Columbian Youths Heaven 2

The international ministry "Light for the Nations" presents: 

Together as a group, these 7 Columbian youths were taken by Jesus Christ and shown Heaven and  Hell. Hear their account of the Glories of Heaven and misery of Hell. Due to the recording that this was translated from, we could only record 6 testimonies Originally transcribed from Spanish Audio Illustrations/Pictures were added later, and were not part of the testimony Translation help by Claudia Alejandra Elguezabal 

1ST TESTIMONY

2 Corinthians 12:2: “I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—was caught up as far as the third heaven.”

We were in the room, when we had the first experience. The room started to fill again with a light from the presence of the Lord. It was so powerful that it lit up the entire room. The room was full of His glory, it was beautiful to be before Him.

Jesus told us, “My sons, now I will show you My Kingdom, we will go to My Glory.” We took each other’s hands and were lifted up. I looked down and noticed that we were going out of our own bodies. As we left our bodies we were dressed with white robes and started to go up at a very high speed.

We arrived in front of a pair of doors which was the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven. We were astonished at what was happening to us. Thankfully, Jesus the Son of God was there with us, along with two angels who each had four wings.

The angels began to talk to us, but we didn’t understand what they were saying. Their language was very different from ours, neither was it like any Earthly language. These angels were welcoming us and they opened those immense doors. We saw a wonderful place, with many different things. When we came inside, a perfect peace filled our hearts. The Bible tells us that God would give us peace that surpasses all human understanding (Philippians 4:7).

The first thing I saw was a deer, so I asked one of my friends, “Sandra, are you looking at the same thing I am looking at?” She was no longer crying or shouting anymore, as when we were shown Hell. She was smiling and said: “Yes Esau, I am looking at a deer!” Then I knew that everything was real, we were really in the Kingdom of Heaven. All the horrors that we saw in Hell were soon forgotten. We were there enjoying the glory of God. We went to where the deer was, behind it stood an absolutely huge tree! It was in the center of the paradise.

The Bible tells us in Revelation 2:7: “Whoever has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. I will grant the victor to eat from the tree of life that stands in the paradise of God.”

This tree is a symbol of Jesus, because Christ is Eternal Life. Behind the tree was a river of crystalline water. It was so clear and beautiful, like we never had seen before on Earth. We just wanted to stay in that place. Many times we said to the Lord, “Lord please! Do not take us out of this place! We want to be here forever! We don’t want to go back to Earth!” The Lord answered us, “It is necessary that you go back to give testimony of all the things that I have prepared for those who love Me because I am coming back very soon and My reward is with Me.”

When we saw the river, we hurried there and got inside of it. We remembered the scripture that says that whoever believes in the Lord, from his belly shall run rivers of living water (John 7:38). The water from this river seemed to have life in itself, so we immersed ourselves in it. Inside and outside of the water we could breathe normally. That river was very deep and there were many different colors of fish swimming in it. The light inside and out of the river was normal; in Heaven light did not come from a specific source, everything was just brightly lit up. The Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus is the light of that city (Revelations 21:23).

With our hands, we took some of the fish out of the water; they didn’t die. So we ran to the Lord and asked Him why. The Lord smiled and answered that in Heaven there is no more death, no more crying, and no more pain (Revelations 21:4).

We left the river and ran to every place we could find, we wanted to touch and experience everything. We wanted to bring everything back home with us, because we were so amazed at the things in Heaven. They simply cannot be explained sufficiently with words. When the Apostle Paul was taken to Heaven, he saw things that he could never explain with words, because of the greatness of the things in the Kingdom of Heaven (2 Corinthians 12). There are things we saw that we have almost no way of describing.

We then came to a very immense area; a very wonderful and beautiful place. This place was full of precious stones: gold, emeralds, rubies and diamonds. The floor was made of pure gold. We then went to a place where there were three very large books. The first one was a Bible made of gold. In Psalms it tells us that the Word of God is eternal and that the Word of God remains in Heaven forever (Psalms 119:89). We were looking at a huge golden Bible; the pages, the scripture, everything was made of pure gold.

The second book we saw was bigger than the Bible. It was open and an angel was sitting there writing inside the book. Together with the Lord Jesus we got closer to see what the angel was writing. The angel was writing all of the things that were happening on the Earth. Everything that has happened; including the date, the hour, everything is recorded there. This is done so the Word of the Lord can be fulfilled where it says that the Books were opened, and that the people on the Earth were judged according to their works that were written in those books (Revelations 20:12). The angel was writing all the things that people were doing here on Earth, good or bad, as it is written.

We continued to the place where the third book was. It was even bigger than the last book! The book was closed, but we got closer to it. All seven of us together took the book down from its stand, according to command of the Lord, and we put it on a pillar.

The pillars and columns in Heaven are so wonderful! They are not made like the ones on the Earth. The columns were like a braid, they were made of different precious stones. Some were made of diamonds, others were made of pure emeralds, others were made of pure gold, and others were made of a combination of many different types of stones. I then understood that God really is the owner of all things, as it is written in Haggai 2:8, “The gold is mine, and silver is mine.” I understood that God is absolutely rich and He owns all the riches in the world. I also understood that the world in all its fullness belongs to our God, and He wants to give it to all those who ask in faith.

The Lord said, “Ask me and I will give you the nations for an inheritance” (Psalms 2:8). This book that we put on the column was so big that in order to turn a page we had to walk each page to the other side of the book. We tried to read what was in that book, as the Lord asked us. At first, it was difficult to read because it was written in strange characters that we could not understand. It was different from any Earthly language; it was something totally Heavenly. But with the help of the Holy Ghost, we were given the grace to understand it. It was like a bandage was taken off our eyes and we could then understand the writing; as clear as our own language.

We could see that all seven of our names were written in the book. The Lord told us that it was the Book of Life (Revelations 3:5). We noted that the names written in the book were not the names we were called on Earth; these names were new, so the Word of God can be fulfilled when it says that He would give us a new name that no one else knows but the person who receives it (Revelations 2:17).

In Heaven, we were able to pronounce our names, but once the Lord brought us back to Earth those names were taken from our memories and our hearts. The Word of God is eternal, and it has to be fulfilled. My friends, the Bible says, (Revelations 3:11) “Don’t let anyone take your crown, do not let anyone remove that place that the Father has ready for you.” In Heaven, there are millions of things that are wonderful, we just can’t express it with our mouths. But I want to tell you something, “God is waiting for you!” However it is only the people that persevere until the end, who will be saved! (Mark 13:13).

2ND TESTIMONY

When we started to go up to the Kingdom of Heaven, we came to a beautiful place with precious doors. In front of the doors were two angels. They started to talk, but their speech was angelical and we could not understand what they were saying. But the Holy Ghost gave us understanding. They were welcoming us. The Lord Jesus put His hands on the doors and they opened. If Jesus were not with us, we would never have been able to come inside Heaven.

We began to appreciate everything in Heaven. We saw a huge tree, the Bible describes this tree as the “Tree of Life” (Revelation 2:7). We went to a river, and saw a lot of fish inside. Everything was so amazing that my friends and I decided to go inside the water. We began to swim under that water. We saw the fish moving around and they caressed our bodies. They didn’t swim away as normally happens on Earth; the presence of the Lord calmed the fish. The fish could trust us because they knew that we were not going to harm them. I was so blessed and marveled that I grabbed one of the fish and took it out of the water. What was so amazing was that the fish was very quiet, enjoying the presence of the Lord even in my hands. I put the fish back into the water.

I could see in the distance that there were white horses in Heaven, as it is written in the Word of God in Revelation 19:11: “Then I saw heaven open and a white horse appeared. Its rider is called Faithful and True; justly He judges and wages war.” Those horses were the ones that the Lord will use when He comes to the Earth to take His people, His church. I walked to the horses and began to pat them. The Lord followed me and allowed me to ride one of them.

When I started to ride, I felt something that I had never felt before on Earth. I began to experience the peace, the freedom, the love, the holiness that a person can have in that beautiful place. I started to enjoy everything that my eyes could see. I just wanted to enjoy everything in that beautiful paradise that the Lord has prepared for us.

We also could see the wedding banquet table, everything was already served. It had no beginning or end. We saw the chairs prepared for us. There were also crowns of eternal life that are ready to be taken by us. We saw delicious foods that are already set, for all of those that will be invited to the Wedding of the Lamb.

Angels were there with some white cloth for the cloaks that the Lord is preparing for us. I was amazed looking at all these things. The Word of God tells us that we have to receive the Kingdom of God like little children (Matthew 18:3). When we were in Heaven, we were like children.

