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Reality of Hell
Permission is granted to copy parts or all of the following for distribution of any kind.
I sincerely hope and pray that you will believe the truth concerning the reality of Hell, and give your life to Jesus, while you are alive. As will be mentioned later throughout this page, it is only in this lifetime in which you can repent (turn away from sin and receive Jesus).
To help you in your investigation I have collected excerpts from a few authors and what their personal experiences have been concerning Hell. I have also added commentaries throughout and between the various excerpts, about what the Bible has to say about Hell and the various authors' experiences.
Your decision about whether to continue reading this page and whether to believe and act upon what Jesus said about Hell, will have eternal consequences on your soul.
I do not make this statement lightly. The message and seriousness of Hell is so real and so urgent, that I don't think any warning about Hell's reality and pain can ever be overestimated or exaggerated. Hell is much worse than anything any living human being can ever imagine.
I strongly urge you, to continue to read all of this pamphlet carefully and thoroughly. Also seek out the truth from God yourself by reading the Bible (especially the gospels in the New Testament) and by asking God to reveal the truth about the reality of Hell to you. Remember the subject matter being discussed here concerns the fate of your eternal soul. I know the temptation is to put off thinking about these things -- but your ignorance, lack of knowledge, or non-belief of Hell does not make it any less real. Considering that Jesus mentioned Hell many times in the New Testament, we can be very certain that Hell does indeed exist. We know this because, God always speaks the truth and He always adheres precisely to His word.
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A Doctor's Testimony About A Patient Who Almost Died
The following is an account of a real life experience of a Doctor attending a patient who suffered a heart attack which almost resulted in death. Although not all NDEs (Near Death Experiences) involve experiences with Hell, the ones that do are a sign to us that there is more to our existence than merely our earthly life. To get at the truth, concerning what will happen to us when we die, we must turn to our Creator and what He tells us through the Bible, as well as what He tells us through our spirit -- or conscience. Personal testimonies of NDEs however, are a sign to us and can be helpful in awakening us to what God is trying to tell us about what will happen to us when we die.
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Beginning Of Testimony
From the book, "Beyond Death's Door" by Maurice Rawlings, M.D.
"More and more of my patients who are recovering from serious illnesses tell me there is a life after death. There is a Heaven and a Hell. I had always thought of death as painless extinction. I had bet my life on it. Now I have had to reconsider my own destiny, and what I have found isn't good. I have found it really may not be safe to die !
The turning point in my own thinking occurred because of the event I alluded to previously. I requested that a patient perform what we call a "stress test" to evaluate complaints of chest pains. In this test we exercise the patient and simultaneously record the heartbeat. A treadmill machine paces the patient's exercise so that he slowly builds up to a jog, then to a run. If the heart record (EKG) goes "haywire" during the exercise, we can be sure the patient's chest pains originate in the heart, explaining the source of his "angina pectoris," or pain in the chest.
This patient was a forty-eight-year-old white male who was a rural mail carrier. He was of medium build, dark haired, and had a personality that would please anyone. Unfortunately, he represented one of those rare instances where the EKG not only went "haywire," but the heart stopped dead right in my office. Instead of fibrillating (twitching without a beat), the heart had just plain stopped. He crumpled to the floor, lifeless.
With my ear to his chest, I could hear no heartbeat at all. With my hand alongside his Adam's apple, I could feel no pulse. He gave one or two sighing breaths before he quit breathing altogether. There were scattered muscle twitchings and then convulsions. He was gradually turning blue.
Although six other doctors work as partners in the same clinic, it was late afternoon and they had gone on to other hospitals to make evening rounds. Only the nurses were left. But they knew what to do and their performance was commendable.
While I started external heart massage by pushing in on his chest, one nurse initiated mouth-to-mouth breathing. Another nurse found a breathing mask which made it easier to expand his lungs for him. Still another nurse brought the emergency cart containing pacemaker equipment. Unfortunately, the heart would not maintain its own beat. A complete heart block had occurred. The pacemaker was needed to overcome the block and increase the heart rate from thirty-five beats per minute to eighty or one hundred per minute.
I had to insert a pacemaker wire into the large vein beneath the collarbone which leads directly to the heart. One end of this electric wire was manipulated through the venous system and left dangling inside the heart. The other end was attached to a small battery-powered gadget that regulates the heartbeat and overcomes the heart block.
The patient began "coming to." But whenever I would reach for instruments or otherwise interrupt my compression of his chest, the patient would again lose consciousness, roll his eyes upward, arch his back in mild convulsion, stop breathing, and die once more.
Each time he regained heartbeat and respiration, the patient screamed, "I am in Hell !" He was terrified and pleaded with me to help him. I was scared to death. In fact, this episode literally scared the Hell out of me ! It terrified me enough to write this book.
He then issued a strange plea: 'Don't stop !' You see, the first thing most patients I resuscitate tell me, as soon as they recover consciousness, is "Take your hands off my chest; you're hurting me !" I am big and my method of external heart massage sometimes fractures ribs. But this patient was telling me, "Don't stop !"
Then I noticed a genuinely alarmed look on his face. He had a terrified look worse than the expression seen in death ! This patient had a grotesque grimace expressing sheer horror ! His pupils were dilated, and he was perspiring and trembling -- he looked as if his hair was "on end".
Then still another strange thing happened. He said, "Don't you understand? I am in Hell. Each time you quit I go back to Hell ! Don't let me go back to Hell !"
Being accustomed to patients under this kind of emotional stress, I dismissed his complaint and told him to keep his "Hell" to himself. I remember telling him, "I'm busy. Don't bother me about your Hell until I finish getting this pacemaker into place."
But the man was serious, and it finally occurred to me that he was indeed in trouble. He was in a panic like I had never seen before. As a result, I started working feverishly and rapidly. By this time the patient had experienced three or four episodes of complete unconsciousness and clinical death from cessation of both heartbeat and breathing.
After several death episodes he finally asked me, "How do I stay out of Hell?" I told him I guessed it was the same principle learned in Sunday school -- that I guessed Jesus Christ would be the one whom you would ask to save you.
Then he said, " I don't know how. Pray for me." Pray for him! What nerve ! I told him I was a doctor, not a preacher.
"Pray for me! he repeated.
In knew I had no choice. It was a dying man's request. So I had him repeat the words after me as we worked -- right there on the floor. It was a very simple prayer because I did not know much about praying. It went something like this:
Lord Jesus, I ask you to keep me out of Hell.
Forgive my sins.
I turn my life over to you.
If I die, I want to go to Heaven.
If I live, I'll be "on the hook" forever.
The patient's condition finally stabilized, and he was transported to a hospital. I went home, dusted off the Bible, and started reading it. I had to find out exactly what Hell was supposed to be like. I had always dealt with death as a routine occurrence in my medical practice, regarding it as an extinction with no need for remorse or apprehension. Now I was convinced there was something about this life after death business after all. All of my concepts needed revision. I needed to find out more. It was like finding another piece in the puzzle that supports the truth of the Scriptures. I was discovering that the Bible was not merely a history book. Every word was turning out to be true. I decided I had better start reading it very closely.
...The man, by the way, has stayed "on the hook." He is now a strong Christian, although before this incident he had gone to church only occasionally. Although he is still too shy and reticent to speak before groups, he has remained a compelling personal witness for Jesus Christ on a one-to-one basis. "
End Of Testimony
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Kenneth E. Hagin's Testimony Of Hell
The following is an eyewitness account from a person who at one time in his life had a very serious heart condition. One day during this time his heart stopped beating three times. This person is now a highly respected minister of the Lord and a man of honesty and integrity.
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Beginning Of Testimony
From the booklet, "I Went To Hell" by Kenneth E. Hagin, Rhema Bible Church, (aka Kenneth Hagin Ministries)
I gave my heart to the Lord and was born again the very first night I became bedfast. That was Saturday, April 22, 1933 at 7:40 p.m. in the south bedroom of 405 North College Street in McKinney, Texas. Earlier that evening, my heart had stopped beating and the spiritual man who lives in my body had departed. When death seized my body, my grandmother, my younger brother, and my mother were sitting in the room. I had time only to tell them "goodbye." Then the inner man rushed out of my body and left my body lying dead, with eyes set and flesh cold. I went down, down, down until the lights of the earth faded away. I don't mean I fainted - I don't mean I was unconscious - I have proof that I was actually dead. My eyes were set, my heart had stopped beating, and my pulse had ceased.
The Scriptures tell us about the lost being cast into outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 25:30). The farther down I went, the blacker it became, until it was all blackness - I could not have seen my hand if it had been one inch in front of my eyes. And the farther down I went, the hotter and more stiffling it became.
Finally, far below me, I could see lights flickering on the walls of the caverns of the damned. The lights were caused by the fires of Hell. The giant, white-crested orb of flame pulled me, drawing me as a magnet draws metal to itself. I did not want to go, but just as metal jumps to the magnet, my spirit was drawn to that place. I could not take my eyes off of it. The heat beat me in the face. Many years have gone by, yet I can see it just as clearly today as I saw it then. It is as fresh in my memory as if it just happened.
I came to the entrance of Hell. People ask, "What does the entrance of Hell look like?" I cannot describe it, because if I tried, I would have to have something with which to compare it. (Similarly, if a person had never seen a tree in his life, it would be impossible to tell him what a tree looks like.) Coming to the entrance, I paused momentarily, because I did not want to go in. I sensed that one more foot, one more step, one more yard, and I would be gone forever and would not come out of that horrible place! Upon reaching the bottom of the pit, I became conscious of some kind of spirit being by my side. I had not looked at him, because I could not take my gaze off of the fires of Hell. But when I paused, the creature laid his hand on my arm to escort me in.
At that same moment, a voice spoke from far above the blackness, above the earth, and above the heavens. I don't know if it was the voice of God, Jesus, an angel, or who. I did not see him, and I do not know what he said, because he did not speak in English; he spoke in some other tongue. When he spoke, his words reverberated throughout the region of the damned, shaking it like a leaf in the wind, and causing the creature to take his hand off my arm.I did not turn around, but an unseen power, like a suction, pulled me up, away from the fire, away from the heat, and back into the shadows of the absorbing darkness.
I began to ascend until I came to the top of the pit and saw the lights of the earth. I saw my grandparents' home, went through the wall back into my bedroom, and it was just as real to me as it was any time I had entered through the door (my spirit needed no door). I slipped back into my body as easily as a man slips into his trousers in the morning. It was the same way in which I had gone out - through my mouth. I began to talk to my grandmother. She said, "Son, I thought you were dead."
My great-grandfather had been a medical doctor, and Granny had worked with him. She later told me, "I dressed many people for burial and laid them out in days gone by. I have had much experience with death, but I learned more about death in dealing with you and your experiences than I ever knew before. You were dead. You had no pulse or heartbeat, and your eyes were set."
"Granny," I said, "I am going again. I am dying. Where is Momma?" "Your mother is out on the porch," she replied. And about that time I heard my mother praying at the top of her voice as she walked up and down the porch. "Where is my brother?" I asked. "He ran next door to call the doctor," Granny answered. If you're not ready to go, you want somebody with you. You're afraid! I said, "Granny, don't leave me! Don't leave me! I'm afraid I'll go while you're gone! I want somebody with me! Don't leave me!" So she gathered me into her arms again. I said, "Tell Momma I said goodbye. Tell Momma I love her. Tell Momma I appreciate everything she has ever done for me and for all of us. And you tell Momma that I said if I've ever put a wrinkle in her face, or a gray hair in her head, I'm sorry, and I ask her to forgive me." I felt myself slipping. I said, "Granny, I'm going again. You were a second mother to me when Momma's health failed. I appreciate you. Now I'm going, and I won't be back this time. "I knew I was dying, unprepared to meet God. I kissed her on the cheek and said goodbye.
