely ensnared me and made me want to stay there forever.” Nancy Rynes 😇
“I emerged to find myself standing in a field, a meadow, so beautiful and infused with a life force so strong, even the blades of grass glowed with the life within. It was warm and quiet, like God was here.” Victor B. 😇
3. R.I.P. – Reunite In Passionate Embrace with Loved Ones
Who wants or needs to rest when our deceased loved ones joyously celebrate our arrival?!?
NDErs say our precious loved ones who have gone on before us such as family members, best friends, classmates, and even beloved pets enthusiastically greet us in Heaven. They tell us our arrival is like a big family reunion and our loved ones are overjoyed to see us. It is a time for our soul to party with our peeps – not rest!
“When you die you are greeted by loved ones first so that you may understand what has happened. There is a big celebration, like a birthday party, heralding your arrival. Family and friends who have gone on before you are there to celebrate your arrival.” Betty Bethards 😇
“There were enormous shade trees scattered around and beyond the field was a small river about 30 feet across. On the opposite bank of this river was my father, who had died when I was seven, and my brother, who had been killed in a car accident when I was 23, and various aunts and uncles who had passed away. And even there were four people that I had never met in this life, but I certainly knew who my four grandparents were even though they died before I was born. It was this huge welcoming, homecoming, and family reunion feeling. They were as thrilled to see me as I was to see them.” Karen Thomas 😇
4. R.I.P. – Review In Panoramic Detail Our Life’s Events and Choices
In addition to celebrating with our loved ones, NDErs also tell us we will re-live our entire life with the help of a panoramic Life Review.
We’ll re-experience all of our life events, conversations, and actions in what seems like a mere matter of seconds as our entire life flashes before our eyes. The Life Review provides us with a clear understand of our impact on the world as we see the Ripple Effect of our choices on others. (For more info on the life-changing Life Review, check out Your Life’s Ripple Effect.)
“I watched with fascination as I saw the highlights of each stage of my life. It was like seeing a circular movie screen and many different scenes flashing by at tremendous speeds. Somehow, I was able to see and grasp not only what was happening, but the feelings I was experiencing at the time as well as the emotions I caused in others.” Mary 😇
“I saw me as I was as a baby, a child, a teen, and adult, all at once. At the same time, I saw everything I ever did, everything I ever thought, everything. I saw events and people in my life that I previously considered important. Also, I saw many things that seemed not so important. I was aware of everything in my life all at once and I was aware of every response that others had to what occurred in my life. It was all there for me to understand… everything ‘good’, ‘bad’, or ‘indifferent.’” Grace Bulbulka 😇
5. R.I.P. – Rejoice In Perpetuity We Are Eternal Beings Who Never Die
Rather than ceasing to exist or slumbering to the end of time, NDErs say we’ll rejoice in perpetuity when we realize we are eternal beings who never die.
We’ll learn first-hand that we are really eternal spiritual beings having a temporary human experience – and not the other way around. Yes, our body will physically die, but our spirit, our essence, our consciousness lives on in Heaven.
“Since this experience, I know that we are first and foremost spiritual beings and that we have a very temporary physical experience. We are created from Spirit, we return to Spirit, and for a very brief period of time, in a physical lifetime, we experience this life to learn important lessons for the benefit of our soul, and primarily to learn how to love unconditionally.” Dr. Deborah King 😇
“We are spiritual beings having a physical experience. This brief event we call life is neither our beginning nor our end.” Howard Storm 😇
6. R.I.P. – Remain In Proximity to Our Loved Ones on Earth
While there is so much to do and see in Heaven that we have little time or need for resting, NDErs tell us we’ll remain close to our loved ones here on Earth.
We have the special ability to multi-task and stay closely connected with our family’s and friends’ lives on Earth until we meet up again in Heaven.
“When I was in Heaven, I did not forget my earthly life. I was able to see and understand everything that was happening on the riverbank. I thought about my husband and my children, my parents, and siblings. I’ve never been able to figure out how to describe this, but as I thought of each one, I was able to empathetically be a part of them, transferring a feeling that everything is ‘fine.’ It was as if part of my spirit traveled to wherever they were at that moment and interjected an emotional sense of contentment into their psyche… I was equally confident that I would continue to love them, still be a part of their lives, and be reunited with them when their own work on earth was done… I’ve concluded that the spirits of our deceased loved ones are not completely removed from our earthly existence. I believe they are aware of us, and our life events, but they are our greatest cheerleaders.” Dr. Mary Neal 😇
“Family relationships mean far more on the Other Side than here. And we get far more help from family members from the Other Side than we usually do here. We are still a high priority for them, often their #1 priority, especially for spouses, and parents, and grandparents helping living children and grandchildren, etc.” Lilli Avellino 😇
Rest In Peace? Far from it! There is really no time or need to rest in Heaven because there is so much there to experience – people to see, things to do, and our entire human life to review!
So the next time you see or hear the acronym R.I.P., remember that dead people really don’t give a R.I.P. about Resting In Peace. Instead, please think of these six reconfigurations of R.I.P. that are much more positive, hopeful, and factually accurate according to our NDEr friends’ real-life experiences in Heaven.
For more information on what REALLY happens in Heaven, check out Jeff’s new book Comforting Truths from Heaven.