We live in a world of two opposing forces: good vs evil.
If we weighed all the evidence, what conclusion would we come to about whether God, heaven, and hell exist?
The battle over what is true is more polarizing than ever, complicated by the constant flow of untested information into our lives that tends to shorten our attention spans and cloud our judgment.
Jeff Walton stands for reality, not religion.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, he uses his experience from nearly 35 years of national security and federal law enforcement work to analyze and evaluate information that he passes on to you.
He believes a mountain of evidence exists that confirms there is an afterlife and we do have a loving, just and holy Creator. He also believes forces of evil are at work to suppress or distort the evidence.
Our level of awakening in this life will determine where we go in the next.
Jeff Walton feels an intense need to forewarn people about the consequences of failing to think deeply about the most important choice we’ll ever make – whether we believe in and follow God.
Divine Return picks up where award-winning Final Departure left off… A phone call from a dead friend? Dan Lucas never fully recovered from the shock. But in his former line of work, NCIS, Dan had learned how to brush off death and deception. Until now… Confronted with a man who’d mysteriously come back to life, he has to tell the world about the reality of life after death and the Kingdom of God. But on the way to trumpeting the truth, he gets pulled into the dark and evil world of the satanic elite. Can he save his friend's son, who’s marked for death? Can he convince a pastor of a failing church that he has to preach that the world is coming to an end to save it? Can he...more
Turned off by organized religion? Not sure that God exists? I had the same doubts and feelings not too long ago. That all changed in 2010, when I read a book that turned my world upside down. Suddenly, it was as if God had switched on the lights and I could see. When I looked at myself and realized how I had lived, I was shocked. I had turned my back on God and become totally self-centered. I didn’t know what to do, so I fell back on my training and experience from my NCIS special agent days and started to dig. I had to have answers. Was my newfound faith based on reality or just wishful thinking?
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My words to you today are the beginning of a series of articles that I will publish in the coming months. I've been silent for most of the past year while I took care of some unfinished personal business. With God's help, I completed the work and am now free to serve the Lord with more of the time He has granted me.
During my mini-sabbatical, I listened to a local pastor who gave a provocative sermon on Second Peter and the coming of the Day of the Lord. He pointed out that the Apostle Peter, an eyewitness to the ministry of Jesus Christ, implored us not to forget the prophecies proclaimed in the past.
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them, I'm stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. II Peter 3:1-3.
After reminding us of the words of Peter, the pastor “switched gears” and warned us not to get hung up on the details of the Coming of the Lord. Instead, he urged us to focus on being a “welcoming committee” and not a “planning committee.” In other words, don’t get fixated on the study of the Books of Daniel and Revelation and the details of the Final Days and, instead, focus on being Christ-Centered and just be ready for when he comes.
Is that a sound suggestion? Contrast his advice with how Jesus Christ handled questions from his disciples on the topic of the end times.
Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?”
And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no one deceives you.
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and will deceive many.
And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes, in various places.
All these are the beginning of sorrows. Matthew 24:3-8
Jesus could have said, “It is not for you to know the details, just be ready for my return. That's all you need to know.”
With the preceding said, how much focus should we put on the prophets and their predictions of the last days? And should we be looking for the fulfillment of their prophecies and prepare accordingly?
I submit that while we should focus on being a joyous and capable welcoming committee for Jesus Christ upon his return, we must remain brave and vigilant. We must interpret current events with an accurate Biblical worldview and act accordingly, lest we be caught unaware, unprepared, and even potentially deceived into believing falsehoods. If we are confused and disheartened, we cannot be an effective source of reassurance, clarity, and truth to those who don’t follow the Lord but are desperate for answers.
Jesus Christ was honest and specific in His answers, and we must follow his lead in addressing questions in our time.