My heart stopped beating for the second time. It's almost as real to me today, nearly half a century later, as it was that day. I felt the blood cease to circulate. The tips of my toes went numb - then my feet, ankles, knees, hips, stomach, and heart. I leaped out of my body and began to descend: down, down, down. Oh, I know it was just a few seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. I began to descend again into the darkness until the lights of earth had faded. Down below, the same experience occurred. The voice spoke from Heaven and again my spirit came up out of that place - back into my room and back into my body. The only difference this time was that I came up at the foot of the bed. I began to talk to Granny again. I said, "I will not be back this time, Granny." I asked, "Where is Grandpa? I want to tell Grandpa goodbye." She said, "Son, you know your Granddad went down to the east part of town to collect rent off of some of his rent houses."
"Oh," I said, "I remember that now. I just forgot momentarily." I said, "Granny, tell Grandpa goodbye. I've never known what it means to have a daddy. He's been the nearest to a daddy I've known. He gave me a home when I had none. Tell him I appreciate him. Tell him I love him. Tell Grandpa that I said goodbye." Then I left a word for my sister and two brothers, and my heart stopped for the third time. I could feel the circulation as it cut off again - and I leaped out of my body and began to descend.
Until this time, I had thought, This is not happening to me. This is just a hallucination. It can't be real! But now I thought, This is the third time. I won't come back this time! Darkness encompassed me 'round about, darker than any night man has ever seen.
I wish I had adequate words to describe the horrors of Hell. People go through this life so complacently, so unconcerned, as if they will not have to face Hell. But God's Word and my own personal experience tell me differently. I know what it is to be unconscious - it is black when you are unconscious - but there is no blackness to compare with outer darkness.
As I began to descend in the darkness this third time, my spirit cried out, "God, I belong to the church! I've been baptized in water!" I waited for Him to answer, but no answer came - only the echo of my own voice as it came back to mock me. It will take more than church membership - it will take more than being baptized in water - to miss Hell and make Heaven. Jesus said, .... Ye must be born again" (John 3:7). Certainly I believe in being baptized in water - but only after a person is born again. Certainly I believe in joining the church - but only after a person is born again. If you merely join the church and are baptized in water without being born again, you will go to Hell! The second time I cried a little louder, "God! I belong to the church! I've been baptized in water!" Again I waited for an answer, but there was no answer, only the echo of my own voice through the darkness.
It would frighten a congregation out of their wits if I ever imitated the way I screamed the third time, although, if I could scare them out of Hell and into Heaven, I'd do it! I literally screamed, "GOD! GOD! I BELONG TO THE CHURCH! I'VE BEEN BAPTIZED IN WATER!" And all I heard was the echo of my own voice. I came again to the bottom of that pit. Again I could feel the heat as it beat me in the face. Again I approached the entrance, the gates into Hell itself. That creature took me by the arm. I intended to put up a fight if I could to keep from going in. I only managed to slow down my descent just a little, and he took me by the arm.
Thank God that voice spoke. I don't know who it was - I didn't see anybody - I just heard the voice. I don't know what he said, but whatever he said, that place shook; it just trembled. And that creature took his hand off my arm. It was just as if there was a suction to my back parts. It pulled me back, away from the entrance to Hell, until I stood in the shadows. Then it pulled me up headfirst. As I was going up through the darkness, I began to pray. My spirit, the man who lives inside this physical body, is an eternal being, a spirit man. I began to pray, "0 God! I come to You in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I ask You to forgive me of my sins and to cleanse me from all sin." I came up beside the bed.
The difference between the three experiences was that I came up on the porch the first time; I came up at the foot of the bed the second time; and I came up right beside the bed the third time. When I got inside my body, my physical voice picked up and continued my prayer right in the middle of the sentence. I was already praying out of my spirit. Now, we didn't have all the automobiles in 1933 that we have today - that was in the Depression. But they tell me that between me and Momma praying so loud, traffic was lined up for two blocks on either side of our house! They heard me praying from inside the house, and they heard my mother as she walked the porch praying at the top of her voice.
I looked at the clock and saw it was 20 minutes before 8 o'clock. That was the very hour I was born again due to the mercy of God through the prayers of my mother. I felt wonderful - it was just like a two-ton weight had rolled off of my chest. Although I was rejoicing and was happy in my spirit - although I felt wonderful spiritually - I felt no better physically. The doctors had been called, and they told my family that I was going to die. I thought I would die that night, but it no longer bothered me. I knew I was ready to go. My experience of being brought back from the dead is not new. Jesus raised three people from the dead: Lazarus, Jairus' daughter, and the widow's son. The Apostle Peter raised Dorcas from the dead; the Apostle Paul raised a young man from the dead; and others throughout Church history have had similar experiences.
Through my experience, God brought me to knowledge of salvation, which is the best thing in the world to know. I was so thankful to know that my heart was right with God, and to know that if I should die before morning I would go, to be with Him.
End Of Testimony
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There a couple of things that are important to notice in this testimony:
One is the statement near the beginning (the first time his heart stopped) which says "the inner man rushed out of my body and left my body lying dead, with eyes set and flesh cold." Notice also the comment by his grandmother, "You were dead. You had no pulse or heart beat, and your eyes were set." Kenneth Hagin's mom, grandma, and brother were with him at the time his heart first stopped. Later when he came back to life his mother was praying outside on the porch, and his brother went to call a doctor. Hence the first episode where his heart stopped must have lasted for several minutes-enough time for his flesh to grow cold. After reviving the first time, Kenneth was talking to his grandmother. Then Kenneth's heart stopped beating for the second time.
Notice that Kenneth was talking with his grandma in a very sane manner - this experience was not a hallucination. Neither was it a dream. Dreams only occur during sleep or close to periods of sleep.
After the second time Kenneth came back to life again. And then again, for the third time his heart stopped beating. But this time upon reviving he prayed and asked Jesus to forgive him of all sin.
Notice also that going to church or even doing good deeds did not get Kenneth Hagin saved -- it was his asking Jesus to forgive his sins. (Although good deeds are desireable, they cannot make up for our past sins or make up for the greatest sin of all -- our rebellion against God our Creator.)
I hope you take this testimony very seriously. In the next section, I present what the bible says about Hell. From that you will see that the experience that Kenneth Hagin underwent is very consistent with what the bible says about Hell.
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What The Bible Says About Hell
According to the Bible, Hell is a very real and terrifying place of torment for non-believers and unrepentant sinners. Let's take a look at what the Bible has to say about Hell. By examining the scriptures, we can learn a great deal about the place we call Hell.
In II Thessalonians 1:8,9 we see that there is going to be everlasting destruction.
"...in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,..." (II Thessalonians 1:8,9)
We see in this passage a glimpse of Hell. It is for those "who do not know God, and those who do not obey the gospel." In other words for those people who fit two categories:
(1) those who do not know or believe in God, who voluntarily choose not to, and
(2) those who profess to believe but by their actions and the way they live their lives, do not follow or obey the gospel.
Scripture indicates plainly that these people are still very capable of feeling pain or pleasure, thinking thoughts, and even have new bodies. They are just as real as you and me! They are only in a different place! Jesus told us that most are in the abode of the dead (Matthew 7:13-14). We don't hear much preaching about Hell anymore, but the Bible tells us that it is a place of extreme pain, of "...weeping, and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 8:12 & 13:42-50, 25:30, Luke 13:27-28).
Some people prefer to believe that Hell is not literal, but Christ suffered agony on the Cross of Calvary for you and me in order to save us from a literal Lake of Fire! Hell is very real! It is worse than any nightmare you could ever have! It is never ending in its misery and torment. The agony of lost souls eternally condemned forever and forever, without reprieve, parole, or pardon, is so horrible it beggars description!
There are millions of people who have heard the gospel message, some I am sure dozens of times, and reject God and His Son. They do not give their lives to Christ, choosing rather to go their own way and the way of the world. According to this passage, these people will spend eternity in Hell.
There is also a large number of people who claim to be Christian and simply go through the motions, never really obeying the gospel or following the teachings of the New Testament. Their lives and hearts were not changed. Or they revert back to sinful ways. TAKE SPECIAL NOTE -- These too shall spend eternity away from God.
So what is Hell? The above passage again gives us a glimpse into this. "These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord..." The fate of those we are speaking of is to be banned eternally from being near God, or to be out of His presence. What is being "destroyed" in the passage is the ability or opportunity to be in the presence of or near God. Death, by spiritual definition, is separation. Physical death is when our spirit is separated from our bodies. Spiritual death is when a person's spirit is eternally separated from God.
We can see from the above passage that Hell is a real place. In the book of Mark we see another glimpse of Hell as a terrible place.
"And if your hand makes you sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands, to go into Hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched -- where 'their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.' " (Mark 9:43,44)
The last part of this passage, "their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched," is quoted from Isaiah 66:24. It simply tells us that though the physical body is dead, the spirit is still in existence and can feel pain. If we "in the flesh" could actually see exactly what Hell is like we would truly be horrified. It is a terrible place of eternal existence for those who do not know God and those who will not obey the gospel.
Not only is Hell a terrible place, it is also a place of eternal existence.
"Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels,...'" (Matthew 25:41) " And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life." (Matthew 25:46)
The judgment, once pronounced, will be final, irreversible, and never ending.
Just the thought of eternal existence in Hell makes me shutter. I cannot imagine what it would be like to spend eternity in a place separate from God where there is no goodness -- where there is only extreme relentless fiery torment, without hope, without mercy, without rest -- without any kind of goodness. (It is only by God's goodness by which we live on this earth.)
It is difficult for us to conceptualize what eternity will be like. Everything we experience here on earth is limited by time. We tend to think of a lifetime as a very long period. In reality, in the frame-work of eternity, a lifetime is but a twinkle of an eye. It is but a fraction of a second in comparison. While we exist on this earth for a few decades we will exist either in Heaven or Hell for an eternity.
Specifically, who will be in Hell? The Bible tells us exactly who will be in this place of eternal torment.
"Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead which were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15)
The last sentence of this scriptural passage bears repeating:
"And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the Lake of Fire."
This passage of Scripture (Revelation 20:11-15) shows clearly that everyone will go through the judgment. Those whose name is found written in the Book of Life will be entering into eternal life with God. Those whose name is not found in the Book of Life will ultimately be cast into the Lake of Fire, or Hell. In other words, to put it in simple terms, all who are not saved by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus Christ will spend eternity in Hell.
The Scriptures also show us that Hell will be a place where those who are there will be in a state of consciousness. They will be keenly aware of their torment. Jesus in the Story of the Rich Man and Poor Lazurus illustrates this fact,
"And being in torment in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame,...' " (Luke 16:23,24)
Obviously no one who goes to such a place will be in their human body. That is shed at the time of death. No human body could survive such heat or atmosphere, so after death, we all receive different bodies. Both Lazarus and the Rich Man had bodies. In fact, they seemed a lot like human bodies. They had bodily parts, such as eyes, fingers, tongues, voices. But despite the fact that the Rich Man was in the flames of Hell, and in absolute agony (Luke 16:23-24), his body was not consumed by the fire! For while the human bodies of the dead have been buried or cremated, the souls of the dead receive specially designed eternal bodies that cannot be destroyed, but the unsaved can feel the agony of Hell ! They will be aware of their existence, condition, and the reason for their torment.
