Laurie Ditto's Vision of Hell

I recently watched Laurie Ditto share her testimony about her Vision of Hell on the Kingdom Awakening Podcast. Here is the transcript of the podcast with key section headers. If you want to skip to the end, I have provided a summary of the five key reasons why she was in hell and seven lessons she learned from that experience.

You may watch it on Youtube at this link.

Podcast Introduction and Background

Welcome to the Kingdom Awakening Podcast. I'm your host, Jeff Simons, and I have with me Laurie Ditto, the director of My Father's Reputation. Laurie, welcome.

Hi, Jeff. Thanks for having me.

Well, thank you for joining us. One of the conversations that has come up quite a few times is that there's some strange theology going around about heaven and hell in the charismatic movements. Some believe either that there is no hell or that hell is just a place where God's love purifies people before they eventually make it to heaven. It’s essentially rebranded universalism. I’ve heard your story, so for those that haven't heard it, can you share a little bit of your background and experience with hell?

Laurie’s Spiritual Journey

Sure. I grew up Catholic, believing in Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit. I understood repentance. I always wanted to serve God, and growing up, the only way for girls was to become a nun — so I thought I would. But then I met my husband, we got married and had children, never realizing that I wasn’t saved. A lot of people go to church and don’t realize they’re not saved.

You’re not saved until Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life — not Mary, not yourself. Jesus is the Son of God, and Christianity’s limits are that if Jesus is not God, you’re outside Christianity. I got saved in a vision. I was looking for God and went to an event where the Lord took me to heaven. I think I was so hard that only that could save me — to show me He was real. It transformed me completely. I was smoking three and a half packs a day, fighting depression, on lots of medication — and God saved me. Hallelujah.

I know that sounds strange, but when people talk about a born-again experience, I thought everyone went to heaven. That's why people could say they knew Jesus, because they had literally seen Him. I had seen Him. Once you’re saved, you don’t care that it sounds strange.

Experience of Seeing Heaven and then Hell

I got saved in 2000. In 2008, in a vision, Jesus took me to hell. I had been to heaven many times and understood a lot about it. Angels see the face of God all the time and know Him fully. They’re amazed that we choose God without the same information they have — they’re in awe of our faith and obedience.

God had been after me since He saved me to forgive others. I did not forgive anybody because I thought forgiveness meant that what they did was okay, or that they had to say sorry first. I wasn’t interested in forgiveness. But the Bible says you must forgive or you won’t be forgiven. I had been to heaven but refused to obey this simplest step: forgiveness.

On August 28, 2008, I was in worship, feeling lots of angels had come, thinking something remarkable would happen, maybe everyone would be taken to heaven in vision. Instead, the front of the room opened and I felt heat. That caused me to open my eyes to see huge gates — the gates of hell. The supernatural and natural merged, and I was forced to see the reality of hell’s gates.

A hand grabbed me and dragged me through the gates as they slammed shut. I was quickly taken to my cell — a teardrop-shaped cell — and placed horizontally inside. I looked up and saw Father God, who said, "You are in hell eternally for unforgiveness." Then He tore His robe diagonally across His heart, an expression of being finished with me. I felt overwhelming regret — I knew I had not obeyed Christ, and my time had run out.

The Torment in Hell

It was unbearably hot; my skin was melting like wax. I tried to place it back but it hurt. The heat and flames were all-consuming. I could see other cells with one person each, hanging suspended. I realized these people were there for various sins — sexual sins, cheating, homosexuality, bestiality — any sin refused to be obeyed by God.

My eyes broke apart, looking different directions causing trauma, and when I tried to breathe, I inhaled living fire that burned me inside and out. I screamed until the pain was overwhelming. I saw my own screams — my voice was the one driving me mad.

Inside my bones, yellow marrow turned black, indicating the death of ability to produce life. The water in my body disappeared, causing shriveling and a demonic shape, no longer reflecting the image of God.

I could see others, all terrifying and deformed. There was no comfort in proximity, cells isolated and unreachable. The bubbling pit I was suspended over stretched as far as I could see — it was terrifying. People closer to the bubble sinned graver sins.

The Root of the Pain: Bitterness and Hate

My good thoughts left; only bitterness, unforgiveness, vengeance, and hatred remained. The hate was always inside me, magnified in hell. The Bible says to hate what God hates — sin — but here, the hate was overwhelming and destructive.

