Fast Lane To Heaven

Ned Dougherty is a former director and media spokesperson for the International Association for Near-Death Studies. Following his near-death experiences, Dougherty started the Mission of Angels Foundation speaking on life-after-death issues. During his near-death experience, Ned received a message from the angel Michael.

Ned's near death experiences including passing through a tunnel, meeting friends and family that preceded him in death, a life - review and meeting a God of incredible light and love. He was also given a mission to accomplish on his return. Religious upbringing comes to bear when describing what one sees in eternity. One person might recognize the appearance of an angel and call it an angel. Another might refer to it as a 'spirit being'. A building in heaven could be called a hall, chapel, amphitheater, stadium, cathedral, or any similar term. Ned uses some words that may sound strange to someone familiar with the descriptions of heaven contained in the bible. I believe he may be decribing the same things in different words.

At the time of his NDE, Ned was a nightclub owner, living life in the fast lane and didn't believe in an afterlife. The following is an excerpt from his book, Fast Lane to Heaven.

I agreed to meet my friends at the restaurant after doing a walk-through tour of Marakesh (Ned's nightclub) and checking up on the employees who were preparing the club for opening. I thought that the business associate, who had already been released on bail, would have enough sense to lie low for a couple of days after his arrest. Knowing that I would not have to deal with him personally, I started feeling even better as I approached the club.

Several of the club's security personnel were setting up the stanchions and velvet ropes on the sidewalk in preparation for the night's crowd. I walked into the front lobby and climbed the stairwell that led to the private VIP lounge that overlooked the main level and dance floor of the club. From my vantage point in the VIP room, I could look out over the rest of the club and decide how the staff was performing.

Although the VIP room was relatively dark and quiet, I sense that someone else was in the room. It was the business associate who was the focus of my rage. He began shouting as he walked toward me with a drink in one hand, while pointing a finger at me with the other. I didn't even listen to what he was saying. I just exploded; I leapt at him with a volley of fists, knocking him backwards. As he stumbled and fell, I lunged at him with both hands in a death-like grip around his neck. My instincts, fueled by rage, were murderous. As he gasped for breath, I squeezed harder, recognizing that I could easily resolve this business association by pressing my thumb further into the vulnerable spot at the center of his throat. As I seriously contemplated actually murdering him, something happened inside me that I didn't expect. I couldn't force my thumb to sink further into his neck to cause more severe or even fatal damage.

As I recognized that some invisible force was holding me back, I realized that some other, evil force had overwhelmed me only moments before to the point that I was actually contemplating murdering someone and, in a moment of madness, had assumed that the murder would somehow be justified. For someone who took pride in maintaining control and being patient, my explosive reaction in this situation was as much a surprise to me as it was to the employees who overheard the commotion.

At the moment, when my uncontrolled and violent attempt to commit murder was abated by an inner voice, another force in the form of a security guard grabbed me in a body-hold from behind and pulled me away from the object of my rage. I was as startled by the inner voice that had stopped me from committing murder as I was by the security guard's intervention. For several seconds, as I was being pulled from my intended prey, I realized that only a few seconds and an unforeseen force had kept me from committing murder and possibly spending the rest of my life in prison.

The security guard, probably as startled by his own response as he was to the unreality of the situation, persuaded me to go back downstairs. As I stumbled down the stairs to the front lobby, I concentrated on calming myself. I was gasping for air and trying to control my breathing. I soon realized that my lungs were hyperventilating out of control. My chest seemed to be expanding and contracting more and more rapidly, but with each expansion and contraction, less oxygen was reaching my lungs. I could hear my heart pounding heavily in my chest.

As I walked out of the front lobby onto the sidewalk, I passed the security guards and employees at the entrance who were unaware of the explosive incident that had just taken place in the VIP room. I was walking alone now, still trying desperately to catch my breath as I stumbled into an alleyway. I spotted my friend Bill and suddenly realized that something was seriously wrong. Alarms were going off inside my head, but just as suddenly I felt surrounded by a warm and secure feeling, despite the fact that I felt that I was no longer in control of what was physically happening to me. For the first time in many years, I shot a glance up into the dark sky above me as if I was reaching to heaven to come to my aid. The warm and secure feeling that I was experiencing must have been coming from someplace other than from inside because what was going on physically within my body was creating terror and trauma in my mind.

