QUESTION:  It seems that most of the accounts of near-death experiences are not totally consistent with traditional Christian teachings except for the case of Dr. Richard Eby. His account is totally consistent with traditional Christian teachings. How do you respond to this?

ANSWER:  There are actually several categories of Christian NDEs which I would classify according to their consistency with traditional teachings. Here they are:

(1)  Those NDEs that agree with traditional Christian teachings.

Betty Malz - Valvita Jones - Dr. Gerald Landry - Lorraine Tutmarc - Dr. Richard Eby - Rev. Kenneth Hagin - David Goines - Angie Fenimore - Clara 

NDEs such as these do not have aspects to them that contradict traditional Christian teachings.

(2)  Those NDEs that agree with traditional Christian teachings and have aspects to them that are outside of traditional Christian teachings but do not contradict them.

Emanuel Tuwagirairmana - Rev. Howard Pittman - Don Brubaker

These kinds of NDEs should not be considered of lesser Christian value just because they have "extra-Biblical" aspects that are outside the scope of traditional teachings. Such extra-Biblical aspects include multiple levels of heaven, the current Laodicean Church Age, Satan as a personal devil, witnessing the actual crucifixion, and others.

If the Bible was the only revelation of God there is and if any other sources for revelations of God are false, then this would exclude anyone from having a valid personal experience of God that has aspects to them that the Bible does not comment on. It must be agreed that the Bible is silent on many matters. The nature of the afterlife itself is not explained at all except through the symbolic parables of Jesus and the dream symbols of Revelation. Outside of these non-literal references, the Bible does not give a clear enough "picture" of the afterlife that can compare to most of the NDEs I profile on this website. However, there were writings that existed before New Testament canon was developed which did give good "pictures" of the afterlife but were declared heresy by the Orthodox Church, the writings burned, and the writers executed. I am referring to the Nag Hammadi find of early Christian writings discovered in the 1940's.

(3)  Those NDEs that have aspects which agree with traditional Christian teachings and aspects that do not agree with traditional Christian teachings.

Betty Eadie - Apostle Paul - Rev. Howard Storm - Dr. George Ritchie - David Oakford - Linda Stewart 

These NDEs involve concepts that can be found in the Bible by a particular interpretation, but which are contradicted by the traditional interpretation. Such concepts involve the reincarnation/resurrection debate, the humanity of Jesus, the purgatory nature of hell, and universal salvation. But within the traditional Christian Church, there have always been constant debate of traditional concepts as well. Such debates involve doctrines regarding faith only/faith and works, predestination/free will, once saved/ability to fall away, tongues/baptism, etc.. This is because the Bible does not give us a full enough revelation for us to validate one and/or exclude the other interpretation. For this reason, until divine revelation can prove exclusively which interpretation is true, Christians should keep an open mind about such concepts that are found in such NDEs that have concepts not fully explained in the Bible.

As for the NDE of Dr. Richard Eby, let me start off by giving a quote from NDERF researcher Jody Long concerning the effect of the experiencer's religious background on the interpretation of their NDE.

"One of the near-death experience truths is that each person integrates their near-death experience into their own pre-existing belief system." (Jody Long)

I have written quite a bit on this as well at my NDE Differences page:

As for Dr. Eby's NDE, it first must be pointed out that he was told by Jesus that he would be alive when the second coming of Jesus happens. However, Eby died last December and it doesn't appear that Jesus has returned. Traditional Christians would now have to say that Eby was a false prophet and his entire NDE is now suspect. However, I don't agree with this. I am not willing to throw out the baby with the bath water. Through my own sources, I believe Jesus HAS returned already. He did not appear in the sky with a chorus of angels as mentioned symbolically in the Bible. But, my sources indicate that Jesus was born again into the world as a baby. Whether a Christian believes this or not is not the point. My point is that, like the Bible, there are various interpretations a person can give to symbolic Biblical references. 

