Repentance and turning back to God

[TrumanCapote]

It’s clear from the things that are happening or have happened in the first weeks of January, including things that have never happened or been seen before in Kenya, we really need to turn back to God and repent seriously. What is happening is a sign of lack of protection from above, God withdrawing His covering because of too much evil in the land. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. Believers let us repent and stand in the gap, we are becoming a stench in God’s nose.

Kiyuks translate, some vocabulary is too conc for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM0r1K9OMdw

[Trojanex]

@TrumanCapote

It’s clear from the things that are happening or have happened in the first weeks of January, including things that have never happened or been seen before in Kenya, we really need to turn back to God and repent seriously. What is happening is a sign of lack of protection from above, God withdrawing His covering because of too much evil in the land. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of an angry God. Believers let us repent and stand in the gap, we are becoming a stench in God’s nose.

Kiyuks translate, some vocabulary is too conc for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM0r1K9OMdw

Avoid these pple who claim to have gone to heaven. It’s a way to preach extra biblical teachings

[Trojanex]

Recent best-selling books Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo, 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper, and 23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese are raising the question — is God giving people visions of heaven and hell today? Is it possible that God is taking people to heaven and/or hell and then sending them back in order to deliver a message to us? While the popularity of these new books is bringing the concept to the forefront, the over-arching claim is nothing new. Books such as A Divine Revelation of Hell and A Divine Revelation of Heaven by Mary Baxter and We Saw Heaven by Roberts Liardon have been available for years. The key question is—are such claims biblically solid?

First, it is important to note that, of course, God could give a person a vision of heaven or hell. God gave the apostle Paul just such a vision in 2 Corinthians 12:1–6. Isaiah had an amazing experience as recorded in Isaiah chapter 6. Yes, it is possible that God gave Piper (90 Minutes in Heaven), Burpo (Heaven Is for Real), Wiese (23 Minutes in Hell), and others a vision or dream of heaven or hell. Ultimately, only God knows if these claims are true or the result of misperception, exaggeration, or, worst, outright deception. (The co-author of another recent book in the genre, The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven, has admitted his story was false.) We must use discernment and compare the claimed visions and experiences with the Word of God.

If God were to truly give a person a vision of heaven or hell, one thing we can know for sure is that it would be in 100 percent agreement with His Word. A God-given vision of heaven would in no sense contradict biblical passages such as Revelation chapters 21-22. Further, if God were to truly give multiple people visions of heaven or hell, the God-given visions would in no sense contradict each other. Yes, the visions could be different and could focus on different details, but they would not contradict one another.

As with any book written by any author, “test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22). If you read these book(s) and/or see the movie(s), do so with a discerning mind. Always compare what the author says and claims with Scripture. Most importantly, never allow someone else’s experience and interpretation of that experience to shape your understanding of Scripture. Scripture must be used to interpret experience, not the other way around. Do not allow any claimed experience of someone else to be the foundation of your faith or walk with God.

While definitely not without significant flaws, overall, we found 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper and Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo to be the more biblically sound of the “I saw heaven” books. Piper and Burpo seem to approach the issue with humility and honesty. Again, though, read with a healthy amount of discernment and a commitment to the Bible as the absolute source of truth. While we do not doubt the honesty of the authors in sharing what they saw and experienced, there is no way to verify the claims or prove that they were from God and not simply very vivid dreams.

When the apostle Paul was “caught up to paradise,” he “heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell” (2 Corinthians 12:4). Similarly, the apostle John (Revelation 10:3-4) and the prophet Daniel (Daniel 8:26; 9:24; 12:4) were instructed to conceal aspects of the visions they received. It would be very strange for God to have Paul, Daniel, and John withhold aspects of what He revealed to them, only to, 2000+ years later, give even greater visions, along with permission for full disclosure, to people today. It is our contention that these books claiming visions of and trips to heaven and hell should be viewed skeptically and, most importantly, biblically.

[Trojanex]

Angelica Zambrano, a young Ecuadorian, claims that she was dead for 23 hours, during which time she met Jesus Christ and was led through hell and heaven and sent back to warn people about the realities of the next life. She claims to have visited heaven and hell four times and to have received numerous revelations from God.

Angelica says that, as Jesus prepared her to visit hell, He told her, “‘Daughter, I will be with you. . . . I am going to show you that place because there are many who know that hell exists, but they have no fear. They believe it’s a game, that hell is a joke, and many don’t know about it. . . . When He said that, I could see tears streaming down to His garments. I asked Him, ‘Lord, why are you crying?’ He replied, ‘Daughter, because there are more that perish, and I will show you this, so that you will go and tell the truth and so that you will not return to that place.’”

It is absolutely true that hell is real and not a game or a joke, and it is also true that many people are going there (Matthew 7:13; 25:46). It is true that Jesus laments over lost people (Matthew 23:37). We know that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). However, the fact that there are some true principles in Angelica’s vision does not make her a true prophetess or her visions divine.

Some of the elements of Angelica’s revelations are unbiblical. For example, Angelica says that, in her second visit to hell, she met a former Christian leader who was there because he did not tithe. In her first vision, she met someone in hell who failed to forgive. In her third vision, she saw people in hell for committing suicide and for playing secular music styles in church. There are many other sins that, according to Angelica, Jesus named as responsible for sending people to hell. It is true that sin is a symptom of an unsaved heart, and unrepentant sin will indeed result in an eternity in hell. But Angelica Zambrano clearly teaches that many people in hell were once saved but lost their salvation when they sinned, a doctrine that denies the believer’s security in Christ (John 10:27–30).