Are we entering the end times? In my opinion, without question, we are well along the path. Consider the words written nearly two thousand years ago:
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through him whom he made the universe. Hebrews 1:1-2
Some Recent Signs of the Coming End Times:
The Book of Revelation is God’s warning to us about the events that are to come in the final days, months, and years. God gave us a glimpse into the future as an act of love. Many are confused and frightened by it, but it is not difficult to grasp if we study it with patience.
Portions of scripture lay out the events of the final days of earth in symbolic language. While many of the actions described will take place sometime in the future, we can find evidence of preparatory acts that align exactly with what is foretold in Revelation.
One example is as follows:
Here is the mind which has wisdom: The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits. There are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come. And when he comes, he must continue a short time. The beast that was, and is not, is himself also the eighth, and is of the seven, and is going to perdition.
“The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.” Revelation 17: 9-14 (emphasis added).
Sound like a lot of symbolic jargon that's impossible to understand? At first blush – yes. But nestled in the verses is a crucial prediction underway at this moment. The ten kings mentioned are ten rulers of yet unidentified kingdoms that will spring up in the last days and support the anti-Christ for a time. The United States is never mentioned. Some believe as I do that one of the ten kingdoms will absorb the United States, and the "kings" of each kingdom will give their authority to the anti-Christ during the 7-year tribulation.
Have we seen any evidence of preparation for the creation of ten kingdoms?
Circa 1970, the Club of Rome produced a map of the world that divided it into “ten world economic regions.” Region one is comprised of the United States, Canada, and points north, including Greenland.
What is the Club of Rome? It's a globalist think tank founded in 1968 by Italian industrialist Aurelio Peccei and Alexander King, a Scottish scientist. Some claim the group was initially housed on David Rockefeller's estate in Bellagio, Italy. According to the group's website, the club is composed of "scientists, businessmen, economists, international high civil servants, heads of state and former heads of state from all five continents.” Some of the club's membership belongs to the Bilderberg Group and the Committee of 300, also globalist groups comprised of extremely wealthy elitists. Researchers describe The Committee of 300 as a secret society founded by the British aristocracy in 1727.
In the book, The First Global Revolution, A Report by the Council of the Club of Rome, the group called for the limit to growth approach to solve the world's problems. According to researchers, the book states, “In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill. All these dangers are caused by human intervention, and thus, the real enemy, then, is humanity himself.”
The Club of Rome produced a graphic displaying the ten regions. For our purposes, the mere creation of the document and its exact reflection of the prophesied creation of ten kingdoms should get our attention.
Likewise, a document posted on the UN’s website in 2009 describes a “global democracy program” through a convening group of ten persons in ten regions of the world to “explore how the rule by and for the people can be understood and practiced in relation to global issues.” Ten regions – just a coincidence? I don’t think so.
A More Recent Sign:
In November 2021, The United Nations placed a giant artistic statue known as the "guardian for international peace and security" in front of the UN's Visitors Plaza outside of the UN's New York Headquarters. According to the UN, the government of Oaxaca, Mexico, donated the “guardian” - a fusion of jaguar and eagle.
The piece of "artwork" was removed on December 20, 2021.
Almost immediately upon the guardian’s arrival, critics noted that the statue appeared to be the likeness of the "beast" the Prophet Daniel wrote about in the Old Testament and the Apostle John wrote about in the Book of Revelation.
Daniel chapter 7:2-4 describes the beast with the body of a lion and wings of an eagle:
Daniel spake and said, "I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked…." (emphasis added)
The Apostle John described a beast with similar features in the New Testament passage in Revelation 13:2.
"And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority." (emphasis added)
Another Bible verse that's educed by the UN statute’s title of “guardian for international peace and security" is contained in the warning spelled out in 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3:
"For you know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, 'Peace and safety!' then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape." (emphasis added)
As readers of my books know, I do not believe in coincidences. We are being told plainly that the end times are approaching, and those who serve the evil one are duty-bound to announce their intentions. So, with the handwriting on the wall, so to speak, how do we keep our sanity and carry on as loyal followers of Jesus Christ?
