“Say friend, what if you were to die today and find yourself sinking into a place called Hell, but by chance were revived by a doctor who brought you back from death. Would your life change?

I'm Dennis Finnan, host and commentator on the World the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment we'll look into a real life drama of such a happening…

…Although today there are numerous acts of terrorism in our world that takes human life, the fact remains it is not the worst scenario. Rather, it is the “universal war” of humanity thatis waged against death, the age-old enemy that claims the life of every single child of Adam who ever lived. As such, I think we need to break the conspiracy of silence, that often accompanies this subject, and look into the matter to find out all we can know about it, in order to know how to rightly confront it when the “bell tolls” for you and me.

Indeed, it is certain we are all going to die; but, having neurotic fears, and a wrong understanding of it, should not be our lot while we enjoy the life we have. So before I open this subject with a most striking and sobering true life experience you may have ever heard, let's pause again for this additional moment of music, after which I’ll return with today’s message: TO HELL AND BACK!..

…A number of years ago when the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series, the team hero, Pepper Martin, was asked what was his greatest ambition in life. He stunned his audience by saying, "to go to Heaven!" Yet his words mirror us all! I believe there is no one alive who wouldn't want to go there, if they could know for sure there is an afterlife. In fact, every peoples group and generation of humanity from the Egyptians, to the South Sea Islanders sought deeply to know if there was life beyond the grave. Today our experts, who have chosen to deny the Word of God, tell us that there is nothing beyond the grave except annihilation. 

Years ago, grief counselors were dispatched to Littleton , Colorado after the massive carnage in the Columbine school shootings. Their job assigned by the government was to give grief counseling to the youth. But something happened. They opened shop, but few to nobody came. It appears all the young people flocked to churches and their pastoral staffs for help, hope and comfort. There the words of life eternal, and the promises of a bright tomorrow were the real comfort they sought. Not the Freudian psychology of the secular counselor who could offer them no hope beyond the grave, except to simply deny any and all such life. Secular counseling today which is based on man's fallen wisdom that denies an omnipotent eternal God, well it was firmly rejected by the vast majority of young people at Columbine, Colorado. In fact so much so, that school authorities had to "order" students during school hours to go to these grief counselors. Pity such actions.

Now on the other hand, amazingly, many philosophers and religionists today are declaring that they have discovered there is “life” beyond the grave. From the Cultists to the drug culture, to the New Age Guru's - these people declare they have experienced and contacted such life, and report of its goodness and peace. But, the common person still wonders, and deep inside probably fears desperately that coming end of life, that awaits us all. However, I have a story today which you should hear, and upon telling it, I want to share with you some solid and personal answers, not to bring you fear but joy and peace.

Some years ago, a non-Christian medical doctor and Cardiologist by the name of Maurice Rawlings, was in the regular pursuit of his medical profession of examining patients for heart trouble. He tells his story in His book entitled: "Beyond Death's Door."

One late afternoon while treating a patient with a stress test, a 48 year old white male who was a rural mail carrier, suffered a cardiac arrest right on the tread mill. Dr. Rawlings says this man was a very personable man, a friendly man whom everyone in the area loved.

But right there in Dr. Rawlings office, this man literally "dropped dead," with his crumpled body lying lifeless on the floor. Quickly Rawlings said he listened to the man's chest. There was no heartbeat. He checked his pulse, there was none. The man began to convulse and turn blue. Fortunately experiencing this in the office of a heart specialist, the doctor and nurses went right to work. Dr. Rawlings began external heart massage on the man's chest, and the nurses initiated external breathing through a special mask. Still another nurse brought in the emergency cart containing pacemaker and shock equipment. The doctor surmised the patient had suffered a complete heart block. Quickly as possible, he inserted a pacemaker wire in the large vein beneath the collarbone that led directly to the heart. The doctor applied the necessary electricity to try to overcome this block. The patient, Dr. Rawlings says, started to revive. But whenever he reached for other necessary instruments and interrupted his compression of the man's chest, he would slip away and all but die again.

Yet each time he regained a heart beat and respiration, he became conscious, but what amazed and frightened Dr. Rawlings was what happened when he did!