If the Bible was more specific and elaborate rather than symbolic and narrow about these matters, it would be easier to distinguish truth from falsehood. However, Jesus did give us the test: a tree is known by its fruit (love, joy, peace, etc.) and a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree bear good fruit. In other words, we must test the spirits by the fruit of the Spirit. Eby strongly incorporated his NDE in terms of his strong narrow fundamental faith which stands up to the letter of scripture as well as the spirit of scripture. His NDE bears fruit of the Holy Spirit so we should believe it to be a "good tree." Those who want to declare Eby's NDE heresy or false are not using the test that Jesus gave. They are probably only testing the letter and not the spirit.

QUESTION:  In his [Eby's] lengthy discussion with Jesus, Jesus talks about his "book" (e.g., the Bible) and how everything written his "book" is "truth." 

ANSWER:  Yes. I have come across no NDE where a Being of Light tells them the Bible is false. One particular NDEr, Rev. Howard Storm was able to ask Jesus and his escorts the following:

When the review was finished they asked: "Do you want to ask any questions?" and I had a million questions. I asked, for example, "What about the Bible?" They responded: "What about it?" I asked if it was true, and they said it was. Asking them why it was that when I tried to read it, all I saw were contradictions, they took me back to my life's review again – something that I had overlooked. They showed me, for the few times I had opened the Bible, that I had read it with the idea of finding contradictions and problems. I was trying to prove to myself that it wasn't worth reading.

I observed to them that the Bible wasn't clear to me. It didn't make sense. They told me that it contained spiritual truth, and that I had to read it spiritually in order to understand it. It should be read prayerfully. My friends informed me that it was not like other books. They also told me, and I later found out this was true, that when you read it prayerfully, it talks to you. It reveals itself to you. And you don't have to work at it anymore." (Rev. Howard Storm)

So, the question is not whether or not the Bible is true, but which Bible interpretation (or traditional Christian interpretation) is true. When Rev. Howard Storm would read the literal verses of the Bible, he would find contradictions. But a spiritual interpretation expands the meaning of such verses. From my own experience, I have found a number of different interpretations that one can use on a particular Bible passage. For example, this passage of Revelation:

"Nevertheless, I [Jesus] have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols. I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways." (Rev. 2:20-23)

For more about Jezebel, visit this Jezebel website. 

(1)  My cultural and historical interpretation of this passage is:

The Church of Thyatira had a prophetess who led people into sexually immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols for which Jesus threatens punish.

(2)  My literal interpretation of this passage is:

The Church of Thyatira is actually a letter to all Christians, past and future, to warn us against sexual immorality and idolatry.

(3)  My spiritual interpretation of this passage is:

The Book of Revelation is a message that is interpreted at a level of humanity at large and an individual level. On an individual level, each of the seven churches represents a spiritual center within the body. The Church of Thyatria represents the "heart" spiritual center. Jesus warns against living a life without love and seeking only sexual gratification. This "unholy" condition that wars against the "heart" is represented by Jezebel, the symbol of fleshly pleasure. The warning is that unless the heart changes for the better, it will suffer a "great tribulation." (Edgar Cayce)

(4)  My prophetic interpretation of this passage is:

Each "Church" represents an "age" or dispensation of Christian history. The Church of Thyatira represents the time period between 606 AD and 1520 AD. 

Dispensationalism believes that the Thyatira Church age is the age referred to as the "pagan church" or the corrupt church. History calls this period of time "The Dark Ages". The Thyatira Church age is when Christianity began to "prostitute" with the secular world. A more elaborate description of this church age can be found on various Christian websites.

Note:  Rev. Howard Pittman was told during his NDE that humanity is now living in the "Laodicean Church age", the last of the seven Churches in Revelation, the final time period before Jesus returns.

Also, I have even heard that there exists a "Bible code" which has hidden information within the very text. If this is try, then this is another level of interpretation.

