Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
Travel and Religion
A pale shadow of what’s to come?

A pale shadow of what’s to come?

Last updated on: July 19, 2026 at 9:34 am by Dan Peterson

0 Comments

A pale shadow of what’s to come? 2026-07-19T09:34:41-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

An iPhone photo taken earlier today by my wife at Butchart Gardens

Very commonly mentioned in accounts of near-death experiences that have gone beyond simply being out of one’s body — a remarkable thing in itself and arguably the most significant aspect of NDE reports — is seeing remarkable colors that go beyond anything seen on earth in ordinary mundane vision.

I mention here a few passages from Dale Black, Flight to Heaven (Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2010), that are more or less representative but that are many light years from exhaustive.

A pilot, Mr. Black was involved in a terrible plane crash. In the near-death experience that followed, he saw “this stunningly beautiful light that permeated everything” (97) and, he says, enjoyed greatly enhanced vision (99).

In that dazzling light every color imaginable seemed to exist and—what’s the right word?—played. If joy could be given colors, they would be these colors. The colors were pure and innocent, like children playing in a fountain, splashing, chasing each other, gurgling with laughter. Water everywhere sparkled in the sunshine.

The colors seemed to be alive, dancing in the air. I had never seen so many different colors. If the brightest light on earth could shine through the most magnificent chandelier with tens of thousands of flawless crystals, it would appear as dirty glass in comparison to the amazing brightness and colors that entranced me.

It was breathtaking to watch. And I could have spent forever doing just that. (99)

And

They were richer, deeper, more luminescent than any colors I have ever seen in the farthest reaches of earth or in the most fantastic of dreams. They were so vibrant they pulsated with life. . . . If millions of jewels had been gathered into one place and the brightest sunlight shone through them, it wouldn’t begin to describe the colors I saw. (105)

Further,

I was fast approaching a magnificent city, golden and gleaming among a myriad of resplendent colors. The light I saw was the purest I had ever seen. And the music was the most majestic, enchanting, and glorious I had ever heard. (99)

I saw a great phosphorescent display of light that narrowed to a focal point that was brighter than the sun. Oddly, it didn’t make me squint to look at it. And all I wanted to do was to look at it. The light was palpable. It had substance to it, weight and thickness, like nothing I had ever seen before or since.

The light from a hydrogen bomb is the closest I can come to describing it. Just after the bomb is detonated—but before the fireball that forms the mushroom cloud—there is a millisecond of light that flashes as the bomb releases its energy. It was something like that but much larger.

The glow and energy of this light radiated in all directions, upward and outward. It wasn’t something you shielded your eyes from: it wasn’t something you even flinched at. Just the opposite. It was warm and inviting. Almost hypnotic in its ability to draw you into it. (100)

Remarkably, the light didn’t shine on things but through them. Through the grass. Through the trees. Through the wall. And through the people who were gathered there. (100)

Below me lay the purest, most perfect grass, precisely the right length and not a blade that was bent or even out of place. It was the most vibrant green I had ever seen. If a color can be said to be alive, the green I saw was alive, slightly transparent and emitting light and life from within each blade.

The iridescent grass stretched endlessly over gently rolling hills upon which were sprinkled the most colorful wild flowers, lifting their sot-petaled beauty skyward, almost as if they were a chorus of flowers caught up in their own way of praising God. (101)

The notes that I’ve taken over many years of reading these accounts contain multitudes of references to colors that the experiencer says he or she has never seen before, and for which the experiencer really has no words. My own suspicion is that those who report such things are seeing a wider spectrum of colors — ultraviolet and infrared and others beyond — than our mortal, physical eyes are able to perceive.

On a related note, many of these accounts mention an indescribably rich profusion of plant life, far greater in its beauty and variety than what they have ever seen in ordinary life.

We sailed over on the ferry today (Saturday) from Vancouver (actually, from Tsawwassen) to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island. The weather was glorious. From Swartz Bay, we drove to Sidney, where, pretty much by sheer dumb luck, we came upon the still fairly new West Coast Grill, to which (despite knowing full well that, by doing so, I will draw the attention of the Eye of Sauron my Malevolent Stalker and his less-talented acolyte, Everybody’s WC [aka my Mini-Stalker]) I need to give a shout out: Those who were with me said that the fish and chips and the “Lemongrass Coconut Sablefish” were excellent and, speaking for myself, my “West Coast Chowder” (clams, mussels, shrimp, Pacific fish, cream, and spring vegetables, accompanied by garlic bread) was some of the best seafood chowder that I can recall. (Despite the zealous mythopoeic exertions of my fans at the Peterson Obsession Board, I’m neither a gourmand nor a foodie. But I do eat meals most every day of every week of every year and — O wretched man that I am! — I tend to prefer pleasant eating to unpleasant eating.). Moreover, the ambience at the West Coast Grill — we ate outside, looking at the marina and the water — considerably enhanced the experience.

When I encounter a restaurant that stands out, I want it to succeed. So, with what little power I have to help. I like to give it a small commercial endorsement.

A photo taken at Butchart Gardens today by my wife, with her iPhone

After we dropped our luggage off at our usual lodgings in Victoria, we headed off for the deservedly world-famous Butchart Gardens. Every time we visit here, I think about those reports of next-worldly plants and flowers and gardens, compared with which, it’s often said, everything here looks faded, lifeless, impoverished, and monochrome. And I say to myself, “Wow. If even the splendors of Butchart Gardens look washed out by comparison, we have wonderful things to look forward to!”

Posted from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Travel and Religion

History and Religion

near-death experience

Previous Post

July 17, 2026

Where will YOU be in mid-August?

Next Post

July 19, 2026 Shall every mountain and hill be made low?

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Sutherland's lecture sounds interesting. He seems to restate the Washington consensus that trade brings peace ..."

B. Wilson

Learning more about a region of ..."

"In a meeting today, I learned another important reason why accurate (or at least as ..."

the PROBLEM

From Serbia’s “White City,” Belgrade

"I've been watching a lot of video interviews of NDErs and researchers. I think in ..."

brotheroflogan

Accounts of Premortality?

"PL: "Let's hope he doesn't have your address..."I have to frankly confess that a few ..."

DanielPeterson

From Serbia’s “White City,” Belgrade

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

In this Gospel, Jesus' first miracle is not recorded, and the narrative begins with a voice crying in the wilderness. Which Gospel starts with John the Baptist's ministry?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Luke John Matthew Mark