Dr. Richard Eby - I Will Not Die Again - Rapture False Prophecy NDE

"I will not die again" - False Rapture Hope by Richard Eby

During the height of the pre-trib rapture frenzy, in the mid 1970s and beyond, when so many false prophets were citing specific dates of the Rapture especially from 1981 through 2001 "gasoline was thrown on the pre-trib rapture fire" by a fantastic testimony of a personal near death experience (NDE) and time prophecy about the return of Christ.

Dr. Richard Eby (1912 - 2002) was a reputable medical doctor and surgeon. Because of a very severe accident to the head following a third story fall in 1972, Dr. Eby claimed a near death experience (NDE). The intelligent, wealthy and respected Eby stated he went to Paradise where he heard from Jesus. The most noteworthy part of his claims was that Jesus allegedly told Eby that he would still be alive physically when the Rapture occurred; that is how the experience was told and understood by the public. That false claim made Eby, and his books, very popular for a couple of decades, but it also set the stage for great hurt, which later followed.

I Will Not Die Again

Here are his exact words, as Doctor Richard Eby himself spoke them on the popular TBN broadcast with Paul and Jan Crouch sitting by him:

"I Will Not Die Again" (Audio)

The transcription of that part of the broadcast is:

[Richard Eby] And with that, I was taken back into Lazarus' tomb, found myself standing, and that was the Spirit. But I heard Jesus say that I will not die again, that most of the people to whom I speak....

Dr. Richard E. Eby also appeared on other very influential and powerful TV broadcasts when multiple millions were watching. During that time period, a personal soul-winning companion of mine told me about Richard Eby and what Jesus had allegedly told him during his NDE and out of the body experience. Such a testimony from a believable, reputable and educated person as Eby added great credibility to the pre-tribulation, any-moment Rapture prophetic belief. The Eby excitement was further reinforced due to his advanced years. Again, Eby was not viewed as some "kook" who walked in off the streets, with his remarkable claim; after all, he was an intelligent and respected medical doctor and surgeon.

As the years ticked by, Eby wrote several books and continued to spread his intriguing NDE message. Then, in December 2002, Dr. Richard Eby died. His death was not commonly known at first and even seemed to be somewhat hushed up. It was supposed to be impossible, but it occurred nonetheless! The Rapture was to precede Eby's departure, but it didn't to the great disappointment, shame and dismay of millions believing Eby.

Richard E. Eby's Obituary

...His life took a profound change in direction in 1972 after a headfirst fall from a third-story balcony on a visit to Chicago. Dr. Eby described the accident to Western University students on his last visit to campus in 1999, telling them he had no pulse and had been declared dead. He told students that, upon waking, he decided to devote his life to telling the world of his healing He eventually sold Park Hospital and, with Maybelle, traveled the world as an evangelist. Dr. Eby wrote several best-selling books on his experience and was often a featured guest on Christian television programs in the U.S. and abroad. [ https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sgvtribune/obituary.aspx?pid=748391 ]

Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now
prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination:
'Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says:
Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own
spirit and have seen nothing! (Ezek 13:2,3)

Now In Hindsight

In this life, we will never know all the details about what really happened with Dr. Richard Eby and his fantastic NDE claims which led to that massive religious deception, but, at least, we can now learn from that event in order to be more alert and on guard from being deceived by other similar claims. Remember the following Bible truths:

Any personal claim (vision, dream, experience, testimony, feeling, audible voice, etc.) is subject to error. Scripture has repeatedly warned of various types of religious deceptions, including those from false prophets (Dt. 13:1-6; Mt. 7:15; 24:11; 24:24; Mark 13:22; 1 John 4:1). Even in first-century Christianity, people falsely claimed to be a prophet (Acts 13:6; Rev. 2:20) or even an apostle (2 Cor. 11:13; Rev. 2:2). That means, even before Eby's physical death, and during the height of his popularity, Christians should have already been wisely suspicious of his claim, especially since NDEs contradict other NDEs.

Because of the many false prophets, the command to test the spirits (1 John 4:1), with scripture, is ever so vital to know and act upon. To further know that the devil can perform miracles (2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 16:14; etc.) and visions in order to religiously deceive (2 Cor. 11:14) is also critical. God's word is forever settled and is the only way we can accurately test the spirits, including all who claim any "a message from God" as through a NDE, dream, vision, prophecy, or any other experience, etc.

Had the people who endorsed Eby's testimony been more biblically aware - more spiritually alert and on guard, and, in particular, had they known the scriptures concerning the timing of the Rapture, they should have immediately been reluctant to accept such a prophetic claim at face value. Again, as always, the issue keeps coming back to the Scriptures, which are final spiritual authority and the basis of all Christian teaching (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

Finally, Dr. Richard Eby, through his own death in 2002, has been able to successfully avoid, at least for now in this age, having to face all the people who were horribly misled and hurt by his bogus claim and false prophecy of "I will not die again".