QUESTION:  As we both know, the fundamental tenet of Christianity is acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Savior before we will be allowed in the Kingdom of Heaven. This is most especially telling when Dr. Eby quoted Jesus saying to him the following:

"Now, my Son, to answer your question: paradise is a holding tank for the souls who have accepted me as their savior simply by faith in me having laid down my life to redeem them from the curse of sin." (Dr. Richard Eby)

ANSWER:  My interpretation of this is that Jesus is telling Eby that there is an abode (one of many mansions) where such Christians go. Because he uses the phrase "holding tank", I believe he is using the concept that is found in many NDEs concerning a kind of "transit center" where souls go before they are sent out to various other "abodes" or heavens. There are Christian heavens, Buddhist heavens, Islamic heavens, etc. etc.. Every soul goes where they fit in.

QUESTION:  [Eby's NDE continues:] "In fact, everything that my children need to know about how God thinks and works and judges and rewards, either before or after the cross, is already in my book. That is why I commanded mankind to ‘engrave my words upon their hearts,' and to pass them along from generation to generation. I wanted everyone to hear and know just who I AM, the Messiah, their one hope of salvation, their most high God." (Dr. Richard Eby)

ANSWER:  I believe this is true also. The gospel of salvation is so simple that people feel they have to build entire systems of theology around it. The central message of the gospel is this: love. God so loved the world. Jesus did not preach a new religion, just love. Living a life of love as Jesus did is how we can become like Jesus. Everything else is debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.

QUESTION:  [Eby's NDE continues:] "My gift is eternal life which has to start on earth where they need its cleansing power, and where we need our good news of salvation accepted. Oh, that my people would start their lives with me there so they could live abundantly and not perish! Why do they want to wait and wait until it is too late?" (Dr. Richard Eby)

ANSWER:  Yes, this is true. In the Bible, this is what Jesus said about eternal life:

'On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus

"Teacher," he asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

"What is written in the law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

He answered: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and, love your neighbor as yourself."

"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied, "Do this and you will live." (Luke 10:25-28)

The gospel is as simple and as profound as that: love your neighbor and love God with all you can. Do this and you will have eternal life. You'll never have to die anymore.

QUESTION:  Yet, you [Kevin] state: 

"Before knew about near-death experiences, I was a fundamentalist Christian who was absolutely certain that when I die, I would be carried to the highest heaven to be forever before the very throne of God. But, after reading several near-death experiences, such as that of Dr. George Ritchie, I realized that merely "believing in Jesus" is not enough to attain heaven. I learned that one must become as Christ himself practicing unconditional love for others to reach this level of bliss. It means we get to heaven by emulating the love of Jesus rather than by worshipping him. Reading near-death experiences cracked my rigid religious mindset and made my religious beliefs to be completely ridiculous at best."

In fact, [Kevin's] further discussions even refute the need to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior to achieve salvation which greatly helps to explain why there are so many religions in the world. 

ANSWER:  Yes, it is my belief that faith alone (Paul's theology) is not correct and that works (James' theology) is the proper context. James knew Jesus' teachings far better than Paul ever did. Jesus constantly taught the importance of works of love. And the idea that all people need to do is believe in his name to be saved is against the very teachings of Jesus. When Christians refer to "believing in Jesus" it can mean a number of different things. Here are some of them:

(1)  Believe in his name. Know his name. His name is your magical ticket to heaven. 

(2)  Know and believe what the Bible says about Jesus. Believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Believe that Jesus is Lord. This is "salvation by faith alone" theological system with originated with Paul

(3)  "Believing in Jesus" means to live your life as he did by loving others and God with unconditional love. Believing in his name is not enough. Believing things about him is not enough. Those who do as Jesus taught are the one's who are actually "believing in Jesus." This is the "salvation by works" (and faith) theological system with Jesus and the Twelve apostles taught.

My view is that only option (3) will get you to that level where Jesus is. Options (1) and (2) mean very little. 

