How to Find My Latest Content

Did you know that I have over thirty blogs containing over one thousand posts? You can find all that content on Writing for the Master. But the latest content will always be shown on my monthly e-magazine, the Old News That's Still Fresh. That's how I make you aware of new content that I've posted on one of my blogs. And there is typically a new edition published on the first of each month, unless I haven't posted anything new. But in case you've missed any past editions, you can find links to all my editions of the Old News That's Still Fresh at this link.

Facing Mortality -- Finding Peace and Joy

Many Christians who have received terminal diagnoses have testified that once they received that news, the remainder of their life was the best part of their life of all. They experienced the most peace, joy, love, and enjoyed life so much more than they ever did before.

"The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride." — Ecclesiastes 7:8

This phenomenon is a profound and well-documented reality, not only in the testimonies of many believers facing terminal diagnoses, but also in pastoral care and hospice observations. When an individual receives news that anchors their remaining time in absolute finiteness, a radical shift often occurs in their perspective, priorities, and spiritual depth.

This transformation typically stems from several distinct dynamics:

• The Stripping Away of Distractions: Terminal diagnoses often act as a powerful clarion call, instantly burning away the trivial anxieties, career pressures, petty conflicts, and material pursuits that consume so much of daily life. With temporal clutter removed, what truly matters—relationships, faith, and presence—comes into sharp focus.

• Heightened Presence and Gratitude: Knowing that time is short transforms ordinary moments into sacred ones. Simple gifts, such as a morning breeze, a cup of coffee, or a quiet conversation with a loved one, are no longer taken for granted. This deepens the capacity for both gratitude and joy.

• Surrender and Deepened Faith: For many Christians, facing mortality forces an absolute reliance on God. The anxiety of trying to control the future gives way to a profound sense of surrender. This fosters the biblical "peace that passes understanding" (Philippians 4:7), as individuals lean entirely into their eternal hope and relationship with Christ.

• Living Authentically Unburdened: Unresolved bitterness, fears of what others think, and the pressure to perform often dissolve in the shadow of eternity. Liberated from the need to impress the world or secure earthly security, individuals are free to love deeply, forgive freely, and live with complete authenticity.

Closing Words

Ultimately, this profound peace and joy serve as a powerful testament to a faith that views physical death not as a final termination, but as a transition into eternity, allowing individuals to experience the fullness of life precisely when earthly life is drawing to a close.

Attribution notice: This article was written with the assistance of AI tools.

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.

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.

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?"

_________________________________________________

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.

A Man Who Was Caught Up Into Paradise

Lystra Sacrifice Painting by Raphael, 1515

“Near the turn of the 20th century, God gave Seneca Sodi the glorious experience of spending forty days in Heaven. This book will challenge your life and give you hope and encouragement to set aside all hindrances and press on into the glory of God.

As he relates his experiences to Elwood Scott, you will feel as though you are right with him, seeing the many different scenes of the Celestial Kingdom, escorted by King David. You will wonder at the glory and immensity of what God has prepared for us.

Your heart will he stirred at the description of the Holy Convocation around the Throne as Jesus speaks an end-time message of preparation for His coming. Your mind and heart will be enlarged as you look into a world beyond the veil and knowing that it will be worth it all!”  —The Publishers of Paradise, the Holy City and the Glory of the Throne by Rev. Elwood Scott.

The following is an excerpt in which Seneca Sodi recounted to Elwood Scott what happened during his visit to heaven when he spoke with the apostle Paul.

On the way I said to Paul, who sat by my side: "It does seem so good to be here with you, it seems indeed too good to be true. Fancy painted many fair pictures while we were in the world which were made to glow on the canvas of our imagination in reference to the future, but none ever equaled the reality."

"No," said Paul, "it was impossible for man to conceive of the glory while in the flesh. The Lord once gave me just a glimpse into paradise while yet in the world. The glory was beyond my power to describe."

