by George Sidney Hurd “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God.” (1 John 4:1) In recent years many have been traumatized by a deluge of books and videos graphically describing vivid terrifying accounts of visions of Hell. For the most part, those outside the Christian faith pass them off, pointing to them as one more justification for rejecting the Christian message. The ones most adversely affected by visions of Hell are children and newborn believers who lack the full assurance of faith, not yet fully understanding that our salvation is not based upon our works but entirely upon the finished work of Christ on the cross. When I first came to know the Lord in 1969, I remember reading certain verses out of context and feeling despair until I continued reading and could see the verse in context. There were no such videos nor internet at that time. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be a new believer today, aware of your own shortcomings and hearing such graphic testimonies of Christians being tormented in Hell forever for sins you are still struggling with! While some testimonies of Hell, such as the "Well to Hell" or "Siberian Hell Sounds" hoax have since been exposed as fraudulent, I believe that most of them truly were supernatural visions. However, all too often the source of such supernatural encounters goes unquestioned in Pentecostal and Charismatic circles. Often, just calling into question a vision or a prophecy is treated as equivalent to blaspheming the Holy Spirit. In Scripture we are told not to believe every spirit, but to test the spirits to see whether they are of God. And we have the Scriptures by which to test them. As Peter said of the Scriptures, we have “a more sure word of prophecy” (2Peter 1:19-21). The written Word of God is the only objective standard by which to discern between what is true and what is false. Instead of the declarations of the prophets being beyond question, Paul said: “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge” (1Cor 14:29-30). While each of us must draw our own conclusions, in this article I will be presenting why I do not believe that these visions of Hell are of God: 1) They invalidate the gospel, 2) They present a different Christ, and 3) They do not Correspond with the Biblical Description. . 1) They Invalidate the Gospel The gospel of Jesus Christ is all about what He did for us, and nothing about what we have done or will do for Him. In 1Corinthians 15:1-4 Paul tells us that the gospel is that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose from the dead. When Christ cried out from the cross “it is finished” it was the declaration that He had paid the penalty for the sins of the world. Salvation is the gift of God, freely offered to mankind. We do not work for this gift – we simply receive it by faith. The moment we receive it, we are saved. Some have mistakenly argued that our salvation isn’t consummated the moment we put our trust in Jesus. They point out that “whoever believes” in John 3:16 is present tense, and from that they argue that it should read “whoever continues believing.” Interpreted that way, one could never have assurance of salvation. However, at the risk of becoming too technical, the phrase “whoever believes in Him” (πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτόν) in John 3:16 is a clear example of the gnomic present in Koine Greek. It expresses a timeless, universal truth. In other words, it means that anyone, at any time, who believes in Jesus will receive eternal life. This usage underscores the universal scope of salvation rather than continuous action of believing. This is made even more clear by the example Jesus gave in the previous two verses. In John 3:14-15 Jesus said: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Jesus was referring to Numbers 21 where the children of Israel sinned against the Lord and He sent deadly serpents against them. When Moses interceded for them, the Lord told him to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a pole, saying that everyone who looked at the serpent would live. Jesus was saying that even as one look of faith at the bronze serpent gave life, even so, everyone who believes on Him will not perish but have everlasting life. Obviously, they didn’t have to keep their eyes on the serpent for the rest of their lives in order to live. In the same manner, the moment we believed we passed from death unto life. This is made even more clear a few verses later where Jesus said: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (John 5:24) Here, just as in John 3:16, “hears” and “believes” are gnomic present tense participles, referring not to continually hearing, but to those in the category of hearers and believers. If you have heard the gospel and responded in faith, you already possess eternal life and will not come into judgment (i.e., go to Hell). The moment you heard the gospel and believed with your heart, your eternal destiny was sealed. Paul said: “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Eph 1:13-14) Upon hearing and believing we were sealed until Christ comes to receive us in glory. Paul