“His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:12
It was the early morning hours of Friday July 13, my daughter Seven Stars awoke from a dream, (if it can be called a dream) of horrifying magnitude. In something closer to what could be termed an “out-of-body” experience, she was led by the Spirit to what can only be called, a pre-view to hell. Cold and damp, as clammy as death and the grave itself, she witnessed a place of darkness and isolation, a place of utter despair and desperation unlike anything she had ever seen (or heard) before; the wailing and shrieks of those confined for eternity, the only witness that they themselves were not alone in this inescapable and damnable place of darkness and gnashing of teeth.
Hell is a very real place; the Bible is clear about that. But, how often does the reality of those lost into eternity without a saving knowledge of Jesus really get a grip on us? Sometimes, (speaking for myself) it can become purely academic. We read it in the Bible, we believe it, yet …. somehow, it still never quite sinks in.
Struck to the core by this horrific experience, my daughter’s first question was to wonder if it were a warning to her. Good question! And, in answer God gave her four scriptures that I think answer that question quite well.
1 – Hell Awaits a Great Influx of People
“Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it”. Isaiah 5:14
2 – Watchman, Sound the Alarm!
“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die, ’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for[a] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. Ezekiel 3:17-19
Backsliders, Take Warning!
” If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God”. Hebrews 10:26-27
The Harvest is Near!
“Then Naomi said, “Wait, my daughter, until you find out what happens. For the man will not rest until the matter is settled today.” Ruth 3:18
Time is short, all of us who study the prophetic word know that. It won’t be long and all those, who are not yet saved will slip in to a Christless eternity. And, that number is huge!
What if Jesus gave YOU a vision of hell? What would you do? Like a watchman on the wall, would you sound the alarm? Would you be shouting to the roof tops, take heed – the harvest is near!
My daughter has taken this to heart and her already deep concern for unsaved loved ones has caused her to take a step of boldness that has already raised the ire of some in our family. Please keep her in prayer …. and, please pray that God may soften and open hearts, while there is still time. And, may this dream or vision (whatever it was) serve as a reminder to each one of us of the very real and lasting consequences for those who are dying daily and going in to eternity without Christ.
Much love and many blessing in Christ Jesus and … as always,
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper who love thee” Psalm 122:6 Waiting and watching with YOU for the soon return of Jesus! Cindy
Heaven Bound 
Very true.
[Thanks Michael, I haven’t had a chance to view this video yet, but, I will. Thanks for sharing! C]
By: christian on July 19, 2012
at 8:30 am
People around the world are entering an eternity of either Heaven or Hell every moment of every day. If someone is ready for Heaven, a reminder of the unspeakable torment of Hell will probably only make the Great Commission more compelling for them. If they’re headed for Hell, they’re likely to become “mad as hell” and attack you, the messenger.
I think God chooses special people for the toughest “Commissions” as many committed Christians are simply too weak and wimpy to withstand such assaults. It’s especially hard when family turns on you, but once you do what the Holy Spirit prompts you to do, let go of it. God takes it from there and probably needs you to stay out of His way so He can work unhindered. Keep loving and praying for them. It’s tough for them too!
[Thank you Martha for your beautiful comment and the good advice. Appreciated very much! C]
By: Martha Boshart on July 19, 2012
at 6:06 pm
My experience in hell was as real as it could be. I HEARD THE VERY LOUD WAILING AND SHRIEKING OF LOST AND TORMENTED SOULS. I knew where I was and of course and I began calling out to Jesus. Just as he snatched me up out of there a demonic hand reached for me as Jesus rescued me from its clutches. The place was somewhat like a graveyard, no tombstones though, just a dark damp cold scary place. I felt my body descend through a deep fog and that is place I came to. I would have thought that I would have seen flames and felt great heat or something but REVELATION 20:14 says… And death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. So maybe it was death or hades or a part of hell…not sure which. Until Jesus himself, tells me otherwise…I whole heartedly believe I had some sort of out of body experience. This was so frightening and real the Lord is conveying a very serious message, to have shown me such a thing. When it was over ( it only lasted maybe four or 5 seconds, like when you count one Mississippi…) but it was long enough trust me, I immediately got up, went into the living room and prayed. I was of course shaken by the whole thing. I prayed and asked God for confirmation that this was indeed more than a vision or dream. I then said please show me from your word. I then opened the Bible and the very first thing I read was Isaiah 5:13 and I read all the way to the end of the chapter. I then asked the Lord for more….by the way I wrote down my account that night and all the scriptures that I believe God had me open the Bible to. The next one was Ezekiel 3:11 and I read to the end of the chapter. The next was Hebrews 5:7 and I read all the way through to the end of Hebrews chapter 6. The last chapter I read that night was Ruth 1:21 to the end of the chapter. By the end of all this I was very tired it had taken place at around 4:34 in the morning so by the time I had read all of this the sun was coming up. Its been on my mind for days now and I have been mulling over the scriptures I was shown and yesterday afternoon I asked the Lord one more time to show me something pertaining to this hell experience. The exact very thing I opened the Bible to was Matthew 25:40-46.