QUESTION:  I noted at the www.afterlife101.com website a discussion about this issue with spirit guides on the issue of religion when the following assumption regarding Jesus was made:

"(76) Jesus is the "door" through which everyone on earth will return to God. Of all the knowledge humans have, there is none more essential than knowing God." [I am not sure where this quote comes from.]

The spirit guides [of the www.afterlife101.com website] answered this assumption with the following:

"This is a partial truth. Jesus is not the door through which all humans will return to their spirit and to their evolution of God. To return to God is a choice that each individual being has at what level they will return and what they will feel on the other side. Jesus is not the answer to that. You within yourself are the answer to that. Not all beings accept Jesus as Christians do but that does not keep them from their oneness with God."

ANSWER:  I don't know where (76) came from but I don't believe it is literally true. However, it may be possible that this is a reference to the "Being of Light" who is God manifesting as all personalities including Jesus, Buddha, everyone. This agrees with what those spirit guides are saying. God appears to us in the form we are most comfortable with.

QUESTION:  Furthermore, in Dr. Eby's NDE, Jesus mentions "Satan" several times. In particular, he wrote "Messiah promised to destroy any disharmonies which Satan uses to lure and deceive innocent children into the pits of hell!" Followed by "My son, the time is coming when Satan will be bound in a bottomless pit for a thousand years awaiting his banishment into eternal punishment in a lake of fire!" This "lake of fire" that Jesus is referring to has been the tradition conception of "hell."

However, [Kevin states:]

"The devil does not exist; at least not as people on earth believe. There is no being who can be everywhere at once, who has powers to torment everyone at the same time. God would not permit such a being to exist." (Kevin Williams' research)

To which the spirit guides [of the www.afterlife101.com website] answered with the following:

"We would say that that is a true statement. What those on earth consider the devil is not one energy power as an entity but is the negative emotional energies that one chooses to experience in their life and therefore they are creating their own devil within themselves by choosing to live in fear, anger, blame, hate and all the negative energies one experiences. That is truly what the devil is. And as a person moves closer to their oneness with God they move from all of those negative limiting experiences and energies into the vibrational force of God and love."

ANSWER:  Both statements are true in my opinion. A Devil with horns and a pitchfork does not exist. As one particular NDEr stated, there is no one crazy enough to believe they can successfully defeat God. Nobody is able be omnipresent and tempt everyone at the same time with the purpose of leading them away from God. But it is true that many NDEs refer to a "Satan" or a "Devil". But these NDEs do not claim to have actually seen an entity known as the Devil. Here is my understanding of what religions refer to as the "Devil."

The concept of "Satan" and "demons" actually originated with the Persian religion of Zoroastrianism. It is the origin of the concept of a god of light and his angels that is locked in a cosmic struggle with the god of darkness and his demons. During the Babylonian exile of the Jews, these concepts from Zoroastrianism were later incorporated into Judaism. The mystical Judaism of Kaballah accepts this idea as a symbolic struggle that is fought within everyone. This agrees with information found in NDEs. 

Near-death accounts reveal that everyone has within them a divine nature (spirit) and a human nature (flesh) that frequently wars against each other. At the level of the spirit, everyone is connected and there is no separation between people. On the other hand, human nature is our tendency to think of ourselves as separate from others. The war within us is the battle between our selfish desires that causes separation and our divine nature which is connected to everyone else and God. The following NDE insights describe this war within:

Our minds are led by the spirit we are entertaining, the spirit of God or the spirit of the devil - self. What people think of as "Satan", is really their own personality characteristics of self-centeredness, self-interest, self-gratification, self-righteousness, self-consciousness, self-glorification, self-condemnation, self-will, SELF. Jesus knew he had to die on the cross to fulfill his mission of demonstrating to humanity how self-sacrifice and self-denial can overcome these human desires (self-centeredness, self-gratification, etc.) and how it leads to our complete restoration with the divine nature within us. (Edgar Cayce)