As the man revived he screamed as loudly: "Doctor, I'm in Hell, I'm in Hell, help me, help me, please help me!" Again the mail carrier, slipped away into unconsciousness as his heart stopped. But he was revived again. Dr. Rawlings said this time he cried "Don't stop, doctor, please don't stop." Rawlings said the fear on this man's face and the terrifying look he gave him sent chills down his spine. With all the strength this dying man could muster, he said to Dr. Rawlings, "You don't understand, I am in Hell, real Hell. Each time you quit, I go back to Hell. Please, please don't let me go back, please!" Dr. Rawlings, at that point an unbeliever in the afterlife and any religion, became annoyed and told the man to keep his hell to himself. But the man was serious, and kept asking the doctor to keep him alive. His next cry was a serious question. "Doctor, how can I stay out of Hell?" The Doctor replied I don't know. The dying man said, "Please pray for me, please pray for me now!" Dr. Rawlings was even more annoyed, for he didn't know what to do, he was not a praying man. But, as he sensed the man wasn't going to make it, he felt obligated to his last request. Dr. Rawlings tells how he suddenly remembered a phrase he learned in Sunday school long ago as a child. So, in order to simply calm the patient he said, "Repeat after me, Lord Jesus, I ask you to keep me out of Hell. Forgive my sins. I turn my life over to you. If I die I want to go to heaven. If I live, I'll be "on the hook" forever!" The man desperately and graciously prayed, and then Dr. Rawlings recounts there came a peace over him, which Rawlings said he never saw the likes of before at such a time. At that point the patient amazingly stabilized and was rushed to the hospital for continued care.

Dr. Rawlings went home that night very disturbed and uneasy. Strange feelings began to flow through his mind and even his body. He never before had any thoughts about the afterlife or such a place called Hell. To him it was just the fairy tales of religion. Yet now deep in his heart, he wanted to know more about it, and of course the only place he knew that spoke on the issue was the Bible. Fortunately he had a dusty copy somewhere in the house. He found it and began reading everything in it that pertained to Hell and the afterlife.

The next day he visited the refreshed and stabilized patient who was now able to have a quieter conversation. Dr. Rawlings asked him how he felt now about the terrifying experience a day before on his office floor. The man looked puzzled and said, "What experience?" He had absolutely no memory of crying out that he went to Hell and back. Rather he then recounted the opposite. He told of the experience of going through a long dark tunnel, and meeting his loved ones, especially his birth mother whom he never saw before. He said he remembers seeing a lush valley with much vegetation and a bright light approaching him, and all was very pleasurable. Dr. Rawlings was truly astonished and amazed. His interest now was deeply captured.

Now to make this story short, as time went on, Dr. Rawlings could not stop investigating these at-the-moment death experiences. Not long after this dramatic first one, he firmly became a believer in Jesus Christ and in a place called Heaven and Hell. And, the most amazing thing he believes is the many out-of-body experiences dying people report today, that is of going into a dark tunnel and seeing a great beam of light at the other end, the meeting of a brilliant white figure, seeing loved ones, experiencing joy are different memories formed after an immediate death experience. But Rawlings was one of the few who was there and talked with one at the moment of dying and knew the true story was remarkably different. Now how can we explain this?

Well first of all, almost all of these out of body dying experiences tell that there is an “Afterlife!” But all of them say it is nothing but joy, peace, and forgiveness for them, regardless if one is a Christian or not. The compiled information furnished, all seems to point to the fact that what the Bible teaches about Hell simply doesn't exist.

One man Dr. George Ritchie, a psychiatrist who himself suffered a death-bed experience said, "I saw no Hell-fire, no heads rolling in the streets. I know beyond a doubt that the Christ I saw will accept everyone good or bad, even if they don't believe in him." Friend, in spite of these glowing testimonies, I believe Dr. Rawling's rare "first hand" experience is the correct one, and the others reported many days after these traumatizing events, are false. How do I know that? Simply because we must never trust "experience created truth," especially that which denies and defies what the Word of God. says about death. At this point I’m going to read you some Scripture that speaks of death and the afterlife from God’s Word. Listen and learn what is said,

Heb 9:27 (NIV)  … man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,

Eccl 12:7 (NIV)  and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

James 2:26 (NIV) "The body without the spirit is dead ..."

Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV) "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the (unsaved) dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The (unsaved) were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and every unsaved person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

Matthew 25:46 (NIV) ""The unforgiven will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.""

You see friend, these out-of-body dying experiences that are later recounted contradict and deny the biblical teachings of death and the afterlife. The Scripture clearly says that if a man or woman or boy or girl, having reached the age of reason, dies without receiving Jesus Christ and His forgiveness into their lives, they will perish in a place called Hell.

In fact, they will instantly go there, to await final judgment, and the "eternal" Hell to come, called "the Lake of Fire ." On the other hand, those who are believing followers of Jesus Christ, the Bible says,

2 Cor 5:6-8 (NLT)  So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 That is why we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

At death all true believers in Christ will assuredly go into the very living presence of Jesus Christ and His abode called Heaven. Yet, why do those who are not believers report almost the same thing? The answer is -- they are DECEIVED!

