Showing posts with label raised. Show all posts
Showing posts with label raised. Show all posts

Thursday, August 6, 2026

Testimony Review Process

On this blog I post testimonies of people, who claim that they have received a divine revelation from the Lord Jesus Christ.  As you read these, you will find some of them to be controversial.  However, that alone is not a reason to reject them.  Each one needs to be reviewed on its own merit to see if it is truly from the Lord.

We should be like the Berean believers: "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." (Act 17:11). By this I am not implying that these testimonies constitute the Word of God, or that they become a new book of the Bible. However, they do contain messages purportedly from Jesus Christ, and they often quote Scripture. Don't despise prophetic utterances (1Th 5:20).  Let's eagerly receive anything the Lord has so say to us through His Body, but be diligent to examine the Scriptures daily to see whether these things are so. Let's test the spirits to see whether they are from God.

I would like to suggest that here we use the same review criteria outlined on Robert Brownell's website, SpiritLessons. Brownell states:

"[This] website receives many new testimonies from around the world, by people who testify of Revelations by Jesus. These testimonies are very valuable, but like the 1st century church, there needs to be review process by Mature Christians. When a testimony has something controversial or difficult, we'll put it under the 'UNDER REVIEW' section.  With a comment box on the bottom, for wise Christian counsel. This should help weed out problems, and identify issues.  Similar to the way the early Church discussed matters."

"Remember, we are NOT canonizing scripture here. The Bible is sufficient!  We were never given permission by God to add His scripture.  We are just investigating Face to Face encounters with Jesus Christ.  None of these testimonies have gone through the rigorous and thorough testing that the Bible has gone through. If something contradicts with clear scripture, please note that in the comment section.   I never allow people's revelations to contradict verbatim scripture. If any revelation contradicts clear scripture, I reject it. For the Bible is my foundation of doctrine. But I will allow revelations to challenge my interpretation of scripture. And I will not pridefully hold up my interpretation of scripture as infallible."

"Things to remember when reviewing:
1. Please understand that there MAY be mistranslations from the original testimony.
2. There MAY be places where authors are not clear enough in their description.
3. We are looking for patterns, that show up in multiple testimonies.  This gives certain issues more weight.
4. Also remember that we don't care about their opinions, ideas or speculation.  We only really care about what Jesus told them. There are many good people of God who can have misunderstandings in their opinions. No one's opinions are perfect.  Hopefully they won't share opinions in their testimonies, we just want the FACTS!  WHAT WAS THE MESSAGE FROM JESUS?  This is why we often highlight the words of Jesus in Dark, Bolded Red.
5. Also, regarding sin, remember that the Lord weighs the Motives of the Heart.  Two people can do the same thing, and the Lord judges differently.  Therefore if one person claims an actions can lead a person to Hell, we're looking for a clear definition of what that action is, not just a vague description."

"So get your Bibles, and hammer these testimonies out. Please leave Wise and Referenced Comments on the bottom." -- Robert Brownell.

In addition to these excellent guidelines that Brownell has recommended, for more help in reviewing these testimonies, please read my articles, called "Judging Revelations, Visions, and Prophecies," "Testing the Spirits of False Prophets," "Discerning the Things of the Spirit," "Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit," "A Warning to the Nay Sayers," "An Open Mind that Loves the Truth," and "The Top Ten Things Jesus Taught."  It is very important to test the fruit of the messenger, and that is why I try to check the character of the person giving the testimony, when it is controversial.  I attempt to make phone calls and speak with the person who had the experience, as well as with those who know the person well, in order to see what kind of fruit is in their lives.

I hope these guidelines will help you as you seek to test the spirits and discern the things of the spirit.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. The photo of the careful examination of Scripture comes from "Beginning and End."

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

British Pastor Raised from the Dead by His Wife

A pastor in the UK named Rod Lewis died in his kitchen after some heavy snow shoveling. His daughter, who was fourteen at the time, saw him when he died. His wife had run out of the house to go next door for help. Here are two key excerpts from his testimony:

Rod Lewis' Testimony
"I felt myself, at that moment in time, leaving my body as I went into a tunnel. Up to that time, although I had been born again many years previous, I had never heard anyone talk about this kind of experience.

"The sensation was of travelling at high speed down this tunnel. All my natural senses were greatly heightened. The colours were more vivid; my hearing was incredibly acute and everything I saw was manifestly more distinctive than with my normal vision. I had no fear because, being a Christian, I knew the place to which I was travelling was Heaven.

"Something I really love to do is to travel fast, and so the speed at which I came through the tunnel was a wonderfully exhilarating experience. Approaching the end of the tunnel I saw before me the most brilliant, glorious, radiant light. As I saw the glory of Heaven appearing before me, I head the name of Jesus, seemingly echoing throughout Heaven. ‘Jesus, Jesus’. On the third shout of, ‘Jesus’, I did, as it were, an emergency stop, and my spirit went into reverse. Back I came up the tunnel at top speed, and re-entered my body.

"I remember that the first thing my mind fastened onto in my body was my hearing, as I became aware of my wife saying, ‘Jesus’. The next thing my mind fastened onto was my eyesight, and I saw my wife, Pauline, and neighbours gathered around me."

His wife raised him from the dead by crying out in faith the name of Jesus three times. Rod was perfectly fine after she raised him from the dead and he traveled to the US on ministry not long afterward for a trip he had previously planned.  He says that since he was raised from the dead, God has used him to raise other people from the dead. He tells of one such man who died in a service where he was preaching.