Develop the Proper Mindset
We are in the midst of a spiritual battle. The prince of the air and his minions have declared war on us – descendants of God's direct creation –, and he wants us physically and spiritually dead. To accomplish his battle plan, he and his hordes attack us through his willing servants in government, private industry, and the media. Simply sitting back in fear or complete passivity is not an option.
Some will tell you that God is in control, so just wait for him to act.
Yes, God is sovereign, but we are responsible for being God's ambassadors among our friends, neighbors, and family. We must always be ready to speak the truth based on wisdom and knowledge. We don't know the details of God's plan, but we know the outcome so that we can fill in a few blanks after careful study. We have a responsibility to remain firm in spirit and mindful that all of the misery we are witnessing in the world is an inevitable phase before Jesus Christ returns.
Develop or Strengthen Your Biblical Worldview
You don’t need to be a Bible scholar engrossed in the scriptures every waking minute, but you do need to be aware of some of the signs of coming of the end times so that you can orient your thinking and be a source of reliable information for others. The preceding examples are just a taste of what is happening in the world around us that can be considered signs. So I urge you to research and think. Start by seeking out commentaries on the Book of Revelation and related scripture.
Become Vigilant – Be Ready To Answer Others
You don't need to keep a shotgun by the front door and be ready to charge when a preparatory event occurs (at least not yet), but you need to be mindful of what constitutes a potential sign. Therefore, I suggest that to be faithful and fruitful followers of Jesus Christ, we should consciously strive to be aware of the implications of world events by focusing on what is happening in the present moment, how it is being accomplished, and why it is occurring.
Analyze and Use Discernment
Secondly, I urge you to constantly remind yourself as you watch your favorite corporate news sources and online pundits that almost all secular journalists and commentators exclude God and His sovereign might from all reports, stories, and commentaries. Thus, they lack perspective and paint a deceptively false and hostile picture in most cases.
Also, I urge you not to be distracted by the political or ideological affiliation of a particular person or group but rather by their pronouncements and actions. Satan uses democrats, republicans, liberals, conservatives, socialists, and capitalists. The evil one is an equal opportunity destroyer. No one is potentially beyond his grasp, and I believe current world events demonstrate that he is having some great successes, albeit temporary.
We know that God will reign through Jesus Christ in the coming world, and all of us who follow and obey Him will be saved from whatever calamities befall the current world. Maybe not immediately, but ultimately.
Our Role in These End Days: Resist Evil
God blessed us with the gift of free will and the corresponding freedoms of life, liberty, and the pursuit of Godly pleasures. We should never relinquish them to anyone. Never let others control your right to speak, assemble, move about freely or make personal decisions about your health or finances without your consent.
God is our moral compass, not man and his rules and regulations.
We must assert our freedom to preserve our ability to speak the truth. We may be entering the last days when our liberties and our very physical lives may be in peril, but Jesus Christ will come again, and he will prevail. We must stand in God's strength and serve until the end. Always speak the truth, and always love others as God loves us. And most importantly, pray for God’s intervention in our world.
Fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.
Proverbs 29:25
More to come.
Have you ever wondered how the supernatural world really works? How does God administer His judgment after we take our last breath? We know God is holy and just, but some ask how he could not act when a “good person” who doesn’t believe in God descends into hell. We are all sinners, so why does a repentant follower of Jesus Christ get pulled into heaven, while the unrepentant unbeliever lands in hell without some intervention by our merciful God? How does the process work?
One clue could be the “law of sin and death." Is it an actual law, and if so, how does it function?
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2
We all know that God’s laws of nature operate automatically. The law of gravity, the laws of thermodynamics, and many others work continuously without God activating them on earth, moment by moment. Some of us set up auto-bill-pay with our bank to pay our monthly bills. Set it and forget it. In a sense, that’s how God’s supernatural world works too. God set up a system that automatically operates until he intervenes. Those laws also govern the process of what happens to us when we physically die.