said: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Eph 4:30). If we sin, we grieve the Spirit and may come under chastisement, but God will not break His seal or unborn those who have been born of God. He will not unjustify those whom He has justified: that would be double jeopardy. He will not take back the gift of life once He has given it: “the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom 11:29). The New Testament repeatedly emphasizes that salvation is a free gift of God that one receives upon believing, independent from works. Paul said: “For by grace you have been saved (perfect passive) through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph 2:8-9) Here we see that the moment we believed by grace in what Christ did for us, we were saved. The perfect passive, “have been saved,” indicates that salvation is something we passively received in the past with the enduring result that we remain in a saved state. We make no contribution whatsoever; salvation is entirely the gift of God. As we see in the next verse (Ephesians 2:10), every change within us after being saved is God’s workmanship. In this manner all grounds of boasting are removed. God who begins the good work in us is the one who brings it to perfection (Phil 1:6). He is the one who accomplishes our subsequent full sanctification. Paul says of our sanctification: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” (1 Thess 5:23-24) Jude says that God our Savior is able to keep us from falling and to present us faultless before His throne of glory with exceeding joy (Jude 24-25). Praise His wonderful name! We can be at peace, knowing that we have been freely justified once and for all by grace apart from works (Rom 3:21-24; 4:4-5; 5:1). There remains no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). No one, nor anything, will ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 8:38-39). Understanding these truths enables us to enter into His rest, ceasing from our own striving for salvation and trusting in His finished work of redemption (Heb 1:3; 4:10; 10:12,14). The testimonies of visions of Hell seek to invalidate this good news of salvation, saying that they saw true born again believers in Hell. One testimony speaks of a pastor who went to hell because he died in an accident after leaving his house before reconciling with his wife after a disagreement. [1] In another testimony, a woman who was faithful and active in her church leadership for years said that she was shown that she would have been in Hell forever just for having supported her pastor’s ministry, knowing that he was beginning to focus more on his ministry than on Christ. [2] Many like Angelica Zambrano, were shown Christians in hell for things such as failing to tithe or listening to secular music. [3] Some who were members of legalistic churches said they saw women in Hell for wearing pants or jewelry and wearing makeup or dying their hair. Mary Baxter’s book, A Divine Revelation of Hell, has sold over 1.3 million copies. In it she tells why born-again Christians were in Hell. One man was in Hell because he didn’t loan money to someone to pay for a funeral. [4] Another said he was in Hell for refusing to give an alcoholic money under the pretext of buying clothes and shoes for his boy. [5] Under these conditions, it would be impossible for anyone here in Latin America to avoid going to Hell, since people are continually asking for handouts, making it impossible to give to everyone who asks. I could give many more examples where the visions of Hell describe born again believers as being in Hell because of one sin they committed without having repented on time. I am convinced that these visions come from the enemy masquerading as an angel of light in an attempt to invalidate the gospel of grace, causing believers to look to themselves for salvation rather than trusting in Christ’s finished work. In Romans 11:6, Paul is emphatically redundant in insisting that if it be by grace, it cannot be by works. He says: “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.” Salvation is either by grace or by works; it cannot be both. It cannot be a 50/50 transaction: it can’t even be a 99/1 transaction. Salvation is 100% a gift of God’s grace. Subsequent works are the fruit of salvation, not that which obtains it. We are His workmanship, and “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). Visions of Hell have caused many a believer to take their eyes off of Jesus and focus on their own performance, as Paul said he did in Romans 7:9-25. The moment we take our eyes off of Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, we fall from the grace-walk into fleshly striving and self-condemnation. Satan is our accuser, and we need to be aware of his strategies. Paul addresses a similar situation in his epistle to the Galatians. Judaisers had “bewitched” the believers in Galatia, causing them to doubt the sufficiency of Christ, saying that if they wanted to be justified, they would have to add their own works. He made it clear that when works are added, it is no longer good news. He said: “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.” “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?” “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” (Gal 1:6-7; 3:1-2; 2:21) If Paul characterized the Judaizers’ addition of works to simple faith in Christ as being a perversion of the gospel, what would he say about the vivid and grotesque descriptions of born again believers in Hell because they lacked sufficient works, or died without having confessed every sin? The closer our walk with the Lord, the more we become aware of the fact that we sin daily in thought and deed. These modern visions of Hell don’t simply “trouble” believers, they often traumatize them, causing them to fall from the grace-walk, setting aside the grace of God, hoping to become righteous enough to escape the horrific everlasting Hell depicted in these demonic visions. Clearly, these visions of Hell invalidate the gospel of grace and are a stumbling block to many sincere Christians. 2) They present a Different Christ In many of these testimonies concerning visions of Hell, they claim that Jesus personally took them on a guided tour of Hell. Many fear even considering the possibility that it is not the true Christ but a false Christ, a messenger of Satan disguised as a messenger of light (2Cor 11:14). Jesus warned us of these times, saying: “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” (Matt 24:24) As I see it, the primary objective of these visions of Hell is to try to deceive the elect into thinking that their salvation depends upon their own works, rather than resting in the finished work of Christ. Jesus said that many would come in His name, saying “I am the Christ,” deceiving many (Matt 24:5). Most of the present-day appearances of those claiming to be “the Christ” are not a physical person, but are appearances in visions, so we must learn to test the spirits. Several supposed encounters with Jesus in Hell, such as that of the hard rock musician, Tim Ehmann were experienced by non-believers while on drugs. [6] While that in itself doesn’t rule out the possibility of Jesus actually appearing to someone on drugs, the likelihood that it was a deceiving spirit masquerading as a messenger of light greatly increases. Most describe Jesus in a manner inconsistent with His character as revealed in Scripture. According to Mary Baxter, Jesus took her to Hell for 30 nights, showing her those who were in torments. When those in unspeakable torments cried out to Jesus for mercy, His often-repeated response was, “peace be still.” The only time the Jesus of the Gospels said “peace be still” was when He calmed the sea. To say peace be still to someone in torments, only to leave them in the same condition, would be a mockery and inconsistent with His nature. Also, those taken to Hell are often portrayed as having more compassion than Christ Himself. When Mary Baxter would want to alleviate their suffering, Jesus would say “it’s too late.” In contrast, the Jesus of Scripture says that He will draw all unto Himself, that He will seek and save the lost until the last lost sheep is safe in the fold (Jn 12:32; Luke 19:10; Matt 18:12). Is He not the God who said that He will not cast off any of the children of men forever? (Lam 3:31-33). Also, common to the Jesus of these visions, He often leaves the one He takes to Hell alone to be subjected to the torments of hell so they can experience it for themselves. The following is only the beginning of increasingly horrendous tortures that the Jesus of Mary’s vision abandoned her to in the “jaws of Hell”: “And then I felt my flesh and skin begin to fall off my bones! (For some reason, it seemed like I had flesh.) I screamed in abject horror. “O Jesus,” I called out, “where are You?” [7] Her torments only got worse from here. She said that after being tormented in Hell she was ill and traumatized for several days afterwards. For me, it is hard to imagine the Jesus of the Gospels, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, subjecting anyone to such horrors, let alone a justified born again believer. Even worse is what Angelica Zambrano (who was only 18 years old at the time) said that Jesus did to her. According to her account, Jesus told her that on November 7, 2009, he was going to kill her and take her to Hell so she could see what it was like in order to warn others, but that afterwards he would raise her from the dead. She pleaded with him not to kill her, but He insisted that it was His will. She said that when she died and was going down into Hell she was horrified and asked the Lord to take her back, but he said it was necessary. In a manner similar to Mary Baxter, he left her alone to feel the torments of Hell firsthand. She said when he raised her from the dead after 23 hours laying on the floor that it took her two weeks to be able to get out of bed, and demons came into her room and tormented her. And that wasn’t the end of it. She said that Jesus took her to Hell three more times, although on those occasions she didn’t have to die. As could be expected, many have suffered PTSD as a result of what they experienced. I can’t imagine the Jesus of the Bible subjecting a young girl, whose only desire was to please Him, to such a hellish experience. According to her, Jesus even showed her children who were in Hell for having watched cartoons! [8] Considering all of these details, and the fact that the visions present Jesus as negating the gospel by making salvation dependent upon what we do for Him, rather than what He did for us on the cross, I would say that the only logical conclusion we can come to is that the Jesus of these visions of Hell is not the Jesus of the Bible. 