We started to enjoy everything there; the flowers, the residences... the Lord even allowed us to go inside the residences.

Then God took us to a place that had many children. The Lord was in the middle of them and He started to play with them. He made sure to spend enough time with each of them and He enjoyed being with them. We got close to the Lord and asked Him, “Lord are these children the ones who are going to be born on Earth?” The Lord answered, “No, these children are the ones who were aborted on the Earth.” Upon hearing that, I felt something inside of me that made me shake.

I remembered something I had done in the past, when I did not know the Lord. At that time, I was in a relationship with a woman and she got pregnant. When she told me she was pregnant, I did not know what to do so I asked her for some time to make a decision. Time passed and when I went to her to tell my decision, it was already too late because she already had an abortion. That marked my life. Even after I accepted the Lord in my heart, that abortion was something that I could not forgive myself of. But God did something that day. He allowed me to enter that place and told me, “Ariel, do you see that girl that is there? That girl is your daughter.”

When He told me that, I saw the girl. I felt the wound I had in my soul for such a long time start to heal. The Lord allowed me to walk close to her and she got close to me. I took her in my hands and saw her eyes. One word I heard from her lips: “Daddy.” I understood and I felt that God had mercy on me and had forgiven me, but I had to learn to forgive myself.

Dear friend, whoever reads this, I want to tell you one thing: God has already forgiven your sins, now you have to learn to forgive yourself. I give thanks to God for allowing me to share this testimony with you. Lord Jesus Christ, I give You the honor and glory! This testimony is of the Lord, He allowed us to receive this revelation. I hope that each one of our brothers that reads this testimony shall also receive the blessing of this testimony and take it to bless many others.

God bless you.

3RD TESTIMONY

Revelation 21:4 “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

THE VALLEY OF FLOWERS

When we arrived, these big doors were opened for us, and I started to see a valley full of flowers. The flowers were beautiful and their smell was exquisite. We started to walk and experience a total freedom like we had never felt on the Earth. We felt a peace that filled our hearts and while we looked at the flowers we noticed that they were unique; each petal was different, genuine, and had a unique color.

Inside my heart, I said to my Lord that I wanted to have a flower like one of these. The Lord gave an expression of agreement, I got close to a flower and started to pull it. But nothing happened, I could not pull the flower out of the ground. I couldn't even pull the petals or leaves off of the flower. Then the Lord broke the silence and said, "Here everything must be done in love." He touched the flower and it surrendered itself to the hand of the Lord. He then gave it to us. We continued walking and the smell from the flowers was still with us.

THE ROBES OF THE REDEEMED

We arrived at a place with a set of very beautiful doors. These doors were not simple, they were very ornate in their craftsmanship and had precious stones engraved on them. The doors opened and we entered into a room with many people. Everybody was running here and there making preparations. Some of them carried rolls of shining white cloth over their shoulders, others were carrying spindles of golden thread, and yet others were taking some kind of plates with something like shields inside them. Everyone was running with effort.

We asked the Lord why there was so much effort and hurry. Then Lord bid a young man to come close. This man had a roll of cloth on his shoulders. He came and looked at the Lord, reverently. When the Lord asked him why he was carrying that roll of cloth, he just looked at the Lord and said, "Lord you know what this cloth is for! This cloth is used to make the robes of the redeemed, the robes for the great Bride."

Upon hearing this, we felt a great joy and peace.

Revelation 19:8 tells us: “And it has been granted to her to be dressed in pure, resplendent linen. For the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”

When we came out of that place we felt even more peace, because it was beautiful to see that the Lord Himself was making something nice for us. He has the place and the time for you because you are important to Him. When we came out of that place, our eyes got lost in every detail in Heaven. It's like each thing had life in itself, and every object there was giving glory to God.

THE CHILDREN OF HEAVEN

Then we came to a place where there were millions and millions of children, of all ages. When they saw the Lord, all of them wanted to hug Him, to feel more of His love, because He was their passion. Jesus was the passion of each child there. We felt like crying after seeing how the Lord spoiled each one of these children, how He kissed them and held their hands.

We saw how angels got close to the Lord, bringing Him babies wrapped in linen. The Lord caressed, touched, and gave them a kiss on their foreheads and then the angels took them back with them. We asked the Lord why there were so many children there, were those children going to be sent to the Earth. The Lord sounded touched for a moment, and He said, "No, these children will not be sent to the Earth! These are the ones that were aborted on the Earth, whose parents don't want to have them. These are my children and I love them."

THE ABORTED CHILD

When I didn't know the Lord, the true Life that He is, I made mistakes and sinned like everybody else. Among those sins was an abortion I had. There was a moment where I had to be face to face with the Lord and ask Him, "Lord, is the baby I aborted, long ago, here?"

The Lord answered, "Yes."

I started walking to one of the sides and I saw a beautiful little boy. Close to his feet stood an angel. The angel was looking at the Lord, and the boy had his back facing us.

The Lord told me, "Look, there is your boy." I wanted to see him so I ran over to him, but the angel stopped me with his hand. He showed me that I had to listen to the boy first. I started to hear what the little boy was saying. He was talking and looking in the direction of the other children. He asked the angel, "Are my daddy and my mommy coming here soon?" The angel, looking at me, answered to him, "Yes, your daddy and your mommy are just about to come."

I do not know why I was given the privilege of hearing these words, but in my heart I knew that these words were the best gift that the Lord could give to me. This little one was not talking with anger, or pain, maybe knowing that we did not let him be born. He was simply waiting with the love that God had placed in his heart.

We continued walking, but I kept the image of that boy in my heart. I know that each day I have to make an effort to be able to be with him one day. I have one more reason to go there, because someone is waiting for me in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Isaiah 65:19 says: “I too will rejoice over Jerusalem and will delight in My people. No more will there be heard in her the voice of weeping or the voice of crying.”

THE DANCE OF JESUS

We came to a place with some small mountains, and the Lord Jesus came dancing. In front of Him was a crowd of people dressed in white robes and they lifted their hands with green olive branches. When they waved the branches in the air, they released oil.

God has great things prepared for you! Now is the time for you to put your heart before Him.

God bless you.

4TH TESTIMONY

1 Corinthians 2:9 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, neither has the human heart thought of what God has prepared for those who love Him."

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

In the Kingdom of Heaven, we saw wonderful things as it is written in the Word of God. When we arrived at the Kingdom of Heaven it was so spectacular and wonderful to see so many things; so many big things and to feel the glory of the Lord. It was so special; a place with lots of children. We could say that there were millions of children in that place.

THE CHILDREN AND THEIR TEACHING

We saw children of different ages. Heaven was divided into sections. We saw some kind of baby-house that sheltered kids aged 2–4. We also noticed that the children in the Kingdom of Heaven grow up and there was a school where the children are taught the Word of God. The teachers are angels and they teach the children worship songs and how to glorify the Lord Jesus.

THE JOY OF THE LORD AND MARY

When the Lord arrived, we could see the immense joy of our King. Even though we could not see His face, we could see His smile, it filled the entire place. When He arrived, all the children ran to Him!

In the middle of all those children, we could see Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ on Earth. She was a beautiful woman. We did not see her on a throne and neither was anyone worshiping her. She was there as one of the other women in Heaven, like all other people on Earth she had to win her salvation. She had a white robe and a golden belt around her waist, and her hair reached down to her waist.

On Earth, we have listened to many people as they worship Mary as the mother of Jesus, but I want to tell you that the Word of God says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by Me." (John 14:6) The only entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven is Jesus of Nazareth.

THE LIGHT OF HEAVEN

We also noticed there was no Sun or Moon. The Word of God tells us in Revelation 22:5: "And night shall be no more; they will need neither lamplight nor sunlight, for the Lord God will be their light, and they shall reign for ever and ever."

We could see the glory of God. We find it difficult to explain the horrors we saw in hell, but it is even more difficult to try to explain the celestial things we saw and the perfection of our Maker. When we were there, we wanted to run and see everything. We could lay down on the grass, and we could feel the glory of God. That soft whistle, that soft wind that caressed our faces, it was something wonderful.

THE GOLDEN CROSS

In the middle of the sky, we could see a huge cross made of pure gold. We believe that this was not a symbol of idolatry but more like a symbol showing that through the death of Jesus on the cross, we have entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven.