Yes, the real memory, such as this man in Dr. Rawlings office was blocked out, and in its place, a false memory was planted. By the way, Satan is in the business of false memories, as we see today via the planting in minds through hypnosis and drugs memories of parental child abuse and other evil things to destroy and separate the love of homes and families.

Yes, the Bible also says, that Satan is a liar and deceiver from the beginning and his goal is to deceive people into the foolish and deadly belief there is no Hell, nor final judgment. Why? Well, the purpose is that they live their lives forever without seeking Christ and forgiveness of their sins. This idea of peace and joy for non-Christians, continues to this day, as those who experience it teach God will accept everyone good and bad, there is no judgmental God, and that the teaching of Christianity through the Word of God is false. Friend, that sounds like the hiss of the Serpent, the great deceiver who has ensnared the minds of lost sinful men.

Yes, here is a case of a man who went to Hell and back, but he has no memory of it. However, thanks be to God his death experience and cry led Dr. Maurice Rawlings to faith in Jesus Christ. Today Dr. Rawlings strongly recommends you believe the Word of God rather than the experience creating truth today that heavily permeates modern religion and even much of Christianity. The Bible reveals that in the last days,

2 Th 2:9 (NIV)  The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,

Yes, Satan and his cohort demons are deceivers and the realm they work in, is giving people false experiences, performing miracles, signs and wonders to lead people away from God's truth, so that when they die they will not go as this man did, to Hell and back, but straight to that place of everlasting destruction, to reside there, alive in torment forever and ever. Yes, that is frightful indeed, but God doesn't want to frighten you, rather save you. To prove it, He sent us His Son Jesus Christ, to be your substitute. Yes, Jesus Christ the infinite God-Man who died on a cross to save all of us from this judgment death we all deserve because of our sin and rebellion to our Creator God. But the truth is by faith, all who trust Christ, as this rural mail carrier did, through that simple prayer on the doctor's floor is sufficient to save you for all eternity.

By the way, I want to report, that mail carrier is doing fine, and he has remembered his promise to Christ, to "be on the hook," and is faithfully serving the Lord Jesus Christ testifying to saving grace. Although he still has no memory of that frightful terrifying experience, he does testify to God's love, mercy and grace through Jesus Christ.

Say friend how about you? Is the next stop called death going to be Hell for you? It will, if you think you can live without surrender to Jesus Christ. To continue to live your life without Him and to do your own thing serving yourself comes with a payday! Many today think they can invent their own religion or philosophy and thus avoid Hell to come. Friend, you’d better think again. Dr. Rawlings did when he go home that night. He took out that dusty Bible and made peace with God. My advice is for all who are listening to do the same and begin by reading the Gospel of John. But before you do, I challenge you to pray and ask God ( if He exists for you or not) to open your eyes as these two men experienced, and when God does - then flee into His waiting arms with the confidence you'll never go to Hell and back, but rather to heaven and receive life eternal. For God's Word still says,

Acts 16:31 (NIV)  They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

Hell is a real place my friend, and all those who have not believed in Jesus Christ, will upon death, be ushered into the flames and forever despair of that awful place. You see in the Bible, God mentions it frequently not to scare you, but help you avoid going there. Will you right now look up to Heaven and seek Jesus? Call upon him right now as the patient did and doctor did later. Ask Christ to be your Lord and Savior and trust Him alone to save you from Hell to come. He will hear and answer your prayer for salvation and life eternal. Do it right now friend and enter the joy, peace and happiness of the Lord…

…Friend, actually these positive out-of-body death experiences that are becoming popular to report are not death experiences at all! For absolutely none of them, fit the Biblical definition of real death, that is the actual cessation and irreversible loss of vital functions. The revivals of life from death that the Bible reports, were of people who had really died and had been dead for days, not minutes. Let's rightly say these reported experiences of death given by people, are simply experiences of dying people, not dead people! We also need to remember that Satan is always nearby the death experiences of unbelievers. For the unregenerate at death, always go to Hades or Hell, and in a conscious state they exist there to await the judgment and forever Hell to come. For the unsaved, there is no forgiveness or change of state once death claims them. There is no coming back from real death for anyone today, and all experiences that can be reported that deny the Bible's record of truth are carefully orchestrated deceit by the cunning deceiver of mankind, Satan himself. Why he even disguises himself as God, appearing as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14 ).

So friend beware and be forewarned. Put your faith not in experiences of any kind, but in God's Word and His Son Jesus Christ. Herein lays your full safety, peace and promise of a bright eternity. Yes, as Pepper Martin the ball player once said, his greatest ambition in life was to go to heaven, and all who trust Christ alone for the forgiveness of sins and life eternal will!