As a believer, I found this book hard to believe.

Has Into the Light turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes. After reading, several books about NDE's and finding their stories sincere and consistent with other NDE's, I thought this book would be right up my ally. But this was not the case, while reading this book my B.S. detector was going off like crazy.

I am not calling him a liar because maybe (a big maybe from other books and accounts I have read) this is what the last few moments are like on earth. But the experiences he "recounts" are very inconsistent with hundreds of other NDE's I have heard (i.e. angels have feathers, and physical feathers have been left behind by some angels)

The stories seemed incredibly embellished from a Catholic perspective.

Any additional comments?

I am a Christian and a believer that there is life after this life, so I thought this book would be interesting, but I was dissappointed and could not finish because I thought the accounts were far fetched, and embellished.

18 people found this helpful

confirms and expands what I always thought

What did you love best about Into the Light?

This book contains conventional and very unconventional conclusions. It is a surprise how the ideas of main stream Christianity and a one world religion ideology merge to give a picture of giving mankind multiple chances to repent and turn to a salvation experience, and yet it paints hell as a state of mind more than a physical location, such as most of main stream Christianity would find unacceptable as a loci of eternal punishment. It does show how a merciful God is willing to contend with mankind and our resistance to being dependent on God who is asking us to do and not do specific behaviors.There is a very wide field of understandings, and does show how in the end all mankind is equalized at deaths door, where the most enlightening events come through the ending of the lives of children and the child like behavior of the most educated individuals that are spending the last moments of their lives in the physical realm with Dr. Lerma. He is a good model for those of us who are dedicated to using the span of our lives learning eternal lessons and to prepare for the next realm of existence This book has many statements in its narration that I could not agree with, however the baby is more valuable than the bathwater here. This book requires the skill of all listeners to be able to pick the meat and toss the bones as we would in listening to any dialog of main stream and fringe concepts. The merging of these statements by those who are reporting the virtually unexplainable, and non-human action carried out by the Angelic and divine Personalities such as Jesus Christ and the Father God creator defy the biases of all of the parties involved . If this was not listed under non-fiction I would still be spell bound by it because it offers the deepest truths of the Bible texts in the most comprehensible of terms and puts these truths right there in front of us so straight forward as to be irrefutable even by this educated doctor, and his most educated patients. We need to be willing to hear the observation that these dieing people are willingly sharing their personal revelations and conversions to truths and realities that I or they would struggle with if it were not for the fact that like the fox hole experience of soldiers on the battlefield, it appears that no atheist seem to be left at the end of our lives, or their lives. At any rate, this is a worthy read for everyone of us, it will help lessen the shock of moving on to the next plane of life, and as the scripture says; oh death where is your sting, oh grave where is your victory?" It does a wonderful job of integrating death as part of life and celebrating the hope of an eternity in the presence of a true and loving God.

What did you like best about this story?

I believe that this a true report.

Which character – as performed by Arika Escalona – was your favorite?

they were all equally well portrayed

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

i could not as i was being interrupted and had to back track a few times

Any additional comments?

5 stars

3 people found this helpful

Too Christian focused

I wanted to like the book as I have listened to many NDE books and have had personal experience with NDE, however, this was more about following Christ the saviour than visions of the afterlife. I believe in God and Christ, but I also believe in spirituality and the validity of other religions, and this book was exclusive to all things but Jesus and the angels. There were times when I was offended as so many stories were focused on finding Jesus and reforming family and friends, which isn't what I was looking for when I purchased the book.

2 people found this helpful

Inspirational & Life-Changing!

What made the experience of listening to Into the Light the most enjoyable?

The mere fact that these accounts were intimately experienced prior to the actual death of each individual made listening to the book enjoyable. The audible reading of the book was a pleasant addition to the stories. It was as if hearing the stories breathed life into each account. A most extraordinary experience!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I know from personal experience just how marvelous it is when a person whom is standing at the threshold of death,decides to share their experience. It is an intimate moment that is sacred and life-giving for all

Any additional comments?

An excellent book for all! The messages contained in this book should remind every human being that despite of our frailities and the propensity to sin, we are so loved by our gracious God.

5 people found this helpful

So Inspiring

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It gives so much hope for our futures that we will see loved ones who have passed before us and knowing that we have these wonderful angels around us to guide us.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Into the Light?

The story of 9 yr old Matthew and his wisdom beyond his years of his purpose. His purpose to give hope to his mom and sister and reunite them with their love of Christ.

1 person found this helpful

I look forward to seeing what they saw!

Would you listen to Into the Light again? Why?

Yes, some of the insight into the next word was riveting.

What did you like best about this story?

The insight into what a person sees as they depart. It was so comforting.

What does Arika Escalona bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It kept throwing me off that the actual Dr is a man because I was hearing a woman. I didn't care for that.

If you could give Into the Light a new subtitle, what would it be?

I wouldn't.

Any additional comments?

Dr. Lerma's name was said WAY TOO MANY TIMES, annoying.

1 person found this helpful

More Religious Than Spiritual

Lerma wrote this with a strong Christian bias, in case you were looking for something of a more general spiritual nature. He's also clearly a fan of Lakewood Church and Joel Osteen, which he freely and generously acknowledges. It's unfortunate that he's used this otherwise enlightening collection of experiences as a bully pulpit for Christianity; I probably wouldn't have chosen the title had I known he had such a penchant for preaching. He offers more in the way of distinctively Christian interpretation than he actually documents accounts from the dying patients' perspectives, which disappointed me.

Narrator Arika Escalona, however, is exceptionally good and deeply engaged in the material! I'd eagerly search for her as such in other audiobooks.

9 people found this helpful

Thank you God

Beautiful and touching vignettes of pre-death experiences! This lovely little book confirms what we all hope for: Christ comes to us as we transition from this world to the next, His plan is loving and perfect, and we do see our loved ones again. Lifted my spirit into greater trust in God!

Great read

What an amazing revelation. I wonder if the experience is the same across all races.

Great Book

I went through this one four times gleaning more information each time. I found it extremely interesting.