The torments of Hell will be especially severe for those who knew Christ, and have fallen away. For those who at one time knew and obeyed the Lord, but with time went back to disobedience and to the mire of sin -- their place in Hell will be in outer darkness, with an even higher degree of torment. "But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 8:12). The outer darkness implies that outside of the fires that torment such backslidden people, there is utter darkness.
Those in Hell will be fully aware of what they have missed. It is hard for us to conceptualize the beauty of Heaven and the ugliness of Hell. But for those who get sent to Hell, they will know of both. It will also be a place where those who are there are separated from their Christian loved ones.
"There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out." (Luke 13:28)
What a horrible experience for someone to remember all the opportunities they had to receive God's salvation through receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior but having refused to do so and then finding themselves cast into Hell for eternity, suffering and eternally separated from God and His goodness and from their saved loved ones.
If you doubt God's goodness -- you should realize that it is only by God's goodness that you have life on this earth. Even as a sinner, God is good to you and eagerly desires that you turn away from pursuing sin and to turn to Him so that He can forgive you and cleanse you from all sin. God is lending you life, only so that you can have an opportunity to turn away from your sins and turn to Him. However, whether you believe it or not, God has every right to take your life at any moment. It is not wise to put off dedicating your life over to the Lord.
We know that in Heaven there will be no pain and no suffering. But that will not be true in Hell. The carefree memories of life in this world will turn to painful memories as those in Hell realize what they should have done. As those in Hell will be remembering their life on earth, they will also be remembering all the opportunities they had to give their lives to Christ, and didn't. They will remember each excuse that they used. They will remember those things that they did not want to give up to become a Christian, and how little those things eventually meant to them. The memories of all those things will be horrible memories indeed.
And finally we see that Hell will be a place of no release. Once you are condemned to Hell -- you are forever doomed.
"And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:46)
Hell is for eternity, and for those banished there, it will never stop. I repeat, Hell is for eternity, and for those banished there, it will never stop. After having suffered Hell's relentless fiery torments for 10,000 years (or a million years, or a billion years, or any selected time span) a person in Hell will never be any closer to escaping Hell than he was the first day he arrived there. Today, millions and millions of people, some of which you may have known, are in Hell, in torment, weeping, wailing and gnashing their teeth, wanting mercy from God! But there is no mercy for them -- and there never will be. It's too late. God will not forgive a person of his sins after he dies! The Bible says, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment!" (Hebrews 9:27)
It would be wise to soberly and seriously consider the following question: Am I ready for God to judge me? Jesus said not to fear those who could only kill the body, but rather to fear Him who can send your soul to Hell. "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you Whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into Hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him." (Luke 12:4-5)
God judges in a perfectly just way. Nothing escapes His view. If you do die in your sin, without having turned away from sin, and without having turned to Jesus for forgiveness of sins in this life on earth, you will find yourself in Hell. You will cry aloud in agony, as you weep and wail and gnash your teeth! An awful hopelessness will overcome you as you realize that not only are you to burn for the present day, but forever! Again not only are you to burn for the present day, but forever! You will surely say, "Why, why didn't I repent of sin, but now, too late! - too late!" In fact, you will clearly remember this message you are now reading and you will forever painfully regret not heeding this warning about the reality of Hell.
Is Hell a real place? Yes, it certainly is. It is a terrible place, and it is a place of eternal punishment. To repeat, Hell is worse than any nightmare you could ever have! It is never ending in its misery and torment. The agony of lost souls eternally condemned forever and forever, without reprieve, parole, or pardon, is so horrible it beggars description! It is for all the unsaved who reject the gospel and turn away from God. It is a place separated from God, of consciousness, torment, darkness, separation from Christian loved ones, a place without any hope of release, and a place of horrible memories.
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Salvation From Hell
God loves you, and there is no reason for any human to have to go to such a terrible place as Hell. But many will, because they die depending on their own righteousness (Isaiah 64:6) instead of humbly clinging to the righteousness of Christ and His shed blood for us on the Cross! One of the greatest questions in the entirety of the Word of God is this, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation..." (Hebrews 2:3)
God does not want you to go to Hell ! He is not willing that any should perish ! John 3:16 says that God does not want you to perish and He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, "that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
It states in Romans 3:23 that, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) What does this mean? This means that all of us are sinners and that we all, strictly speaking if all our sins were counted against us, deserve to be condemned to Hell. However, God loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus, to redeem us from Hell. God has done everything, He can, to provide a way for us to be redeemed.
You see there is no human that has been obedient to the Lord. We have all sinned in our lives. As humans we tend to judge based on our own level of righteousness. However, our "righteousness" is severely tarnished -- actually severely corrupted by our sinful nature. If we were to view our sinful state the way God views our sinful state we would realize the corrupt condition of sin in our life. In Romans 6:23 it states that, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
But why should God judge our sins as worthy of spiritual death? Because of His absolutely perfect holiness, no sin could exist in His presence. In some primitive cultures a native chief may club his wife to death on the slightest provocation without falling in the slightest degree in the estimation of his people. The same act in our land would have to be paid for by the life of the murderer. The act is the same in both lands, but in one instance no judgment; in the other, quick retribution. The difference is simply the result of our enlightenment. If a sin, which in a primitive culture is considered as nothing, would cause a man to lose his life in our land, think, if you can, what some other sin, which appears to us as nothing, must look like to an infinitely Holy God.
"For God is light and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5)
In fact, it is not the severity of the sin that makes it so grievous, it is the attitude of rebellion against God. All sin is rebellion against God and so the just punishment of sin is separation from God and the absence of all His goodness.
It is not that God desires to be separate from His created beings, but He cannot allow those in rebellion into His kingdom, for that would be allowing evil into His kingdom. (This is also logical, since if you reject the King you also reject the Kingdom.)
In addition, God will not reward rebellion with His goodness. At one time I was wondering why Hell is so horrible and full of pain and torment. God brought me to understand that Hell is a total absence of Him and a total absence of His goodness. All of the things we enjoy on earth (both believers and sinners) is given to us by God -- the air we breath, the water we drink, the food we eat, and all the other good things that He provides on this earth. However, once a person dies, if he is an unrepentant sinner, God withdraws all His goodness. And so what remains is only pain and torment -- which is what we know to be Hell. You see, if you reject God's rulership over your life, then you also reject God's goodness that comes with His rulership. You also need to understand that goodness and holiness go hand-in-hand. It was both God's holiness (so sin could be atoned for) and God's goodness (for us) that He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us.
The holiness of God is also evident In Exodus 33:18 where it states,
"And the Lord passed before him [Moses] and proclaimed: The LORD, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation." (Exodus 33:18)
Notice that these are God the Father's words themselves. Notice very carefully the phrase "by no means clearing the guilty". God will graciously forgive those who ask and turn away from their sins. In fact He eagerly desires to forgive and to show mercy. However, because of His absolute perfect holiness, He will not simply choose to ignore your sin without your repentance - He will hold you fully and eternally responsible. Notice also that when you choose to reject God, you also put at risk your children, and your children's children to the third and fourth generation. Without proper spiritual guidance your children and their children, etc. will also tend to transgress again God. Your decision not only has repercussions on you but also on your descendants.
But the amazing and wonderful thing is that, even though we were not worthy of it, God has provided a way for all sinners on earth to be forgiven and to be completely purified of all sin -- whether the sins are great or small. That way is to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior by asking Him to forgive you of all sin and commit your life completely to Him. It says in John 3:36
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (John 3:36)
What this scripture means is that unless you believe, by repenting of sin (rejecting all sin) and asking His forgiveness in this life, you will pay for all your sins yourself, and consequently you will forever exist in Hell when you die. However, as already stated, God truly does not want to condemn anyone to Hell. He has provided a way for us to escape Hell and to come into His Kingdom. In fact, the only reason that we are able to be saved is because of the price Jesus paid on the cross. Even though Jesus was and is without sin He died and took upon Himself all our sins and paid the penalty for those sins. Having paid the penalty for all our sins, Jesus fulfilled, for us, God's requirement for justice.
"God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished -- He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and the One who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." (Rom 3:25-26)
By taking our sins upon Himself, Jesus performed the act of atonement that allows us to be saved. If it were not for this sacrifice none of us could be saved. The suffering that Jesus went through to pay the penalty for all our sins is beyond comprehension. Truly Jesus does love us.
On the cross, Jesus Christ offered Himself to God the Father as a spotless sacrifice for our sin. He accepted the cross in love because it was required to save those who would otherwise perish. (John 3:16-18). Our sins against God were and are such that only the sacrifice of the sinless Son of God can atone for it. We see how sin separates from God when the crucified Christ calls out to His Father, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). The Son's perfect fellowship with the Father -- a love enjoyed from eternity past -- was broken when Jesus bore the penalty of our sins. Paul explains, "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor 5:21). We can avoid being forsaken by God in Hell and inherit Heaven only through faith in Jesus Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8). There is nothing we can do to make up for our sins -- even a lifetime of good deeds is not enough. Only Jesus' sacrifice can atone for our sins.
In the cross of Christ the punishment due to our sin, which is eternal condemnation in Hell, is all mercifully atoned for by the precious Blood of the Lamb (Jesus). Only through Jesus taking on our Hell through His death could sinners be reconciled to a Holy God. God's love took His Son to the Hell of the cross for our sake. Apart from the cross, there is no hope for forgiveness or reconciliation with God. Hell is the only alternative.
From the above, we clearly see that God gave us His most precious gift -- His Son Jesus -- for our salvation. Considering the sacrifice that Jesus has already paid to redeem you, God does not desire that you go to Hell. He made you for His own joy and for everlasting fellowship. You are His creation, and He loves you. Call upon Him while He is near, and He will hear and answer you. He will forgive and bless you. Pray the sinner's prayer:
Lord Jesus, come into my heart and forgive me of my sins. I know that I am a sinner, and I repent of my sins. Wash me in your blood, and make me clean. I have sinned against Heaven and before You and am not worthy to be called a son. I receive you by faith as my Savior.
If you sincerely prayed this prayer then God has promised that you are saved and will forever live with Him in Heaven. This we know to be true from the Bible which states in Romans 10:9-10
"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Romans 10:9-10)
If you haven't prayed the prayer above I strongly implore you to do so. There is no guarantee that you will live to see tomorrow. It is only in this life on earth where you have the opportunity to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. Once you die it is too late. Unless you repent of your sins in this life you will forever exist in extreme torment in Hell. Life on this earth is only for a short season, but existence either in Heaven or Hell is for an eternity. If you have questions ask fervently and persistently of God with all your heart and read the New Testament especially Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Whoever wants to, may come to Jesus, and he that loses his life for Jesus' sake shall find life, and that more abundantly. But sinners must repent while still alive on earth. It is too late to repent when they arrive in Hell. Many sinners want to serve God and satan, (anyone who persists on sinning is serving satan and his purposes) or they believe that they have unlimited time to accept the grace God offers. The truly wise will choose this day whom they will serve.
In John 6:37 Jesus says, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away."
And in John 6:40, "For My Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:40)
Again if you sincerely pray the sinner's prayer, Jesus promises to bring you into His eternal Kingdom. Even if you think you are all right with God, but are not sure, repent of all sin (decide to reject all sin in your life) and ask Him to forgive you by praying the sinner's prayer. You can be assured that Jesus will keep His word to you.
The Sinner's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, come into my heart and forgive me of my sins. I know that I am a sinner, and I repent of my sins. Wash me in your blood, and make me clean. I have sinned against Heaven and before You and am not worthy to be called a son. I receive you by faith as my Savior.
Larry Huggins' Testimony Of Hell
The following testimony is also from a person who almost died and almost went to Hell. This person is now a compassionate minister of the Lord.