Isn't God omniscient and "all-loving?" Doesn't He act when each of us dies since we are His creation made in His Image?
I do not believe God acts when we die. One reason may be that God is not a respecter of persons. How do we know that? Because it’s in the Bible. And Peter opened his mouth, and said, of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. Acts 10:34 (ESV)
What does not being a respecter of persons mean?
In Romans 2:8-11, we read: But for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.
God does not play favorites. He treats everyone equally. Some may disagree and point out that God does bestow special distinction to specific exceptionally faithful individuals. He called Moses and Abraham his friends. Scripture refers to Daniel as “highly esteemed” and Mary, the mother of Jesus, "highly favored."
Despite being favorites of God, they were not treated the way we would expect to be treated if we were the beneficiary of “favoritism” today. Although the godly men and women of the bible were blessed through a special relationship with God, they were not spared the trials and tribulations that are part of the burden we all bear as followers of Jesus Christ.
God will work with each person who will humbly come to Him with the same amount of intensity and with the same degree of love and mercy that He will show to anyone else. In other words, we will all receive the same treatment!
Conversely, if God treats us all equally in His desire to bring us to Him, the opposite must also be true. God will not interfere when we die and undo our choices in life – we will be judged by the Lord – fairly and impartially. Except for children who have not reached the age of accountability, He will not intervene in our judgment regardless if a person is in their late teens, a soldier on a battlefield, or a widow who lived a quiet life and was kind to her neighbors.
How do God’s Laws of Life and Death work in the here and now?
To help answer that question, we can look to extra-biblical sources that provide real-world examples of God's laws in action. Some readers are aware that in my books and blog posts, I cite the examples of near-death-experience (NDE) witnesses who present credible, biblically-aligned testimonies that amplify and clarify what is written in the Bible.
For those who automatically reject the use of extra-biblical information, keep in mind that the Bible references Enoch, whose own book, which was found among the Dead Sea scrolls, is not canonized scripture. Jude 1:14:16 (NIV) 14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”[e] 16 These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.
The passage of Jude above is very similar to the words of 1Enoch 1-2, 9, and some Christian scholars maintain that Jude did quote Enoch.
An analysis of scores of NDE experiences reveals that when people physically die, followers of Jesus Christ are met by one or more angels and escorted to heaven. Those who ignored Christ's invitations throughout their life found a demon or two, who physically dragged them into hell.
Many NDE witnesses confirm the escort functions of the Lord’s angels and the angels who serve Satan. In Ivan Tuttle’s A Journey to Hell, Heaven and Back, he describes being pulled out of bed by a powerful demon and dragged to hell despite his every effort to break free. He readily admits he was a backslidden Christian who had walked away from God at the time of his death. During his more than three hours of clinical death from a blood clot in his leg, he was dragged deeper and deeper into hell and then rescued by God and sent to heaven because it was not his time to die. Ivan is now an ordained pastor.
In the well-known book, My Descent into Death: A Second Chance At Life, Howard Storm describes how demonic creatures lured him into a dark tunnel leading to hell after dying from a perforated duodenum in a Paris, France, hospital. When he tried to turn back, he was attacked and held against his will. Storm, once a staunch atheist, is now an ordained pastor.
Is there Biblical corroboration for the contention that supernatural escorts take us to our final resting place? Yes, we read in Luke 16:22 “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried…”
What is the mechanism that causes the soul and spirit to detach from the physical body?
I don’t know, and I’m not aware of anyone who knows for sure. I do know that some Christian researchers believe the binding, life-producing substance in the body is our blood. The belief is that once a person's blood stops radiating the power of life, the spirit and soul detach, waiting to be pulled to their final destination. We know from scripture that the blood has some very unique qualities, such as in Genesis 4:10, “The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.”