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Once again I was blown away.
My deepest sincerest feeling about the whole thing, looking at all the scriptures put together, is this….
UNFORTUNATELY
ITS A LOVING BUT VERY STERN AND SERIOUS WARNING TO ALL BELIEVERS…. MYSELF INCLUDED.
I AM SO SAD TO SAY WE ARE KIDDING OURSELVES IF WE THINK WE ARE NOT THE LUKE WARM CHURCH. WE KNOW WE ARE LIVING IN THE TIMES \”OF\”…BUT SOMEHOW MANY OF US THINK SURELY NOT I LORD. JUST AS PETER FELT ABOUT DENYING JESUS MATTHEW 26:33-34 .
WHAT I HAVE GOTTEN OUT OF ALL THIS IS THAT FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD. JAMES 2:14-26
WHY DO YOU CALL ME LORD LORD AND NOT DO WHAT I SAY? LUKE 6:46
We are NOT saved by Works in any way shape or form. Just so as everyone reading this is clear. Ephesians 2:8
What I am saying and I believe the picture coming together that the Lord is showing me is that it is a very slippery slope and that we ought not believe the lie that works have little importance. Not that I ever did, but we should never stop doing the will of the father. People are going everyday to Hell. The Lord will hold us accountable. He is very displeased and concerned about our apathy.
We are to go and make disciples Matthew 28:19
How is it that we are the church of Laodecia? We are the lukewarm church, because we are the lukewarm church.
We have a great commission Matthew 28:16-20
If we are truly followers of Jesus we will stick our necks out, do something, say something to those who are perishing.
Don\’t let friends and family go to this awful place just so you can \”keep the peace\” follow the great commission and let the pieces fall where they may the Lord will take care of the rest.
[Thank you Kara for sharing your first hand account of this experience. I know how your heart has been burdened for those not yet saved and for those who confess Jesus but, seem little interested in his soon return. I know this experience has impacted you greatly and hearing you relate it but, an edge to the reality of the seriousness of hell that I and so many others tend to forget. Love and blessings to you my dear daughter, Mom]
By: kara on July 19, 2012
at 7:59 pm
Dear Friends,
While “hell” is a very real event, it is not burning yet. It will not begin until the end of the 1000 years after Christ returns (Re. 20) and the wicked dead are raised to be destroyed forever.
No one goes to heaven or hell at death, that is why Christ plainly referred to the death of Lazarus as a sleep, and the the apostles also referred to death as a sleep.
;Malachi 4:1 & 3, clearly state that hell is a future event and that all that will be left is ashes !
In Ezekiel 28: 18, God says that Lucifer who was once the “covering Angel” before God’s throne in heaven, but rebelled and was cast out and is now called, “satan’, also, “serpent’, “dragon” and devil’; will be burned to ashes !
God is going to destroy the wicked by eternal fire, but, when the devil is burned up the fire will go out and all that is left is ashes. Not one lost soul will burn for all eternity, not one. Such a doctrine is the devil’s invention and a bold faced liem !
Behold His Amazing Grace !