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Beginning Of Testimony
From the book, "Love - The 4th Dimension" by Larry Huggins, Harrison House (1981)
"At one time I was without hope and without God in this world. I had been seeking Him through my own righteousness and thought that perhaps I could reach Him by aestheticism.
By fasting, chanting, staying up late hours, and indulging in all type of philosophies, I tried to channel my life into such a stream of harmony that I would be able to tune in with the God I so desperately desired.
A vacuous hole inside me longed for God, and I tried every way imaginable to reach Him, except the only way that would bring satisfaction -- the simple way: by confessing Jesus as my Lord. I tried all kinds of things before finally bending my knees and accepting Jesus.
I thought I was pretty "cool" -- living in an Indian teepee on the side of a lake, eating herbs and berries, snacking on wild plants and peyote cactus.
Actually, I was heavily into the occult, only I did not recognize it as the occult. I just thought it was "a way" to get to God. There were many people who thought I was some kind of guru; and they would follow me wherever I went. If I picked up my teepee and moved it to a remote place, they would find me. In two or three days I would again be surrounded by hippies, beatniks, and people who thought I was advanced spiritually. Of course, I didn't mind playing the charade -- acting like a spiritual giant, being very cool and austere, relishing my aestheticism.
I have taken cold baths in a lake during the winter and have come out with my hair frozen. I thought if I abused, neglected, and whipped my body long enough, it would release my spirit. Then I would be free of this sinful flesh that held me in the bondage I so loathed.
I wanted to soar in the astral plains and be free with God, only I refused to do it by going Jesus' way. I rejected the Messiah -- rejected Him repeatedly. When people would talk to me about Jesus, I would say, 'There are many ways to find God. I must find a path that suits me.'
But, you know, God's Spirit will not always strive with people; and I finally blew it.
If you get in trouble with the law, you can get out of trouble; but if you mess around with the devil, you are in for the kind of trouble you might not be able to get out of. Satan is not playing games, so don't try to play games with him. He is out to kill you, to destroy you, to ruin you, to abolish you, because you bear the image of the Redeemer. Even your physical body was made in the appearance of God.
The path every unsaved man is walking is a path that leads to Hell, destruction, and torment; and that is where my path was taking me. I nearly died: My spirit left my body and began to descend, down, down, down.
The most horrible terror gripped my spirit, and I began to cry out with all that was within me as the awful reality of it hit me, 'I'm dead and I'm going to Hell ! No, God, not me ! I don't want to go to Hell.' I cried out more and more; and my spirit continued going down, down, down to the devil's Hell -- that lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels. I was being dragged downward into that place.
There were people nearby, but they did not understand what was happening to me. They thought I was just a lunatic, a man who had lost his mind. Later I talked to one young man who had studied karate for years in the Orient. One thing they practice is the 'ke-ay,' a yell produced in the belly of a man that comes out with such force that it puts fear in the heart of the enemy. It is told of certain old masters that they could 'ke-ay' with such fierceness it would stop the heart of a tiger. This young man said, ' My karate masters have practiced blood curdling yells for years; but I've never heard anything from the mouth of a man like what came out your mouth.'
Something happened that day and I have never been the same: My life passed before me. I stopped trying to vindicate myself through my own acts of righteousness. God showed me my life from beginning to end -- every time I rejected Him, every time I turned my back on Him, every time I disobeyed the Word. He showed me every time I had disobeyed my parents, been ugly, stolen something, told a lie, thought an ugly thought. It was all there; I couldn't deny it.
Then the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to me. He was far away, out in the black void, completely surrounded by darkness. He was the most radiant light, shining brightly, and I knew it was Jesus. The first thing I noticed was that He seemed to be standing somewhat at an angle. Then I realized the truth: He was straight; it was the whole world that was crooked.
You see, Jesus is the center of the universe, the foundation -- everything is relative to Him. I had been measuring God by earthly standards. Jesus, suspended out there in the middle of the eternal realm, had His own position, His own truth, His own absolute reality. It made no difference that the whole world was tilted and sliding into Hell -- He was still love, He was still purity, He was still grace, He was still mercy, He was still God and Savior !
I had been crying out to God to have mercy on me; and when that moment of mercy came, something that I can only describe as a tremendous magnetism, or force, reached out to me, grabbed my spirit, and drew me up to Him.
In the process of dying, I had managed to cover myself with putrid vomit, defecation, and urination, plus smear my consciousness with every foul deed I had done. I was the most wretched creature you can imagine; and I was being drawn toward the most holy, pure, loving, sweet, kind, tender, and only Savior the world has ever known. His radiance and beauty hurt me; it tormented me.
I said, 'Oh, God, no! I don't want to pollute you. You're so pure and holy; I'm so wretched. Oh, God, no!'
Unable to look at Him, I turned my face away in shame; but He just drew me up into His arms. The moment He touched me, all the filth and corruption was wiped away and I was pure. Suddenly, I was wide awake and born again.
I remember myself as a little newborn creature without one thought of my own, just open and alive unto God, looking up into His eyes of liquid love. He looked at me with such tenderness, such love, such compassion, such mercy. He spoke softly to me and He kissed me.
Then He said to me, ' Son, I've called you to do a work for Me. Do not live in sin. Love your wife and the people I've sent you; they're very precious.
He did not chastise me. He just told me, matter of factly, to do these things and it would go well with me. He continued, 'I have ministry for you. I want you to warn people about this place of torment. I want you to win as many people as you can for Me and My kingdom.'
It is too personal for me to describe all the marvels and joys of being in the presence of God. It is too wonderful. The point I want you to understand is that the presence of God tormented the unclean spirit that I had. At one point I would have gone to Hell rather than stand in the presence of God. Had it not been for the miracle of regeneration, I could not have tolerated His presence.
It seemed an endless eternity as I drew closer and closer to Him. Every agonizing moment that the love and life and purity came out of Him and struck the corruption and filth and sin in me, it caused a burning fire of torment. But, praise God, the miracle of the new birth changed that ! Now, I love His Holy Spirit and pure love. "
End Of Testimony
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This testimony clearly illustrates what happens when a sinner recognizes his sinful condition and calls out to Jesus to forgive him. Notice Larry's comments: "Unable to look at Him, I turned my face away in shame; but He just drew me up into His arms. The moment He touched me, all the filth and corruption was wiped away and I was pure. Suddenly, I was wide awake and born again. I remember myself as a little newborn creature without one thought of my own, just open and alive unto God, looking up into His eyes of liquid love."
Notice especially the comment about being as a newborn creature. This is very much in line with 2 Corinthians 5:17, where it states, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" This is also in line with what Jesus says in John 3:3, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
The apostle Paul also mentions this recreation of a person's spirit in Ephesians 4:24 where he states, "Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." By the miracle of this spiritual rebirth, a person, starting at the instant he receives Jesus as Lord and Savior, becomes righteous (right with God) as a result of Jesus' sacrifice. This is what is meant in 2 Corinthians 5:21 where it states that, "God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."
Sometimes people ask why those who are condemned to Hell will suffer there for eternity. The reason is that the punishment is not only for what they have done but for what they are. Finite punishment would be like punishing a wolf for his past aggression (for a finite amount of time), putting him in a sheep pen, and then expecting that he will not attack the sheep. What do you think the wolf is going to revert to doing?
Unless a person is recreated spiritually he will always be dominated by sin and rebelliousness against God. Those who do not desire to admit their guilt and receive the rulership of God (even though the rulership is always for good) are in rebellion against God. It is very important for you to understand that however much God loves you, and desires for you to be redeemed, He will not force you to serve Him -- you must make that decision. But you must make that decision while you are still alive on earth. God's grace for salvation is only in force during your life on earth. This decision is very serious and considering that your life can be taken on any given day it is not wise to postpone giving your life to Jesus.
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The Different Regions Of Hell And Judgment
Before presenting other testimonies it is important to comment on the two regions of Hell and judgment where unrepentant sinners will suffer their eternal torments -- these are "Hades" (also called Sheol) and the "Lake of Fire."
Hades or Sheol.
This is the place for unrepentant sinners after death. When the unrepentant sinner dies, his spirit and soul go immediately to this place of torment. The term "Hades" is the Greek form of the word "Hell." The term "Sheol" is the Hebrew word for Hell.
In Luke 16:19-31 in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, Hades or Sheol was the place that the ungodly rich man went to immediately upon his death.
"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hell [Hades or Sheol], where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
So he called to him, `Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
"But Abraham replied, `Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'
"He answered, `Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'
"Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'
"`No, father Abraham,' he said, `but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
"He said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'" (Luke 16:19-31)
As already described, Hades is a place of fiery torment. Notice the verse. "Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.' "
The Bible (in Revelation 20:10-15) also mentions that Hades is a temporary location whose occupants will eventually be cast into the "Lake of Fire" after the Great White Throne Judgment.
The Lake Of Fire.
The "Lake of Fire" is the eternal home of all sin and rebellion. Another name for this place is called "Gehenna." At the close of the White Throne Judgement of God, this will be the home of all the wicked (Revelation 20:11-15). The Lake of Fire will be the home of those who disobeyed and chose to rebel against God. Here unrepentant man will be, for all eternity, to suffer the pains of an eternal Hell. Satan will also be cast into the Lake of Fire for all eternity to suffer. According to Scripture, satan will be tormented day and night forever and ever, having no rest. Also Hades will be cast into the eternal Lake of Fire. Those who inhabit Hades will be resurrected to face God's Judgment, then cast into the Lake of Fire. In the very end of God's judgments, unrepentant sinners, evil spirits, fallen angels, and satan will all be in eternal torment in the Lake of Fire.
"And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:10-15)
Thomas Welch's Testimony Of Witnessing The Lake Of Fire
The following is an account of a person who describes a most unusual experience in which he saw a tremendous "Lake of Fire," the most awesome sight one could see this side of final judgment. While working for a lumber company Welch was required to walk across a trestle over a dam fifty-five feet above the water where a sawmill was located. He gives this account:
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Beginning Of Testimony
From the booklet, "Oregon's Amazing Miracle" by Thomas Welch (1976)
" I went out on the trestle to straighten out some timbers which were crossed and not moving on a conveyor. Suddenly I fell off the trestle and tumbled down between the timbers and into the pond, which was ten feet deep. An engineer sitting in the cab of his locomotive unloading logs into the pond saw me fall. I landed on my head on the first beam thirty feet down, and then tumbled from one beam to another until I fell into the water and disappeared from his view.
There were seventy men working in and around the mill at that time. The mill was shut down then, and every available man was called to search for my body, according to the testimonies of these men. The search went on for forty-five minutes to one hour before I was finally found by M.J.H. Gunderson, who has written his own account of this to verify the facts of this testimony.
I was dead as far as this world is concerned. But I was alive in another world. There was no lost time. I learned more in that hour out of the body than I could ever learn while in this body. All I could remember is falling over the edge of the trestle. The locomotive engineer watched me go all the way down into the water.
The next thing I knew I was standing near a shoreline of a great ocean of fire. It happened to be what the Bible says it is in Revelation 21:8 "... the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." This is the most awesome sight one could ever see this side of the final judgment.
I remember more clearly than any other thing that has ever happened to me in my lifetime, every detail of every moment, what I saw and what happened during that hour I was gone from this world. I was standing some distance from this burning, turbulent, rolling mass of blue fire. As far as my eyes could see it was just the same. A lake of fire and brimstone. There was nobody in it. I was not in it. I saw other people whom I had known that had died when I was thirteen. Another was a boy I had gone to school with who had died from cancer of the jaw that had started with an infected tooth while he was just a young lad. He was two years older than I. We recognized each other, even though we did not speak. They, too, were looking and seemed to be perplexed and in deep thought, as though they could not believe what they saw. Their expressions were those of bewilderment and confusion.