As Bill met me, I tried to tell him I needed help, but it was too late. Although my uncontrolled hyperventilating had ceased, so did my breathing. Time and space stood still. My sense of hearing turned inward, and I was listening for sounds from my now-silent lungs, which seemed to have collapsed. Just seconds ago my heart had been pounding loudly and now, suddenly, the pounding stopped. For a long pregnant moment, everything before me stood still. I was dying and I knew it. In a split second, I thought: This is it! This is how it all ends! Suddenly, I felt what seemed like an electrical explosion in my head, and my body collapsed to the sidewalk.

The Fast Lane to God

As a massive field of energy began to form in the sky directly in front of me, I heard a loud, grinding mechanical noise as the mass of energy shaped itself into a cylinder funneling upwards. It seemed as if the darkness of the sky turned into liquid as the mass of energy curled like an ocean wave and formed a perfect tunnel that stretched into the heavens.

As I stared into the large and imposing tunnel of energy, a shimmering, luminescent-blue field of energy began to float down the tunnel toward me. As it rapidly approached, I watched the luminescent-blue field mass into a form and begin to materialize into an image of a human being. As the image composed itself, I found myself face to face with an old friend. His name was Dan McCampbell, but I had never expected to see him again. After all, he had been killed in Vietnam.

As Dan and I communicated, I realized that we did not speak to each other as we had communicated in our earthly lives. As soon as I thought, "Dan, I recognize you," it was communicated to him. We were communicating telepathically, which connotes a communication of words between minds by means other than by vocal communication, but such a description falls short of the spiritual communication we were experiencing. We were not only communicating with words; we were communicating with feelings and emotions. As we thought, we also emoted our thoughts. Both thoughts and emotions were being communicated telepathically and spiritually in a manner that far surpassed normal human communication.

Dan communicated to me, "You are on the threshold of an important journey. Each of these places and events that are before you are for you to absorb as much as you can. It is important that you remember everything that you see before you. You will be going back, and you must go back with what you experience. You have a mission ahead of you in your life, and this experience will guide you on that mission."

Suddenly, I was enveloped in this brilliant golden light. The light was more brilliant than the light emanating from the sun, many times more powerful and radiant than the sun itself. Yet, I was not blinded by it nor was I burned by it. Instead, the light was a source of energy that embraced my being.

I was alone in the glow of this light and suspended before a magnificent presence. I immediately believed that I was in the presence of God, my Creator. I felt that God was embracing me, and he had love for me, a love greater than any love I had ever known on Earth. I realized that God was bestowing his light of love on me, as his light transformed from a brilliant golden light to a pure white light. As I became more accepting of God's love, the light of God became brighter, of a pure whiteness beyond description. When I sensed that my spiritual being had received God's love to the point of overflowing, I became aware that God was stabilizing and energizing my being in preparation for my mission. I realized that I would be returning to earthly life and that God was preparing and orienting me for that return.

God began to imbue me with universal knowledge. I realized that I had always thirsted for this knowledge and I wanted to absorb as much as I could. As I remained suspended in God's light, I felt this knowledge penetrate and absorbed by my spiritual being. This knowledge was flowing through me in the same manner as God's love, pulsating through my being. Dan was back at my side again. We descended together from God's light into a universe of bright stars. We were again in the deepest void of space, but now I felt comfortable in this environment as well as in my spirit body, and I felt at home in this celestial location. As Dan and I continued to descend, I was startled by the magnificent ethereal structure directly below us. The heavenly structure resembled an amphitheater similar to those found in ancient civilizations. This amphitheater was made of a brilliant, crystal-like substance that radiated multi-colored waves of energy throughout its form. The amphitheater was suspended in the void of space in the same fashion that a space station might hover in space. The amphitheater was similar in size to a sports stadium and conveyed a great majesty.

As Dan and I descended closer to the amphitheater, I realized that it was filled with thousands of spiritual beings. We hovered directly over the structure, and I felt a vibrant energy envelop me. The energy seemed to come from the crystalline structure of the amphitheater. The lower we descended, the more I was drawn to the energy.

I sensed that the thousands of spiritual beings there were also absorbing this energy. They were sending out waves of energy to one another as well as to Dan and me. We were now descending onto the celestial field, which was surrounded by the large arc of the amphitheater. Although I first felt it as energy, I recognized that the energy emanating from the crystalline structure was also a symphonic sound.