"On one occasion, when I was preaching one night in my church at Burrwood, a man died. (That’s how boring my preaching is!) About halfway through my message, he got up and walked out. I just assumed he needed a ‘comfort’ break. Having got through the doors, he then collapsed. Two ladies who were outside rushed back into the church, down the aisle, saying, ‘Come Pastor, quick, quick!’ I sprinted out of the church and there was Jack, laid out, dead. They had already phoned for an ambulance, but one of the ladies handed me a bottle of anointing oil and said, ‘Hold out your hands,’ and then proceeded to poor all the oil into my hands. Then she said, ‘Slap it on his head!’ So I did exactly that, with the oil running all over his head. The Holy Spirit came over me with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, as I spoke out the words, ‘Death, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus. Take your hands off Jack. Now, Jack, come back into your body’. Instantaneously, he came back into his body, and he is still fit and well."

Closing Words
While it was by faith in the name of Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit that Rod and Jack were both raised from the dead, here were two keys to how they happened. Rod's wife Pauline simply cried out, "Jesus!" three times in order to bring her husband back from death, and although he had already reached heaven, he could hear her shouts of Jesus' name echoing throughout heaven, which immediately brought him right back into his body.

And when he raised Jack from the dead at church, he laid hands on him with anointing oil, rebuked the spirit of death in Jesus' name, commanded it take its hands off of Jack, then commanded Jack to come back into his body. (See Rod's Testimony here).

I hope this has strengthened your faith and reminded you to be ready to meet your Maker at all times, since you never know when that day and hour may come.

Attribution Notice: This story is courtesy of Dr. Richard Kent's page on Near Death Experiences on his Free Christian Teaching website.

Authors Note: Return to reading Raising the Dead. If you enjoyed this post, I also encourage you to see Howard Pittman's Life After Death Testimony. Forty Days in Heaven and Hell, Eudoxia Varga Testimony of Heaven and Hell, Ezekiel Moses Testimony of Heaven and Hell, Sakhile's First Trip to Heaven, and The Judgment Seat of Christ. You may find more articles like this on the Home page of this blog, and you may find more of my blogs at Writing for the Master.  

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Jesus Christ Descended Into Hell

I want to explore the topic of Jesus descending into hell, which is an ancient, but controversial subject. I first wrote about this several years ago, but I feel it's necessary to publish it at this time. I believe it is more relevant today than ever before, because people either don't believe in hell, or don't think they're going there.  Yet people are going there in untold numbers every day. 

By way of introduction, I’ll begin with a couple of quotes from DiAnna Paulk:

Where was Jesus and what was He doing during the three days and nights that His body was in the tomb?  The Apostles' Creed answers, "He descended into Hell."  The first known use of this phrase didn't occur until AD 360.  It doesn't appear in any of the earlier creeds or baptismal confessions.  It wasn't included in the Apostles' Creed until AD 570.  The newer versions of the Creed say "He descended to the dead."  Some churches omit it entirely.  Why was it ever included?  What was the scriptural basis for such a thought? (DiAnna Paulk)

One of the primary scriptures supporting the belief that Christ descended into hell is Acts 2:27.  The King James translation of this verse reads, "Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption."   Also in this chapter of Acts verse 31 is translated "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption."   (DiAnna Paulk)

Since the Scriptures state that Jesus’ soul was not left in hell, we know it had to be in hell at some point. But we need to study the Scriptures to determine if this is true, and if it is, the exact details concerning His journey into hell.

Jesus Descended into Hell so That the Dead Would Hear His Voice and Live
Why would Jesus need to go into hell?  He Himself said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. (Joh 5:25).

Therefore, He descended into hell so that the dead would hear His voice and live.

Jesus Made Proclamation to Spirits Now in Prison
The Holy Spirit affirmed this through the apostle Peter when he wrote:

“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.”  (1Pe 3:18-20)

He said, “having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit,” which means that although Jesus’ body was dead, He was alive in the Spirit.  This expression “in the Spirit” refers to the fact that in the Holy Spirit, His Spirit was alive while His body lay in the grave.  And Peter said it was “the Spirit; in which also He went.”  Put differently, Jesus died physically, but His Spirit, which was alive in the Spirit, went someplace to preach.  Peter calls that place a prison.

Their bodies were drowned in the Great Flood of Noah’s day, and their spirits cast into prison.  The spirits of disobedient sinners, as soon as they are out of their bodies, are committed to the prison of hell, from where there is no redemption.  Since Peter said, “Jesus made proclamation to the spirits of those now in prison,” this means that at the time when Peter wrote this, those spirits were still in prison.  First there was the deluge, then Jesus preached to them, and then Peter wrote that those spirits were still in prison.  How can we be sure this prison is hell?

The Prison Peter Refers to is in Hell, Where There are Pits of Darkness
In Peters second epistle he wrote:

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,” (2Pe 2:4-9)

God cast the angels into hell when they sinned, and also the ungodly people of the ancient world of Noah’s day, as well as the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah in Lot’s day.  Peter says the unrighteous are in hell being punished and kept there until judgment day.

By putting this information from his first and second epistles together, it is very clear that the prison Peter refers to is in hell, where there are pits of darkness. Jesus went down to the pit of darkness, and made proclamation to the spirits in hell.  Why did He do this after His death and not before?

Jesus descended into hell after he finished paying the full price for sin. It was not expiatory
The apostle John wrote:

“Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” (Joh 19:30)

From this passage we learn that Jesus could not make His proclamation to the dead in hell until He had finished paying the full price for sin.  So we know it had to be after He died on the cross, which is exactly what Peter taught.