The scene was so awesome that words simply fail. There is no way to describe it except to say we were eye witnesses now to the final judgment. There is no way to escape, no way out. You don't even try to look for one. This is the prison out of which no one can escape except by Divine intervention. I said to myself in an audible voice, "If I had known about this I would have done anything that was required of me to escape coming to a place like this." But I had not known.
As these thoughts were racing through my mind, I saw another man coming by in front of us. I knew immediately who He was. He had a strong, kind, compassionate face, composed and unafraid, Master of all He saw. It was Jesus Himself.
A great hope took hold of me and I knew the answer to my problem was this great and wonderful Person who was moving by me in this prison of lost, confused judgment-bound souls. I did not do anything to attract His attention. I said again to myself, "If He would only look my way and see me, He could rescue me from this place because He would know what to do." He passed on by and it seemed as though He would not look my way, but just before He passed out of sight He turned His head and looked directly at me. That is all it took. His look was enough.
In seconds I was back entering into my body again. It was like coming in through the door of a house. I could hear the Brockes (the people I was staying with) praying minutes before I could open my eyes or say anything. I could hear and I understood what was going on. Then suddenly life came into my body and I opened my eyes and spoke to them.
It's easy to talk about and describe something you have seen. I know there is a lake of fire because I have seen it. I know Jesus Christ is alive in eternity. I have seen Him. The Bible states in Revelation 1:9-11, I John ... was in the spirit on the Lord's Day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, and what thou seest, write in a book."
Among the many things John saw was the judgment, and he describes it in Revelation 20 as he saw it. In verse 10 he says: "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the "lake of fire..." Again in Revelation 21:8, John says he saw the "lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." This is the lake I saw, and I am certain of this one thing, that in the end of this age at the final judgment every corrupt thing in this universe will ultimately be cast into this lake and be forever destroyed.
I thank God for people who can pray. It was Mrs. Brocke I heard praying for me. She said, "Oh God, don't take Tom: he is not saved." Presently I opened my eyes and said to them, "What happened?" I had not lost any time; I had been gone somewhere and now I was back. Soon after this an ambulance arrived and I was taken to the Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland.
I arrived there just before six o'clock in the evening, was taken into surgery and my scalp was sewn with many stitches. I was put in the intensive care ward. There was really not much the doctors could do. It was simply a matter of wait and see.
During these four days and nights, I seemed to be in constant communication with the Holy Spirit. I relived the events of my past life and the things I had seen, such as the lake of fire, Jesus coming to me there, seeing my uncle and the boy I had been in school with, and the coming back to life again. The presence of God's Spirit was with me continually, and many times I spoke out loud to the Lord. Then I began to ask God what He wanted in my life, what His will was for me ... Then some time around nine o'clock the call of God came. The voice of the Spirit can be very real. He said to me, "I want you to tell the world what you saw, and how you came back to life."
End Of Testimony
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This testimony is so amazing I repeat parts of it:
" The next thing I knew I was standing near a shoreline of a great ocean of fire. It happened to be what the Bible says it is in Revelation 21:8 "... the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone." This is the most awesome sight one could ever see this side of the final judgment.
... I was standing some distance from this burning, turbulent, rolling mass of blue fire. As far as my eyes could see it was just the same. A lake of fire and brimstone. There was nobody in it. I was not in it.
... The scene was so awesome that words simply fail. There is no way to describe it except to say we were eye witnesses now to the final judgment. There is no way to escape, no way out. You don't even try to look for one. This is the prison out of which no one can escape except by Divine intervention. I said to myself in a audible voice, "If I had known about this I would have done anything that was required of me to escape coming to a place like this."
... As these thoughts were racing through my mind, I saw another man coming by in front of us. I knew immediately who He was. He had a strong, kind, compassionate face, composed and unafraid, Master of all He saw. It was Jesus Himself.
A great hope took hold of me and I knew the answer to my problem was this great and wonderful Person who was moving by me in this prison of lost, confused judgment-bound souls. I did not do anything to attract His attention. I said again to myself, "If He would only look my way and see me, He could rescue me from this place because He would know what to do." He passed on by and it seemed as though He would not look my way, but just before He passed out of sight He turned His head and looked directly at me. That is all it took. His look was enough. "
Mary K. Baxter's Revelation Of Hell
The following testimonial excerpts are taken from the book "A Divine Revelation Of Hell", by Mary K. Baxter, Whitaker House (1993)
In the book the author describes what Jesus showed her about Hell. In fact Jesus took Mary into the spirit realm and into actual Hell and showed her several people who are condemned there. This was done over a course of 40 days. Mary Baxter saw the torment and suffering that the damned were and are suffering. I have read this book several times and have compared what is described in Baxter's book with the Bible. I also have prayed and listened to the Holy Spirit concerning the author's truthfulness. I believe what the author is saying because: (1) It is very consistent with all that the Bible has to say about Hell, and (2) The Holy Spirit has confirmed in my heart that what the author says is a true testimony.
Also take note of the scripture passage 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 where the Apostle Paul states: "It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell; God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell; God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." (1 Corinthians 12:1-4) From this passage we can conclude that believers having spiritual revelations of the after life (either Heaven or Hell) is not impossible and has happened before, in accordance with what God wills. Considering that God is all powerful and has created everything -- the heavens, the earth, the plants, the animals, man, everything -- surely it is not impossible for God to give an individual a spiritual revelation.
Anyway, the book begins with Jesus appearing to Mary K. Baxter. Jesus then takes Mary into the spirit realm and into Hell.
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Beginning Of Excerpt 1 (From "Divine Revelation Of Hell", by Mary K. Baxter)
"These things you are about to see will always be with you. The world must know about the reality of Hell. Many sinners and even some of My people do not believe that Hell is real. You have been chosen by Me to reveal these truths to them. Everything I will show you about Hell and all the other things I will show you are true."
Jesus had shown Himself to me in the form of a bright light, brighter than the sun. The form of a man was in the center of that light. Sometimes I saw Jesus as a man, but at other times He was in the form of a spirit.
He spoke again, "Child, when I speak, the Father has spoken. The Father and I are one. Remember to love above all else and to forgive one another. Come now, follow Me."
As we walked, evil spirits fled from the presence of the Lord. "0 God, 0 God," I cried. "What is next?"
As I said previously, I had all my senses in Hell. All those in Hell have all their senses. Mine were working now in full force. Fear was on every side, and inexpressible dangers lurked everywhere. Each step I took was more horrible than the one before.
There were doorways about the size of small windows, opening and shutting very fast at the top of the tunnel. Screams filled the air as many evil creatures flew by us, up and out of the gateways of Hell. Soon we were at the end of the tunnel. I was trembling with fright because of the danger and fear around us.
I was so thankful for the protection of Jesus. I thank God for His almighty power to protect us, even in the pits of Hell. Even with that protecting shield, I kept thinking, Not my will, Father, but Yours be done.
I looked at my body. For the first time I noticed that I was in a spirit form, and my form was in the shape of myself. I wondered what was next.
Jesus and I stepped from the tunnel onto a path with wide swaths of land on each side of it. There were pits of fire everywhere as far as the eye could see. The pits were four feet across and three feet deep and shaped like a bowl. Jesus said, "There are many pits like this in the left leg of Hell. Come, I will show you some of them."
I stood beside Jesus on the path and looked into one of the pits. Brimstone was embedded in the side of the pit and glowed red like hot coals of fire. In the center of the pit was a lost soul who had died and gone to Hell. Fire began at the bottom of the pit, swept upward and clothed the lost soul in flames. In a moment the fire would die down to embers, then with a rushing sound would sweep back over the tormented soul in the pit.
I looked and saw that the lost soul in the pit was caged inside a skeleton form. "My Lord," I cried at the sight, "Can't you let them out?" How awful was the sight! I thought, This could be me. I said, "Lord, how sad it is to see and know that a living soul is in there."
I heard a cry from the center of the first pit. I saw a soul in the form of a skeleton, crying, "Jesus, have mercy!"
"0, Lord!" I said. It was the voice of a woman. I looked at her and wanted to pull her out of the fire. The sight of her broke my heart. The skeleton form of a woman with a dirty-grey mist inside was talking to Jesus. In shock, I listened to her. Decayed flesh hung by shreds from her bones, and, as it burned, it fell off into the bottom of the pit. Where her eyes had once been were now only empty sockets. She had no hair.
The fire started at her feet in small flames and grew as it climbed up and over her body. The woman seemed to be constantly burning, even when the flames were only embers. From deep down inside her came cries and groans of despair, "Lord, Lord, I want out of here!"
She kept reaching out to Jesus. I looked at Jesus, and there was great sorrow on His face. Jesus said to me, "My child, you are here with Me to let the world know that sin results in death, that Hell is real."
I looked at the woman again, and worms were crawling out of the bones of her skeleton. They were not harmed by the fire. Jesus said, "She knows and feels those worms inside."
"God, have mercy!" I cried as the fire reached its peak and the horrible burning started all over again. Great cries and deep sobs shook the form of this woman-soul. She was lost. There was no way out. "Jesus, why is she here?" I said in a small voice, for I was very scared.
Jesus said, "Come."
The path we were on was a circuitous one, twisting in and out between these pits of fire as far as I could see. The cries of the living dead, mixed with moans and hideous screams, came to my ears from all directions. There were no quiet times in Hell. The smell of dead and decaying flesh hung thickly in the air.
We came to the next pit. Inside this pit, which was the same size as the other one, was another skeleton form. A man's voice cried from the pit, saying, Lord, have mercy on me!" Only when they spoke could I tell whether the soul was a man or woman.
Great wailing sobs came from this man. "I'm so sorry, Jesus. Forgive me. Take me out of here. I have been in this place of torment for years. I beg You, let me out!" Great sobs shook his skeletal frame as he begged, "Please, Jesus, let me out!" I looked at Jesus and saw that He too was crying.
"Lord Jesus," the man cried out from the burning pit, "haven't I suffered enough for my sins? It has been forty years since my death."
Jesus said, "It is written, 'The just shall shall live by faith!' All mockers and unbelievers shall have their part in the lake of fire. You would not believe the truth. Many times My people were sent to you to show you the way, but you would not listen to them. You laughed at them and refused the gospel. Even though I died on a cross for you, you mocked Me and would not repent of your sins. My Father gave you many opportunities to be saved. If only you had listened!" Jesus wept.
"I know, Lord, I know!" the man cried. "But I repent now."
"It is too late," said Jesus. "Judgment is set."
The man continued, "Lord, some of my people are coming here, for they also will not repent. Please, Lord, let me go tell them that they must repent of their sins while they are still on earth. I do not want them to come here."
Jesus said, "They have preachers, teachers, elders - all ministering the gospel. They will tell them. They also have the advantages of the modern communications systems and many other ways to learn of Me. I sent workers to them that they might believe and be saved. If they will not believe when they hear the gospel, neither will they be persuaded though one rises from the dead."
At this, the man became very angry and began to curse. Evil, blasphemous words came from him. I looked on in horror as the flames rose up and his dead, decaying flesh began to burn and fall off. Inside this dead sHell of a man, I saw his soul. It looked like a dirty-gray mist, and it filled the inside of his skeleton.
I turned to Jesus and cried, "Lord, how horrible!"
Jesus said, "Hell is real; the judgment is real. I love them so, My child. This is only the beginning of the frightful things I have to show you. There is much more to come. Tell the world for Me that Hell is real, that men and women must repent of their sins. Come, follow Me. We must go on."