Soon Dan and I were suspended in the center of the celestial field which meant that we were the focus of attention for the thousands of spiritual beings positioned throughout the amphitheater. Above, below, and behind us was the deep void of space. In front of us, thousands of spiritual beings were communicating, by musical sounds, feelings of goodwill to me. Their sounds of greeting were in harmony with the symphonic sounds of energy emanating from the amphitheater. Once I settled onto the celestial field, I could look directly into the crystalline surface of the amphitheater and watch as multi-colored prisms of light pulsated through the structure.

I was overwhelmed by the awesome sight before me, but the feelings of love that were conveyed to me by the spiritual beings were even more overwhelming. The spiritual beings were cheering me, conveying loving encouragement and support. "You are doing wonderfully. We are here to support you. Continue to do good work, and we will help you. You are part of us, and we are part of you. We stand ready to come to your aid when you need us, and you will. Call us. Beckon us. We will flock to you when the time comes!"

Frankly, I was confused by all the attention. There wasn't anything wonderful about the way I had conducted my life. Perhaps the spiritual beings were speaking of what was yet to come. They certainly could not have been speaking of earlier events in my life. I thought, "How can I be doing wonderfully? I almost killed someone tonight. Could I be justified in what I tried to do?"

Dan interceded. "You were spiritually rescued from a negative event that was taking place in your life. You just tried to communicate a negative thought concerning this event. You cannot speak of such things here. There are no negative thoughts here, only positive affirmations. They cannot hear you; they will not hear you when you speak or think in negativity. You must be positive to perform your mission."

I turned to my right, realizing that a group of spiritual beings had joined us on the celestial field. This event was indeed a homecoming for me. Among the group of spiritual beings, I recognized deceased friends and relatives from my life. I also recognized other friends from my spiritual life prior to my birth on Earth. I was filled with joy when I recognized my grandparents, aunts, and uncles who had died during my life. However, I was disappointed because I did not see my Dad among the group. I then recognized other friends from my life, including a girl from high school. I did not know she had died. The feelings of love and joy that I shared with these relatives and friends were far beyond the emotions I had shared with them during my life. As the child of an alcoholic and broken home, I did not communicate feelings to relatives or friends very well. In fact, I wasn't aware that I had many feelings. Most of my feelings were hidden inside.

Now that I was at my homecoming as a spiritual being, the greetings were the kind that I had imagined took place in a healthy family. It seemed as if we were celebrating every major holiday, every birth and birthday, every wonderful event in all of our lives in a manner that we could never celebrate as mortal human beings. I wanted this celebration and homecoming to continue forever, but a silence suddenly fell across the crowded amphitheater.

All attention seemed to be directed to the celestial field around me, and a shimmering, luminescent sphere enveloped me, making me feel as if I had stepped into a crystal globe. Although I was aware that the crystalline sphere was suspended on the celestial field in view of all the spiritual beings in attendance, I found myself in a different celestial realm. Somehow the spiritual beings were still observing me inside this crystal sphere. I realized why the hush of silence had fallen over the crowd: My life review was about to begin – in public, it seemed. I was aware that I was about to review every event, thought, emotion, and experience of my life. I became aware that the purpose of the review was for me to evaluate my life in terms of my intended mission as a human, to review my life in a manner that permitted me to focus on the areas that provided the most important experiences in terms of my spiritual growth and development.

Although I was alone in the crystalline sphere, I was aware that I was in the presence of God and watched over by the many spiritual beings in the amphitheater who were encouraging me with their love and support. Nothing about my life was a secret to God, nor to the spiritual beings, yet I did not perceive that I was being judged. I realized that all who were part of God's spiritual creation had fallen from God and had made mistakes in their own journeys. There was no one among the assemblage of spiritual beings who was about to cast the first stone at me.

(Ned then experiences his life in complete review and is shown the future of mankind including a message from the Archangel Micheal.)

Archangel Micheal's Message

Some time after his near-death experience, Ned visited the Vietnam War Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. While standing in front of a friend's name on the wall, Ned had another near-death experience involving the Archangel Michael. The following is the experience as he describes it:

"I stood again in front of the slab of granite bearing my friend's name. I thought back to the night of July 2, when I left my body in the ambulance and floated free to be greeted by Dan. That evening had been the start of a long and difficult path of spiritual discovery that was still only just beginning. It was no coincidence that I had been drawn back to this wall on this particular night. As I reached out to touch my friend's name on the wall, a shock of energy went through my body. I felt my body falling to the ground. I was now free of that body and floating above it.