Encounters with Demons and Physical Punishment

A demon with a hot rod hit the bottom of my feet, breaking the arches — symbolizing that the shoes of the gospel of peace could never fit me again. Flames burned me as I twisted and turned, breaking every bone of my body in excruciating pain that lasted a very long time.

Confrontation with Sins of Unkindness, Lack of Gentleness, and Impatience

First, sins of unkindness appeared — those done to me and that I had done. I realized these could be counted. Forgiveness of these would have kept me from this torment.

Then, uncountable times of being ungentle revealed themselves — equally painful.

Finally, impatience was the hardest to bear, especially given Jesus’ patience and longsuffering toward me. Yet my excuse was stubborn refusal to forgive, acting as judge.

Examples of Specific Sins

• When giving baths to my girls, I slapped their arms or legs to gain control despite their screams, ignoring their pain, which God counted highly due to authority given to me.
• Forcing my oldest daughter into a car seat despite her crying, spanking her repeatedly and not hearing her tears, a sin counted thrice.

Judgment by the Fruits of the Spirit

These sins conflicted with the fruits of the Spirit — kindness, gentleness, patience, etc. Failure to live by these results in judgment.

My imprisoned body resembled my earthly body at first, but as sins came in, I became deformed by them. God’s holiness is much higher than often understood, including sins we are unaware of (sins of omission).

Eternal Consequence and Shared Sin

I heard God say I was condemned eternally. In hell, you bear 100% of your sin and 100% of the sins of others in that place.

This shared burden enhances the torment, and is why no one wants even one more person to join.

Reflection on Scripture and Warning

I was shown how serious our choices on earth truly are.

Key Reasons Laurie Was in Hell

1. Unforgiveness

·     Central cause of Laurie's condemnation was unforgiveness.

·     Despite knowing she needed to forgive, she refused to do so because she equated forgiveness with condoning the actions of others or feeling that the offenders deserved to apologize first.

·     God explicitly told her, “You are in hell eternally for unforgiveness,” confirming its eternal consequence.

2. Refusal to Obey God’s Command to Forgive

·     Although a “favorite visitor of heaven,” she disobeyed the simplest command of faith: forgiveness.

·     Forgiveness was not merely about freeing others but also a condition to be forgiven by God, as explained by biblical principles (Matthew 18).

3. Personal Sins Manifested in Hell

·     Her own sins—unkindness, lack of gentleness, impatience—became evident in hell as painful realities.

·     Sins were measured and returned to her:

·     Times when others were unkind vs. times she was unkind to others.

·     Times others were ungentle vs. times she was ungentle.

·     Times others were impatient vs. her own impatience.

·     Example sins included harshness towards her children (slapping during baths, ignoring their cries in the car seat), which counted multiple times against her.

4. Spiritual Deformation and Isolation

·     Laurie’s physical form was altered into a demonic, deformed shape due to sin.

·     Hell was described as a place of extreme heat, isolation (cells shaped like teardrops where one could not reach another), constant pain, and eternal punishment.

·     This mirrored the internal state caused by unresolved sin and unforgiveness.

5. Rejection of Becoming Like Christ After Forgiveness

·     Through the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18), she understood she had accepted forgiveness for herself but would not forgive others, thus refusing to "become like the benevolent king" (Christ).

·     This refusal kept her separated from God and trapped in judgment. 

Lessons Learned from the Hell Experience

1. Forgiving Others is Essential

·     Forgiveness is not optional but a command necessary for salvation and freedom from divine judgment.

·     Forgiveness means releasing bitterness and hatred, not approving sin—this was a key misunderstanding Laurie had to overcome.

2. God’s Holiness and Judgment are Absolute

·     God’s standard of holiness includes sins of omission and commission, many of which Laurie had unknowingly ignored.

·     Living with unforgiveness and disobedience, even as a Christian, leads to serious consequences.

3. Hell is a Real, Eternal Place of Torture

·     The vision revealed hell as a literal place with continuous, living fire causing immense physical and emotional pain.

·     There is no relief, no escape, and no companionship—only isolation and torment.

·     The knowledge of sins and their consequences is fully clear, intensifying the suffering.

