Astrophysicist says there are five clues that suggest the afterlife exists

A Christian author who also happens to be an astrophysicist has revealed why he thinks there is an afterlife.

For some of us, the question of life after death is only something we will be able to answer when it actually happens.

But according to Dr Hugh Ross, 79, there are already five clues out there that we ought to be paying attention to.

"I see five or six lines of evidence for the existence of a transcendent realm beyond," he told the Daily Mail.

"In other words, the biblical 'heaven', God’s spiritual realm of existence."

A limit to what we can see

Is the afterlife real? (Getty Stock Images)

The first clue is that we don't know the exact size of the universe.

Because of limitations caused by the speed of light, the part we can see is about 93 billion light-years across.

And the entire universe could be infinite or at least much larger than the observable part.

"Given that mass exists in the universe and that general relativity reliably describes the movements of massive bodies in the universe, these theorems establish the necessity of a causal agent (aka Creator) beyond space and time," Dr Ross, a founder of Californian non-profit Reasons to Believe, said.

"[The Creator is] responsible for creating space and time and all the matter and energy that comprises the cosmos."

'Proven reliability' of the Bible

The idea of an afterlife has been mentioned in many ancient texts (Getty Stock Images)

"While the Bible certainly is (and often has been) subject to misinterpretation, reasonably defensible interpretations do show that what the Bible records about history, science, and geography proves correct," he added.

The astronomer pointed out that the Big Bang theory consists of two fundamental properties - a transcendent cosmic beginning and a universe undergoing a continual expansion.

And he claims that in Isaiah 42:5 both of these properties were alluded to, which 'is what the Lord says'.

"He who created the heavens and stretched them out," Dr Ross said.

"Such consistent predictive power provides evidence that the Bible’s message comes not from a human source but, rather, from a Source who transcends the universe."

UFOs

Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) have been reported worldwide for years and years.

Just between 1947 and 1969, the US Air Force's Project Blue Book investigated 12,618 UFO reports.

"The existence of non-physical reality stands as evidence for the existence of a realm beyond the dimensions of the universe," he said.

NDEs

Many NDEs are experienced by cardiac arrest survivors (Getty Stock Images)

Those who have experienced a near death experience (NDE) often talk about 'seeing heaven'.

"Some NDE claims may be explained by oxygen deprivation in the brain," Dr Ross said.

"However, many others remain firmly established, as cardiologist Michael Sabom – a former NDE skeptic – has documented in his books."

Praying

"People who are prayed for by believers in the Christian God experience measurably more rapid and complete recovery from surgeries or medically confirmed ailments than do people for whom no such prayer is offered," he added.