"I was enveloped in an intense light. I was in the presence of a great spiritual being. A booming voice filled the air; it was the most powerful voice I had ever heard. It was the voice of the Archangel Michael. I recognized that he was conveying a message of importance:

Your forefathers created one nation under God, with liberty and justice for all. These were men of high ideals, spiritually guided and inspired to create a nation and a civilization to be admired and respected, to set an example for the rest of the world. In exercising their free will under God's guidance and direction, they created a Constitution and a Bill of Rights for every man, woman, and child to live in freedom in the pursuit of happiness. Yet these high-minded and spiritual men were soon replaced by others who, in the exercise of their free will, chose to put their egos before God and to joust with God's plan.

You became a nation of spoilers, man against man, brother against brother, government against citizens, and the chosen nation became a warrior with and against other nations. You have become a nation of criminals and murderers. You murder in wars. You murder the innocent. You murder your children. Your leaders create laws to justify the murders, to attempt to make wrongs right, to rewrite morals and ethics to support your own earthbound greed and desires.

You have become a nation further and further from the spirit and the influence of God. You have created sciences and philosophies to support activities that only recognize earthbound realities that not only refuse to recognize the spiritual nature of man himself, but refuse to recognize even the existence of God.

You have taken God and his works of prayer and meditation out of your government, out of your institutions, out of your schools. You have done everything you can to deny his existence, and you find yourselves in a world filled with wars, hatred, starvation, and death, and you do not understand why the rest of the world does not follow your shining example.

You are a nation at war with itself, filled with hatred, prejudice, crime, drugs, and murder. Yet when the few of you who do look to God ask him why all these things are allowed to happen, you do not hear his answer.

You are members of the human race, universally created by God and given free will individually by divine right, and you would not wish to have it any other way. Yet every little act of free will that man has exercised from the beginning of time that was not in accordance with God's plan, multiplied in its impact and its negativity on the future of man. Every simple act of aggression multiplied into acts of world war. Every simple act of greed multiplied into worldwide human suffering and starvation. Every act of destruction of God's environment on Earth multiplied into destructive forces of nature - earthquakes, floods, pestilence, nuclear destruction and nuclear waste. Every act of violence escalated into acts of murder and the extermination of ethnic people for their appearance or beliefs.

Yet, God created a nation of high ideals for you to survive other empires and civilizations that crumbled into oblivion, for their leaders placed themselves as men above God, and now those empires and civilizations are but piles of dust or buried under the waters. You sit on the edge of the new millennium, poised for the future of humankind, and you are headed, like all great civilizations of the past, to be reduced to piles of dust, to be covered over by the waters.

Yet, God comes to you again, to appeal to you as a people, to appeal to you as a nation, to appeal to your leaders. His army of angels is visiting upon you with a life force of energy, a spiritual energy radiated by the Creator to all humankind. Many of you feel the vibrancy of his energy and his divine presence. He is communicating with you spiritually, telling you to raise yourselves to the level of spiritual transformation that is necessary for those of you who hear him to spread his message and his energy, to recognize that he is coming.

Guided by prayer and meditation, all men, women, and children may answer his call, but it must be soon. Time is running out! The angels are coming! Do you hear them? Are you listening?

Are you listening?

As the Archangel Michael's message ended in a haunting echo, I began to float gently back down into my body. Several people were standing over it as it lay sprawled on the sidewalk at the base of the wall. Further away, I could see a team of EMTs with a gurney rushing toward my body.

Two Year Old Meets Angel in Near Death

This is a short clip from the TV show Sightings. It features the story of Ricci Enriquez, who drowned in a pool when she was two years old. Ricci reported meeting an angel who guided her into heaven. Once again, several doctors are interviewed, including Dr Melvin Morse.

Russian Doctor Raised From the Dead After 3 Days

This story appeared on the Discovery Channel a few years ago. It's the story of a Russian doctor who died from injuries after being hit by a car. (See video below) Three days later on the autopsy table, he came back to life. His experience included a life review, watching his parents being taken as prisoners and their eventual death and watching the morgue attendants remove his body from the freezer and the preparation prior to his own autopsy, just before he came back to life.

His experience forever changed this brilliant scientist. George may have realized that the weight of eternity and the call of God have greater priority than the things of academia. The apostle Paul considered all his learning rubbish compared to the things of heaven.