I replied to Paul: "I have often wondered how it occurred, for we have a brief account in the divine word on earth which you left concerning it." (II Corinthians 12:2)

"Well," said he, "while at Lystra in Lyconia I was stoned and dragged out of the city for dead, but God raised me up, and I, with the brethren, went back to the city. (Acts 14:19) But that night I could not sleep, being restless and burdened with the word of the Lord. I arose and, all alone, went out of the city to pray. I ascended the side of old Karadogh, an extinct volcano. I seemed to be greatly helped, for an angel constantly held my hand. When some little distance up the mountain, one of the chariots of God, with a driver of light, appeared at my side. I was so enraptured by the presence and glory of God and both overawed and overcome by the royal chariot and driver that I hardly could tell whether I had died or was in a trance; but I soon found myself lying prostrate in the chariot and mounting far above the old mountain. We arose above the pillars of the skies. I soon heard the strains of music from the third heaven in the plains of paradise. They were singing some new songs, which as a mortal man, I had not power to repeat. I opened my eyes just for a moment, glanced at the crystal river and heard a loud voice proclaiming the mystery of the trees upon its banks. It was the closing words of a sermon uttered by Moses to a vast company of Jews, as I was told by the driver afterwards, giving them light upon these that they could not know while under the law and subject to an inferior experience, for you have already found that we have preaching here in heaven as we used to have on earth.

"Only an instant we remained and the chariot darted with the speed of sound toward the earth. In a few moments the old town of Lystra, lying at the foot of the mountain, with its streets and domes, shone out with their best appearance under the light of the full moon beaming upon them; but the people were fast asleep. I stepped from the chariot as the driver, with a pleasant wave of his hand, said, good-bye, and in an instant it was gone. On the top of Karadogh I continued my prayer and praise to God until near the break of day. I never could really tell while in my flesh whether I was loosened for the time being from my body or whether bodily I was taken to glory. Ever after this I had a longing to go back and forever remain; to depart and be with Christ. The words of the sermon and the strains of music could never be forgotten, but were an element of strength in my life during the many afflictions God permitted to come upon me."

Search for Mount Karadogh

Volcanic Mount Karadagh, near Karaman, Turkey

I did some research on this to try and locate this mount Karadogh. Paul told Seneca Sodi that he ascended the side of Karadogh, an extinct volcano.

In my research, I found in Wikipedia that there is a Kara Dag (formerly often written Kara Dagh), which is a volcanic mountain, located a few miles north of Karaman, Turkey.  Kara Dag or Qara Dag (Dag/Dağ/Dagh, occasionally Daq or Tagh) is Turkic for "Black Mountain". It may be written as one word (Karadag), a hyphenated word (Kara-dag), or as two words (Kara Dag).

This volcanic mountain is located 62 miles south of Konya, which was known during classical antiquity and during the medieval period as Iconium in Latin, and Iκόνιον (Ikónion) in Greek.

Paul and Barnabas preached in Konya (Iconium).  The Scripture says, “In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks.” (Act 14:1)  But after they were persecuted there, they went to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe. “And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers, to mistreat and to stone them, they became aware of it and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding region; and there they continued to preach the gospel.” (Act 14:5-7).

Then the Jews from Konya (Iconium) came south to Lycaonia to persecute Paul: “But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe.” (Act 14:19-20).

It should be noted that where the Scripture says, “they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city,” this happened in Lystra in Lyconia. According to Wikipedia, Lystra is located 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of the city of Konya, Turkey. Although Lystra is the ancient name of the village where the apostle Paul visited, the present name is "Klistra," which is near Gökyurt, Turkey. There is a road from Konya (Iconium) known today as D696, which the Jews from Iconium would have used for part of their journey to persecute Paul in Lystra.  Iconium is only 19 miles north of Lystra.  It would probably take 6 to 8 hours to walk that far.

Klistra (Lystra), Turkey is marked by an "A"map pin

I was curious to see on the map where Klistra (Lystra) is located, since that is the city where Paul was when he climbed Karadogh.  I needed to get a visual reference on this, and I was expecting it to be right at the base of this volcanic mountain in Turkey called Karadagh.  

In the Google map above, you can see Klistra (Lystra) at point A, located southwest of Konya (Iconium).According to Ancient Locations, Lystra is located at the following latitude and longitude: 37.66469499, 32.21062472.  On the bottom right corner of the map is Karaman, just south of Karadagh, which is very obviously a volcanic mountain.  When you zoom in on it, you can see that there is a big hole in the middle where it erupted at one time.

From the map, I could easily see that Karadagh is some 80 miles from Klistra (Lystra).  That may seem like fairly close, when you consider that it could have been located any place in the world.  However, I was sure that the apostle Paul did not walk 80 miles from Lystra during the night to climb this mountain. So I examined the terrain near Lystra, now known as Klistra.