4. Sin Multiplies in Hell

·     In hell, one bears not only personal sin but also the collective sin of others there, increasing the punishment.

·     This exemplifies why no one wants "one more person" in hell due to shared consequences.

5. Experiencing Hell Motivated Laurie to Forgive and Repent

·     After returning, Laurie dedicated 30 months to systematically forgiving those who wronged her and seeking forgiveness for her own sins.

·     She created a process involving careful reflection, repentance, and restoration to rid herself of the sin’s power.

6. God's Love Includes Discipline

·     Laurie understood that her being sent to hell was an act of divine love meant to awaken her to the gravity of sin and the necessity of obedience.

·     “To whom much is given, much is required.” Her previous experiences of heaven and spiritual favor did not exempt her from judgment.

7. Necessity of Faith and Obedience to Christ

·     Laurie emphasized that believing Jesus is God’s Son and obeying His commands is the only pathway to heaven.

·     Obedience includes active forgiveness, living by the fruit of the Spirit (kindness, gentleness, patience, etc.), and heartfelt obedience beyond mere belief. 

Summary

·     Why Laurie Was in Hell: Primarily because of unforgiveness, compounded by refusal to obey God’s command to forgive, personal sins, and rejection of spiritual transformation into Christlikeness after receiving forgiveness.

·     Lessons Learned: Forgiveness is indispensable, sin’s cost is eternal and painful, hell is a literal and horrific place, and God’s love may include severe discipline to redirect us toward obedience and salvation. Obedience and faith in Jesus are essential for avoiding such judgment.

This testimony underscores the importance of genuine forgiveness and spiritual obedience as foundational to Christian faith and salvation.

Attribution notice: The transcript and key point summaries in this article were generated using AI. Watch Laurie's testimony on the Kingdom Awakening channel on Youtube at this link.

Author's note: 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?"

_________________________________________________

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.

Man Receives Sobering Life Review in Heaven

I heard a testimony a couple days ago from a brother named Oliver John Calvert (pictured left), who had died from heat stroke, while painting outdoors in extremely hot temperatures, and went to heaven. 

Life Review

In heaven, he was on his face before the Heavenly Father. There in that position, he received a sobering life review that literally changed his entire life. He was made to review his entire life from start to finish and see all the ways he had hurt people and experience the hurt from the perspective of the other person. Many others have described this same type of life review and also that this is the perpetual experience of every soul in hell. During his lifetime, he had treated people with fear, intimidation, neglect, sarcasm, harsh criticism, coarse jokes, ridicule, etc. He saw their faces and what he had put them through. 

This went on for what seemed like eternity to him. It was so terrible for him to watch and feel what they felt that he sobbed continuously with tears running down his face, and this went on for around the first two-thirds of the time he was dead (counted in earth days). Eventually he began begging for it to stop, because he couldn't take it anymore, When it finally stopped, he knew he was the only one to blame and that he deserved hell. He told the Lord that he understood, and that he was truly, very sorry for all those bad things he had done throughout his life.

Three Keys to Life's Purpose

Then the Father said, "You have not fulfilled your purpose here." The Father patiently taught him that this is not the way he was meant to live and he had not fulfilled the purpose for which He created him. So he asked the Father, "What was my purpose?"  

Here is how he described the way God answered that question: 

And this voice said to me, "The same as every man, you were put on the earth to take care of the earth." And come to find out later, Adam did tend the garden and keep it. Even before the fall, he had work to do. We as men are here to take care of the earth. It's one of our responsibilities as men. And that was very personal. He said, "You're not to strip mine the earth. You're not to pollute the earth. You're not to destroy your home." And I was being indicted because I was responsible. I was a litterer. I was one that didn't care about nature or environment at all. And this was a beautiful home that God had created for me to live and enjoy.

And he said, "Secondly, you're here for the animals. They look up to you that you're the one with the spirit. You're the one with reason, with intelligence, with the strength to change things, the ability to protect them and take care of them and do [things] for them. They don't have that ability. And yet you destroy species after species. And I knew that I was responsible, partly responsible. I had hunted for sport. I had no concern for animals. I never showed any compassion for animals; I didn't have any compassion for animals or men. 

And he said, "Thirdly, and most importantly, you're here for each other.” And this is imperative: “I sent you to be part of the answer. You've just been part of the problem.” And I couldn't do anything with that because it was on my shoulders and I was just grieving over it. 