As Jesus died, He committed His spirit into the Father’s hands, not Satan’s hands
Luke wrote:

“And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ Having said this, He breathed His last.” (Luk 23:46)

This means that the Spirit of Jesus was in the hands of the Father as soon as He died.  So if Jesus went to hell, He was safe in the Father’s hands as He went.  It would still be good if we could find this written somewhere else in the Bible.

Jesus Descended into the Lower Parts of the Earth
The apostle Paul also wrote:

“Therefore it says, ‘When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.’ (Now this expression, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)”  (Eph 4:8-10)

All Christians believe that Jesus ascended far above the heavens and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens.  But in the same passage where Paul taught on Jesus’ ascension, he also taught on His descent into the lower parts of the earth.  He said the same thing as the apostle Peter.  For in the same passage where Peter said that Jesus “went” down into the prison of hell to preach, He also said Jesus “is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.” (1Pe 3:22).  He said it a little differently than Paul, but they both said the same thing.

In the gospel of Matthew, we read:

But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  (Mat 12:39-40)

Jesus drew a parallel between the experience of Jonah in the belly of the sea monster, and His own experience in the heart of the earth. Did you ever realize just how many similarities there are between Jesus and Jonah? Jonah was alive in the Spirit during those three days, while his physical body may have been clinically dead.  I believe his body had no heartbeat and was not breathing, since there would be no air in that place. The Bible seems to indicate that before the creature swallowed him, he had already experienced death.

He cried for help "from the depth of Sheol,” not just from the sea creature's belly (Jon 2:2).

Jonah explicitly said that he died before the creature swallowed him:

"Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, Weeds were wrapped around my head. I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, But You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. While I was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, And my prayer came to You, Into Your holy temple." (Jon 2:5-7)

It's seems clear from Scripture that Jonah drowned.  The great deep engulfed him, and he descended below sea level, where the mountains have their roots. Just before he drowned in that stormy sea, while he was losing consciousness and fainting away, he prayed. Then the fish swallowed him after he died, and God preserved his body inside its belly for three days.  During that time, Jonah was in Sheol, and the Lord brought up his soul from the pit.

Since the body of Jesus lay silent and dead in the grave for three days, and Jesus drew a parallel between Himself and Jonah, we could conclude that Jonah’s body was dead, too.  But in the Spirit, he was alive. Likewise, Jesus was alive in the Spirit during the three days while His body was dead.  And Jesus said He would be in the heart of the earth during that period, not just in the tomb. (For more on this topic, see The Amazing Sign of Jonah).

Significance of Earthquake When He Died and Descended into Hell
The gospel of Matthew states that on the cross, as Jesus yielded His Spirit to the Father, there was an earthquake:

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’”  (Mat 27:50-54)

We know that when Jesus yielded up His spirit, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  This was the veil dividing the holy place from the most holy place.  By tearing this veil in two, God signified that the way had been opened for all His children to enter by the blood of the Lamb into the most holy place – the throne room of God. 

As the apostle states:

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb 10:19-22)

Likewise, just as the tearing of the temple veil was significant, there was also significance in the tearing of the earth in front of the cross.  God did this for a reason. Since we know that Jesus descended into “hell,” down into the “lower earthly regions,” into the “heart of the earth,” into “the pit,” it seems obvious that the earthquake was related to this.  When the earth split open, it was making way for the King of Glory to come in, and God was signifying that His Son was going into the heart of the earth to do some very important business there.

Similar to the earthquake when the angel of God descended to remove the stone from his tomb
In case you are not sure there was any significance between the earthquake and Jesus’ descent into the heart of the earth, don’t forget what happened when He rose from the dead. 

“And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.”  (Mat 28:2)

This was not a small one, but a severe earthquake.  It happened in connection with an angel of the Lord coming to roll the stone away from Jesus’ grave upon His resurrection. So an earthquake marked the moment His spirit went down into the earth, and an earthquake marked the moment His spirit came up out of the earth.  And the Scripture says this was because of the angelic activity at that moment.

After triumphing over the kingdom of darkness at the cross, he made a public display of them in hell
It’s important to understand what Jesus did while He was in hell.  The apostle Paul wrote:

When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. (Col 2:15)

Our Lord Jesus went down into hell and disarmed satan, along with all the demons.  He stripped them of all their authority and triumphed over them.  satan was eternally dethroned, defeated, and disarmed at that time.  That all happened in hell.  It was there and then that Jesus took away the keys of death and Hades. 

The apostle John described his experience seeing the resurrected Jesus:

"When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, 'Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.'" (Rev 1:17-18)

Following his Descent into Hell, He Appeared Before Ascending to Heaven
So what happened after this great triumph in hell? 

“Jesus said to her, ‘Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'”  (Joh 20:17)

Just as Peter and Paul taught, after His descent into hell, He appeared on earth alive, and then He ascended bodily into heaven victoriously.

Jesus Ascended to Heaven Leading a Very Large Group of Captives
But Jesus did not ascend alone into heaven. 

“Therefore it says, ‘When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.’"  (Eph 4:8)

When Jesus came up from the grave and ascended into heaven, He led a host of captives.  Where had they been captive?  They had been captive by the grave, and now they were set free.  Which captives were these?  They were not the ungodly wicked captives, but the saints who had died before the cross. While He was down in the heart of the earth, he set them free from the captivity of the grave. And some of them appeared in Jerusalem after His resurrection.  Scripture says, “many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.” It was these saints, who ascended in his train as He ascended into heaven immediately after His resurrection.

After that ascension, He continued to appear to His disciples in a glorified body for forty days, until He ascended into heaven in front of them all.

“And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”  (Act 1:9)

“So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.”  (Mar 16:19)

“While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.” (Luk 24:51)

Jesus was Raised from the Abode of the Dead
There are many other Scriptures that give us further proof where Jesus was during those three days.

