There are people who claim to have visited hell from time to time, and they often appear on YouTube. They say things like, “I was tortured by demons in hell without end,” or “There were many people there, including famous person X.” I wonder if these are truly revelations from God.
I sometimes question whether the practice of showing people hell to induce repentance is actually in line with the teachings of the New Testament.
Reasons to be skeptical
Just as God told Adam and Eve, who had sinned in the Old Testament, that they would “die,” they simply understood that they would “die someday.”
Death is a universal truth, meaning that all of Adam’s descendants will die someday; the soul is not immortal, nor does it wander in the underworld or continue to live. That is a false doctrine brought about by Satan, the father of lies.
People tend to spread or share these personal accounts online without giving them much thought, but what if they aren’t actually dreams sent by God?
I believe the devil is cunning and clever, mixing lies into the truth to mislead people. Even if we consider how Satan skillfully deceived Eve by mixing the truth—that she would “become like God and know good and evil”—with the lie that she would “become like God and never die,” it is clear that Satan’s method involves mixing lies with the truth, creating a complex and difficult-to-discern deception.
Some people say, “I saw hell; it was a terrible, agonizing place.” Even if that person is a Christian who, having seen hell, repented and now leads a virtuous life, I don’t think others should simply accept their account at face value—whether it’s a dream or truly from God.
However, I can’t help but wonder if it’s truly the right way to guide people—constantly recounting terrifying experiences and saying things like, “Hell is terrible; you’ll burn there forever in agony,” and forcing people to repent out of fear and reverence for God.
However, there are surprisingly many personal accounts that contradict the Bible—such as stories of people being tortured by demons or homosexuals being violated by them. There are even videos of young children claiming to have had dreams of being tortured by demons, and many people discuss these stories with a smile on their faces, saying things like, “The God of love is warning us because He loves us.” But if that is indeed a mistake, it would truly be a disgrace to God.
To begin with, the Bible describes hell in Matthew 25:41 as “a place prepared for the devil and his angels.” Furthermore, when the demons stood before Jesus, they asked, “Will you cast us into the bottomless pit, Son of the Most High God?” This shows that the demons themselves fear the place defined as hell. In other words, it is a place that is unfavorable to demonic spirits. Despite this, much of the content disseminated on YouTube, blogs, and by publishers consists of theoretically flawed, unreliable, and subjective personal accounts—such as claims that humans are tortured by demons and evil spirits in hell through dreams or visions. If demonic spirits were free to torture humans in hell, then that place would not be hell for them, but rather heaven.
I’d prefer not to sound too dismissive, but it seems likely that the average Christian’s intelligence is below standard, and many lack the critical thinking skills needed to spot obvious lies. However, no matter how low their intelligence may be, that does not excuse the sins of the false shepherds described in Jeremiah 23. I suspect this is precisely the tactic Satan has been aiming for.
Satan is quite cunning and clever, so he infiltrates the Christian community
Satan cannot change the minds of true Christians even by persecuting and torturing them, and since there are many who remain faithful like Job, Satan is now cunning enough to infiltrate Christianity and create elements of apostasy. Therefore, even when individuals claim to have had dreams from God or to have experienced hell, I believe we should carefully scrutinize whether such spiritual experiences truly come from the “God of love.”
Even if someone is saved through their account of being tortured by that mysterious demon—an experience they describe as hell—80% of non-believers who hear it will rationally reject it, come to hate God, and say, “I’m done with Christianity because someone talked about some weird hellish experience… My beloved [name] being tortured by demons in hell… Why are evil spirits free in hell?”—then I can only view that as a vulgar and logically flawed diabolical doctrine.
If it were an obvious lie, people would see right through it, so it’s not surprising to suspect that they might be trying to have a seemingly plausible, Christian-like figure experience hell and spread the story around the world.
Therefore, since the Book of Revelation clearly describes the lake of fire and the second death in detail, I don’t think there’s any need to search the internet for more spiritual experiences of hell than necessary, nor do I think we should take such accounts at face value.