The struggle between our higher and lower selves grows until finally the destructive elements are completely overcome. (Betty Bethards)

Humans are educated at a higher level by spirit beings who bring us into heaven. We grow and increase, and grow and increase, and shed the concerns, desires, and base animal stuff that we have been fighting much of our life. Earthly appetites melt away. It is no longer a struggle to fight them. We become who we truly are, which is part of the divine. (Rev. Howard Storm)

"I had a descent into what you might call Hell .... I did not see Satan or evil. My descent into Hell was a descent into each person's customized human misery, ignorance, and darkness of not-knowing. It seemed like a miserable eternity. But each of the millions of souls around me had a little star of light always available. But no one seemed to pay attention to it. They were so consumed with their own grief, trauma and misery." (Mellen-Thomas Benedict)

Satan is a personal devil. (Howard Pittman)

The sin and Satan we live is that of our own creation. (Sherry Gideon)

Question: Do you believe in the devil? Answer: "No, but if there is one, he would have to be an insane angel who was crazy enough to fight with God, which would be as futile as for us to try to stop the sunrise. I believe the devil is a mythological character, invented by humans and used for a scapegoat. Grown people with immature minds like to blame the devil for their misdeeds instead of acting like people and taking the blame themselves. However, there may be earthbound spirits of low vibrations, whom we may regard as devils because they annoy us through mental telepathy. These demons tune in on us through our low vibrations of hate, fear and greed. They can be tuned out with unselfish love, or if necessary be chased away by the stronger spirit of Jesus Christ. There's an old saying, "Birds of a feather, flock together." The way to be rid of the "devil" is not to be like him. (Arthur Yensen)

Question: Is there a Devil? Answer: "Just knowing the bad mistakes you made through your carelessness or your selfishness is a hell. You don't need a devil prodding you with a fork. Believe me, your own anguished mind is a prod that is more hurtful than any prodding with a devil's fork. I met a man over here who said that he would gladly exchange good old Dante's Inferno for the mental anguish he was experiencing over guilt feelings from wrong actions he had taken on earth in certain business matters. In Dante's Inferno he would be able to complain that the devil was doing this to him, whereas now he had no devil to complain of because the devil was himself. Whether there is a negative personal being who can be called the devil I cannot say. I have not seen anyone personified as the devil. There certainly is an evil force which builds up from the negative aspects of life and has a tremendous influence. Thought forms which are evil certainly play a part, but I don't think they are the whole answer." (Margaret Tweddell)

I asked if there was a Devil or Satan. He said to me, "Would God allow that?" He continued, "If I made you God for just a few seconds, what would you do first?" I knew my first act would be to eliminate any Devil or Satan. I asked, "How do I know right from wrong?" He replied, "Right is helping and being kind. Wrong is not only hurting someone but not helping when you can." (Cecil)

If we are convinced a devil is out there to trick or deceive us, and if we have already pictured in our minds what this devil looks like and what he plans on doing, we should really not be surprised when our worst fears are confirmed. The devils we create become real and solid in the next dimension because we created them. (Jerry Gross)

The Book of Revelation is a highly symbolic book describing the struggle within every person and humanity at large between the divine nature of spirit and the human nature of fleshly desires. The war in heaven between God and the "Devil" symbolizes the war between our Higher Self and our lower self. Our Higher Self is a part of the Universal Consciousness (Holy Spirit) of God. The lower self is a person's selfish force that creates the illusion of separation between people and is the source of all wars and atrocities that occur in the world (our body). Only the purification of the world (our body) will restore everything. In essence, the greatest enemy we will ever face is self. (Edgar Cayce)