The apostle John wrote about the third appearance of Jesus to His disciples after His resurrection: “This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples, after He was raised from the dead.” (Joh 21:14)

As John said, He was raised from the dead.  When it says, “the dead,” that refers to a place, or realm, or dimension, not just a state of being, as in “not physically alive.”

"But God raised Him from the dead;” (Act 13:30)

“Knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.” (Rom 6:9)

“That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” (Rom 10:9)

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. (1Co 15:20)

The fifth article of the Apostles’ Creed states this
“He descended into hell.  On the third day He rose again.

Catholic Catechism Regarding the Fifth Article of the Apostles’ Creed
While I do not agree with the Unbiblical Practices of the Catholic Church, I do agree with their view on the descent of Christ into hell, since it is Scriptural. According to Catholic Catechism:

“The Apostles' Creed confesses in the same article Christ's descent into hell and his Resurrection from the dead on the third day, because in his Passover it was precisely out of the depths of death that he made life spring forth.”

"The frequent New Testament affirmations that Jesus was 'raised from the dead' presuppose that the crucified one sojourned in the realm of the dead prior to his resurrection. This was the first meaning given in the apostolic preaching to Christ's descent into hell: that Jesus, like all men, experienced death and in his soul joined the others in the realm of the dead. But he descended there as Savior, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits imprisoned there."

"Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, 'hell' - Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek...It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Savior in Abraham's bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell.  Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him."

"The gospel was preached even to the dead (1 Peter 4:6). The descent into hell brings the Gospel message of salvation to complete fulfillment. This is the last phase of Jesus' messianic mission, a phase which is condensed in time but vast in its real significance: the spread of Christ's redemptive work to all men of all times and all places, for all who are saved have been made sharers in the redemption."

"Christ went down into the depths of death so that 'the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.'  Jesus, 'the Author of life', by dying destroyed 'him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and [delivered] all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage.' Henceforth the risen Christ holds "the keys of Death and Hades", so that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth."

"In his human soul united to his divine person, the dead Christ went down to the realm of the dead. He opened heaven's gates for the just who had gone before him."

Jesus Suffered the Torment of a Damned Soul
In his book called Angels on Assignment, Roland Buck writes: “The second death which faces mankind brings fear, dread and torment to him all of his lifetime. This was the death Jesus took for us. When he hung there on the cross, it wasn't the anguish of the physical torment, although he felt everything that we could possibly feel; and it wasn't the separation from people whom he held dear, although he felt it just as keenly as anyone; but Jesus suffered pains that even the ungodly, those totally separated from God, had never felt, for the ungodly have never felt the pangs that come when the last little flicker of hope is extinguished and they hear the words, ‘Depart into eternal damnation.’"

Roland Buck continues, “While living on this earth, they have never felt the weight, the hopelessness and the horror of feeling the cold side of God as he turned his back on them. Jesus suffered the torment of a damned soul! From his heart he cried out, ‘Oh, God, why have you forsaken me?’ and the cold pangs of eternal damnation, those icy fingers gripped his life, and Jesus suffered the judgment of God. He was totally separated from God at that moment!”

“His death was Jesus actually being struck by God's hand with the judgment for sin for the entire world! At this point, Jesus entered into a total separation from God, and God turned his back upon him because of sin!”

I would like to clarify that Jesus did not suffer torment in hell.  He suffered on the cross, and that was enough.  He said, “It is finished,” and nothing further needed to be added to that sacrifice.  I’m sure being in hell was not a pleasant experience, so you could call it suffering, but not a torment or torture of any kind.  He was in complete command while He was down there.

Hell Prior to the Cross
I also need to clarify that before the cross of Christ, there were both righteous dead and wicked dead in the the realm of the dead. In the Old Testament, it was called Sheol, or the grave. Although both the righteous and wicked were there, they were kept completely separate.  Jesus taught this in His account of the true story of Lazarus and the rich man, which was not a parable:

"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.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 'And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers--in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' But Abraham *said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!' But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'" (Luk 16:19-31)

The unnamed rich man was in Hades, which is hell or the grave.  This was an actual place of torment, as the rich man called it, where there were flames and only agony and thirst, but no water.  He could see and speak to righteous Abraham, who was together with Lazarus.  The place of the dead where Abraham and Lazarus were located is sometimes called, “Abraham’s bosom.”  However, Jesus may have simply meant that upon the death of Lazarus, the beggar was literally carried by the angels into the bosom of Abraham, the father of the faithful, where he was welcomed with a loving embrace.  There was no agony or flames where Abraham and Lazarus were resting.  Yet Lazarus could not possibly cross over from where he was to where the rich man was, because there was a great chasm or corridor fixed between them. It was completely impossible for there to be any passage of the dead from one side of the chasm to the other.

Upon His death Jesus preached to all the dead in both of these realms of the grave, but only the righteous dead in the so-called “Bosom of Abraham” were released, and not the wicked in the section where there were flames. As Peter said, those ungodly sinners are still suffering in prison today.  But the righteous dead, including the ones that were in “Abraham’s Bosom” before the cross, are up in glory with Jesus in heaven forever. Abraham welcomes saints into heaven now when they die.

Someone Rising from the Dead
I want to say one final thing about people rising from the dead.  In hell, the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to warn the rich man’s brothers, so that they would not end up in that place of torment with him.  He knew that they were living carelessly comfortable lives on earth, in disobedience to God’s Word, and they would end up there, too. 