THE LOVE OF JESUS

We continued walking in Heaven. It was fascinating to walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. There we could know for sure who is the God that we are serving… Jesus of Nazareth. Many of us on Earth think there is a God up there, just waiting for us to commit a sin, so He can punish us and send us to hell. But that is not reality. We could see the other face of Jesus—a Jesus that is a friend; a Jesus that cries when you cry. Jesus is a God of love, compassion and mercy; He takes us in His hands to help us continue in the way of salvation.

MEETING KING DAVID

The Lord Jesus also allowed us to meet a person from the Bible. We met King David, the King David mentioned in the Scriptures. He was a good looking man, tall, and his face reflected the Glory of God. The whole time we were in the Kingdom of Heaven, the only thing that King David did was dance, dance, dance and give all the glory and the honor to God.

THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE

To those who are reading this testimony, I want to tell you that in the Word of God it says in Revelation 21:27: "But nothing unclean nor anyone practicing immorality and falsehood shall ever enter it, but only those whose names have been recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life." And I also want to tell you that only the brave ones take hold of the Kingdom of Heaven.

God bless you.

5TH TESTIMONY

2 Corinthians 5:10 "For we must all appear before the tribunal of Christ, so that each may receive as his due what he practiced while in the body, whether good or bad."

THE NEW JERUSALEM

In the Kingdom of Heaven, we could see the New Jerusalem which the Bible tells us about in John 14:2: "In My Father's house are many dwelling places. If this were not so, I would have told you. For I am going away to prepare a place for you." We could see the city and enter it; it is a real and wonderful city! Jesus went there to prepare those dwelling places for us.

In the city we could see that each residence or house had the owner's name written in front of the house. This city is not yet inhabited, but it is ready for us. We were allowed to go inside the houses and see all the things inside. But later when we left the city, we forgot the things we saw, those memories were taken away from us. However, we can remember that the columns of the houses are plated with precious metals and have many different types of precious stones encrusted in them. They also have pure gold in them.

The gold of this city is like the Bible describes; it is almost transparent, and so shiny. The gold on Earth cannot be compared in luster and beauty to the gold that is in Heaven.

THE TEARS OF THE SAINTS

After this, we were taken to a place that had lots of containers. Inside those containers were crystallized tears. Those were the tears that the sons of God shed on the Earth. They were not tears of complaints, but tears that people shed when they are in the presence of God; tears of repentance, tears of gratitude. God keeps these tears as a precious treasure in Heaven, just like it is mentioned in Psalms 56:8: "Thou takest note of my roaming; and put my tears into Thy bottle; are they not in Thy book?"

THE ANGELS OF GOD

We also came to a place where many, many angels were. Although in Heaven we could see many different types of angels, this place had just one special type. We saw that Jesus has a specific angel for each person. He also showed us that this angel will be close to us during our entire existence. He introduced us to the angels assigned to us. We got to see their characteristics, but God told us that we are not allowed to reveal these things to others.

We read in Psalms 91:11: "For He gives His angels orders regarding you, to protect you wherever you go."

THE FLOWERS OF LIFE

We came to a place with many lockers, within them were many different flowers. Some flowers were open, beautiful and radiant. But others were droopy, and some were even shriveled. We asked Jesus what the meaning of all those flowers were.

He answered, "It is because the life of each of you is like one of these flowers." He took one of the radiant flowers and said, "This flower shows the condition of the communion that you have with Me." He left that flower and took another one that was down. He said, "Look, this person is down because they are having a trial, or a difficulty. There is something in this life that is interrupting the communion with Me. Do you know what I do with these flowers when they are down in order to make them brilliant and healthy again?"

He then took the flower in His hand and said, "I shed my tears over them and I raise them up." We saw how in a powerful way this flower began to have life again and raise up, and its colors began to appear again.

Then He took one of the shriveled flowers and He threw it into the fire and said, "Look, this person had known Me and walked away from Me. Now he dies without me and it is thrown to the fire." (John 15:5–6)

THE CASTLE OF GOD’S PRESENCE

When we left there, we saw a beautiful castle very far in the distance. Nobody dared to get close to that castle, and we believe that is what the Scriptures talk about in Revelation 22:1: "He then showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing forth from the throne of God and of the Lamb." We believe that the castle was probably located near the presence and throne of God.

JOY AND PEACE IN HEAVEN

While experiencing all these things in the Kingdom of Heaven, we had so much joy in our hearts, we had a peace that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7) We understood as it is written in 1 Peter 1:4: "To an inheritance imperishable, unsullied, and unfading that is kept safely in heaven for you."

5TH TESTIMONY

(Luke 22:30) "That ye may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and ye shall sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

In that marvelous place, God allowed us to see the most beautiful reception hall that we ever thought could exist anywhere in the universe. We saw a giant throne with two chairs of pure gold and precious stones that do not exist on Earth. In front of the throne was a table that had no end, covered with a white tablecloth. It was so white that we couldn't compare it to anything on Earth.

THE FEAST OF HEAVEN

All manner of exquisite and refined foods was set on the table. We saw grapes the size of oranges, and the Lord Jesus Christ let us taste some of them. We still can remember their taste, it was something so wonderful! My brother and friend, you can't imagine all the things that are ready in the Kingdom of Heaven and what God has already prepared for you. (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Also on the table, God allowed us to see the bread, the “Manna.” This was the bread of God that the Scriptures tell us about. We were allowed to enjoy the taste along with many other wonderful things that don't even exist on Earth.

THE INHERITANCE OF THE SAINTS

These things are waiting for us as our incorruptible inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven. We will enjoy some amazingly exquisite and delicious foods when we inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. We were amazed that the chairs were set on both sides of the table. These beautiful chairs had names written on each one. We could clearly read our names on those chairs, but our names were not the same ones we have here on Earth. They were the new names that nobody else knew but ourselves. (Revelation 2:17)

What was written in the Word of God surprised us: "Do not rejoice that the demons submit to you, rejoice because your names are written in Heaven." (Luke 10:20) There were a lot of chairs! There is enough space for all of those who want to come to the Kingdom of Heaven.

THE WARNINGS OF THE LORD

There were also chairs that were taken away from the table. That means there are men and women who got tired of serving God, and their names were erased from the Book of Life, and they are set away from the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.

MEETING ABRAHAM

God also allowed us to see men from the Bible, the wonderful saints that we read about in Scriptures. We were surprised to see Abraham. Abraham was an elder, but not in his body or appearance. He was an elder by the wisdom that he had. Abraham's hair was totally white, but each hair was like glass filaments or diamond filaments. What surprised us the most was that he was even younger than we are. In Heaven, all of us will rejuvenate and be young.

We were also surprised by his words. Abraham told us something that we will never forget. He welcomed us to the Kingdom of Heaven and told us that soon we would be in that place, because the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is approaching quickly.

Howard Pittman Placebo

Howard Pittman, a Baptist minister, had a near-death experience in 1979 where he claimed to be shown the reality of the spiritual world. He described passing through the Second Heaven, seeing demons working to deceive mankind, and then approaching the Third Heaven, where only a few believers entered compared to the many who were turned away. Standing before God, Pittman realized that much of his ministry had been self-serving, like a “placebo” — outwardly religious but inwardly empty. God warned him that many professing Christians are deceived, merely “playing church” while failing to live genuine faith. His testimony serves as a wake-up call that true Christianity is more than words, requiring daily commitment, repentance, and authentic obedience to God.

On August 3, 1979, Howard Pittman, a Baptist minister for 35 years, died while on the operating  table during surgery and had a near-death experience. After angels showed him the second and  third heavens, he was taken before the very throne of God where he was given a message to share  with the world.  

The following is an excerpt from his booklet, Placebo, which documents his amazing near-death  experience. You can purchase his audio tapes and booklets at the Lake Hamilton Bible Camp  store.  

Forward 

Webster's Dictionary defines "placebo" as "a medication prescribed more for the mental relief of a  patient than for the actual effect on his disorder, or something tending to soothe."  

The doctors tell us that if we know we are being treated with a placebo, it does not work. In our minds we must think that it is a real medication and has the strength or power to heal. If the patient believes this, then the treatment has been known to work wonders in many cases that otherwise 

could not have been treated. Placebo treatment is, in fact, nothing of substance, but in the mind of  the patient it is real. In order for this kind of treatment to work, the doctor must convince the  patient of the work of the medication.  