It’s a matter of that person’s relationship with God, and while it’s certainly a good thing that this has helped them feel better emotionally, if 80% of people find their story off-putting, I simply think it’s harmful.
Since the Bible tells us to know the fruit it bears, if sharing such personal experiences can inspire people to move in a positive direction, that’s one thing; but if it simply binds people with fear and obsession, it seems to completely contradict the saying, “The truth will set you free.”
Furthermore, the central message of Jesus’ ministry emphasized repentance, and those whom he sometimes sternly condemned to Gehenna were people who boasted of their righteousness, such as the religious Pharisees. If we apply this to the present day, it refers to people in the modern church.
They threaten people by saying, “If you don’t believe, you’ll go to hell,” and “If you don’t donate, you’ll go to hell.” They repeatedly and uncritically boast about having “experienced hell” (since they have no intention of going there themselves, they speak of it without a care). They threaten people by saying, “If you don’t do such-and-such, you won’t be raptured,” and even threaten them to “fight evil spirits through speaking in tongues.” In all these ways, their doctrine appears to be fundamentally flawed, and they seem to be scattering the flock they are supposed to shepherd.
People who are striving to be caught up in the Rapture generally take pride in their righteousness; however, since the Book of Daniel prophesies that believers will be “refined,” it is believed that true Christians will attain heavenly status through tribulation, persecution, and martyrdom.
The doctrinal problems facing mainstream churches and seminaries are quite numerous, and they are likely no better than the Jehovah’s Witnesses or Seventh-day Adventists—groups they label as heretical. Japanese people, in particular, are diligent once they take something at face value, so it seems they go around repeating the same stories over and over again about “hell” and “personal experiences.”
The true Gospel is not some misguided, threatening notion that goes something like, “The Rapture is coming soon, so get baptized quickly! You’ll experience hell! Isn’t that terrifying?” Rather, it is a message of hope that enables good people to endure trials in Satan’s world by living a life that cultivates the gentle and humble qualities of Jesus—qualities that lead one to stand by the weak and even wash others’ feet.
Since the Book of Revelation itself is the word of God, it is trustworthy; and as long as it exists, there is no need to go out of your way to search for other accounts of hellish experiences or even buy and read books about them. I think it is undeniable that leaning too heavily on such experiential accounts can lead one down a dangerous path.
Generally speaking, people do not typically have near-death experiences, and that is precisely why, if someone has had a strange, eerie spiritual experience—such as an encounter with a malevolent spirit, a nightmare, or a near-death experience—I believe they should verify whether it aligns with the Bible and makes sense before sharing it with others.
If someone goes around blabbing about everything and anything, it will quickly cause divisions within the church, stir up fear, and might even turn them into a false teacher. It’s Satan’s specialty to mix a 10% lie into 90% truth, then get prominent pastors or teachers to spread it around and mislead the masses. The same applies to my blog, which is why I maintain the stance that you should “examine everything carefully.”
The crime of receiving speaking fees for sharing personal experiences
Micah 3:5-12 (NKJV) 5 Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets Who make my people stray; Who chant “Peace” While they chew with their teeth, But who prepare war against him Who puts nothing into their mouths: 6 “Therefore you shall have night without vision, And you shall have darkness without divination; The sun shall go down on the prophets, And the day shall be dark for them. 7 So the seers shall be ashamed, And the diviners abashed; Indeed they shall all cover their lips; For there is no answer from God.” 8 But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, And of justice and might, To declare to Jacob his transgression And to Israel his sin. 9 Now hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob And rulers of the house of Israel, Who abhor justice and pervert all equity, 10 Who build up Zion with bloodshed And Jerusalem with iniquity: 11 Her heads judge for a bribe, Her priests teach for pay, And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord, and say, “Is not the Lord among us? No harm can come upon us.” 12 Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, And the mountain of the temple Like the bare hills of the forest.
You see those Christians on YouTube, don’t you? They’re getting paid a fortune and talking all high and mighty about near-death experiences with big smiles on their faces. That’s just too sinful.
No comments:
Post a Comment