“And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers--in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' But Abraham *said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!' But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Abraham told Lazarus that if people living on earth do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.  And we see proof of this in Scripture.  After Jesus rose from the dead, the Pharisees and others who crucified the Lord, were still not persuaded.  Instead, they fabricated lies to cover up the resurrection (see Mt 28:11-15).  The same thing happened when Jesus had raised the other Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, from the dead.  That miracle was attracting so many people to Jesus, and the religious leaders were so jealous, that they plotted to kill Lazarus (see Joh 12:9-11). 

However, we are living in the very last days. Jesus is about to return for His Bride and take her to heaven. The day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Meanwhile, most people are wicked, just as in the days of Noah.  In fact, most of the people in the Church, who claim to be Christians, are not even living a righteous life in obedience to God’s Word.  They are going straight from the pew into hell. God in His mercy does not want anyone to perish, but all to repent and have everlasting life (see 2Pe 3:9-12).

Therefore, God the Father has taken extraordinary measures to give a final warning to the world.  He has determined that a number of people would be raised from the dead, who have experienced heaven and hell, in order to warn mankind before it is too late. You can find testimonies of these experiences at the Eternal Destinations Home Page.  Apparently God, in His infinite wisdom, has decided to answer the prayer of the rich man in hell.  He has sent numerous people to the place of the dead, and brought them back, in order to testify of what they experienced, so that those who do not listen to Moses and the Prophets might possibly be persuaded and repent.

Why should anyone consider it incredible that God raises people from the dead?  He did this with Jonah and Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha.  And just as Jesus went in the Spirit down to hell, then returned, He is allowing people on earth today to go there and return to tell about it.  Likewise, just as He ascended into heaven, and took the apostles Paul and John to visit heaven (see 1 Co 12:1-4; Rev 4:1), He is allowing people on earth today to go there and return to tell about it.  Do not doubt, but believe, and correctly discern the things of the Spirit!

Putting it All Together
When Jesus died, He committed His spirit into the Father’s hands, not satan’s hands.  Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth, into hell, into the pit, into the heart of the earth.

There is a direct relationship between the earthquake when he died & his decent into hell. By the expression "He descended into hell", the Apostles' Creed confesses that Jesus did really die and through his death for us conquered death and the devil "who has the power of death" (Heb 2:14).

Jesus had to descend into hell, so that the dead saints would hear His voice and live.  Jesus made proclamation to the spirits now in prison. Even those spirits of the ungodly people that died before the cross of Calvary got to hear the gospel, but they remained in prison even in Peter’s day, and are still there today.

Peter referred to the prison in hell, where there are pits of darkness.  In his human soul united to his divine person, the dead Christ went down to the realm of the dead. He opened heaven's gates for the righteous who had gone before him. 

First of all, Christ descended into each of the hells, but in different manner. He went down into the hell of the lost to put them to shame for their unbelief and wickedness: but to those who were in that part of hell where the righteous were detained, He gave hope of attaining to eternal glory.

After triumphing over the kingdom of darkness at the cross, He made a public display of them in hell.  Jesus descended into hell only after paying the full price for sin, since it was not expiatory.  In other words, He did not continue to suffer for sin there.  Jesus’ soul was not left in hell.  Rather, He was raised from the abode of the dead on the third day.

Following his descent into hell, and His return to the surface of the earth, where the living dwell, he appeared to his disciples before ascending to heaven.   Jesus ascended to heaven leading a very large group of captives.

My friend, hell is real.  You don’t want to go there.  It’s a place of flames, torment, and agony, where there is no water.  The wicked go there when they die to await the final day of judgment.  But the angels carry those who live righteous lives in Christ Jesus, when they die, into glory, where they are welcomed into heaven by Abraham’s bosom. There they live with God the Father, Jesus, the angels and the saints forever and ever.  You don’t have to go to hell.

As brother Roland Buck once said, “Your sin has already been judged; the separating barriers between God and man are down; you are free, liberated by his power; and you can be restored to a place of total innocence, to man's original position of closeness and fellowship with God.” –Angels on Assignment, chapter 7.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. "The Question" and "Keys of Hell" paintings © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist. 

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this article, I also recommend He Went Down to the Dead and Rose Again from the Dead.You are invited to read or listen to the many, amazing testimonies of the supernatural on the Home page of this blog, a few of which are listed below.  I also recommend The Amazing Sign of Jonah, Christ's Two Ascensions and Discerning the Things of the Spirit. You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies Angelica Zambrano Hell and Heaven
Baptized by Blazing Fire Taken to Hell Forty Days in Heaven and Hell
Australian Pastor Raised from the Dead Nigerian Pastor Raised from the Dead Revelation of Hell to Seven Colombian Youths

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Bulgarian Preacher Raised from the Dead

Zlatka, Haroutyun, and Len
I was in Plovdiv, Bulgaria in May 2012, and had the pleasure of spending time with my friends Haroutyun (pronounced "HARRY-tyoon), who is Armenian, and his wife Zlatka at their home.  I asked Haroutyun to share his testimony with me once more about how he died nine years ago, and was raised from the dead.
He told me that on December 18, 2000, at age 50, he died for 9 minutes.
The problem was that for no reason he had internal bleeding in his stomach. All of his organs were bleeding arterial blood into his stomach.  The doctors thought he had bleeding stomach ulcers, so they cut out two-thirds of his stomach. However, it was no use.
Just before he died, when the doctor said things are out of control, the devil came to her and said with persistent thoughts, “Don’t worry. You’re young. You’re pretty. You can manage a house. You’ll find someone else soon.” Even the nurse said to her, “He will go to a better place.” But thankfully there were many people praying and calling on the phone to encourage her. The whole church was united in fervent prayer for him.
When Haroutyun passed away, the doctor took the wedding ring off and gave it to Zlatka. “We did our best, but, sorry.” She didn’t feel well. In fact, she almost died of shock right on the spot, but the Holy Spirit came upon her with power and she said, “I demand he come back to life in the name of Jesus!!” At that same moment, he came back to life. They saw his pulse in his neck!