[Hi Rich and Joyce, I appreciate you taking the time to write, but, with all due respect I have to tell you that I do not believe the Bible teaches either soul sleep or annihilation. Certainly, believers do go to be with the Lord at the time of death for Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:8 “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord”. The body may sleep until resurrection but, the soul is fully alive in heaven. On the flip side, in the story of the Rich man and Lazarus found in Luke 16:14-31 – the rich man is plainly conscious in Hades, while Lazarus can be viewed across the great gulf in a place called Paradise. This is clearly not a parable but, an actual event as Jesus never used names in parables.No, the soul is eternal and indestructible as Jesus teaches in Matthew 25:46. The question is – where in eternity it will be. Blessings in Yeshua! C]Rich & Joyce
By: Rich & Joyce Weber on July 19, 2012
at 9:07 pm
Seven Stars is such a beautiful name! Cindy, you must be very proud of her! I have been praying about what to say in regards to this and here is my advice. First of all, please tell Seven Stars that Jesus loves her very much and that He does not want her to fear. Dreams are seldom if ever to be taken literally, They are symbolic of other things and the Lord can give you wisdom in interpreting them. This type of dream could arise from within a person who has a deep fear of going to hell. It is not uncommon for Christian children, who grow up in a church to have such fears. My wife’s daughter had similar dreams when she was young. If it is from the Lord, ask her if she has a deeper love for God and for people as a result of this dream. If she has, then simply tell her to share the love of Christ with all who will listen. Paul preached the message of grace and reconciliation and he turned the whole Roman world upside down. Show her 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 concerning how the Lord has given us the ministry of reconciliation. It is His love that will win others to Him! Try to keep Seven Stars grounded in the Lord’s grace and love. Once you start mixing the law with grace, the message will become ineffective and will impart death rather than life to the hearers. Love you both and will be keeping you in my prayers. P.S. Please pray about this since I am only human but I am trying to help.
[Thank you Robert for a very beautiful and thoughtful comment. Yes, I am proud of my daughter. Seven Stars is the name of her blog, (you can find it on my blog roll). She is the busy mother of three daughters ages 10, 2 and 8 months, so she doesn’t get a lot of time to write or up-date her blog but, she does have a great concern for family and friends who are not yet saved, – and, those who may be left behind. The vision or “dream” as it were – a vivid reminder of the consequences facing those passing in to eternity without knowing Jesus. Thank you again, Robert for your kind comment and your prayers, both of which are much appreciated! C]
By: Robert Distefano on July 20, 2012
at 2:16 am
Hi Cindy, Glad you are back.
Here is a video by an old time preacher in Glory now. The audio and his Scottish/British accent is a little difficult to listen to but it gets the message about Hell across and worth the effort!
Hell – No Exits by Leonard Ravenhill
By: Suzy on July 22, 2012
at 12:21 am
Hi Cindy,
God bless you in your obedience in writing this post. To me, hell is a very real place and I feel sick to my stomach anytime I think of even one person suffering eternal torment. As I read the description from your daughter’s dream, the magnitude of eternity became more prominent, even more real. We must share our faith in boldness and in love. We must pray for the sleeping church to wake up and be the witness we are called to be. We must pray everyday for the unsaved and that their hearts not become hardened so Holy Spirit can draw near to them. We must share the true gospel message of confessing our sins, repenting of them (turn away) and accepting the free gift of salvation as paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross. We must share that He was raised from the dead so that we may have eternal life with Him. And then we must teach others to do the same. Blessings, Tracy
By: Tracy on July 22, 2012
at 3:24 pm
Dear Cindy and Blog Readers,
Warm greetings to you all from England (where Olympic Games hysteria seems to have gripped the nation!). Thank you, Cindy, for your Blog – it’s now on my Favourites menu – and for Seven Stars’ wonderful testimony.
I have been a born-again Christian for 29 years. At the beginning of 2011 I started to ask God what Hell was like. He promptly directed me to Bill Wiese’s testimony of his 23 minutes in Hell, as posted on You Tube. I then looked up the reference Bill Wiese made of another person who had a similar experience, a lady called Mary K. Baxter, whom the Lord took to Hell for 30 nights and then to Heaven, specifically to show her things for her to bear witness. Having heard all postings of her experience on You Tube, it had a profound effect on me. I realised I had to seriously repent before the Lord of all my backsliding and unforgiveness towards others, otherwise I would have ended up in Hell too, as there are many in there because of these very sins. Forgiving others didn’t seem to be possible, as I held grudges against a number of people who had really hurt me. I said to the Lord that I wanted to forgive them out of obedience to Him and that I knew that’s what I should do, but I asked Him to please help me with the pain. The fantastic thing is, I then felt His presence by my side and He took all the pain and hurt away, replacing it in my heart with wave after wave of such intense happiness and joy I never felt before! It got so much that I thought my heart was going to burst with sheer happiness, so I asked the Lord to stop it and He did!
Since then I have been amazed at the number of postings on You Tube from Christians from all over the world whom the Lord showed Hell and then Heaven. They saw the same things and were told by Him to go and tell as many people as possible, and that many of His people think that Hell is not real.
All praise and glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ for ever! His mercy and healing is totally awesome! I am eternally grateful to all the faithful people who shared their testimonies of Hell and Heaven – may they all be greatly blessed by the Lord and shine brightly like stars for all eternity in His presence. I pray that Seven Stars will continue to boldly share her testimony until our Lord Jesus returns.