Many would say Genesis 4:10 is metaphorical, but I submit that it may be literal. Scientific work has uncovered that blood can emit sounds, so perhaps it does serve as a signaling substance in our body. A sciencedaily.com article, published Jul 2, 2013, reported: “New research reveals that when red blood cells are hit with laser light, they produce high-frequency sound waves that contain a great deal of information.”
We also know that the Lord and His angelic host also recognize and pay special heed to blood as we read in Exodus 12:23 “When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.”
Another related concept that is aligned with scripture is the process of spiritual rebirth. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, we read, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
When we are reborn, our spirit and soul are recreated, and since we have been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ, we may have a receipt or seal stamped into our soul that is recognizable by the Holy Spirit and God's helper angels. At the time of death, our receipt may sound an audible alarm, and angels know that someone needs to be brought home. We saw how the Angel of Death recognized blood on the doorposts in Egypt and left the Jews alone - a similar situation of marking may take place when we become justified and on the path to salvation.
Lastly, we should recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in us and His role in our lives. If we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, we have the best “homing device” we could ever hope for.
Are people who said the sinner’s pray during their life automatically protected?
A contentious issue among Christians is the concept of once saved, always saved. I believe part of the confusion results from the word choice of the phrase. Technically, you’re not actually saved until the moment your spiritually-reconstituted body sets foot into heaven. Before that, while living in your physical body, you start on the road of salvation once you declare Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior (justification), but in order to stay on that road, you must continue to strive to obey God’s laws (sanctification). When you fail and commit a sin, you confess your sin and ask for forgiveness. If you merely say the sinner’s prayer and then resume a life of intentional sin, I believe you fall off the road to salvation and end up on the broad road to destruction.
Can others corroborate my contention?
Ivan Tuttle claims he saw many people who self-identified as “Christians” during his brief visit to hell. His message to all is that once saved, always saved is a false declaration. His message is that hell is full of people who thought of themselves as Christians, yet they engaged in hidden intentional sin after their declaration of acceptance of Jesus Christ and never confessed their sins and asked for forgiveness before dying.
What is the evidence to support the claim that once saved does not mean always saved?
The Bible does not contain a single passage that states once saved, always saved. Many will point out, however, that several verses appear to point to the concept, such as John 10: 27-30:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”
Others will point to Ephesians 1:13: “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,”
I suspect the keyword is believed. A solid Christian teacher once said, “Sin is the treasonous act of unbelief.” If a person says the sinner’s prayer and then does what he or she wants and ignores Christ’s commandments, then they truly do not believe, and I suspect they will pay a price for unrepentant sin. A person who lives that way will need to ultimately ask for forgiveness or face the consequences.
A relevant passage that is related to the notion of “once saved, always saved unconditionally” is Paul’s letter to the Philippians 2:12-15 (underline added):
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
14 Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
What does all this mean, and how is it all related?
God’s ways are above our ways, so we’ll never know the complete meaning of His holy words until we’re in His presence. Yet, we can deduce that God created laws of the universe to provide order, predictability, and continuity. He created the law of gravity so that solids and liquids, including us, stay secured to the earth's surface. We know that if we fail to respect the law of gravity, we can find ourselves injured or dead.
The same applies to the Law of Sin and Death and the Law of the Spirit. They are impersonal laws that are in effect 24/7. If you physically die with some remnant of the Holy Spirit in your own being to act as a homing beacon, angels will attend to you and bring you home. Your blood may also play an interconnected role. If you have no remnant of the Holy Spirit in you, then I believe the sinful nature of your body, soul, and spirit gives off a homing beacon to the demonic world in hell. Demons follow the signal and collect their prize.
The Takeaway
Stay in a loving and respectful relationship with Jesus Christ through prayer and worship, and the Holy Spirit will remain comfortably inside your being. Because of the presence of the Holy Spirit within you, you will be picked up by God’s supernatural tracking system and brought home when you breathe your last breath. God does not have to act because his system is in place and works automatically.