That woman had faith!  We are reminded that Jesus answered saying to them, "Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.  Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you."  (Mar 11:22-24)
After he was raised from the dead, his feet were freezing cold, he could not see or hear well, but was conscious.
He prayed, “Lord, if it’s your will to take me, then I’ll go. But I have a family back at home to take care of.”
Then the Lord spoke two sentences to him in an audible voice.  It was a very, very quiet voice like a whisper.
The Lord said, “You could see what My Body would do with one soul that had a need of healing.” Then the Lord paused. Haroutyun felt very strongly the sadness and love of Jesus. Then he continued. “And how much I need from My Body to be in unity in prayer for a soul who needs salvation.”
He heard this audible voice, but didn’t believe it. He always had similar thoughts in his mind. As the Scripture says, "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." (Luk 15:7).

He had always felt people emphasize healing but not salvation. If he said “the Lord is here to heal us,” he would hear many "Amens" from the congregation. But if he said “the Lord is here to save us,” maybe five “Amens.” Since he always had thought like this, he doubted it was the Lord.
The Lord read his thoughts, and said, “For twenty-four hours I will give you assurance that it was truly Me speaking to you.”
Haroutyun started counting the hours. At the sixteenth hour, two sisters came to the hospital and (though forbidden to visit him in the ICU, even for nurses and doctors) they came. Three fellow patients passed away before his eyes and they expected Haroutyun to be the fourth. Nobody saw how the two ladies came into the room. After they shared the message they left undetected.
They knew him. The first lady said, “I have a Word from God for you.”
He replied, “Yes, I know”
She said, “Haroutyun, you will not die, but live and share…”
As she spoke, he thought, “Oh, I know this verse.” I expected something different from Habakkuk or Zachariah.”
But then she continued saying, “…And you will share and spread what the Lord gave you yesterday.” That hit him.  It was the first confirmation that the Lord had spoken to him after he was raised from the dead.
The second sister said, “The Lord told me to go by you a new winter coat, the size is right for you.” He needed one, but thought, “I am dying. Why do I need a coat?”
She said, “I took the coat to your wife, but now I’m telling you that you will go home victoriously and will put on the coat and spread everywhere what the Lord has done for you.”
The same day the ladies visited him, a representative of the municipality came to his wife, Zlatka at their apartment. For thirteen years, the municipality had not allowed them to build an apartment building, although they owned the land. All their applications for a building permit were denied. But now the official told her to go to municipality and receive the paperwork to build the apartment building along with the other two property owners.
She thought, “Today should be my husband’s funeral!” Yet they were receiving the long-awaited permission to build the apartment building on the land they owned next door. They needed a bigger apartment building due to their growing family. So they got the permit and took two years to build it, before they could move in.
While he was in the hospital, 37 people heard the gospel from him and he gave them all a Bible.
Six days later, he needed another surgery. Both the first and the second were unsuccessful. The doctor said, “We cannot do anything else.” After the second one, he was still unstable.  Brother Ivan Vrachev went to hospital and was shocked when he saw how bad Haroutyun looked. He had lost 70 pounds (32kg) in 20 days. And all the equipment that was attached to him was startling.
Brother Ivan said, “Oh, you look like a Christmas tree now.” Then he said, “I will add something that you have not received here.” He took out anointing oil and said, “You have prayed for many for healings, but now you need prayer. Do you believe you will be healed, now?”
Haroutyun replied, “I have no choice!”
The pastor prayed and it immediately felt like he swallowed a dry piece of bread that went down slowly. Something bigger than usual. His hemoglobin level was 75. Anything less than 85 is dangerous. Six hours after anointing and prayer, his hemoglobin went up to 95 without adding blood artificially. By the next day it was 105. He could sit up in bed. He had been lying down for three weeks.
On December 27, 2003, the children prayed, “Lord, our father was not home to decorate the tree. Make it possible for him to be home for New Year’s Eve.” Everyday, something good (progress) was happening from the time they prayed. On December 31, the doctor asked, “Do you want to go home? If so, collect your stuff and your family will be here to pick you up.” At 4PM he was discharged, and he left wearing his brand new winter coat. He felt like a colonel in God’s Army walking out of there.
He later testified to many people how the Lord raised him from the dead and what the Lord said to him afterward.  And he did this while wearing that new coat just as the dear sister said he would.  Amazingly, his name Haroutyun means “resurrection” in his native Armenian language.
It was not until a year after he was released from hospital that the doctors said the problem was all his other organs were bleeding into his stomach. It was arterial blood, bright red. They had initially thought it was an ulcer, and did not determine the correct diagnosis until a year later.
When he finally put on weight two or three years later, he realized his stomach was miraculously restored to normal size.  Now he can eat whatever he wants.

Jesus said, "All things are possible with God." (Mar 10:27b)

Praise the Lord for the mighty work He has done in Haroutyun's life.  But let's remember the Lord's message to Haroutyun.  The Lord spoke to him with sadness and love about the lost, and indicated that He needs His Body to come together in unity to pray for their salvation.  The Lord wants us to join together in prayer with the same passion, unity, and faith for the salvation of the lost that we have when we pray for a sick friend.  Let's begin to do that in obedience to the Lord.