3) They do not Correspond with the Biblical Description Another reason why I do not believe that these visions of Hell are of God is because there are numerous ways in which they do not correspond with what we see in Scripture. For brevity, I will not point out the distinction between Sheol or Hades, Tartarus and Gehenna fire or eonian fire. 1. Jesus indicated that people will not be persuaded by someone who saw Hell The reason that the Jesus of the visions gives for taking them to Hell is so that others will not go to that place of torment. However, in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, when the rich man implored Abraham that Lazarus be sent back from the dead in order to warn others so that they would not go to that place of torment, Abraham’s reply presents a strong argument against their claim that Jesus took them to Hell and back in order that others would not go to that place of torment: “Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.' 29 Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' 30 And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31 But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'" (Luke 16:27-31) If Jesus indicated in this parable that people would not believe even though one should rise from the dead to warn them, why would He be doing that today? Why subject His beloved children to such horrific torments? Jesus is not wringing His hands, hoping that people will come to Him. He said: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44). Man is so lost and blinded by sin that they could not believe, even if someone were to come back from the dead to warn them. The good news is that, although some will receive their part in the Lake of Fire, being hurt by the second death, in the final dispensation of the fullness of the times, He will have drawn all unto Himself, resulting in God being all in all (Jn 12:32; Eph 1:10; 1Cor 15:28). God has sworn by Himself that all the ends of the earth, including those presently under the earth, will look to Him and be saved, bowing the knee and confessing Jesus Christ as Lord (Isa 45:22-24, c.f. Phil 2:10-11). I further develop these points in my book, The Universal Solution. Therefore, it is very unlikely that the Jesus of the Gospels would be sending His children to Hell and back so that they could warn others not to go there. It is more probable that it is another ploy of the enemy, intended to fill people’s hearts with fear, especially Christians, so that, instead of resting in Christ’s finished work, they will begin to frantically strive for salvation. They will also begin preaching the other gospel which Paul said was in reality not a gospel at all. The result is converts preaching a false gospel of works, making others twice as much a son of hell (Gehenna) as themselves (Matt 23:15). 2. Satan and his demons are not in Hell Many who claim to have been in Hell and back say that Satan himself was in charge and the demons were not in torments but rather were the tormentors. According to these visions, Satan and his demons are never tormented, but are the ones administering torments throughout all eternity. However, Satan and his demons are nowhere shown to even be in Hell at this time. The angels who left their proper abode are not with the dead, but bound in the abyss or Tartarus (Jude 6). Satan is presently the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2). It isn’t until Christ returns and sets up His millennial reign that Satan is cast into the abyss (Rev 20:1-3). The only places where demons are seen to be operating in Scripture is in the heavens and upon the earth (Eph 6:12; Luke 11:24). Jesus said in Matthew 25:41 that the eonian fire, equivalent to Gehenna and the Lake of Fire, was prepared for the devil and his angels, but they weren’t there yet. This we can see in Matthew 8:29 where the legion of demons in the demoniac of Gadara cried out to Jesus saying: “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Additionally, when Jesus said that the eonian fire was prepared for the devil and his angels, it is obvious that He didn’t mean that God had prepared it as a kingdom for them to rule, as the visions of Hell portray it, but rather they themselves will undergo the fiery torments. They will not be the tormentors, but the tormented. The depiction of demons tormenting souls in Hell as we first see in later Christian literature, such as the 2nd century pseudo Apocalypse of Peter and further expanded upon in the 14th century Divine Comedy by Dante were not derived from Scripture, but from Greco-Roman and Ancient Near Eastern sources. I believe that they are in reality doctrines of demons, overthrowing the faith of some. 3. The descriptions of Hell are contradictory and not biblical There are nearly as many different and conflicting descriptions of Hell as there are people who have had the visions. However, for space, I will simply give a few examples. In R. Cook’s vision he saw that Hell had nine levels spiraling downwards, just as described in Dante’s Divine Comedy.