End Of Baxter Excerpt 1
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I hope and pray that you, the reader, take this testimony very seriously. I suppose you could choose to believe that this testimony is made up. But, as mentioned previously, after reading Baxter's book several times, comparing what is being said to the Bible, and listening to the Holy Spirit I very much believe that this testimony is truthful. I suggest that you compare what is being said with what is written in the Bible. You cannot be led astray if you read and compare testimony or what is being said to see if it is supported by the Bible. For this reason I present some scriptures that are relevant:
" Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." (John 3:18)
" Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him. " (John 3:36)
" For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to Hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; if He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; ... if this is so, then the Lord knows how to ... hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. "
(2 Peter 2:4-9)
" If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into Hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into Hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into Hell, where "`their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' " (Mark 9:43-48)
"But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars -- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)
" I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you Whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into Hell. Yes, I tell you, fear Him." (Luke 12:4-5)
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Beginning of Excerpt 2 (From "Divine Revelation Of Hell", by Mary K. Baxter)
In the next pit was a very small-framed woman who looked to be about eighty years old. I can't say how I knew her age, but I did. The skin was removed from her bones by the continual flame, and only the bones remained with a dirty-mist soul inside. I watched as the fire burned her. Soon there were only the bones and the worms crawling inside, which the fire could not burn.
"Lord, how terrible!" I cried. "I don't know if I can go on, for this is awful beyond belief." As far as my eyes could see, souls were burning in pits of fire.
"My child, this is why you are here," Jesus answered. You must know and tell the truth about Hell. Heaven is real! Hell is real! Come, we must go on.
I looked back at the woman. Her cries were so sad. As I watched her, she put her bony hands together, as if in prayer. I couldn't help crying. I was in a spirit form, and I was crying. I knew that people in Hell felt all these things, too.
Jesus knew my thoughts. "Yes, child," He said, "they do. When people come here, they have the same feelings and thoughts as when they were on earth. They remember their families and friends and all the times they had a chance to repent but refused to do so. Memory is always with them. If only they had believed the gospel and repented before it was too late."
I looked at the old woman once again, and this time I noticed that she had only one leg, and there seemed to be holes drilled in her hip bones. What are these, Jesus?" I asked.
He said, "Child, while she was on earth, she had cancer and was in much pain. Surgery was done to save her life. She lay a bitter old woman for many years. Many of My people came to pray for her and to tell her I could heal her. She said, 'God did this to me,' and she would not repent and believe the gospel. She even knew Me once, but in time she came to hate Me.
"She said she did not need God and did not want Me to heal her. Yet I pleaded with her, still wanting to help her, wanting to heal and to bless her. She turned her back on Me and cursed Me. She said she did not want Me. My spirit pleaded with her. Even after she had turned her back on Me, I still tried to draw her by My spirit, but she would not listen. At last she died and came here."
The old woman cried out to Jesus, "Lord Jesus, please forgive me now. I'm sorry that I didn't repent while I was on earth." With great sobs she cried out to Jesus, "If only I had repented before it was too late! Lord, help me out of here. I will serve You. I will be good. Haven't I suffered enough? Why did I wait until too late? Oh, why did I wait until Your Spirit quit striving with me?"
Jesus said to her, you had chance after chance to repent and serve Me." Sadness was written all over Jesus' face as we walked away.
As I watched the old woman cry, I asked, "Lord, what is next?"
I could feel fear all around. Sorrow, cries of pain and an atmosphere of death were everywhere. Jesus and I walked in grief and pity to the next pit. Only by His strength could I go on. For a great distance I could still hear the old woman's cries of repentance and pleading for forgiveness. If only there was something I could do to help her, I thought. Sinner, please don't wait until God's Spirit quits striving with you.
In the next pit was a woman on her knees, as if looking for something. Her skeletal form also was full of holes. Her bones were showing through, and her torn dress was on fire. Her head was bald, and there were only holes where her eyes and nose were supposed to be. A small fire was burning around her feet where she was kneeling, and she clawed the sides of the brimstone pit. The fire clung to her hands, and dead flesh kept falling off as she dug.
Tremendous sobs shook her. "0 Lord, 0 Lord," she cried, "I want out." As we watched, she finally got to the top of the pit with her feet. I thought she was going to get out when a large demon with great wings that seemed to be broken at the top and hung down his sides ran to her. His color was brownish-black, and he had hair all over his large form. His eyes were set far back into his head, and he was about the size of a large grizzly bear. The demon rushed up to the woman and pushed her very hard backward into the pit and fire. I watched in horror as she fell. I felt so sorry for her. I wanted to take her into my arms and hold her, to ask God to heal her and take her out of there.
Jesus knew my thoughts and said, "My child, judgment has been set. God has spoken. Even when she was a child, I called and called her to repent and to serve Me. When she was sixteen years old, I came to her and said, 'I love you. Give your life to Me, and come follow Me, for I have called you for a special purpose.' I called all her life, but she would not listen. She said, "Someday I will serve You. I have no time for You now. No time, no time, I have my life of fun. No time, no time to serve You, Jesus. Tomorrow I will.' Tomorrow never came, for she waited too long."
The woman cried out to Jesus, "My soul is truly in torment. There is no way out. I know that I wanted the world instead of You, Lord. I wanted riches, fame and fortune, and I got it. I could buy anything I wanted; I was my own boss. I was the prettiest, best-dressed woman of my time. And I had riches, fame and fortune, but I found I could not take them with me in death. 0 Lord, Hell is horrible. I have no rest day or night. I am always in pain and torment. Help me, Lord," she cried.
The woman looked up at Jesus so longingly and said, "My sweet Lord, if only I had listened to you! I will regret that forever. I planned to serve You someday -- when I got ready. I thought You would always be there for me. But how wrong I was! I was one of the most sought-after women of my time for my beauty. I knew God was calling me to repent. All my life He drew me with cords of love, and I thought I could use God like I used everyone else. He would always be there. Oh yes, I used God! He would try so hard to get me to serve Him, while all the time I thought I didn't need Him. Oh, how wrong I was! For satan began to use me, and I began to serve satan more and more. At the last I loved him more than God. I loved to sin and would not turn to God.
"Satan used my beauty and my money, and all my thoughts turned to how much power he would give me. Even then, God continued to draw me. But I thought, I have tomorrow or the next day. Then one day while riding in a car, my driver ran into a house, and I was killed. Lord, please let me out." As she spoke her bony hands and arms reached out to Jesus while the flames continued to burn her.
Jesus said, "The judgment is set."
Tears fell down His cheeks as we moved to the next pit. I was crying inside about the horrors of Hell. "Dear Lord," I cried, "the torment is too real. When a soul comes here, there is no hope, no life, no love. Hell is too real." No way out, I thought. She must burn forever in these flames.
"Time is running out," Jesus said. "We will come back tomorrow."
Friend, if you are living in sin, please repent. If you have been born again and have turned your back on God, repent and turn back to Him now. Live good and stand for truth. Wake up before it is too late, and you can spend forever with the Lord in Heaven.
Jesus spoke again, "Hell has a body (like a human form) lying on her back in the center of the earth. Hell is shaped like a human body -- very large and with many chambers of torment. "Remember to tell the people of earth that Hell is real. Millions of lost souls are here, and more are coming every day. On the Great Judgment Day death and Hell will be cast into the lake of fire; that will be the second death."
End Of Baxter Excerpt 2
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Relevant Scriptures:
"What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)
"Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, `What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' "Then he said, `This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."' "But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:15-20)
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Beginning of Excerpt 3 (From "Divine Revelation Of Hell", by Mary K. Baxter)
As we walked past the pits of fire, the hands of the lost reached out to Jesus, and in pleading voices they called out to Him for mercy. Their bony hands and arms were gray-black from the burning-no live flesh or blood, no organs, only death and dying. Inside myself I was crying, 0 earth, repent. If you don't, you'll come here. Stop before it is too late. We stopped at another pit. I felt such pity for all of them and such sorrow that I was physically weak and could hardly stand. Great sobs shook me.
"Jesus, I hurt so inside," I said.
From the pit a woman's voice spoke to Jesus. She stood in the center of the flames, and they covered her whole body. Her bones were full of worms and dead flesh. As the flames flickered up around her, she raised her hands towards Jesus, crying, "Let me out of here. I will give You my heart now, Jesus. I will tell others about Your forgiveness. I will witness for You. I beg You, please let me out!"
Jesus said, "My Word is true, and it declares that all must repent and turn from their sins and ask Me to come into their lives if they are to escape this place. Through My blood there is forgiveness of sins. I am faithful and just and will forgive all those who come to Me. I will not cast them out."
He turned, looked at the woman and said, "If you had listened to Me and had come to Me and repented, I would have forgiven you."
The woman asked, "Lord, is there no way out of here?"
Jesus spoke very softly. "Woman," He said, "you were given many opportunities to repent, but you hardened your heart and would not. And you knew My Word said that all whoremongers will have their part in the lake of fire."
Jesus turned to me and said, "This woman had sinful affairs with many men, and she caused many homes to be broken apart. Yet through all this, I loved her still. I came to her not in condemnation but with salvation. I sent many of My servants to her that she might repent of her evil ways, but she would not. When she was a young woman, I called her, but she continued to do evil. She did many wrongs, yet I would have forgiven her if she had come to Me. Satan entered into her, and she grew bitter and would not forgive others.
"She went to church just to get men. She found them and seduced them. If she had only come to Me, her sins would all have been washed away by My blood. Part of her wanted to serve Me, but you cannot serve God and satan at the same time. Every person must make a choice as to whom they will serve.
"Lord," I cried, "give me strength to go on." I was shaking from my head to my feet because of the horrors of Hell.
Jesus said to me, "Peace, be still."
"Help me, Lord," I cried. "Satan doesn't want us to know the truth about Hell. In all my wildest dreams, I never thought that Hell would be like this. Dear Jesus, when will this end?"
"My child," Jesus replied, "only the Father knows when the end will come." Then He spoke to me again and said, "Peace, be still." Great strength came upon me.
Jesus and I walked on 'through the pits. I wanted to pull each person I passed from the fire and rush them to the feet of Jesus. I wept much.
End Of Baxter Excerpt 3
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Relevant Scriptures
"But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars -- their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)
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Beginning of Excerpt 4 (From "Divine Revelation Of Hell", by Mary K. Baxter)
In the next pit was the soul of a man wrapped in its skeleton form, crying out to Jesus. "Lord," he cried, "help me to understand why I am here."
Jesus said, "Peace, be still. You understand why you are here."
"Let me out, and I will be good," the man begged.
The Lord said to him, "Even in Hell you are still lying."
Jesus then turned to me and said, "This man was 23 years old when he came here. He would not listen to My gospel. He heard My Word many times and was often in My house. I drew him by My Spirit unto salvation, but he wanted the world and its lust. He liked to drink and would not heed My call. He was raised in the church, but he would not commit himself to Me. One day he said to Me, 'I will give my life to You one day, Jesus.' But that day never came. One night after a party, he was in a car wreck and was killed. Satan deceived him to the very end.
"He was killed instantly. He would not listen to My call. Others were also killed in the accident. Satan's work is to kill, steal and destroy. If only this young man had listened! It is not the Father's will that any perish. Satan wanted this man's soul, and he destroyed it through carelessness, sin and strong drink. Many homes and lives are destroyed every year because of alcohol."
If people could only see that the lusts and desires of the world are only for a season! If you come to the Lord Jesus, He will deliver you from strong drink. Call on Jesus, and He will hear you and help you. He will be your friend. Remember He loves you, and He also has the power to forgive your sins.