Loving the Lord and pleasing him through obedience is not complicated, but it does require perseverance and forbearance while living in our fallen world. A small amount of determination in this life will bring about an eternity of bliss in the next, where we will spend eternity with Jesus Christ.
Please share your thoughts.
For a more in-depth discussion of near-death experiences, go to https://jeffwaltonbooks.com/blog/35.
What is the single greatest threat to our existence?
Inflation, disease, crime, or war?
I think the single greatest threat to anyone's existence is hell. Why? Hell is a permanent, eternal destination after physical death for those without a relationship with Jesus Christ. Hell is a place of torment and torture beyond belief. We must never forget that it’s the unimaginable price we’ll pay if we reject Jesus Christ while alive.
If hell is so horrible, why aren't people talking about it?
For most people in the secular world, Christianity is a belief of the past; therefore, the thought of landing in hell is never a consideration.
Further, people don’t understand what happens when they physically die and their soul and spirit separate from their body. Moreover, if they have no faith and reject the Bible, they have no appreciation of sin, judgment, and eternal punishment.
To make matters worse, many Christian churches completely ignore the topic of hell.
Why do Christian pastors avoid talking about hell?
A 2020 Barna Group poll found that only 51% of Americans believe in an all-powerful God, while 56% believe in Satan. In addition, the same 2020 study found that only 4 in 10 believe the Bible to be true and accurate.
Similarly, the Pew Research Center's 2014 Religious Landscape Study found that 57% to 75% of Americans say they believe in heaven (depending on age), while only 55% to 59% believe in hell. A more recent 2018 Pew Research Center study found that 70% of all individuals polled believed in heaven while only 60% believed in hell. Again, the poll sampled groups that ranged from highly religious to highly secular.
With over 40% or more of Americans rejecting the reality of eternal punishment, one shouldn’t be surprised that most people don't want to hear about hell. But if many people don't believe in hell, why don’t most Christian clergy make the teaching about hell, a top priority with their congregations?
Sadly, even some clergy fall into the 40% of nonbelievers, and the result is that they bypass the subject entirely and never preach about hell's existence.
A discussion of hell is a no-go in most churches.
A case in point is Pastor Brian Jones, author of Hell is Real, who admits that he lost his faith while attending Princeton Theological Seminary. Pastor Jones revealed that some of his professors taught that the writers of the New Testament invented the concept of hell. The teachers further claimed that if hell existed, man was living in it in the present day. Because the closet atheists posing as Christian scholars undermined his faith, Pastor Jones didn't believe in hell and never preached about it after graduating from seminary. However, once he discovered that half of Jesus’ parables were about judgment and eternal punishment, he repented and focused on winning souls to Christ.
If the topic of hell is rarely taught or discussed, how many professing Christians give the reality of hell any thought? I suspect the number is small. For those who don't believe in God, Jesus Christ, or the Bible, the idea of hell is a quaint myth at best and an evil fairy tale concocted to scare people into going to church at worst.
What did Jesus Christ say about hell?
When He walked on the earth in human form, Jesus Christ taught more about hell than He did heaven. Although He often used parables to make His point, His words were clear and unequivocal. Christ mentioned hell 46 times in the Bible and the fires of hell 18 times.
“If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into Hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.” Matthew 5:29-30
“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.” Matthew 25:41
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away.
So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 13:47-50
“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28
“Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.
Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’” Luke 16:19-31
What if the unthinkable is true?
My question to unbelievers is, what if hell exists? What if it's as horrific as Christ described? Shouldn't we be doing everything in our power to learn more about it and learn how to stay out of it? And what about Father God? Surely, He knows that the reality of hell is being ignored, and thousands are descending into its hideous depths every day.
God’s Quiet Effort to Reach Millions with the Truth
As we know from studying the Bible, God's ways are much higher than our ways. He uses seemingly bizarre strategies to accomplish His goals. He often uses ordinary people to do extraordinary feats, such as David, the young shepherd boy, or Moses, the inarticulate runaway murderer.