My friend, I declare unto you that this is the exact "treatment" that most "mouth-professing"  Christians are using today. The doctor administering this "medication" is satan himself. He gives  the "patient" a sugar-coated religion, a shallow experience, and whispers half-truths into his ears.  He then tells the "patient" that it is real and that it is all the "patient" needs. The "patient", having  been taken in by satan, believes this and goes on his merry way declaring to all that he has been  born again, his salvation is real, and this experience is all that he needs. Doctor satan will allow his  "patient" to continue to go to church and will allow him to take part in any church, that is, singing,  leading in prayer, teaching Sunday School, and even preaching. He will allow the "patient" to  make any kind of statement in connection with his "mouth-professing" religion, even to the point  of the saving power of Jesus. Yes, he will allow the "patient" to do all and say all with one  exception. That exception is that the "patient" will not be allowed to live the life that he confesses  with his mouth ...  

Preparation  

In the year 1978, I retired from the New Orleans Police Department and moved my family to a  sixty-one acre farm in Mississippi. Around August 7, 1979 I was suddenly stuck with a grave and  disastrous illness. The night before the tragedy I went to bed as usual …On awakening that  morning I was slightly nauseated and skipped breakfast. My wife asked me if was not going to eat.  I replied that I had to hurry to keep my appointment with some folks who I hoped would support  my candidacy for sheriff with campaign contributions. I was unaware that God had also made an  appointment for me that day. Let me remind you that the Bible says that it is appointed once unto  man to die and, without warning, my appointment came. Like a flash of lightning, the main trunk  artery in my body cavity ruptured causing a devastating, sudden, blood loss …So at midnight they  carried me into ICU and at 6:00 a.m. the following morning, my vital life signs failed again. The  chief physician came out of ICU and told my wife, “It is something else.” They took me into  surgery where they worked on me for an additional seven hours ...  

[For the sake of brevity, a large amount of Pittman's description of his Emergency Room  experience is not reprinted here. Read his book for the full description.]  

Somewhere in that period of time when the physicians were working on me, I came to myself and  realized that I was dying …Knowing that only God could give me back my life and that only God  could change this appointed time to die, I prayed a strange prayer. My prayer was that God would  allow me to appear before His throne and pleaded for an extension of my physical life. In any  other time and place this sort of prayer would be unusual, however, all of this was planned by God  to ultimately serve His purpose. The thought to pray such a prayer was instilled in my mind by the  Holy Spirit ... 

Chapter 7: The Grand Tour  

What happens next is so incredible that some people find it hard to believe. May I say at the outset  that I know the difference between dreams, visions, and a real experience. May I also point out  that if you do not believe in satan and demons as being real, individual beings, then you do  yourself and the Kingdom of God a great disservice. It stands to reason that you cannot understand  or even withstand an enemy if you do not believe he is real.  

At the moment I resisted satan, he fled from me. The angels were there and they took my spirit  from my body. These angels were present all the time that satan tempted me although I did not  know it because I was still in the flesh. The angels did not attempt to help me until I had resisted  satan with my own will. The only help I had was the supernatural revelation from the Holy Spirit  that the voice I was hearing belonged to satan and not to God. Whether or not to obey that voice  was my choice.  

When the angels lifted my spirit from my body, they carried me immediately to the Second  Heaven. We did not have to leave that hospital room in order to enter the Second Heaven. We  entered there in that same room where my body was, just by passing through a dimension wall. It  is a wall which flesh cannot pass through, only spirit.  

For you the reader, to understand what was happening, you must understand the separation of the  spirit from the flesh. To know how this works, we must know how we, ourselves, are made. The  Bible states that we, as humans beings are made in the image of God. To understand this, we must  know what God is. The Bible states three immutable things about God: 1st God is Spirit, 2nd God  is invisible and 3rd God is immortal. If we are made in His image, then we are spirit, we are  invisible, and we are immortal. Therefore, when we look into a mirror we do not see our real  selves. We see only the body, or earthen vessel, in which we live. Since we are all made in the  image of God, we would all be mirror images of one another without our earthly, physical bodies.  Therefore, we were given a soul to separate us from one another to make us an individual.  

The animals in this world also have a soul. The only difference between their souls and ours is that  our soul belongs to the spirit. Their souls belongs to the body. When their body perishes, their soul  perish with it. When our body perishes, the soul remains with the spirit. When the spirit was lifted  from my body, my soul came with it. I suppose the simplest way to identify the soul would be to  say that it is one’s personality. The entire time I was away from my body I remained an individual,  that is, I retained my own personality. I retained all my faculties. In fact, they were greatly  enhanced.  

As we moved through that dimension wall into the Second Heaven, I found myself in an entirely  different world, far different from anything I had ever imagined. This world was a place occupied  by spirit beings as vast in number as the sands of the seashore. These beings were demons [devils],  or fallen angels, and were in thousands of different shapes and forms. Even those in similar shapes  and forms were contrasted by diverse coloring. Many of the demons were in human shapes or forms and many were in forms similar to animals familiar to our present world. Others were in  shapes and forms too hideous to imagine. Some of the forms were so morbid and revolting that I  was almost to the point of nausea.  

When I first arrived in the Second Heaven, I knew immediately in what direction I must go to  reach the Third Heaven where God was. I don’t know how I knew that, but I did. I also knew that  if I was going to get my prayer answered, I was going to have to appear before God the Father in  the Third Heaven. I was aware that I was traveling in that spirit world under the protection of the  Holy Spirit, and that the angels who were escorting me were also moving about under the  protection of the Holy Spirit. It might seem strange to you, the reader, that the angels needed the  protection of the Holy Spirit, but remember where we were, the Second Heaven. The Second  Heaven is the place where satan presently has his throne located. satan is not yet in Hell although  Hell is to be his final destiny.  

All the spirits in that world were aware of our presence and were aware of the Holy Spirit’s  protection over us. To give you an idea as to why that protection was necessary, let me give a  Bible reference to the power of satan as demonstrated in the Second Heaven. The tenth chapter of  the book of Daniel tells about God sending one of His angels to deliver a message to Daniel.  Because of the importance of that message, satan did not want it delivered. In order for the angel  sent from God in the Third Heaven to reach Daniel, he had to pass through the Second Heaven.  satan sent one of his princes, or one of his archangels, to stop the angel. The angel had to fight and  could not get through alone so he had to call for reinforcements. God had to send one of His  princes, or the archangel, to help the messenger and even this took twenty–one days. After the  angel delivered the message, he reminded Daniel that he, the angel, would have to fight his way  back through the Second Heaven.  

As we moved about there in that world, I was greatly disappointed that my escort did not take me  in the direction of the Third Heaven where God was. Instead, we moved in the opposite direction.  As we moved from place to place in that world, I learned many things about demons.  

I did things differently in the spirit realm than what we do here in the physical world. For instance,  we do not communicate with our mouths and ears, but rather, we communicated with our minds. It  was like projecting our words on thought waves and receiving the answer the same way. Although I could still think to myself without projecting, I discovered that this really did not benefit me  because the angels could read my mind.  

I could hear different sounds in that world, but I did not hear with my ears. I heard with my mind,  but I was still able to “hear” those sounds. When we traveled, we traveled mostly at what I call the  “speed of thought.” When we traveled at the “speed of thought,” there was no sensation of  movement. The angel would say where we were going and we were there. There were other times  when we did not travel in that manner, and I was very much aware of movement while traveling.  One of those times when I was aware of movement was when they brought me back into the physical world and allowed me to see the demons working here. We moved about here somewhat  like floating on a cloud. Still, I had the sensation of movement.  

Make no mistake about demons for they are very real. The Bible makes more statements about  demons than it does about angels and it points out in Luke 10:18 that demons are evil. Mark 5:8-9 indicates how numerous they are and Matthew 10:1 shows that they are unclean. Matthew  12:21-30 states that they are under the command of satan and Matthew 8:29 shows that they can  possess humans.  

In the demon world, there is a division of power much like a military structured chain command  with rank and order. Certain demons carry the title of prince, which is always the demon in charge  of a principality. A principality is a territory, an area, a place or a group that may range in size  from as large as a nation to as small as a person. When satan assigns a prince a task, the prince is  given the authority to act in the name of satan and use whatever means necessary or available to  him to accomplish his task.  

When we started the tour of the Second Heaven, the angels began by showing me the different  types of demons. Each demon was revealed to me in a form that indicated his area of expertise,  and I soon discovered that there is no such thing as a “general practitioner” in all the demon world.  They have only one area of expertise which they do very well.  

