The man, who said his name is Jeff, fell into a swimming pool when he was just five-years-old. Jeff did not know how to swim at the time and sank to the bottom of the pool where he claims to have had a bizarre near-death experience (NDE). Jeff shared his account of meeting Jesus with the Near-Death Experience Research Foundation (NDERF).
He said: “As I was under the water, I looked up to see the surface glitter like shining stars.
“Then I saw complete darkness for about two seconds with silence.
“I was now in a place that is not easily to describe in words. This place had deep feelings as well as sight.
“I remember an intense feeling of happiness that was so great that no event on Earth will ever reach its equal.”
READ MORE: Out of body experience: Woman leaves body in near-death experience
Jeff said he was surrounded on all sides by some form of fog but he could see the figure of a man standing before him.
He instantly recognised the figure as Jesus who was dressed in a white roman-like cloak from his neck to his feet.
Jesus had long brown curly hair but Jeff did not see his face or the colour of his eyes.
Jeff said: Our conversation differed from a typical face-to-face speech.
“Somehow, I was able to communicate with the choice by mouth or the mind.
Although astonishing, Jeff’s account is not unique and shares similarities with many other NDEs.
According to Dr Sam Parnia, director of critical care and resuscitation research at NYU Langone School of Medicine in New York City, many people undergo seemingly profound experiences when on the brink of death.
People recall seeing lights, hearing voices or even having full blow conversations with dead relatives.
But there are likely natural explanations for what these people experienced.
Dr Parnia said: “People describe a sensation of a bright, warm, welcoming light that draws people towards it.
“They describe a sensation of experiencing their deceased relatives, almost as if they have come to welcome them.
“They often say that they didn’t want to come back in many cases, it is so comfortable and it is like a magnet that draws them that they don’t want to come back.
“A lot of people describe a sensation of separating from themselves and watching doctors and nurses working on them.”