Married Christians, Jesus warns that you must not commit adultery. And desiring someone of the opposite sex, even when you don't commit adultery, could be adultery in your heart.
Young people, stay away from drugs and sex sins. If you have sinned, God will forgive you. Call on Him now while there is still time. Find strong Christian adults, and ask them if you can talk with them about your problems. You will be glad that you took the time now in this world before it is too late.
Satan comes as an angel of light to deceive the world. No wonder the sins of the world look tempting to this young man, even though he knew God's Holy Word. One more party, he thought, Jesus will understand. But death has no mercy. He waited too late.
I looked at the soul of the man, and I was reminded of my own children. "Oh God, may they serve You!" I know that many of you who are reading this have loved ones, maybe children, that you do not want to go to Hell. Tell them about Jesus before it is too late. Tell them to repent of their sins and that God will forgive them and make them holy.
The man's cries rang inside me for days. I will never forget his cries of regret. I remember the flesh hanging and burning in the flames. I cannot forget the decay, the smell of death, holes where eyes once were, the dirty-gray souls and the worms that crawled through the bones. The form of the young man raised his arms toward Jesus pleadingly as we walked away toward the next pit.
"Dear Lord," I prayed, "give me the strength to go on.
End Of Baxter Excerpt 4
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Relevant Scriptures
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
"...in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,..." (II Thessalonians 1:8,9)
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Beginning of Excerpt 5 (From "Divine Revelation Of Hell", by Mary K. Baxter)
In the next pit was the form of another skeleton. I smelled the odor of death even before we arrived. This skeleton looked the same as the others.
I wondered what this soul had done that it should be lost and hopeless, with no future except an eternity in this dreadful place. Hell is for eternity. As I heard the crying of the souls in torment, I cried too.
I listened as a woman spoke to Jesus from the flames of the pit. She was quoting the Word of God. "Dear Lord, what is she doing here?"
"Listen," said Jesus.
The woman said, "Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Him. Jesus is the Light of the World. Come to Jesus, and He will save you."
When she spoke, many of the lost souls around her listened. Some swore and cursed at her. Some told her to stop. Still others said, "Is there really hope?" Or "Help us, Jesus." Great cries of sorrow filled the air.
I didn't understand what was happening. I did not know why the woman was preaching the gospel here.
The Lord knew my thoughts. He said, "Child, I called this woman at the age of thirty to preach My Word and to be a witness of the gospel. I call different ones for different purposes in My body. But if man or woman, boy or girl doesn't want My Spirit, I will depart.
"Yes, she did answer My call for many years, and she grew in the knowledge of the Lord. She learned My voice, and she did many good works for Me. She studied the Word of God. She prayed often, and she had many prayers answered. She taught many people the way of holiness. She was faithful in her house.
"The years went by until one day she found out that her husband was having an affair with another woman. And even though he asked for forgiveness, she grew bitter and would not forgive him and try to save her marriage. True, her husband was wrong, and he did commit a very grave sin.
"But this woman knew My Word. She knew to forgive, and she knew that with every temptation there is a way of escape. Her husband asked her to forgive him. She would not. Instead, anger took root. Anger grew inside her. She would not turn it over to Me. She turned more bitter each day and said in her heart, Here I am serving God all the way, and my husband is running around with another woman! 'Do you think that is right?' She said to Me.
"I said, 'No, it is not right. But he came to you and repented and said he would never do that again.'
"I told her, 'Daughter, look inside yourself, and see that you have caused this yourself.'
" 'Not me, Lord,' she said, 'I am the holy one, and he is the sinful one.' She would not listen to Me.
"Time went on, and she wouldn't pray to Me or read the Bible. She became angry not only at her husband, but also at those around her. She quoted the Scriptures, but she would not forgive him.
"She would not listen to Me. Her heart grew bitter, and great sin entered in. Murder grew in her heart where love had once been. And one day, in her anger, she killed her husband and the other woman. Satan then took her over completely, and she killed herself."
I looked at that lost soul that have given up Christ and condemned her soul forever to the flames and the pain. I listened as she responded to Jesus. "I will forgive now, Lord," she said. "Let me out. I will obey You now. See, Lord, I am preaching Your Word now. In an hour demons will come to take me to be tormented even worse. For hours they will torture me. Because I was preaching your Word, my torments are worse. Please, Lord, I beg You to let me out."
I cried with the woman in the pit and asked the Lord to please keep me from all bitterness of heart. "Don't let me allow hatred to come into my heart, Lord Jesus," I said.
"Come, let us go on," Jesus said.
End Of Baxter Excerpt 5
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Relevant Scripture:
"Therefore, the kingdom of Heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents [millions of dollars] was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. "The servant fell on his knees before him. `Be patient with me,' he begged, `and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii [a few dollars]. He grabbed him and began to choke him. `Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, `Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. "Then the master called the servant in. `You wicked servant,' he said, `I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. "This is how My Heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart." (Matthew 18:23-36)
As well as non-believers God will also judge those who once knew Him but who turned their backs on Jesus and are back living a life of sin.
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Beginning of Excerpt 6 (From "Divine Revelation Of Hell", by Mary K. Baxter)
As we walked on through Hell, Jesus and I came upon a very large and very dark man. He was enshrouded in darkness and had the appearance of an angel. He was holding something in his left hand.
Jesus said, "This place is called outer darkness.
I heard weeping and gnashing of teeth. No where before had there been such utter hopelessness as I felt in this place. The angel that stood before us had no wings. He looked to be about thirty feet tall, and he knew exactly what he was doing. He had a large disk in his left hand and was turning slowly with this disk lifted up high as though he was getting ready to throw it. There was a fire in the middle of the disk, and blackness on the outer edge. The angel held his hand beneath the disk and reached far back in order to get more leverage. I wondered who this giant angel was and what he was about to do.
Jesus knew my thoughts and said again, "This is outer darkness. Remember that my Word says, 'The children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."'
"Lord," I said, "You mean your servants are here?"
"Yes," said Jesus, "servants that turned back after I called them. Servants who loved the world more than Me and went back to wallowing in the mire of sin. Servants that would not stand for the truth and for holiness. It is better that one never starts than to turn back after beginning to serve Me."
"Believe Me," Jesus said, "if you sin, you have an advocate with the Father. If you repent of your sins, I will be faithful to cleanse you of all unrighteousness. But if you will not repent, I will come in a time you think not, and you will be cut off with the unbelievers and cast into outer darkness."
I watched the dark angel as he cast the large disk far, far out into the darkness.
"My Word means just what it says: they 'shall be cast into outer darkness."'
And then, immediately, Jesus and I were in the air following this disk through space. We came to the outside of the disk and stood looking in.
There was a fire in the center of the disk, and people were swimming in and out, over and under the flaming waves. There were no demons or evil spirits here, only souls burning in a sea of fire.
Outside the disk was the blackest of darkness. Only the light from the flames in the disk illuminated the night air. In that light I saw people trying to swim to the edges of the disk. Some of them would almost reach the sides when a suction force from inside the disk would drag them back into the flames. I watched as their forms turned to skeletons with misty-gray souls. I knew then that this was just another part of Hell.
And then I saw, as in a vision, angels opening seals. Nations and kingdoms appeared to be locked beneath them. As the angels broke the seals, men and women, boys and girls marched straight into the flames.
I watched in ghastly fascination, wondering if I knew any of the fallen servants of the Lord who were marching past. I could not turn my head away from the sight of souls marching into the fire, and no one was trying to stop them.
I cried, "Lord, please stop them before they reach the fire!"
But Jesus said, "He who has ears should hear. He who has eyes should see. My child, cry out against sin and evil. Tell my servants to be faithful and to call upon the name of the Lord. I am taking you through this awful place so that you can tell them about Hell."
Jesus continued, "Some will not believe you. Some will say God is too good to send men and women to Hell. But tell them My Word is true. Tell them that the fearful and unbelieving will have their part in the lake of fire."
End Of Baxter Excerpt 6
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Relevant Scriptures:
"But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 8:12, KJV)
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, `My master is staying away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 24:42-51)
"If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:26-31)
Except for the above excerpt, most of the cases so far presented involved non-believers who refused to come to Jesus for salvation. God also will condemn those who once knew and obeyed Him but are now disobeying and living a life of sin. The condemnation is especially severe for these people. If you are one of these people take heed to what the Spirit is telling you. If this is your case, Jesus brought you to salvation once but if you are living in sin and are disobeying God, pay careful attention to what 2 Thessalonians 1:8,9 is saying: "and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,..." . Also take heed of Hebrews 10:26, "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God." This is the Word of God and God does not violate His Word. At one time the Lord was always so near to you, but now because of your sin He is so distant from you. The Lord has come to you many times reminding you to repent of the sins that you are involved in. That is the Holy Spirit telling you to turn back to Jesus -- before it is too late. Even now the Holy Spirit is speaking to you to turn away from sin and to come back to Jesus. Pray the following prayer:
"Lord Jesus, forgive me. I have sinned against you. I repent of all sin. Cleanse me from all sin and wash me in your precious Blood. I have been so unworthy. Help me to overcome all sin."
Be absolutely honest with God. Do whatever it takes to come back in obedience to God. This act may involve a cost. However, whatever cost is involved, it is nothing compared to being eternally condemned to Hell. "If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into Hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into Hell. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into Hell, where `their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.' " (Mark 9:43-48)
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Beginning of Excerpt 7 (From "Divine Revelation Of Hell", by Mary K. Baxter)
A Prophecy From Jesus to All
Jesus said, "These things are now beginning in the earth, are yet to be, and are soon coming upon all the earth. The fiery serpent is part of the beast. These prophecies you are about to read are true. The revelations are true. Watch and pray. Love one another. Keep yourselves holy. Keep your hands clean.
"Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. Husbands and wives, love each other as I have loved you. I ordained marriage and blessed it with My Word. Keep the marriage bed holy. Cleanse yourself from all unrighteousness and be pure, even as I am pure.
"The holy people of God have been led away by flatterers. Do not be deceived; God is not mocked. Understanding will come to you if you will open your ears and listen to Me. This is the Lord's message to the churches. Beware of false prophets who stand in My holy place and deceive with flatteries. 0 earth, My holy people have fallen asleep to the sound of false doctrine. Awake, Awake! I tell you that all unrighteousness is sin. Cleanse yourself from all sin of the flesh and the spirit.
"My holy prophets lived holy lives, but you have rebelled against Me and My holiness. You have brought evil upon yourself. You have sinned and brought yourself into bondage to sickness and death. You have committed iniquity and have done wickedly and have rebelled against Me. You have departed from My precepts and from My judgments. You have not hearkened to the words of My servants, the prophet and the prophetess. Curses instead of blessings have come upon you, and still you refuse to return to me and repent of your sins.
"If you will return and repent and if you will honor Me with the fruit of righteousness, I will bless your homes and honor your marriage beds. If you will humble yourselves and call upon Me, I will hear you and bless you.
"Listen, you ministers of My Holy Word. Do not teach My people to sin against their God. Remember that judgment begins at the house of God; unless you repent, I will remove you for the sins you have taught My people. Do you think that I am blind that I cannot see and deaf that I cannot hear?
"You who hold the truth in unrighteousness and line your pockets with silver and gold at the expense of the poor - repent, I say, before it is too late. On the day of judgment you will stand alone before Me to give an account of what you did with My Holy Word. If you call upon Me in repentance, I will remove the curse from your lands and bless you with a mighty blessing. If you will repent and be ashamed of your sins, I will have mercy and compassion on you, and I will not remember your sins anymore. Pray that you may be an overcomer.