Chapter 8: Demons  

As each type of demon was pointed out to me, I quickly discovered a social order, or rank, that existed among them. Those at the top of that order were revealed in forms similar to humans. As we moved down the order, or rank, I saw demons in shapes or forms that looked like half–animal and half–human. I saw demons in forms resembling animals we know in this present world and I saw demons in forms and shapes so revoltingly morbid that you cannot possibly imagine them. At the very top of the order were the warring demons which were the “cream” of satan’s “crop.” They moved about the Second Heaven and were always traveling in groups, never alone. Wherever they went, all other demons  moved out of their way. These warring demons were revealed to me in human form. They looked  like humans with the exception that they were giants. Appearing to be about eight feet tall, they  were rugged and handsomely constructed, somewhat like giant athletes. All of the warring  demons were colored bronze. They were giant, bronze soldiers. All of the other demons seemed to  be subject to them.  

The second most powerful type demon was also revealed to me in human form and these demons  looked like ordinary people. All of those possessing this area of expertise seemed to group together at about the second place of command. Chief among this group was the demon of greed  and contained within this same group were demons of hate, lust, strife, and a few others.  

The third most powerful type and group of demons were revealed to me in mixed shapes and forms. Some had human form while others had half–human and half–animal forms. Others resembled animals in their forms. These demons possessed skills in the dark arts area such as witchcraft and other related areas. Also among this group were demons of fear and the demons of self–destruction as well as those demons which are expert in mimicking departed human spirits [familiar spirits] and in manifesting themselves to the physical world as ghosts.  

When we got down to the fourth group, or order, all the demons of this rank were revealed in  forms other than human. Some had forms like known animals while others had unknown forms. In  this group were the demons of murder, brutality, sadism, and others related to carnage.  

As we moved even further down the order toward the end of the chain of command, all the  demons were revealed in horrible and morbid forms. Some were so revolting that their appearance  produced nausea. They are so despised by their own companions that they always seem to be lurking off to themselves while in the Second Heaven and even while in this physical world. They  do not associate with the other demons except in the line of their duty.  

There was another group of demons that I was able to see, but I do not recall much of their ability.  It was purposely taken away from me as I was not permitted to learn or retain too much memory  about them. I don’t even know where they rank in order and their form was not revealed to me. I  am not sure of their entire area of expertise, however, I am vaguely aware of their powerful hold  on the flesh. It seems that this mysterious group of demons work differently from all other demons  and are used in only special cases and special situations of which I do not clearly understand. As I  stated, I was not permitted to retain too much in my memory about this particular group of demons.  I was only permitted to retain that portion which I am now reporting to you and this, in itself, is  very vague.  

I’m also aware that these particular demons are harder to deal with than any of the rest. It seems their great strength rests in their ability to remain anonymous in their work in the human being. Among this group is the one that is able to manifest himself as a form of epilepsy in the human. I am not sure but I seem to recall that some other demons in some of the other groups also have the ability to mimic epilepsy. I do not know if demons cause epilepsy, per se, but I do recall very vividly that they can mimic this condition in human beings. At one time during this tour of the Second Heaven, I watched the demons within their own related group and I experienced an awful feeling. It was an overwhelming, oppressive, and morbid feeling. This feeling came to me shortly  after I had entered the Second Heaven and I wondered what was causing it. It was at this time that  I learned that the angel could read my mind because my guardian angel said to me, “That feeling  you are wondering about is caused by the fact that there is no love in this world.” The angel was  telling me that in this Second Heaven there is not one bit of love! Wow! Can you imagine all of  those demons serving a master they don’t love and the master ruling over beings that he doesn’t  love? Worse than that, these companions are working together for an eternity and they do not even  love each other.  

I started reflecting on what our physical world, called the First Heaven, would be like without love.  If God had not introduced His love her in our world, then we would be living in a no–love  atmosphere like the Second Heaven. By God giving us His love, we are able to return that love  and then love one another. Can you imagine what it would be like in your own home or your community it was totally void of love?  

When I was made aware of the fact that no love existed among the demons, I wondered even more  about their motivation and zeal. What makes them work so hard? What makes them carry out  orders so rapidly? They don’t love one another, yet they carry out these orders so quickly and with  such zeal that any military organization on Earth would be proud to have such loyal and obedient  employees. I wonder if their motivation could have anything to do with the judgment and sentence  that awaits them. It seems that since their first rebellion ages ago while in the Third Heaven, they  have reached a place in their existence where they can no longer rebel. Whatever it is that  motivates them seems to excel in their very being while they, in turn, are expressing their fury  upon the flesh. It may just be that the only enjoyment of their entire existence is to create misery  for the flesh. Even though I was permitted to go among them and watch them while they worked,  many things were not explained fully or made clear to me. Some of the things that I saw in entirely,  I was not permitted to retain in my memory. I knew the high order of the demons resented my presence and would have withstood me had I not been under the protection of the Holy Spirit. One of the warring demons came right up to me and leered into my face, but I did not flinch for I was  not afraid. I knew it would not be me with whom he would have to contend but, instead, it would  be He who brought me, the Holy Spirit. The demons in the middle order seemed to totally ignore  me and went about their existence as if I were not there. Those of the lower order seemed to  display slight fear of me or fear of the angel that was escorting me, however, the higher order of  demons had no fear of me or the angel.  

My escort informed me that he wanted me to see a demon in the process of actually possessing a  human being. At this point in the trip, I was escorted back through the dimension wall separating  the Second Heaven from the physical world. When we came back into this world, we were in the  same hospital with my body but in a different room. The room appeared to be an employee’s  lounge. I saw tables, chairs, dishes with food, and in the room were a young man and a young lady  facing each other while laughing and talking. It was obvious that they could not see the angels, yet  I was so close to them I could almost reach out and touch them. I could hear and understand every  word they said. They thought they were alone and as they laughed and talked, they were unaware of the horrible creature standing between them. This demon was so horrible in the appearance of  his shape and form that I recognized him immediately to be from the lower group, the perverted  group. The angels, the demons, and I were in the spirit in that room and were aware of everything  that was happening. Those in the flesh were only aware of themselves for they could not see or  hear us even though we were back in this physical world. Since we were in the spirit, we still  communicated with our minds.  

I was not really paying close attention to the words the two were speaking. My entire attention was focused upon the demon. He was a most horrible looking thing, reminding me of an over–grown, stuffed, slimy, green frog all out of shape and proportion. He moved slowly up into the face of the man then, suddenly, like a puff of smoke, he seemed to disappear into the face, just as if he went through the pores of his skin. When the demon had entered the man, the angels said, “Now it’s done.” The angel then proceeded to tell me how it was that this man was possessed. He stated, “The demon made himself desirable and attractive to the human.” The angel then pointed out to me that mankind has a sovereign will, all his own, beyond which the demons cannot come. He also pointed out to me that the angels could not come beyond that  sovereign will of man. God, Himself, will not violate that will. We are made in the image of God,  therefore, we were given, like God, a sovereign will, the right to choose our destiny. I was not  permitted to retain all that I learned along these lines.  

I faintly recall that there is another process under certain given circumstances whereby demons  may possess or be allowed to enter small children. It seems as though those demons from that  mysterious group are the ones that are allowed to do this. From what I recall about this, it is only  under the most unusual circumstances that this can happen. According to what the angels told me,  over ninety percent of all cases of demon activity in human beings is restricted to those humans  who are at or over the age of accountability.  

During the course of this talk the angel was giving me, he pointed out that all of God’s children  have been given power over all demons and can cast them out, however, this power is based on the  faith of the Christian. It will only work when the Christian knows without a doubt what he is doing.  There are certain Christians who have received a special gift in this area. They are those who have  been called specifically by the Holy Spirit to a deliverance ministry and in almost every case,  those called to a deliverance ministry have also received the gift of discernment. When one is  commanding demons, it is most important to know what spirit one is dealing with. In those rare  cases where children are possessed [not so rare anymore folks… a number of children are  possessed today because of the opened doors to the enemy.], it takes a special effort and divine  insight in each case to deliver them. Such a case was reported in the Bible in Matthew 17:14-21.  All Christians potentially have the ability to command demons. 

My escort told me that they wanted me to see demon activity in the outside world. I was then  escorted outside the hospital directly through the brick wall into the streets of that city. I was  amazed as I watched all the activity of the humans in the physical world. Going about their daily  pursuit, they were completely unaware that they were being stalked by beings from the spirit  world. I was totally flabbergasted as I watched and horrified as I saw the demons in all shapes and  forms as they moved at will among the humans.  