One of the more bizarre claims that Angelica Zambrano makes is that, in her third visit to hell, “God showed me people’s spirits in Hell who are still alive on earth. These people are bound and appear to be in cells.” According to Angelica, someone “bound in sin” on earth is also imprisoned in hell—his or her spirit is already there. There is absolutely nothing in the Bible about people’s spirits being locked in hell before they are dead.

A blatantly unbiblical detail of the visions of Angelica Zambrano regards the role of Satan and the demons in hell. In her second purported trip to hell, Angelica sees a ring of demons surrounding someone (who turns out to be Michael Jackson). As she watches, the tormented singer “extended his burning hands and was yelling, ‘Help! Help!’ . . . I could see how the demons would raise him up and force him to dance and sing as he did on Earth. The demons mocked him and threw him into the flames. They would pick him up and whip him. He screamed in terrible pain. Oh, how horribly he was being tormented.” In Angelica’s visions, Satan is the master of hell, and the demons are free to exercise their authority in tormenting the damned. This picture of hell directly conflicts with Jesus’ statement that “the eternal fire [was] prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Satan and the demons are not in charge of hell. They are not the tormentors, but they will be among the tormented.

Any Bible-believing Christian should be wary of those who purport to have a new message or revelation from God. What’s at stake in Angelica Zambrano’s testimony is the sufficiency of Scripture. The Bible is all we need to make us spiritually mature and fully equipped (2 Timothy 3:16–17). We do not need extra-biblical revelations in the form of dreams, experiences, or “testimonies” such as Angelica Zambrano’s to add to the bible. We know the glories of heaven and the terrors of hell are real because the Bible teaches the reality of those places, not because someone went there and came back. Angelica Zambrano’s vision is not Scripture but is a dangerous mix of truth and error, an attempt to combine faith and works.

[Beenie]

@Trojanex

Angelica Zambrano, a young Ecuadorian, claims that she was dead for 23 hours, during which time she met Jesus Christ and was led through hell and heaven and sent back to warn people about the realities of the next life. She claims to have visited heaven and hell four times and to have received numerous revelations from God.

Angelica says that, as Jesus prepared her to visit hell, He told her, “‘Daughter, I will be with you. . . . I am going to show you that place because there are many who know that hell exists, but they have no fear. They believe it’s a game, that hell is a joke, and many don’t know about it. . . . When He said that, I could see tears streaming down to His garments. I asked Him, ‘Lord, why are you crying?’ He replied, ‘Daughter, because there are more that perish, and I will show you this, so that you will go and tell the truth and so that you will not return to that place.’”

It is absolutely true that hell is real and not a game or a joke, and it is also true that many people are going there (Matthew 7:13; 25:46). It is true that Jesus laments over lost people (Matthew 23:37). We know that He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). However, the fact that there are some true principles in Angelica’s vision does not make her a true prophetess or her visions divine.

Some of the elements of Angelica’s revelations are unbiblical. For example, Angelica says that, in her second visit to hell, she met a former Christian leader who was there because he did not tithe. In her first vision, she met someone in hell who failed to forgive. In her third vision, she saw people in hell for committing suicide and for playing secular music styles in church. There are many other sins that, according to Angelica, Jesus named as responsible for sending people to hell. It is true that sin is a symptom of an unsaved heart, and unrepentant sin will indeed result in an eternity in hell. But Angelica Zambrano clearly teaches that many people in hell were once saved but lost their salvation when they sinned, a doctrine that denies the believer’s security in Christ (John 10:27–30).

One of the more bizarre claims that Angelica Zambrano makes is that, in her third visit to hell, “God showed me people’s spirits in Hell who are still alive on earth. These people are bound and appear to be in cells.” According to Angelica, someone “bound in sin” on earth is also imprisoned in hell—his or her spirit is already there. There is absolutely nothing in the Bible about people’s spirits being locked in hell before they are dead.

A blatantly unbiblical detail of the visions of Angelica Zambrano regards the role of Satan and the demons in hell. In her second purported trip to hell, Angelica sees a ring of demons surrounding someone (who turns out to be Michael Jackson). As she watches, the tormented singer “extended his burning hands and was yelling, ‘Help! Help!’ . . . I could see how the demons would raise him up and force him to dance and sing as he did on Earth. The demons mocked him and threw him into the flames. They would pick him up and whip him. He screamed in terrible pain. Oh, how horribly he was being tormented.” In Angelica’s visions, Satan is the master of hell, and the demons are free to exercise their authority in tormenting the damned. This picture of hell directly conflicts with Jesus’ statement that “the eternal fire [was] prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Satan and the demons are not in charge of hell. They are not the tormentors, but they will be among the tormented.

Any Bible-believing Christian should be wary of those who purport to have a new message or revelation from God. What’s at stake in Angelica Zambrano’s testimony is the sufficiency of Scripture. The Bible is all we need to make us spiritually mature and fully equipped (2 Timothy 3:16–17). We do not need extra-biblical revelations in the form of dreams, experiences, or “testimonies” such as Angelica Zambrano’s to add to the bible. We know the glories of heaven and the terrors of hell are real because the Bible teaches the reality of those places, not because someone went there and came back. Angelica Zambrano’s vision is not Scripture but is a dangerous mix of truth and error, an attempt to combine faith and works.

There is a difference between hell and the lake of fire (hell will be cast into the lake of fire), there are no demons in the lake of fire for now but there are demons in hell now, and in hell they are not being tormented , instead they are tormenting people . How do i know that there are demons in hell? Phillipians 2:10 “That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth and under earth”

Now Jesus says , “Go out and preach the message to the whole world, he who believes will be saved, he who does not is damned”. So it make sense, those who do not believe ( or the christians who have fallen out of faith) are already part of the dead she saw in hell.