[9] In marked contrast Mary Baxter said that Hell was in the form of a human body and for thirty nights she was taken to different parts of the body of Hell. This is a quote from her book: “Jesus said, ‘We are now about to enter a tunnel that will take us into the belly of hell. Hell is shaped like a human body lying in the center of the earth. The body is lying on its back, with both arms and both legs stretched out. As I have a body of believers, so hell has a body of sin and death. As the Christ-body is built up daily, so the hell-body is also built up daily.” [10] She presents Jesus as saying that, just as Christ is building His body, so Satan is literally building his own body in Hell! It was in the jaws of the body of Hell that she claimed that Jesus had left her alone to be tortured so she could experience firsthand what it felt like to be tormented forever in Hell. However, when Jesus said that the eonian fire was prepared for the devil and his angels, He didn’t mean that Satan himself was the one preparing it (Matt 25:41). In Bill Wiese’s book 23 Minutes in Hell, which has sold over a million copies and was on the New York Times Best Seller list, he said that he didn’t see any children in Hell, and he gave a scriptural explanation as to why there wouldn’t be any children in Hell. [11] However, others, such as Angelica Zambrano, say that they saw children who were in Hell for doing things like disrespecting their parents or watching cartoons! [12] These are just a few brief examples of the inconsistencies between these different visions, but these should serve to demonstrate that we should not believe every spirit but should test the spirits to see if they are of God. Some fear questioning visions due to their supernatural nature. However, in Scripture visions and trances are often seen to be the deception of the enemy. Ezekiel says of the false prophets in Israel: “Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord God,' when the Lord had not spoken.” (Ezek 22:28) The false prophets had visions, but they were false visions. I am not questioning the reality of the visions of Hell or the sincerity of those having them. Some of them, like Mary Baxter and Bill Wiese have made millions from the sale of their books but that doesn’t mean that their motive for writing them was monetary. Nevertheless, the test of truth is the Scriptures, not the motives of those who claim to have experienced them. I am not saying that all visions of heaven and Hell are lying visions. There is a Hell to be shunned and a heaven to be received. However, every vision and every prophecy must stand the test of Scripture. As I argue in my book, The Triumph of Mercy, and my article, Sulfur, Salt and the Refiner’s Fire, the Hell of Scripture, properly called the Lake (or pool) of Fire, is not comparable to Dante’s inferno nor Mary Baxter’s body of Hell. Properly understood, it is the Refiner’s crucible, and it does not last forever but only “until” (Matt 5:26; Rev 21:8; Luke 12:47). I demonstrate that aion and aionios, often erroneously translated “everlasting” or “eternal” when referring to punishment, means “eonian” or “age during” in my article, The Duration of Punishment. In summary, judging the visions of Hell by their fruits, they are not in agreement with what the Scriptures present us concerning Hell, and they negate the gospel of grace, upsetting the faith of many a sincere Christian. I believe that Paul would say concerning them the same thing that he said to the believers at Corinth: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2 Cor 11:3) [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnqPEVo4b-A [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ_AXQIom3Y&list=PPSV [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KoTzVVBnAk&list=PLINRBYs9Hc-3qWtkjqtJ1TXYFxo3-F5pt [4] Baxter, Mary K.. A Divine Revelation of Hell (p. 192). Whitaker House. Kindle Edition. [5] Baxter, Mary K.. A Divine Revelation of Hell (p. 194). Whitaker House. Kindle Edition. [6] Ehmann, Tim. I Met God in Hell (p. 76). BroadStreet Publishing Group LLC. Kindle Edition. [7] Baxter, Mary K.. A Divine Revelation of Hell (pp. 175-176). Whitaker House. Kindle Edition. [8] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KoTzVVBnAk&list=PLINRBYs9Hc-3qWtkjqtJ1TXYFxo3-F5pt [9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78QEtegZ90g&t=25s [10] Baxter, Mary K.. A Divine Revelation of Hell (p. 63). Whitaker House. Kindle Edition. [11] Wiese, Bill. 23 Minutes In Hell: One Man's Story About What He Saw, Heard, and Felt in that Place of Torment . Strang Communications. Loc. 1496 - A. Kindle Edition. [12] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KoTzVVBnAk&list=PLINRBYs9Hc-3qWtkjqtJ1TXYFxo3-F5pt 
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