While I learned about demons not being able to work in a person’s life against their will, I also  learned the angels cannot do it either. Each born again Christian has a guardian angel and before  that Christian’s life is over, it might take a whole host of angels to keep him. I learned that  guardian angels fight for us, but they cannot fight in the area of our will. The fighting they do is  sort of like protecting our “blind” side. They oppose the demons when the demons come against us outside the area of our will.  

They cannot oppose the demons when the demons come against us through our own will. Remember, we are made in the image of God, like God, we have a sovereign will. I learned that the demons will fight the angels if they must, but they prefer not to do so. They find that it is easier and safer to destroy us through our own will where the angels are unable to interfere, rather than go outside our will where they would have to fight angels personally. Because of this, the demons have developed great skills in the area of deception. They move through our lives by deceit and trickery and keep us totally unaware of their activity.  

I was made aware of the fact that not all demons are in the Second Heaven. There are some  demons so awesome that they are reserved in chains in Hell, however, satan and his army of  demons are not in Hell, presently. Neither do they want to be there. I was not permitted to look  into Hell, nor was I permitted to view the chained demons. I do know that these demons who are  chained went beyond the limitations of their domain.  

God in His wisdom has allowed satan and his demons certain bounds or limitations within which  they may work. They may not go beyond those limitations established by the Lord, however,  those demons who are chained in Hell did just that. Because they went beyond the restrictions  established by the Lord, they are now chained in Hell.  

The Bible points out this fact in many places, especially in the book of Jude. Any time satan goes  beyond those bounds, he must receive permission from God. In the case of Job, he was granted the  permission, but in Peter’s case he was not granted permission. The demons who work in children  under the age of accountability are allowed to do so only after obtaining this special permission. [I  might add that a “legal” door was opened by certain sin or sins that gave the demon/s a right in the  first place… ] It was not made plain to me what sort of circumstances must be present for God to  grant permission, although it was made clear that in certain circumstances permission is granted. 

However, permission to work in children under the age of accountability is rarely granted. [Look  around since he got this, things have changed folks, satanic doors have been opened… more by  parents.] The majority of the time satan is denied this special permission, but in these last days we  can expect a substantial increase I demonic activity, not only in adults but in children as well. This  increase in demonic activity is what the Lord warned us about in Mark 13:22 when He spoke of  the incredible miracles that false prophets would perform in the last days. It is difficult to  understand why the Lord would allow demons to work through children…  

The demons that are reserved in chains did not obtain permission for their activity which violated  the restrictions established by our Lord. Their illegal deeds are recorded in Genesis 6:2-5. Because  they did not obtain permission, they received immediate punishment. Specific punishment for the  devil and his demons is scheduled for the end–time and is recorded in Revelation 20:1-3. As you  well know, the lake of fire was created for the devil and his demons as their eternal fate.  

In this age we must be on guard for satan’s fiery darts of deception and temptation that are allowed  within the limitations of the Lord’s permissive will. There is a time limit set by the Lord in which  demons may work, but that time period has not yet been fulfilled. As Christians we are able to  have them “bound” under the authority of Jesus, however, this is NOT permanent. We can NOT  cast them into HELL for only God can do this. That is why it is very important for someone who  has just been delivered to be properly instructed to remain in the Lord’s will, lest they become  afflicted again. A Christian CAN cast out demons from a lost person, but unless that person gets  saved and abides in the Lord’s will, there will be the possibility of the demons returning. [See  Matthew 12:43-45].  

Demons are real, individual, spirit beings and they are the ones manipulating all the evil in the  world today. This was shown to me while I was in the spirit world traveling through the street of a  city and watching in horror as the demons went about their task of corrupting humans.  

Although humans are spirit beings, we are confined to physical bodies. The great spiritual warfare  that rages today is between the “spirit of man” and the “spiritual forces” of evil directed by satan  which are contending for control and manipulation of our fleshly, physical bodies. Our spirits  fight by faith and through our sovereign will; while the devil and his [fallen] angels fight through  deceit, cunning, trickery, and temptation. You must make no mistake about this war or the  weapons involved because the scriptures are plain. I actually saw these demons contend for  control of that human body.  

It may seem to you that mankind is vastly over–powered by these spirits because these spirits are  able to see and hear everything we think, say, and do; while we are totally unable to perceive any  of their activities. It is very difficult to fight an enemy you cannot see, hear, and feel, but as long as  you trust the Lord, you have nothing to fear. At times, even the strongest Christian may doubt their  existence and activities, thus making it easier for them. However, man was not left defenseless.  Being made in the image of God, man, like God, has a sovereign will and no spirit can violate that  will without the permission of the person himself. Because of this, these demons have developed great skills in deception. The basic principle of their operations is to make something evil as desirable, beautiful, and non–threatening as possible so that the person being tempted will lower  his guard and accept whatever it is that is being used to cause SIN. Once someone is deceived, it  becomes easier for the deception to remain. In the case of possession, it becomes easier for the  demon to maintain his control.  

Another great defense man has is the guardian angel. The guardian angel is not assigned to all mankind, but only to those who are “saved and belong to God.” Remember, just like the demons the guardian angel cannot violate the will of any man which is why most of his activity is reserved to protecting that individual outside his sovereign will. Man’s greatest weapon, however, is the Word of God. In his description of the weapons  

used in our spiritual warfare, Paul insists the Word of God [Ephesians 6:11-18] as the only  offensive weapon mankind has. Although vastly outnumbered by these beings [thousands to one  individual], man is adequately prepared for battle. Because of a sovereign will, guardian angels,  and the Word of God, man has superior defense and is much more potent in the battle for his soul  than the demons.  

Therefore, I say to everyone — if you are serious in your commitment to fight this war and win,  fear not! Your commander–in–chief, teacher, healer and sustainer — the Holy Spirit — will  NEVER leave you NOR forsake you.  

Chapter 9: The Way Home 

When the angels decided that I had seen enough of the demons at work in this physical world, I was taken back into the Second Heaven just by passing through the dividing, dimension wall. Once back inside the Second Heaven, my escort guided me in the direction of the Third Heaven and I was happy at last. After all, this was where I had wanted to go all the time. Even at this stage, my physical life was still my primary concern.  

Suddenly we came to a most beautiful place. I know that I’ve already reported how terrible that the Second Heaven was, so you can imagine how surprising it was to find anything beautiful over there. God would not allow me to retain the memory of why this place was so beautiful. I do  remember that it was the most beautiful place I’d ever seen. This place looked like a tunnel, a roadway, a valley or some sort of highway. It had a most brilliant light all its own and was  completely surrounded with an invisible shield. I knew that the invisible shield was the protection  of the Holy Spirit.  

Walking in this tunnel, or along that roadway, or valley, or whatever, was what appeared to be  human beings. I asked my escort who they were. He told me, “They are saints going home.” These  were the departed spirits of Christians who had died on Earth and they were going home. Each of  these saints was accompanied by at least one guardian angel and some had a whole host of angels  with them. I wondered why some saints were accompanied by only one angel and others had  many. I was watching as the saints passed through the way that all saints must take to go home.  Here it was, the passageway from Earth to the Third Heaven. I found that only “authorized” spirits  were allowed in that tunnel. No demon was permitted there.  

When my escort had finished explaining to me about the homeward trip of the saints. I started into  the tunnel. The angel stopped me and told me that we had to travel alongside the tunnel and not  inside of it. I traveled, therefore parallel with but outside the tunnel where the saints were. While  we were traveling alongside the tunnel, we did not move at the “speed of thought.” Instead, we  traveled as it floating on a cloud. In other words, there was no cloud but the mode of traveling felt  as if I were floating on a cloud.  

I could see the saints at all times moving along inside the tunnel. They were in the form and shape  of humans, yet I could not detect any race, age, or sex. They were all clothed alike with the  garments appearing to be made up of two pieces. There was a blouse or shirt and a pair of slacks.  The color of the garments was a pastel, baby blue with one of the garment pieces being a shade  lighter than the other piece. The blue was so light that it was almost white. I realize that these  saints I was viewing had not yet received their glorified body because that must wait until the first  resurrection.  

At first I was disappointed that I was not permitted to travel in the tunnel with the saints, but the  disappointment was eased when I was told that we were going to the same place they were going.  After all, I knew that if my physical life was going to be extended, I would have to appear before  God. Even now, my physical life was still the uppermost thing to me.  

As we traveled along, I noticed all around me that the demons were beginning to drop behind. The  Gates came into view and the closer we got to those Gates, the farther behind fell the demons.  When we arrived before the Gates there were no demons in view. Although the Gates of the Third  Heaven opened out into the Second Heaven, no demon could come close.  