Consider that He chose a young woman, Mary, from a poor family to give birth to the Savoir of mankind. The entire plan of man’s salvation that God devised was certainly not something any mortal would dream up.
I believe God may be using an unusual method to warn people about hell in the final days.
Throughout history, God has used people to deliver critically important messages to the world. Is he still using unconventional messengers today?
Over the past year, I’ve noticed a growing number of YouTube testimonies by everyday individuals who claim to have made out-of-body trips to hell. Some claim to be taken to hell while in a public place such as a church, while others claim that they have been taken on horrific trips while awake in their homes or while sleeping. The number of testimonies seems to be growing.
One could easily dismiss them as dishonest or deluded attempts to gain fleeting fame. But when I watch them, I find that many appear to be sincere testimonies of horrific experiences that God specifically induced.
Of the scores I’ve reviewed that I believe are sincere, I’ve noticed a pattern:
Motive Is Pure: Many individuals who make YouTube videos about hellish out-of-body experiences (OBEs) do not appear to be motivated by financial gain. Almost all do not have a book to sell or a for-profit speaking business to support. Most record their videos in their modest homes or cars, and most do not have professional-grade video production equipment. The few who have ministries are low-key and do not contain aggressive solicitations for donations. I do not give the same weight to YouTube productions that are professional grade with obvious revenue-generating goals.
Demeanor is Appropriate: While anyone can put on an act, I believe the earnest individuals who make truthful testimonies about OBE trips to hell display the appropriate degree of sobriety and respectful reverence to Father God. Some break down into tears when describing the horrific scenes of suffering they witnessed in hell, while others are appropriately somber. Many start their testimonies with a prayer or an acknowledgment of the saving grace of Jesus Christ and the universal sovereignty of Father God.
The message is consistent with Scripture: While the Bible does not provide detailed descriptions of any parts of hell, it does give the reader general images of the abode of the dead. Typically, witnesses describe descending into a pitch-black tunnel or pit, sensing extreme heat, smelling putrid odors, hearing deafening screams, and visiting areas where demonic creatures torture humans. Some report seeing areas that have lakes of liquid fire or smaller pits filled with molten lava. Still, others describe observing souls trapped in individual holding cells. Moreover, some report seeing creatures such as worms that are described in the Bible.
In many cases, the witnesses describe being accompanied by either Jesus Christ or an angel. In some instances, they recall being able to communicate telepathically with Christ or their angelic escort.
One recurring theme in many OBE and NDE testimonies is that their escort instructed them to tell others about what they witnessed in hell.
What is most striking about the vast majority of the YouTube testimonies is the consistency of their experiences.
An example of a credible YouTube testimony is a video posted by Ms. Teressa Wright. She recorded her OBE visit to hell in June 2021. She made a simple video of her experience while seated in an outdoor area that appears to be a typical backyard. She claims that she was taken out of her body while she was making an altar call at church and pulled down into hell to observe as a witness. The experience clearly shook her. When she begins to describe seeing large groups of people in individual craters filled with lava, she breaks down into tears.
Her testimony is notable because she confirms the configuration of a massive pit in hell that has a spiral groove carved into the side of the enormous opening. She witnessed that the spiral pathway contained lava-filled craters spaced about five feet apart. She also noted that each cavity was filled with people who were trying to escape the burning lava. She watched as each person who reached the top of the pile of people in the crater would be sucked back down into the molten lava.
Her description of a large pit with a spiral pathway carved into the side matches the extensive and riveting testimony of Bryan Melvin, who documented his NDE visit to hell in his book, A Land Unknown: Hells Dominion. Melvin has since recorded his experience in hell in a two-part YouTube video.
