Once more, I found
myself watching as an observer and saw my body lying at the edge of what
appeared to be a very large wheel or turntable that could possibly have encompassed
the entire pit area. My head was toward
the wall along which the wheel moved and my body lay straight out from the
wall, unlike in the past when I had been lying parallel to it.
To the right of my body and approximately parallel with it I saw the edge of
what appeared to be another overlapping and darker wheel into which the one carrying
me was slowly converging. Along the edge
where I was lying were tic marks that seemed to indicate time. Watching the rate of progress of the moving
wheel, I estimated that it was a matter of only a few minutes before the area
where I was lying would converge.
Was this the final countdown? Did this
mean that I was about to die and to enter the deeper parts of Hell?
Suddenly, a woman’s voice made an announcement.
Not a real person, but like the professional recording of an automated
answering service. I don’t remember the words
the voice spoke precisely enough to quote them verbatim, but it said something
like: “Welcome to His Majesty’s Imperial
Kingdom. We will now begin to make
connections.”
Immediately, I saw (now back in my body) an array of electrodes like those from
an EKG machine pop up from the darker area at my right side. A couple of them attached themselves to my
right leg. With that, my spirit began to
recoil within me and I yelled out (probably not audibly), “Satan, you cannot
have me! I belong to Jesus. He poured out His blood for me and has paid
for all my sins!”
From the observer point of view I saw that the wheel had actually moved backward a
couple of marks. Was this a positive turn of
events for me, or was it just another reprieve while they made sure I was completely dead? In either case, another part of this place was
about to be revealed to me that I had not seen so far and that would impact me emotionally more than anything else in this entire journey.
With my air supply now barely sustaining me, I sensed that I was slowly floating
in a downward spiraling free fall. Soon I
began to see barren walls with a few oriental-style markings on them that
blended into the pavement beneath. I
heard that these were the ruins of ancient nations.
As I passed through various scenes and saw the walls and pavement more closely,
I realized that they were covered with many small dark specks. Some appeared as round dots and others resembled
short pieces of broken pencil lead randomly stuck there.
I knew right away what they were and imagined a whole civilization that once
walked the earth now consigned to this eternal fate. I was deeply moved to realize that these were
the individual souls of real people trampled into the dirt and mire of past
ages where they would remain forever.
As I was shown scene after scene, the conditions continually deteriorated to
the point that the souls of people lay scattered as debris on dirty streets,
many pounded into the pavement. It was
heartbreaking and overwhelming. Then, I
thought about the billions more that are alive on the earth today that will one
day join these unless they come to faith in Jesus before they die.
Suddenly, I saw that I was back on the wheel again.
Then I noticed that I was surrounded by more of the same type of
pedestals that I had seen in the in-processing station. They were on both the moving wheel and the
darker area I was approaching. Although
I knew it was too late for these souls, I felt so moved that I prayed for them
anyway that if possible they might feel at least the touch of Christ’s love, if
for only a moment.
Then I saw that the authorities were doing more tests on me. This time they were analyzing my brain and
were actually downloading all the data stored in my memory. Of course, that would include everything I
had ever done or thought! In my shock, I yelled
out in protest, “You have no right to do that!
Everything I have ever done wrong and every evil thought I have ever had has been forgiven
and covered by the blood of Jesus.”
Under growing anguish, I cried out yet again, “Jesus, I’m willing to go through
this if it can bring honor to You. I’m trusting
You to be with me.” Then a doubt (I know
where that came from!) entered mind: would God even hear me from this place if Hell
is being absent from God? Then, just as
quickly, the answer came as I remembered that the Scriptures say there is no
place I can go from His presence even “if I make my bed in Hell.”
After all their analysis the experts were still undecided and puzzled about
whether I was fully dead or not. Then
my son James had a suggestion that they agreed to try.
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into Heaven, You are there; if I
make my bed in Hell, behold You are there.
Psalm 139:7,8
(to be continued…)
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