Every blessing to you all in Christ Jesus, our mighty Saviour and wonderful Redeemer.
[Hi Diana! Thank you so much for writing. I really appreciate the encouragement as does my daughter “seven stars”. Every eye is on London now and what a spectacle it is! Encouraging to know that the Lord has faithful witnesses such as yourself in a place that right now seems steeped in the occult. You’re in my prayers! C]
By: Diana Wilkinson on July 30, 2012
at 12:39 am
Rev20:6 Rev20:13Rev20:14Rev21:4Rev21:8 Could you please explain the second death to me. God Bless you porterboy
[Hi Paul, Thanks for writing and thank you for sending me your question. It’s a good one! And, an important one. Yes, the Bible speaks of two deaths. The first is physical death, which, of course, concerns the body. The second is spiritual, which has to do with the soul or spirit. What happens is this. When people die, their spirits immediately go to one of two places. Hades, aka, sheol/hell and the believer to paradise. We see this example in the story of Lazarus and the rich man. (Luke 16:14-31). At the end of the millenial reign, believers will be judged at the judgement seat of Christ for rewards, while, the unbeliever will be judged at the Great White throne before being cast in to the lake of fire – this is what the Bible refers to as the second death. The second death is not annihilation, (as some would have you think), but, a place of eternal torment from which their is no end and no escape. – The human spirit is indestructible and therefore fully concscious of its environment, when it goes into eternity. (Mark 9:45-46). The question is – where will we be spending it? For more on this, see this very fine article. http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Believer's%20Corner/Doctrines/second_death.htm Hope this answers your question. And, thanks again for writing! Grace and blessings in Y’shua, C]
By: Paul Porter on August 14, 2012
at 8:53 pm
also Rev2:11 thanks
By: Paul Porter on August 14, 2012
at 8:55 pm
Dear Cindy, I hope you don’t mind me sharing an alternative explanation! The word that is mostly translated “eternal”, “everlasting”, and “forever” in the King James Version is the Greek word “aion”. This word actually means “age-abiding”, “age-during”, or “eon”. The highly respected “Young’s Literal Translation” of the Bible, always translates it ‘age’ and never once as ‘everlasting’ or ‘eternal’. Therefore, the word “aion” signifies that there will be an end and it is not forever. Let’s look at Matt. 25:46 in the King James Version: “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Now lets look at the same verse in Young’s Literal Translation: “And these shall go away to punishment age-during, but the righteous to life age-during.” Do you see the difference? After studying the original Greek, I now believe that the fire is symbolic of God’s refining fire. “He is like a refiner‘s fire…He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi…that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness (Mal. 3:2-3). Joseph Herrin, the author of Parablesblog, also has come to this conclusion and writes about it in his blog post “God’s Plan for the Ages” http://parablesblog.blogspot.com/2011/11/gods-plan-of-ages-yahshua-lord-of-ages.html. Please pray about this and ask the Lord if it is true. God bless you Cindy, and thanks for your blog.
[Hi Robert, Thanks for writing thank you for your very thoughtful and respectful comment. I did take a look at the link you posted and while, I have read Joseph Herrins work and enjoyed much of it, I can’t say that I am in agreement with the conclusion that he attempts to draw here. It simply ignores too much other scripture that is pertinent to the subject before a conclusion can be drawn. There are numerous scriptures that can be referenced showing that the dead (both saved and unsaved) are conscious after death. If the unsaved will ultimately be annihilated, then their is simply no reason for the unsaved to fear death – many of then already believe that when, they die that is it. End of story! No, hell and the second death is eternal and permanent separation from God. The souls of the unsaved dead are no more burned up and consumed than were the men thrown in to the fiery furnace in Daniels time or the burning bush in the time of Moses. Here’s another good link on the subject – http://www.mountainretreatorg.net/bible/is_hell.html
Many blessings to you Robert and thanks again for writing! C]
By: Robert Distefano on August 15, 2012
at 4:44 pm
please go to whitehorsemedia and watch the video the hot topic of Hell, I would link it to you but i dont know how. PLEASE watch. God Bless
[Hi Paul, I’m sorry I was not able to find this. You can easily cut and paste the website using your mouse, if you want to give that a try. C]
By: Paul Porter on August 15, 2012
at 7:41 pm
[Hi Paul, I’m sorry but video does not seem to load. C]
By: Paul Porter on August 17, 2012
at 2:22 am
sorry there are 4 parts there all good but part 4 is the one i was talking about. God Bless porterboy
By: Paul Porter on August 17, 2012
at 2:31 am