"Babylon" is symbolic of our selfish desires that cause us to war against ourselves and others. This war between our Higher and lower self will eventually led to the victory of our Higher Self. The "Devil" (self-will) is then cast into the abyss (self-will being suppressed by the divine will). The result is heaven on earth (the rule of the Holy Spirit). This war between the Higher and lower self works on an individual and a collective human level. For this reason, the Biblical story from Genesis to Revelation is actually the story of the fall and rise of humanity. It is the victory of our divine nature over our human nature. It is paradise lost and paradise found. (Edgar Cayce)

The only universal common aspect among all categories in my own NDE research is that no one (0%) reported seeing a "Devil" being. I believe this statistic suggests the concept of the Devil to merely be a myth. If a Devil really did exist, it would be logical that NDErs would report see the Devil in the hell realms. But, no NDEr in my research have reported seeing a Devil. Some Christians claim the "Being of Light" to be the Devil. However, because the "Being of Light" exudes overwhelming love, light and concern, it is very unlikely that a Devil could do this. (Kevin Williams' research)

Some early Christian sects, such as the Marcionites and Ebionites, believed that the God of Moses was the Satan-like figure described in the Bible because of the many atrocities it caused. The Bible describes Moses' God as having a great number of attributes that many believed that Jesus would most certainly have condemned. NDE accounts agree with the teachings of Jesus that God is unconditional divine love. This love is merciful, non-judgmental, compassionate, and unlimited in forgiveness. The Bible describes the God of Moses as being conditional upon men, unmerciful, judgmental, ruthless, murderous, unjust and without unconditional forgiveness. These early Christian sects have a good point. But personally, I believe these devil-like attributes given to the God of Moses are man's attempt to create God in their own image.

As for Eby's references to Satan, he describes such a being but, like all other NDEs, he doesn't actually see such an entity. All of Eby's references to "Satan" can be interpreted as our own lower human nature. Eby draws heavily from his own religious bias and background to describe his NDE almost to the point of embellishment. I would not be surprised either if much of his NDE is an embellishment. One particular Christian NDE researcher, Dr. Maurice Rawlings, embellished his research to favor traditional Christian teachings. His explanation for this was essentially that in order to win souls, the ends justify the means. So, in my opinion, the many NDEs which use strong Christian symbolism and concepts are to one degree or another a possible embellishment.

QUESTION:  Regarding the notion of "hell" the following assumption was made:

"Hell is not literal flames. Hell is a temporary spiritual condition of total separation from love, joy, God, light, peace, sanity, etc. People put themselves in this state until they no longer refuse to love others and themselves." (Kevin Williams' research)

To which the spirit guides of www.afterlife101.com replied:

"Again that is a partially true statement. A person's thought process, his ability to open his heart to love, self-love, self-forgiveness, and then to the love of others unconditionally, is what helps an individual accept that life after life on earth does not have to be a hell or a continuation of all the challenges they are experiencing on earth. But again it has to do with the conscious or unconscious visualization the individual has about life after being human. And generally that comes from how they experienced life on earth."

ANSWER:  Yes, both of these statements are in agreement. They do not contradict each other. Self-love and self-forgiveness are divine traits along with self-sacrifice and self-denial. Hell is a product of self-centeredness, self-interest, self-gratification, self-righteousness, self-consciousness, self-glorification, self-condemnation, self-will, and self in general.

QUESTION:  Furthermore, the following assumption regarding damnation to "hell" was made:

"God does not condemn anyone to hell. People create their own hell by their own physical desires." (Kevin Williams' research)

To which the spirit guides of www.afterlife101.com replied:

"The truth of that statement is not by their own physical desires and experiences but by their own consciousness level of their grievous acts against others and themselves which is what they will take into life after earth with them. What you take to heaven are your thoughts and feelings of your life experiences."

ANSWER:  The spirit guides of that web site are assuming that our physical desires are different from our conscious level of our negative actions which are carried over in spirit. They are not.