[End of excerpt from video testimony].

To summarize. there were three key things that John was supposed to do, which are all top priorities of the same purpose that the Father has for every person whom He creates. Those three priorities of God's purpose for us are: 1) To take care of the earth, 2) To protect the animals, take care of them, and do things for them that they cannot do for themselves, and 3) You're here for each other, for other people, which the Father told him was the most important thing of all and is imperative (i.e., love your neighbor as yourself).

Repeatedly Saved from Destruction

Then while still laying on his face before God, a screen opened on in the floor right beside him, and he was given a vision beginning from the moment he was born and throughout his life of all the times God had personally stepped in to save him from destruction. However, God told him that he was not going to do that any more. God said that he was going to give John one last chance to live his life right, and that there would be absolutely no more chances after that. 

Four God-Given Appetites

God showed him that He had given him four appetites -- a natural/physical one, an emotional one, an intellectual one, and a spiritual one. He had overdone it with the first three and neglected the spiritual one all his life, which is why his life was so out of balance, and why nothing worked in his life. He was a work-a-holic, a bed-hopper, a cigarette smoker, a drug abuser, a drunkard, and a glutton. Having ben taught this lesson by God about the four appetites, this was his first inkling of what it meant to be a man. 

Loving Relationship with Father

God allowed him to look up at Him. He wiped away his tears and accepted him. The Father let him know that He had not been angry with him all his life, but that He was disappointed with him. He could tell that God loved him. Now it was no longer about what was right and wrong, but about having a relationship with his Heavenly Father. That was the instant that changed his heart.

The Heavenly Father who was an enormous Person, wearing a huge, white, flowing robe, sitting on an enormous white throne as big as the stars, and whose face was as bright as the sun; however, it was not an orange-yellow light, but rather a white and blue light. There was someone sitting right next to the Father, who looked like Him, and had the same kind of face as Him, but was a little smaller. Of course, that was His Son, Jesus Christ, who didn't say anything, but was just observing. 

One Universal Pattern in Creation

God showed him other things, too, and allowed him to ask questions. For example, he showed him that there is one consistent pattern throughout the entire universe that is found in everything from the smallest atom and all the way to a galaxy and group of galaxies. It's the same pattern all the way up. God also showed him how He expects a husband to protect his wife and to treat his wife. The Father said, "You will totally devote yourself to her wants, her needs, her occupational needs, her educational needs, her medical needs. You will delight and surprise and romance her, her clothing...everything about her. You will give her attention and consideration. This will motivate her to seek for ways to serve you. And you'll both be free from selfishness. And this kind of a relationship is the only way to represent Christ and His church or My relationship with you."

Return to Earthly Body

Then God said, "Your body cannot survive much longer without your spirit." Then after his spirit had been gone from his body for three days and three nights, he suddenly sat up in bed in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on earth. He disconnected all of the wires, monitors, and tubes attached to him. Then he signed himself out of the hospital, and it took him a year to learn how to walk and talk again. He had to relearn how to speak, eat, swallow, and walk. He lost all of his childhood memories, which he never regained again. 

A Christian pastor found him in the hospital parking lot wearing nothing but a hospital gown, and took him into his care for an extended period of time. The Lord eventually healed him and opened doors to share his testimony of what happened when he died. He is now able to hear the Lord's voice in his heart very clearly, because he has a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.

Closing Words

Regarding the relationship he now has with the Lord, he said, "This is His will for you as well. He wants relationship with everyone. God is not willing that any should perish. He made you. He died for you. He loves you. You may not be regenerated. You may not be born again, but you're still a child made by God. And to Him, you'll always be a child. See, I didn't realize until that day before Him that His impression of me really mattered." 

God loves you, too, my friend. He doesn't want you to perish, but to have eternal life. He has already proven and demonstrated His love for you in that He's sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for you, pay the price for all your sins and mine, and rise from the dead on the third day. Repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ, asking Him to forgive you, to save you, and come and live inside your heart as your Lord and Savior. If you do so, that will be the best decision you ever made, and will be the beginning of a wonderful relationship with our loving, Heavenly Father.

Attribution notice: Watch John's testimony on the Precious Testimonies channel on Youtube at this link.

Author's note: 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?"

_________________________________________________

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.