Instead of allowing me to enter, the angel stationed me before the Gates, slightly to one side. He  instructed me to stay there and watch as the saints were permitted to enter into Heaven. As the  saints were allowed into Heaven, I noticed a strange thing. They were permitted to enter only one  at a time. No two were permitted to enter those Gates at the same time. I wondered about this but  it was never explained to me. I’ve studied about this often since I have returned and now I think I  know why. I believe this is a tribute or a salute to the individual. After all, that individual made the choice with his own sovereign will. Remember, it had been pointed out to me specifically that we,  as images of the Living God, possess a sovereign will through which we have the right to choose  our own destiny.  

As the saints were being admitted, I was wondering why I was not being allowed to do what I  came to do. I was so impatient to get my request before God that I missed the whole point of what  I saw. This point was so important that the Holy Spirit told me Himself. I watched the fifty saints  enter Heaven, but the point I missed was the time frame involved. It was explained to me that at the same time those fifty saints died on Earth, 1,950 other humans also died; or only 50 out of  2000 made it into Heaven. That other 1,950 were not there. Where were they? That was only 2 ½  percent going to Heaven! Ninety seven point five percent did not make it! Is that representative of  the entire world today? If so, 97 ½ percent of the population of this world today is not ready to  meet God. The sad part, my friend, is that it is exactly representative of this Laodicean Church  Age in which we live today. We are now in the time when the great majority of church goers are  only “mouth–professors” and not “heart–possessors.”  

At the outset, I stated that I would not try to convince anyone of anything I said. However, I would  like to offer as evidence the parable of the sower as told by Jesus in the thirteenth chapter of the  book of Matthew. If you read this chapter closely, you will notice that three out of every four  people who heard the gospel preached, turned it down. That is seventy–five percent anyway you  look at it. I am talking about three out of every four people who bothered to hear the gospel, turned  it down! The sad part about this is the overwhelming majority of the people that did turn the  gospel down, do not know that they have turned it down! They have bought a lie of satan and have  been deceived. They have been led to believe something that is not the truth and they been fooled  by satan into rejecting the gospel! Place the seventy–five percent who turned down the gospel  with those in the world who made no pretense of hearing the truth and you have the overwhelming  ninety seven and one-half percent of the population today!  

As I contemplate this fact. I now understand the Lord’s disgust with the Laodicean–type Church.  I also clearly understand the verses of scripture in Matthew 7:22-23 that describes how many  people will stand before the Throne at the Judgment pleading. “Lord, Lord, have we not  prophesied in thy Name? And in thy Name cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful  works?” only to have the Lord say to them, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work  iniquity…”  

Chapter 10: The Rude Awakening 

My escort told me to stand to one side of the Gates and present my case. He assured me that God  would hear and answer my request. As I stood before the Gates, the sense of joy, happiness, and  contentment radiated out from Heaven. I could feel the warmth it produced and as I stood there to  plead my case. I could feel the awesome power of God. No being could possibly appear before  Him, even separated by a gate as I was, without experiencing this awesome power, might and 

majesty. At first I had a sense of fear, sort of guilty feeling that is always produced in me when I  believe I have imposed on others. In my mind’s eye I could just visualize a busy God who was  annoyed with me for taking Him away from important things. Then, just as suddenly as this  feeling came, it passed. I then found strength or boldness in my belief that I had served my God  faithfully for many years. To me, I was convinced that this request of mine would be a snap!  

Boldly I came before the throne and started out by reminding God what a great life of love,  worship, and sacrifice I had lived for Him. I told Him of all the works I had done reminding Him  that I was now in trouble and only He could help by granting me an extension on my physical life.  God was totally silent while I spoke. When I had completed my request, I heard the real, audible  voice of God as He answered me.  

The voice I heard was not like the sweet voice that satan had used to trick me before in the valley.  You could put together the noise of all the storms, volcanoes, tornadoes, and hurricanes and they  could in no way imitate what I heard. The sound of His voice was in no way like the sweet voice I  talked about earlier. The sound of His voice came down on me from over the Gates even before  the words hit me. The tone of His anger knocked me on my face as God proceeded to tell me just  what kind of life I had really lived. He told me what He really thought of me and even other people  who lived as I did. He pointed out that my faith was DEAD, that my works were NOT  ACCEPTABLE, and that I had labored in VAIN. He told me that it was an abomination for me to  live such a life and then dare call it a life of worship. Furthermore, He said to those who do it, they  are in danger of experiencing His everlasting wrath. As God dealt with me, He displayed His  wrath to me. Notice, it was not His everlasting wrath. He did say there are some who will experience His everlasting wrath.  

I could not believe He was talking to me in this manner! I had served Him for years! I thought I  had lived a life pleasing to Him! As He was enumerating my wrongs, I was sure He had me  confused with someone else. There was no strength left in me to even move, let alone protest, yet  I was panicking within myself. No way He could be talking about me! All of these years I thought  I was doing those works for God! Now He was telling me that what I did, I did for myself. Even as  I preached and testified about the saving grace of Jesus Christ, I was doing that only for myself in  order that my conscience might be soothed. In essence, my first love and first works were for  myself. After MY needs and wants were met or satisfied, in order to soothe my conscience I  would set out to do the Lord’s work. This made my priorities out of order and unacceptable.  Actually, I had become my own false God.  

He makes it plain in His teachings that He is a jealous God and will have no other gods before Him;  flesh, stone, blood, or whatever. He will have no other gods before Him. God told me that He  would not accept this kind of worship in the day of the Pharisees and He certainly was not about to  accept it now in this the Laodicean Church Age. He put it to me as plain as words and actions  could make it. In order for our works to be acceptable, we must work according to His command  in Matthew 6:33 which empathically states, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His  righteousness; and all these other things shall be added to you.” As God told me about my true motives, the verse of scripture in Matthew 16:24-26 and Luke 14:26-33 became so clear to me. In  Matthew 16 it states, “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after me, let him  DENY himself and take up his cross, and follow me, for whosoever shall save his life shall lose  it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” In Luke 14 beginning with verse 26  it is stated, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children,  and brethren, and sisters, yea, and HIS OWN life also, he cannot be my disciple. And  whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you,  intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have  sufficient to finish it?” In verse 23 of this same chapter Jesus makes the following statement  which is the cornerstone of the two portions of scripture previously stated: “So likewise,  whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not ALL that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”  

Only now as I was here before Him being chastised did those two portions of scripture become  crystal clear to me as to their true meaning. As God told me about my TRUE MOTIVES, I could  see plainly for the first time how MY WORKS were DEAD. Because God was displaying His  wrath toward me, I could not stand nor could I speak. No strength was left within me as I was  nothing more than a wet rag lying there writhing in agony. It indeed, was fortunate for me that this  was not God’s everlasting wrath, only temporary wrath. However, at this time I did not know this  was only temporary.  

It needs to be stated that at no time while God was chastising me did He say I was not saved nor  did He say that my name was not in the Lamb’s Book of Life. He never mentioned salvation to me  at all but only spoke about the works produced through my life. He told me the type of life I lived  was an unacceptable life for a true Christian. As He spoke to me of my dead works, he indicated  that there are some people who are not saved but think they are. These people will experience His  everlasting wrath. He also made it plain to me that there are others of His children who will find  themselves in my present condition on Judgment Day. This revealed to me the true meaning of 1  Corinthians 3:15 which states, “If any man’s works shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he  himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”  

There are no words that can describe the pain I endured as God’s wrath was upon me for this life  of so–called service. The agony was beyond the scope of the imagination and the remorse that I  felt produced a very heavy burden similar to a physical weight pinning me down or an enormous  stone crushing me. Growing weaker and weaker, my mind was frantically racing in an effort to  grasp what the Lord was telling me while recalling each actual incident. God leaves no room for  error and that includes whatever is in our minds.  

The surprise was so overwhelming in its magnitude that it rendered me senseless. My strength left  me immediately, just as though I had been hit by a bolt of lightning. Even if God would have  ceased and allowed me to speak on word of protest, I would not have been able to do so. I had  absolutely no strength whatsoever to utter anything. In my mind I was constantly DENYING the  wrong in my life while acknowledging the fact that I had committed them. My conscience was  asleep but my mind was NOT. 