"Awake to life and live. Repent to the people you have led astray and taught false doctrine. Tell them you have sinned and that you have scattered My sheep. Repent to them.
"Behold, I am preparing a holy army. They will do mighty exploits for me and destroy your high places. They are an army of holy men and women, boys and girls. They have been anointed to preach the true gospel, to lay hands on the sick and to call the sinner to repentance.
"This is an army of working men, housewives, single men, single women and school children. They are common people, for not many noble have responded to My call. In the past they have been misunderstood and mistreated, abused and rejected. But I have blessed them with boldness in holiness and in spirit. They will begin to fulfill My prophecy and to do My will. I will walk in them, talk in them and work in them.
"These are they who have turned to me with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. This army will awaken many to righteousness and purity of spirit. I will soon begin to move upon them, to choose for My army those I desire. I will search for them in the cities and in the towns. Many will be surprised at those I have chosen. You will see them begin to move across the land and do exploits for My name's sake. Watch and see My power at work.
"Again I tell you, do not defile the marriage bed. Do not defile the body in which the Holy Ghost dwells. Sins of the body lead to sins of the spirit. Keep the marriage bed holy. I made man for woman and woman for man and decreed that the two should be united in holy matrimony. Again, I say awake."
End Of Baxter Excerpt 7
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Beginning of Excerpt 8 (From "Divine Revelation Of Hell", by Mary K. Baxter)
Jesus said, "We are in the right arm of Hell."
We walked up a high, dry hill. At the top of the hill, I looked below and saw a swirling river. There were no pits of fire or demons or evil spirits, only the large river flowing between unseen banks. The banks of the river were hidden in the darkness. Jesus and I walked closer to the river, and I saw that it was full of blood and fire.
As I looked closer, I saw many souls, each chained to another. The weight of the chains dragged them under the surface of the lake of fire. The souls in Hell were in the fire of Hell. I saw also that they were in the form of skeletons with misty-gray souls.
"What is this?" I asked the Lord.
"These are the souls of the unbelievers and the ungodly. These were lovers of their own flesh more than lovers of God. They were men loving men, and women loving women, who would not repent and be saved from their sin. They enjoyed their life of sin and spurned My salvation."
I stood beside Jesus and looked into the lake of fire. The fire began to roar like a great furnace, moving and devouring everything in its path. Soon it filled nearly the entire right arm of Hell.
The fire approached to within feet of us, but did not touch us. The river was burning everything in its path. I watched Jesus' face, and it was sad and tender. He still had love and compassion for these lost souls written on His countenance. I began to cry and wished I could leave this place of torment, to go on was almost unbearable.
I looked again at the souls in the fire. They were a fiery red, and their bones were blackened and burned. I heard their souls cry out in regret and sorrow.
The Lord said, "This is their torment. Chain after chain, they are linked together. These desired the flesh of their own kind, men with men, and women with women, doing that which is unnatural. They led many young girls and young boys into acts of sin. They called it love, but in the end it was sin and death.
"I know that many boys and girls, men and women were forced against their wills to commit such atrocious acts -- I know and will not hold this sin to their charge. Remember this though," said Jesus, "I know all things, and the persons who made these youths to sin have the greater punishment. I will judge righteously. To the sinner, I say, 'Repent, and I will have mercy. Call on Me and I will hear.'
"Time after time I called to these souls to repent and to come unto Me. I would have forgiven them and cleansed them; and in My name they could have been set free. But they would not listen to Me. They wanted the lust of the flesh more than the love of the living God. Because I am holy, you must be holy. Touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you," said the Lord.
I felt very sick as I looked at the souls in the lake of fire.
"If only they had turned to Me before it was too late," Jesus continued. "My blood was shed so that everyone could come to Me. I gave My life that even the vilest of sinners might live."
Multitudes of souls went by in the river of flames. Over and under the waves of fire, they went with no way out of the burning and swimming in the lake of fire. I heard cries of regret as the bloody river flowed by us.
End Of Baxter Excerpt 8
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Relevant Scripture:
"The wrath of God is being revealed from Heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities -- His eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator -- who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion." (Romans 1:18-27)
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Beginning of Excerpt 9 (From "Divine Revelation Of Hell", by Mary K. Baxter)
Jesus said, "I came to save all men. I desire that all who are lost will repent and call upon My name. It is not My will that any should perish, but have everlasting life. Sad to say, most will not repent of their sins before they die, and they will go to Hell. But the way to Heaven is the same for all people. You must be born again to enter the kingdom of God. You must come to the Father in My name and repent of your sins. You must sincerely give your heart to God and serve Him."
End Of Baxter Excerpt 9
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Roberts Liardon Revelation Of Heaven
The following testimonial excerpt is taken from the book "I Saw Heaven", by Roberts Liardon, Albury Press (1983). In this book the author describes a few things that Jesus showed him about Heaven.
Again I wish to remind you of 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 where the Apostle Paul states: "It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell; God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell; God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." (1 Corinthians 12:1-4)
Just as in Mary K. Baxter's case, Roberts Liardon was given a divine revelation, but this time it was about Heaven.
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Beginning Of Excerpt (From "I Saw Heaven", by Roberts Liardon)
"First, you'll have to understand how I was raised so you won't think I've come from another planet. I was raised in a Pentecostal Holiness family in Tulsa, Oklahoma. My grandmother, who lived with us, kept me on my knees most of the time. She told me to pray, pray, pray, pray, pray...
In the summer of 1973, when I was 8 years old, I walked into my bedroom one day to read my four chapters in the Book of St. John. As soon as my head hit the pillow, my spirit left my body... I didn't know where I was going. I was floating somewhere in space, and I was traveling at a high rate of speed. I passed many things in the first heaven which is around earth's atmosphere. Then I landed outside the biggest gate I ever saw in my life. It was very wide and tall. This gate was one solid pearl all the way through. There wasn't a cut or blemish in it.
The edges of the gate were carved with design, but the rest was a glossy, glowing whiteness of righteousness. I shook myself to see if this was a dream. I decided it was real when my ears caught the words, 'This is one of the gates.' I turned around and there stood Jesus Christ in all of His glory! It's one thing to see Jesus, but it's a different thing altogether to see Jesus with all of His glory and all of His honor.
Many people have asked me what Jesus looks like. He's 5 feet 11 to 6 feet tall, and He's got sandy brown hair. It's not too long and it's not too short. He is a perfect man. Whatever you picture as a perfect man, that's what Jesus is. He's perfect in everything -- the way He looks, talks -- everything. That's the way I remember Him.
I buckled to my knees. Tears began to stream down my face. I couldn't have stopped them. (The glory of God will make you cry in His presence.) Every time Jesus speaks, it's as if arrows of faith propelled by love hit you and explode on the inside of you. It brought the tears.
Jesus said, 'Now, stop the tears. It's time to go through Heaven. I want to give you a tour through Heaven because I love you so much.' .. Then Jesus escorted me through the gate. He did not ask anyone to open it, and He did not push a button. The gate just lifted upward, and we walked through."
[Roberts Liardon goes on to describe the golden streets, the music, Heavenly mansions, the people, etc. and how everything was in total perfection. As they were going through various parts of Heaven, Roberts relates the following:]
"...as we walked along, Jesus began to cry, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, began to cry! He turned toward me and began to shed tears of intercession. Some things are too sacred to repeat -- I can't tell them yet -- but this is one thing He told me I could tell: ' Roberts,' He said, 'I love my people so much that I would go back to earth, preach my three years over again, die, and go to hell for just one person if I had not paid the price for them and if I thought they wanted to come to Heaven. I wouldn't have to know they'd make it. If I just thought they'd want to come, I'd do it for them, even if they were the greatest sinner of all.' "
[After this Jesus shows Roberts other places and things in Heaven. Near the end of the Heavenly tour, Roberts relates the following.]
"Then Jesus began to show me the faces of people who would come into my life and affect me greatly, or I would affect their lives greatly. He told me their first name and the initial of their last name. I have met a few of these people already... I also saw myself preach [in] different places, and I saw things in my future ministry. There are things I know that I can't say because it is not time yet.
Jesus hugged and kissed me. I knew it was time to go. I didn't want to stay, because I had seen all the souls I had to go win. The greatest or ultimate miracle is not having someone raised from the dead; the greatest miracle of all is when someone is born again.
I turned to leave through the nearest gate. Jesus said, 'Roberts!' I turned very quickly. There stood Jesus with tears coming down His face and His hands outstretched. He said, 'I love you.' And when He said that, I was back in my body."
End Of Liardon Excerpt
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The reason I included this testimony is to make the point of how much Jesus loves each and every individual. I repeat the passage where Jesus explains that He would suffer, die, and go to Hell all over again for just one person if the price had not been paid for him or her:
"...as we walked along, Jesus began to cry, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, began to cry! He turned toward me and began to shed tears of intercession. Some things are too sacred to repeat -- I can't tell them yet -- but this is one thing He told me I could tell: ' Roberts,' He said, 'I love my people so much that I would go back to earth, preach my three years over again, die, and go to hell for just one person if I had not paid the price for them and if I thought they wanted to come to Heaven. I wouldn't have to know they'd make it. If I just thought they'd want to come, I'd do it for them, even if they were the greatest sinner of all.' "
Jesus loves you and cares for you with an everlasting love. With great sacrifice, Jesus has done everything that can be done to save you. The one thing He cannot do, however, is override your will in your choice as to whether to serve Him and give your life to Him. Jesus so eagerly desires to save you and bless you.
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Conclusion
On the cross, Jesus Christ offered Himself to God the Father as a spotless sacrifice for our sin. He accepted the cross in love because it was required to save those who would otherwise perish. (John 3:16-18). Our sins against God are such that only the sacrifice of the sinless Son of God can atone for it. We see how sin separates from God when the crucified Christ calls out to His Father, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). The Son's perfect fellowship with the Father -- a love enjoyed from eternity past -- was broken when Jesus bore the penalty of our sins. Paul explains, "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Cor 5:21). We can avoid being forsaken by God in Hell and inherit Heaven only through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8).
In the cross of Christ the punishment due to our sin, which is eternal condemnation in Hell, is all mercifully atoned for by the precious Blood of the Lamb (Jesus). Only through Jesus taking on our Hell through His death could sinners be reconciled to a Holy God. God's love took His Son to the Hell of the cross for our sake. Apart from the cross, there is no hope for forgiveness or reconciliation with God. Hell is the only alternative.
The Father thought of the most precious gift He had to give us, and so He lovingly gave us and sacrificed His Son Jesus -- for our salvation. He sent Jesus to us to be killed by us (rebellious man) -- and He allowed the punishment that we sinners deserved, to be put on Jesus and for Jesus to suffer the penalty of those sins. He even had to break fellowship and pour out His wrath (the wrath that we deserved) upon His dearly loved Son during the time Jesus took our sins upon His body. The Father gave us His very best - His most dearly loved Son, Jesus -- as a sin offering -- so that we would not be condemned. However, if you reject Jesus you reject your own salvation (since your sins remain on you) and so the Father has no option but to condemn you to Hell. However, God the Father truly does not desire that you perish in Hell -- that is why He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for you. The Father lovingly offers for you to receive His Son Jesus. God made you for His own joy and for everlasting fellowship. You are His creation, and He loves you. Call upon Him while He is near, and He will hear and answer you. He will forgive and bless you. Pray the sinner's prayer:
Lord Jesus, come into my heart and forgive me of my sins. I know that I am a sinner, and I repent of my sins. Wash me in your blood, and make me clean. I have sinned against Heaven and before You and am not worthy to be called a son. I receive you by faith as my Lord and Savior.
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