In a separate, unrelated testimony, a contributor to the Near-Death Experience Group on Facebook, Melissa E., reported in April of this year that she experienced an OBE in which she was taken to hell. In her own words, she observed, “Hell is a huge pit. It never ends. It just keeps going down and never stops. Within this pit are layers of chambers that you can't escape from. They each stack one on top of another. Within these chambers are people burning and screaming to break free from these chambers. They are all screaming in different languages. They are burning but their skin is not melting off. Instead of falling down into this pit, I was being lifted but I could feel the heat of the flames. It was so hot. When I got to the top of this pit, demonic beings were running towards me and through me. They were almost like spirits. Running in and out of me over and over. I was able to break free of them…."
Her description matches Bryan Melvin's description of chambers, or cubes as he described them, which are stacked six high and six deep in a huge spiral pathway that encircled the perimeter of an enormous pit.
YouTube videos are entertaining, but are OBEs real?
A skeptic reading this piece might wonder how one can leave their body, travel to hell, return to their body and resume living. However, for Christian readers, the concept is consistent with several Biblical accounts, such as the Apostle Paul’s account of an OBE in 2 Corinthians 12:2.
For a more detailed examination of OBEs and NDEs and their connection to Christianity, my blog post entitled “8 Reasons Why Christians Should Not Ignore Near-Death Experiences,” dated February 11, 2020, delves into the extensive amount of peer-reviewed literature documenting many thousands of cases of individuals who clinically died, visited heaven or hell and returned to their bodies.
Since unbelief in the supernatural realm is a major stumbling block to those with secular views and a belief that the physical realm is the only true realm in existence, what might convince a skeptic that OBEs are possible?
Modern research gives clues about how OBEs work.
Just how, exactly, does one go about separating their soul and spirit – an entity we would call our consciousness – from our physical body? Advanced research in the secular world may give us some clues.
For example, according to whistleblowers, the US government has been experimenting in the realm of remote viewing for decades. Major David Morehouse, US Army (retired), claims in his book, Psychic Warrior, that he was involved in a top-secret remote viewing program that trained him to voluntarily detach his consciousness (soul and spirit) from his body and travel to remote locations to view people, objects, and targets of military significance. Others in similar government programs have also come forward with similar accounts. Further, a search of "remote viewing" online will reveal multiple offerings of courses that purport to teach one how to remote view. While some appear to be spurious at best, some are offered by former US government employees. David Morehouse has his own training program for those interested in leaving their bodies and traveling in the supernatural realm.
Additionally, practitioners of the occult and New Age religions have been experimenting with astral projection for decades. Astral projection is essentially a self-induced OBE – similar to the process used in remote viewing but usually without guidance or supervision. Many have posted descriptions of their out-of-body experiences on websites such as the Astral Pulse. Former New Age blogger and founder of the website spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com, Steven Bancarz, who found Christ and disavowed his New Age beliefs, once promoted the practice of astral projection. Before accepting Jesus Christ as the true savior of the world, he engaged in several out-of-body trips – experiences he now regrets but acknowledges as real.
More recently, Dr. Yuval Noah Harari, an official scientific advisor to the World Economic Forum (WEF), has made many public statements in which he has claimed that "Today we have the technology to hack human beings on a massive scale…the whole idea that humans have this soul or spirit and they have free will is over."
If man can hack a human brain and override a person's free will, how about God? The concept of God temporarily taking control of a person's soul and spirit for a brief supernatural visit to hell no longer seems so farfetched to a secular nonbeliever who puts their faith solely in man-made "science."
The way forward
While we should not become obsessed with the frightening prospects of hell, we should also not refrain from discussing it when the time is right. We must proclaim to nonbelievers the priceless message of Jesus Christ's gift of salvation to all who follow him. At the same time, we should also share, with compassion, the grim reality of hell with those who reject the gospel.
Jesus Christ commanded us to spread the gospel throughout the world. We must interweave into the message of hope the consequences of rejecting the One who suffered a horrific physical death so that we might have eternal life.