QUESTION:  Yet, you yourself state in your "A Biblical defense of the NDE" section where you respond to the following argument from a well-known Christian seminary professor: 

"The Being of Light identified as Jesus in NDEs teach that all people are welcome to heaven, regardless of whether or not they are a Christian." (Seminary professor)

Your [Kevin's] rebuttal:

"This is not true. Many NDEs show that some people do go to hell. Although it is God's will for everyone to go to heaven (1 Timothy 2:3-4 and 2 Peter 3:9) many people do not. NDEs in general show that faith in Christ alone does not guarantee anyone a ticket to heaven."

ANSWER:  My rebuttal against the professor is accurate. After death, not everyone goes immediately to heaven or realizes their heavenly nature. Some people go to hell (which is actually a realization of their hellish nature within) immediately after death. However, hell is revealed in near-death accounts as a temporary state of purification and instruction, not a place of eternal damnation. NDEs confirm the reality of universal salvation, the idea that everyone will eventually get to heaven. However, some souls must be purified from their hellish nature they acquired on earth. This is a temporary process.

QUESTION: So, now you're are saying there is a "hell" and some of us will be condemned to it. Yet, the whole philosophy from what I picked up from reading the material at these two websites is that the whole idea is to love ourselves unconditionally and become spiritually attuned to God and to show unconditional love and forgiveness to all others the way Jesus tried to teach us and we will be permitted into heaven. No one goes to hell. Not even Hitler! 

ANSWER:  I have never denied the existence of hell. I do deny the Christian concept of hell. What I am saying is that there exists a hell, but no one is eternally condemned there. After death, some people find themselves being purified of the aspects to their nature that is incompatible with their divine nature. Such is probably the case with Hitler. But no one remains in this condition forever. It is God's desire to purge the darkness in everyone's soul because God desires and wills that everyone is saved from their lower natures. For this reason, everyone will eventually attain heaven, including Hitler. 

QUESTION:  You state that if we failed in one lifetime to achieve this Jesus-like spiritual perfection we spend time in a spirit world until the time comes to time comes again to be reincarnated back into physical form to try to do better in the next life. This goes on indefinitely until we finally become like Jesus. Furthermore, you don't even have to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior to achieve this.

ANSWER:  Well, this is not exactly how I would state it. Here is how I would put it:

Earth is only a temporary place for our schooling and our true permanent home is heaven. Life on earth is a cycle of improvements (reincarnations) were we overcome certain weaknesses of our soul that is incompatible with our spirit (divine nature) and where we can be perfected. Any habit-forming pleasure, and they are endless, traps us into the cycle of rebirth over and over, until our appetites are finally put aside while we are in the flesh. Between earth lives, some souls must be purified from their prior life in the flesh before they are allowed to come to earth again. Other souls dwell in other realms where rest, homecomings, learning, etc.. can be experienced to prepare them for their next earth life. 

We progress at our own rate to reach the light. Soul growth occurs much faster here on earth than in the spirit world because of the limitations that a physical body can bring. If we do things that take us away from the light, then we are perpetuating our time here. Everyone who comes to this world must learn their final lessons in this world, where our free will is called into play in a fashion different from existence in other dimensions of reality. Life on earth means making mistakes (what some refer to as "sins") and we are allowed to make them in order to learn from them. Everything in life is a learning experience. Our goal in this world is to attain at-one-ment with God (as Jesus and Buddha did) so that we are free to experience higher realms of the spiritual universe. In coming here to learn, we are also trying to bring heaven to earth. 

As for Jesus' role, Jesus was a soul who experienced the full cycle of the earth experience who attained at-one-ment with God. He decided to come to earth to give humanity a pattern, a way for which people can attain the same level of soul growth to free them from the earth cycle in order to go on to higher realms. Jesus taught and demonstrated that the way to heaven is by living a life of unconditional love for everyone and God. Jesus is a Master soul who has devoted himself to the soul progression of human beings on the planet. According to my research, some near-death accounts state that he will reincarnate again to usher in heaven on earth. It is my opinion that he is here now.