Sattelite photo of apparent extinct volcanic mountain near Lystra, Turkey

Amazingly I discovered that there is an apparent extinct volcano located about six tenths of a mile (1 km) from Klistra (Lystra).  In the satellite photo on the left (courtesy of Google), you can see this volcano marked by a white arrow.  The bear rock at the top of this mountain forms a crater, or mouth of a volcano.  Inside the crater you can see the caldera, or depression. According to the Google terrain map, this mountain reaches a height of 4,593 feet (1400 meters).  This is about the same size as Mount Liberty in New Hampshire, USA, which I used to hike.  Liberty is 4,460 feet (1,359 m) high. And since this mountain pictured in the satellite photo above is just a little more than half a mile from Lystra, it  would have been easy walking distance for Paul on that moonlit night

Antique painting titled "Kara Dagh near Lystra"

But I was left wondering why this mountain does not have the name Karadagh like the other volcanic mountain 80 miles from Lystra.  After all, this is what Paul called it in his conversation with Seneca Sodi.  Could Paul have mistakenly called it by the name of another similar "black mountain" in the same region?  Upon further research, I discovered an antique painting of mount Kara Dagh that was made in 1869.  It's titled "Kara Dagh near Lystra!"  What are the chances of this!! I liked it so much that I bought a print copy of it.

The caption beneath the painting reads: "This view of the mountain which forms so remarkable a feature in the scenery among which Timotheus passed his childhood, is due to the kindness of Rev. G. E. Weston, who crossed Lycaonia in 1845.  It represents the appearance of the Kara Dagh as seen from the approach of Iconium."  So this would have been the view that the Jews had of Kara Dagh, as they traveled down the road from Iconium to persecute Paul.

The painting proves that there is a mount Karadagh located near Lystra. It was painted in 1869, decades before Seneca Sodi's visit to heaven, in which Paul spoke to him about climbing Karadogh the night that he returned to Lystra after being stoned and dragged outside the city.  Elwood Scott did not record Seneca Sodi's experience until the turn of the century, so the artist who painted this could not have known that this was the mountain Paul climbed.  In fact, this mountain is never mentioned in Scripture.

This was a pretty amazing find for me. It seems to corroborate the story that the apostle Paul told to Seneca Sodi during his visit to heaven.  This gives us further insight into what happened on that night when Paul was caught up into heaven.  As he wrote to the Corinthians, "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell." (2 Cor 12:2-4).

If you have not read this account of Seneca Sodi's forty days in heaven, I encourage you to read it.  You can find it at Insights of God where you can find both PDF and Word formats of the book at this link. Please prayerfully read the book, and use the Testimony Review Process adopted by this blog, as you decide for yourself whether this was a true testimony.  For issues and concerns, each person must confirm with the Lord, whether something is valid or not.

I can assure you that the book will bless you with many other amazing stories like this one.  Even in our day today there are people who, like Paul, are being caught up into heaven like brother Yong-Doo Kim, Angelica Zambrano, Oden Hetrick, Anna Rountree, and brother Daniel Ekechukwu.  Heaven is real! Jesus has prepared it for those who love and obey Him.  Please don't miss it for anything!

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

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may find more articles like it on the Home page of this blog, and you may find more of my blogs at Writing for the Master. I also encourage you to read the online book by Elwood Scott about Seneca Sodi called Paradise, the Holy City and the Glory of the Throne.

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.

Howard Pittman's Life After Death Testimony

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 a shocking testimony with you from a minister of the gospel who died from a massive internal hemorrhage and returned to life.  Although he had repented of his sins and prayed to ask Jesus into his life prior to dying, he was not ready to meet the Lord.

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 months 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 on Youtube). And don't miss Howard's book called Placebo, available for free at this link.

Putting it All Together

Howard was saved when this experience happened. He considered himself a Christian.  He had confessed Jesus as Lord.  He was sincere in seeking God.  And he didn't have a clue that he was unacceptable to Him.  He had "invisible sins" that he was unaware of, but which God hated.  And if he had not truly and completely repented for these sins, he would have ended up in hell.  Thankfully for him, he did repent and came back with an important message for us to hear.

Although Howard Pittman has since passed on into glory, he had many years of fruitful preaching after his after-death experience. The Lord gave him a message of repentance, holiness, and the need to be ready for His soon return.  He warned 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:  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.