"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."  (2Pe 3:9)

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: You are invited to read or listen to more amazing testimonies of the supernatural like this below.  You may access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Taken to Hell Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies Angelica Zambrano Second Visit to Hell
Baptized by Blazing Fire Vision of Hell by Emmanuel Agyarko Forty Days in Heaven and Hell
Australian Pastor Raised from the Dead Nigerian Pastor Raised from the Dead Revelation of Hell to Seven Colombian Youths

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Only the Holy -- Three Shocking Testimonies

The apostle Paul wrote to the Hebrews, "Without holiness no one shall see God." Heb 12:14.  And he said we must pursue this holiness, since it is essential in order to see God.  This is something we need to be reminded of once again.

I'd like to share three shocking testimonies with you from three separate Christians.  All of them had repented of their sins and prayed to ask Jesus into their lives.  But none of them were ready to meet the Lord.

Famous Pastor, with Healing and Miracle Ministry, Banned from Heaven

Brother John Mulinde
A Ugandan pastor from Kampala, named John Mulinde, had a proven ministry marked by healing and miracles.  He had been serving the Lord for many years and was quite famous.  The Lord kept telling him to repent, but he couldn't think of anything in his life he had not already repented for.  Then the Lord visited him and revealed his invisible sins.  The Lord told him that if He were to come back at that time for His people, He would not take brother Mulinde!

The Lord told him, "My servants...have traded their souls for worldly things."  He told him that the great day of the Lord is at hand, it hastens, and all the thoughts of men's hearts will be revealed in that day. The Lord revealed to him sins of his heart that he didn't even realize were there!

Brother Mulinde says, "Beloved, the time is short. He who comes is coming soon. He is calling us to Himself. I remember He said to me, 'That Day is not a day of joy'—even to Him. He said, 'My heart is torn apart when I think of My people who will be pulled away on that Day. That’s why I’m crying out, "Return to me."'"

Brother Mulinde continues, "[The Lord] said, 'I’m sending you. Don’t judge My people. Don’t condemn them. Tell them I’m not condemning them. I call them to return to Me. Flee from the wrath that’s coming on the Day of the Lord. Flee from the powers of darkness that are seeking to take you captive. Flee from your own self, your own carnal nature. Flee. There’s refuge in the name of the Lord. The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and they’re safe.'” 

I urge you to watch his entire video testimony (see here).

Dedicated Pastor and Foster Father Unacceptable to the Lord

Brother Howard Pittman
Howard Pittman was raised as a Christian, who heard the Bible daily at home.  He was ordained as a pastor and trained in seminary.  He served 20 years in law enforcement while pastoring.  He and wife have 3 children and foster parented 32 others between ages 18 mos and 18 years! He died on Aug 3, 1979, and stood at the gates of heaven, pleading for his life.

God have him a message in an audible voice.  Instead of sweet and lovely, it was thunderous and had a tone of wrath.  It knocked him on his face and sapped every bit of strength from him.  The Lord said: “Your faith is dead.  Your works are in vain.  The life that you live and offer to me as a life of Christian service I rejected that as an abomination in the Pharisee.  What made you think that I would take that from a Laodicean-type Christian?  In fact, untold millions are living the same life that you lived, and they stand in danger of My everlasting wrath.”

A Laodicean Christian is lukewarm and serves God with his lips but not his heart. This is the hypocritical Christian.

Howard was shocked to hear this.  He was sure God had him mixed up with someone else.  He was a preacher and teacher.  He had lived a life of service and devotion to God.  But the Lord showed him that it was true.

Howard did not do his good works for the Lord.  He did them for a false god.  Howard called Jesus Lord every day, but Jesus told him, “You didn’t mean it.”  Lord means ruler of life.  Whoever you obey is your Lord.

Jesus identified his god: "The loveliest god you’ll ever know – SELF."  Self ruled Howard’s life.  He fell on his face.  The scales fell from his eyes.  He realized he was pleading for the wrong life.  He was pleading for his earthly life instead of his eternal life.  He says now nothing else matters but “My father and his will.”

I urge you to listen to his testimony (see here).

A Christian Musician Who Realized She Had Idols
A musician named CJ, had prayed to ask the Lord into her life, but one day she actually saw the Lord appear to her, and that's when she found out she had idols.  The Lord would not accept her unless she gave up all her idols.  He said that if she planned on giving Him 99%, she may as well forget about following Him.  He would accept nothing less than 100%.  She gave Him everything, was baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire, and experienced the unspeakable joy that comes from truly knowing Him.

Putting it All Together
All of these people thought they were saved. They all considered themselves Christians.  They all confessed Jesus as Lord.  They were all sincere in seeking God.  And none of them had a clue that they were unacceptable to Him.  They all had invisible sins that they were unaware of, but which God hated.  And if they had not truly and completely repented, they would have ended up in hell.  Thankfully for them, they did repent and now they have a message for us to hear.

The Lord gave all of them a message of repentance, holiness, and the need to be ready for His soon return.  They all warn of the coming judgment that will shake everything that can be shaken.  The Day of the Lord is at hand and we need to get ready people.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Author's note:  Please prayerfully listen to the testimonies of these three people, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to them. They are not personally connected with this site. For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not. For more information on our position, please see Disclaimers.

This post is a follow up on the following articles I've written recently: The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer, Holy Fire Baptism, The Refiner's Fire, Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, Garments of Godliness, Keeping Your Body Pure and Holy, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Keeping Sundays Holy, The Cost of Discipleship, Salvation with Fear and Trembling. You may also visit the Main Directory for Eternal Destinations for more testimonies like this, or see my complete collection of blogs at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Friday, March 2, 2012

The Four Tallest Homes in Heaven

I would like to share with you the testimony of a mega-church pastor who died in 1987, and was raised from the dead.  He saw the four tallest homes in heaven, and told who they belong to and why.  He also shared what 7 things we need to focus on as disciples, if we want to have great rewards in heaven.