Cindy, thanks for your reply to my comment! Just to clarify part of your statement; Joseph does not believe in annihilation but in Christian Universalism, which interprets the scriptures that all will eventually be saved at the end of the ages. He believes in hell but not in eternal punishment. (Many people confuse Universalism with Unitarianism so they mischaracterise their beliefs. Univeralists are largely orthodox in their beliefs.) The Greek translation of Christ’s words “eternal punishment” in Matthew 24:26 is “aeonian kolasis”, Aeonian means age-enduring and kolasis means “chastisement, punishment.” “The trimming of the luxuriant branches of a tree or vine to improve it or make it fruitful.” “The act of clipping or pruning – restriction, restraint, reproof, check, chastisement.” The kind of chastisement which leads to the improvement of the criminal is what the Greek philosophers called kolasis or chastisement. The word “kolasis” has the connotation of beneficial disciplinary correction, such as a parent might punish a child for wrongdoing with the purpose of reform. This is in sharp contrast to “timoria”, meaning punitive or vindictive punishment. Kolasis comes from a root word meaning “to prune” as a tree or plant….so God is going to prune the souls of sinners, cutting away the parts that are corrupted by sin, in order to transform the person into a more holy and fruitful son or daughter of God. Kolasis is loving, parental discipline with the goal of helping the one being subjected to it. Hope this clarifies for you what Joseph and many others, who are Universalists, believe. God bless you Cindy, as you grow in His Word.
[Hi Robert, yes, the doctrine of Universalism. For those not familiar with it, it can be summarized as so:
“The basic doctrine of universalism is that all men will finally be saved, and that ultimately none will be lost. Universalism is the teaching that, because Christ died for all, He will sovereignly and out of love bring all men eventually to salvation. The universalist believes that men cannot be eternally lost”. http://www.brfwitness.org/?p=187
Here again, Robert this doctrine flies in the face of both scripture and reason. The Bible makes a clear distinction between heaven and hell, and the eternal destiny of each person in regard to where they will spend it. Too accuse God of being vindictive or punative (when his nature is justice and holiness, as well as love) is to assign evil qualities to our great and gracious God; neither of which he is and to say otherwise is an insult to his Holy name. It is our sin that condemns us to an eternity outside of God; in one sense, you might say, we send ourselves there. God sent his Son so that we could be reconciled to him. If we choose not to – then, the fault is ours, not his. C]
By: Robert Distefano on August 19, 2012
at 1:58 pm
Cindy, my dear sister in Christ, please, there is no need to get defensive about the comment that I made. First of all, no one who is a Universalist Christian will accuse God of being vindictive or punitive. On the contrary, He is the opposite of that. When you study the Greek word for punishment, which is Kolasis, it’s definition is like a parent disciplining his beloved child. That is all that I was trying to convey! Like I stated before, Universalists are very orthodox in their beliefs. They believe that all are saved by the cross, they believe in the Trinity, the virgin birth etc. The only major point of disagreement is that they don’t believe that hell is eternal. And of course, they believe that the scriptures, especially in the original languages, back up their claim. They deserve to be respected as brothers and sisters just as you deserve to be respected. Remember, we are all His children and we may disagree on some points, but we are all one in Him. God bless you Cindy..
[Hi Robert, In my opinion, Universalism is problematic to the gospel message. And, if you think it through, you might see why. I know of no respected Bible teacher, who holds this position. Therefore, it is not a matter of whether I disrespect those who hold a different doctrinal position or not, but, a matter of my being faithful to what I believe the Bible teaches – and, it does not teach that all will be saved.
Under this erroneous doctrine, there is no urgency to the gospel message, no real need to evangelize, no personal responsibility for sin and certainly no fear of the second death, of which the Bible clearly teaches. If you think I am disrespectful for not supporting what I consider to be a near heretical teaching, then so be it. That is your perogative. I stand with the Bible. “Whoever has the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” John 3:36 That’s what the Bible says.
I thank you for writing Robert and it is not so much my intention to be curt, as it is to be firm. I have a responsibility to God for what I share on this blog, it’s a public forum and open to many eyes. Therefore, I can do nothing less than be true to God’s word, as I see it. I hope you understand. Many blessings to you as you continue to grow and study in His word. C]
By: Robert Distefano on August 22, 2012
at 3:23 am