Slowly, it all began to be absorbed by me. Remember how the Bible tells us to have no other gods  before us? I had thought that the Most High God was the only God of my life, but I was not  fulfilling that part of scripture which tells us that if we allow anything to come between us and the  Lord, (whatever it may be) it becomes our “God.” I realized that each day of my life was devoted  only to MYSELF! My whole life I was preoccupied with MY needs FIRST and THEN I was  concerned with what the Lord wanted. The money to help the church, the poor, or anything else  was secondary because I was my OWN “god.” Naturally, the devil was contented with allowing  me to remain in that condition because as long as I was in that condition, I was of no use to the  Lord and His kingdom.  

I allowed this to occur because I was really indifferent to the things of the Lord. It was too  uncomfortable to change and I was convinced I could remain as I was without having to really DO  anything (such as following the Lord’s commandment about DENYING myself and picking up  my cross daily to follow HIM.) For this reason, my life was wasted and amounted to absolutely  nothing in the Lord’s eyes.  

I hope that you understand what it is that I am saying because it is the whole point of this chapter.  The fact is we must prove we are really Christians by first examining our motives behind each  deed in our lives, and then repenting and recommitting ourselves to follow the Lord daily. When  we decide to serve Him FIRST, this decision must be followed by ACTION or it will be as useless  as if we did not decide to do so in the first place.  

Chapter 11: My Real Father  

When God was through with me the interview was over as suddenly as one would turn off a faucet.  I was not allowed to linger or even reflect on what God said. The angels immediately carried me  away as if I were as wet rag having no strength in myself. Totally annihilated, I could not even  gather my thoughts.  

The angels carried me back through the Second Heaven, through the dimension wall, and into the  hospital room where my body was lying. It was not until I reached the bed upon which my body  lay did I regain my composure. As I regained my composure, I vehemently protested, “No! No!” I  told the angels, “God did not answer me! He did not say yes or no to my request! Please, oh please,  take me back!” I pleaded with the angels.  

God is a God of order and He never does anything haphazardly. Since all of this entire experience  had been planned by God, the angels complied with my request to take me back. God was dealing  with me gently and tenderly through His great LOVE knowing what was necessary for me to  experience in order for me to have the scales fall off my eyes.  

During the time God was displaying His wrath toward me, I thought this wrath was terrible and  painful. I found out later that it was nothing compared to the pain the lost will experience when  they receive His everlasting wrath. 

While in route back to the Third Heaven, I was beside myself trying to come up with a logical  reason or legitimate basis on which to plead my case. God had already told me that my life had  been a failure, therefore, I could not offer my past life as evidence of my intentions to serve Him.  Somehow or another, the thought of Hezekiah came to my mind. When God sent word for him to  put his house in order, he cried and prayed and God heard him. God extended his life for fifteen  years. I remembered from my studies about him that Hezekiah was the “good–old–boy” type,  similar to me. I remembered how he had good intentions in his heart but how he had trouble  translating out those intentions into everyday living. Since this seemed to be the same kind of  trouble I had in my life, I concluded that God dealt with Hezekiah based on the intentions of his  heart. Because of this assumption, I concluded this reasoning would be the basis of my plea.  

Upon my arrival back before the third heaven, I was brought to the same place from which I had  previously pleaded my case. Not nearly so bold this time, I remembered how God's wrath had  floored me beforehand. Nevertheless, I had asked God for a favor and God had not answered.  Wanting his answer no matter what it was, I timidly started pleading my case again.  

This time God did not knock me down but let me talk. God did not talk to me in anger but started  out answering me in a tone of pity. Before it was all over, God was speaking in sorrow.  

Opening my plea by quoting scriptures to God, I began by telling him all about Hezekiah. I told  God that I figured out that Hezekiah was the "good-old-boy" type, that the intentions of his heart  were pure, but he seemed to be unable to translate out those intentions into everyday living. Here  I was, an insignificant nothing and the smallest creature in all his universe, bartering words with  this great and awesome God who had created it all.  

I said, "Father, if You will grant this request, I promise you I will do better the next time."  

The Lord answered me thusly, "Howard Pittman, you have promised before." God did not have to  say another word. There they were, all the promises I had made to a holy God in my past entire life.  Not one of them remained whole. Somehow, someway, I had managed to break them all. With  nothing left to say, no words in all my vocabulary, nowhere to go, I fell on my knees before him.  All I could say was "Amen" to my own condemnation. I knew that if at that moment God would  banish me into the pits of hell, it would be just to say "amen" to my own condemnation.  

At that moment God did not demand justice but showed me mercy. The scales fell from my eyes  and my soul was suddenly filled with light. That powerful, awesome, all-consuming God was now  not evident. There on that throne dealing with me was my REAL Father. God was no longer a  distant God, but a real, genuine Father. The realization of his being my true Father and my best  friend came to me for the first time in my life. The wonderful relationship I had enjoyed with my  physical father and the wonderful love we shared for each other was suddenly brought to mind yet  magnified a thousand fold. For now I was with my real Father, the one who loved me so much that  God left all of his creation to deal with me, the prodigal son. 

For the first time in my life, I saw in my mind's eye who God really is. For the first time I met God  as God truly is, my real Father, my very best friend. As the realization of who God is flooded my  soul, great and painful sorrow also came. Sorrow came when I realized that through disobedience  I had hurt my Father. This realization and sorrow produced actual pain which was not just a guilt  feeling but actual pain similar to what one would experience in the flesh when one sustains a  physical injury. At this point in time, God started dealing with me in sorrow and no longer did the  tone of his voice express pity. Instead, the sound was of genuine sorrow. I suddenly realized that  God was hurting too. God was hurting because I was hurting. Being a true and just God as God is,  God had to allow me to suffer the pain and God could not lift it from me. Although God had to  allow me to suffer the pain, God would not allow me to suffer it alone. God the most High, the  most Supreme, the Creator of all, the Father of all would not let me suffer alone.  

By this time I suddenly realized that my physical life was not so important after all. What I was really concerned about now was what my Father wanted. His will had suddenly become the first thing of my life and my physical life was no longer important. This is when God gave me back my physical life. Only when I reached a place that my life did not mean anything to me, did God give it back to me. Now that the prodigal son had returned, the Father could talk at last. God could tell me what my trip to heaven was all about and that God had a message God wanted me to tell people on earth.  

Chapter 12: Wake Up!  

I now repeat for you point by point the entire five point message that God gave me to deliver to this world today: 

• Point Number 1: For those who call themselves Christians, this is the Laodicean Church Age in which we live. A high majority of so-called Christians are, in fact, living a deceived life. They talk Jesus and play church, but do not live it. They claim to be Christians and then live like the devil. They have bought the great lie from satan who tells them that they are alright. He tells them that it is alright to go to church on Sunday and attend mid-week services but as far as the rest of the time is concerned, they are to get all they can out of life. As far as their Christian life is concerned, they  believe they are comfortable and have need of nothing and as a result, they are only lukewarm  Christians if Christians at all.  
• Point Number 2: satan is a personal devil.  
• Point Number 3: To the whole world, this is Noah's second day. As it was in the days of Noah, so  shall it be in the days of the coming of the son of man. Humans took no thought of what Noah was  saying nor did humans believe that anything was about to change. Humanity could see the storm clouds over the horizon, but yet did not believe the rain was imminent. Notice the close parallel  today. Humanity can see all the signs of the last days, yet humanity does not believe that anything  will change. He does not believe in the impending coming of our Lord and he does not prepare to  meet God."  
• Point Number 4: For those who claim to be Christians, they are supposed to be ambassadors for  Christ here on earth. One cannot have any true witness or power in his life unless that one lives his  Christian faith at all times, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. To be a true Christian one  must live it, not just talk it. To honor God with your lips and not your heart is not acceptable.  Those who accept the responsibility of teaching, preaching, or any leadership role have much for  which to answer.  
• Point Number 5: God is now in the process of recruiting an army with which God will shake this  old world one more time. By working through his soldiers, God will produce great miracles that  will shake the established hierarchy of the so-called organized religion that is in this world today.  These soldiers that God is now recruiting will demonstrate the power of God to a greater extent  than did the disciples in the Pentecostal age. Now the recruitment has begun in earnest because  God is about to perform the great miracles through his army that God promised us God would do  in the Bible. John the Baptist brought the spirit of Elijah into this world and he did not even know  he had it. John denied it, but Jesus confessed that it was so. The purpose of that spirit was to make  straight the paths of the coming of the Lord.  

"The Alpha and Omega, the Cause of all the universe's existence was hurting because a mere  Earth child was hurting. Oh, what Love! What Understanding! It was so far beyond anything a  mere Earthling can understand. Oh how precious just one, little, insignificant Earth child is to that  Great God" – Howard Pittman