I recently read the eyewitness account of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, last words. while on his death bed Mr. Jobs gazed back and forth across the room at his family and loved ones, then to an area of the room where no persons were seen standing. At that moment, apparently just before his death, he saw something in the room that no one else could see and spoke the final words “oh wow, oh wow, oh wow…”
It has been noted that Steve was a follower of New Age philosophy and Buddhism. Steve was not a Christian, so it is for certain that he did not see the Lord or one of His angels who had come to carry him back to heaven. Perhaps it was a view into the spirit world to which he was about to enter, as his own spirit would soon depart his body, at death. The Bible describes satan as being “An Angel of Light”, (2 Corinthians 11:14) who is still to this day, the most beautiful of all the beings God made. It was partially due to this amazing beauty, that Lucifer was filled with pride and sought to elevate his throne above God’s throne.. If an angel of light appeared to anyone at their death bed, it is certain that they would say “Oh wow”. Even though they we were not aware that angel of light was satan himself.
All human beings are eternal spirits. During our time here on earth, while living our lives in these bodies, we must make the decision where we choose to spend that eternity. Jesus Christ has offered the forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all those who humbly come to Him and receive Him as Lord and Savior. Jesus said that only He has the power to grant eternal life in Heaven, there is no other way but through Him. Should a person make a free will choice to reject Jesus Christ during their life, there remains no other way for that a person to be saved. In this case, a person who chooses to reject the Lord will not be forced to live in Heaven with God. The only other dwelling place for eternal spirits is hell.
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all...
John 8:24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
There is great testimony in the Bible of how the Holy angels come to carry those who are departing their bodies at death, to heaven. The logical conclusion then is that those who reject God’s only plan of salvation have the demonic spirits come to carry the lost to hell.
Luke 16:22 (Jesus Speaking) So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.
The life and death of Steve Jobs reminds us all that death is certain and often comes much earlier than we would hope. There is an appointed time in which each of us will experience the ceasing of our bodily functions. At that moment, our eternal spirit will depart our body and be carried either to heaven or to hell, depending on the choice we made while alive. Whatever decision we make while in these bodies, that conscious act will be sealed at our death and there is no possibility of repentance after death. The rich man in hell that Jesus described in Luke chapter 16, asked that he be allowed to depart hell and go to warn his family that hell was a real place. He was told that no one from that place of torment could depart, ever.
The person who told us this story was Jesus. The Lord spoke more about hell than He did about heaven. He created hell for the devil and his demons, not for man. He gave all of us the opportunity to decide while alive, where we want to spend eternity. That choice will be noted and respected by God. At our death we will experience the eternal place of our choice. He gave us His word in the Bible so that we would have warning to be careful which choice we make.
It has been duly noted by thousands who have died and returned to life, that upon the ceasing of the heart beat, their spirit came out of the body. Immediately the spirit could observe everything that was happening in the room where their body lay. Those who have experienced death often describe persons and conversations by people in the room that occur after their death. The body in which they once lived, could be seen from above by the spirit of the person who had died. Each person who recounted their death, spoke of death being a simple transition from the physical world to the spirit world, with no lapse in consciousness or time. The feeling of being freed from the constraints of the body and an awareness of the spirit world were immediately perceivable.
At the moment of death, when the spirit is near it’s departure from the body, it seems that it is possible to perceive those who are in the spirit world. In those final moments between life and death, the awareness of both physical and spiritual beings becomes possible. For Steve Jobs, he saw and was aware of his family in the room gathered all around him, but also some presence in that room, past the physical bodies of his family, that had become visible to him.
His words “oh wow, oh wow, oh wow”, were a response to his awareness of this spirit world.