"During a tragic Near Death Experience, A conservative Presbyterian Pastor named Yong Park was taken to Heaven and Hell. He was shown why some saints are richly rewarded in Heaven, while others have no reward; why some saints have magnificent Mansions in Heavens, while others live in small Community homes. He was shown why, after serving the Lord his whole life, his house was still small and unfinished. He also witnessed how gruesome Hell was, and why so many Christians wound up there; and what sins we must repent of. Brother Park's testimony is a wake up call to the Church, it will encourage those who are serving Jesus faithfully, it will strengthen your resolve for Jesus, and will bring the Fear of God to those who are not living Holy."-- Spirit Lessons

The written testimony is available at the link directly below, or you can watch the video available below:




Author's note:  Please prayerfully listen to this pastor's testimony, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to him.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not. For more information on our position, please see Disclaimers.

You are invited to read or listen to the many, amazing testimonies of the supernatural realm on the Home page of this blog, a few of which are listed below. I also recommend reading Michael Thomas Sambo's Revelation of Heaven and Hell, Garments of Godliness, Godly Attire and Adornment -- Seven Divine Revelations, Is a Woman's Hair Her Head Covering?, Visitation of Jesus to Samuel Oghenetega, Judging Revelations, Visions, and Prophecies, Pleasing the Lord, The Straight and Narrow Path, The Judgment Seat of Christ, Keeping Your Body Pure and Holy, Carrying Your Cross or Cross Dressing?, Beauty Unfading, Bowing Low in Worship, Michael Shigaba's End Time Message for Mankind, and Discerning the Things of the Spirit.You may access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Nigerian Pastor Raised from the Dead

Daniel Ekechukwu and his wife
On November 30, 2001, a Nigerian pastor, named Daniel Ekechukwu, had an automobile accident.  Afterward he was legally pronounced dead, placed in a mortuary for three days, and embalmed. But it was not time for his life on earth to end. Today he is alive and proclaiming the strong message that Jesus gave him for the world.

During the three days while he was dead, he was shown heaven and hell.  Meanwhile, his wife was crying out for God to bring him back to her.  She got his corpse out of the morgue, and brought it by ambulance to a meeting being conducted by evangelist, Reinhard Bonnke, of Christ for All Nations. Through the prayers of some pastors and others in the basement of the church, Daniel was raised from the dead.

His story is truly amazing, and his message is a warning for this generation about the realities of hell.  While some may doubt this ever happened, this is a factual account that has been well-documented by numerous credible sources.   There are many eyewitnesses and pieces of physical evidence that prove this really happened, including his coffin and his death certificate, signed by a medical doctor.

Daniel holding his death certificate
In fact, that doctor has testified that he pronounced him dead, and that he has seen him alive again.  The mortician has also testified that he embalmed him and placed him in the morgue for three days. The pastor of the church where he was raised to life has testified that this happened, and that he could still smell the embalming fluid on Daniel's breath afterward. The pastors who prayed for him while he was dead have testified to what happened.  An entire congregation of people saw him immediately after he was raised from the dead, as he was brought up onto the platform in plain view of them all.

For those who still doubt it, a man, named David Servant, has done a terrific job of verifying the account.  He interviewed Daniel one year after his accident and reported on it.  And then he continued to visit Nigeria annually for the following four years afterward.  Since some people had sought to discredit Servant's report, he decided to do some follow up on the story during one of his subsequent annual visits to Nigeria.  His follow up research was blessed with amazing coincidences, and the results of it absolutely confirmed the original story as he had reported it the first time.

Daniel being prayed for while he was dead
The story of Daniel Ekechukwu has been accurately reported by the 700 Club, and I am not going to rewrite their story.  You can read it for yourself. Reinhard Bonnke has also produced a video about him that's available in six languages. I own a copy of it and have watched it more than once.  I've included that video in this blog, which is available online below, so you can see it for yourself.

I have previously posted on experiences of others who saw hell, like the seven Colombian youths, a Fijian pastor in Australia, named Bill Kolikata, and a young lady from Ecuador, named Angelica Zambrano.  Those incidents happened in 1995, 2007, and 2009 respectively.  I am now posting this story of Daniel Ekechukwu, which occurred in 2001, because I believe it corroborates what the others testified to.  Although these events  happened in four different countries on three continents,  they all saw similar things, and all have the same message of repentance for us.  I also believe there is a reason why all these people have seen hell and have come back to tell about it.  Jesus is grieved that so many people are going there, and he wants to warn us through his chosen servants. 

You can chose to ignore the warnings, or you can listen to them and heed them.  I choose to take them seriously and heed them.  Why don't you watch Daniel's story below and decide for yourself?

Part 1



Part 2


Part 3


Part 4



After watching these videos, I think that you will find them quite sobering.  Hell is real!  It's not a game, but an actual place of torment. Jesus said He did not create hell for man, but for Satan.  But humans are there, because of sin.  God wants to give you the best. He wants you to enter the kingdom of heaven.   Jesus Christ died for you and all mankind.  He wants you to repent, so that you can be saved.

As you prepare for the New Year, I hope that as part of your preparations, you will go before the Lord in earnest prayer about your own soul and the souls of your loved ones.  And please share this with others you care about, so that they can benefit from it as well. 

Author's note: Please prayerfully listen to this pastor's testimony, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether the Lord has spoken to him.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not. Brother Ekechukwa is not personally connected with this site. For more information on our position, please see Disclaimers.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.