The video contains a discussion on the nature of near death experiences. Some believe that consciousness is limited only to physical body - and specifically to the brain. They must attribute the near death experience to some form of hallucination or mental imagery taking place in a body that only appears to be dead. This explanation fails to account for many features of NDE's, like knowing details of conversations in other places and actions taken by people while the one experiencing the NDE was in fact, not present in the room or even alive at the time.

It's my opinion that these explanations really explain nothing. The only satisfactory explanation for the near death experience is that we have a consciousness, separate from the physical body that transcends the natural world. We have a spirit that is just as real as our physical body, though it isn't always apparent to us. When our physical body dies, our spirit continues to live and record experiences. Scientists may not like this proposition. Research on the spirit world are problematic. But as testimonies pile up, we must consider the evidence and weigh it.

Electrocution & Seeing The Light

When Dianne Morrissey, PhD, was twenty-eight years old, she was electrocuted and had a profound near-death experience. That experience transformed her life. Today, she is a certified hypnotherapist and has teaches people to see and feel God's presence in dreams. The following is a short excerpt from her book, You Can See the Light

I was electrocuted by 119 volts and dead for forty-five minutes. My near-death experience changed my life. I quit playing professional clarinet and started lecturing at local colleges on near-death and out-of-body experiences as well as related paranormal phenomena. I never believed in such things before I died. I was raised Catholic and I am sure I would not have believed such a story before I died myself.

The doctors said they were amazed that I ever woke up. I asked the emergency doctor how he thought I came back. He said, "I don't know, maybe it was your dog?"

I knew what he meant because during my near-death experience I was floating at the ceiling in my den when I noticed below me was my dog, Tuffy, was trying frantically to awaken me. He scratched my arm and lightly bit the side of my face repeatedly to awaken me. Later, when I was out of the hospital my dog never let me lay on the floor again. He would stand firmly and bark continuously until I would get up. (I guess he thought that the floor caused my near-death experience).

When I first came out of my body I noticed that I was transparent and wondered how I could see so good without my glasses, because I saw them on the floor next to my lifeless body.

I was thrown by such force that my physical body was thrown about 10 feet away from where I was standing and my head went right through the wall about 1-1/2 feet off the ground. I felt no physical pain. I watched it all happen out-of-my body. I had what researchers call a "core" near-death experience. That is an experience where all the phenomena associated with near-death occur.

I wanted to save me at first and became more dispassionate about saving me as my near-death experience continued. I first tried to call for help, but could not as my hand went right through the telephone. I tried to open a door and went right through the plate glass window. I was truly amazed by it all and even tried to get a man's attention walking down my street to save my physical body. I put my hand through his upper left shoulder blade when I tried to shake him. This amazed me.

I moved through many dimensions and at one point I knew I was dead. I met an angel-like woman on the other side who explained much to me, who helped me with my life review. I went through many tunnels, not just one.

I will never forget the love that surrounded me at that moment, or the joy that ran through me. Can you imagine being hugged by God and your angel? It's an experience that defies description!

In this rapturous place, I recognized that there were two aspects of "me." My soul was my consciousness, everything that had made me who I had been and what I had become. My spirit, on the other hand, was the part of me that was now transparent and glowing, dressed in white.

I felt torn between two desires: wanting to go into the light and wanting to touch something tangible and retain my connection with all that was physical. Both desires grew stronger. The light became more intense, more radiant, more loving. As I lifted the lace and extended my hand toward the brilliance, wanting to touch the light, it rushed under the lace and touched the outstretched middle finger of my right hand...

Within the light, I knew that everyone and everything is connected to it. God is in everyone, always and forever. Within the light was the cure for all diseases.

I've found that people who hear about my journey to the Other Side are both fascinated and cautiously optimistic that a similar experience awaits them. All I can say is, once you have seen the light and then return, life will never be the same again.

Near Death From Cerebral Aneurysm

Psychotherapist Mary Jo Rapini suffered a cerebral aneurysm. While awaiting surgery, she had a near-death experience. In her interview with God, she was asked how she loved others. Hearing this question asked of so many people in eternity is making me rethink my own priorities and how I love others.

Mary Jo is the author of the book, Is God Pink? Dying to Heal.

Out of Body For Weeks After NDE

This woman died from injuries in a car accident at the age of 17 . Nothing special here. Except that she frequently traveled out of her body after her near death experience. And although she was severely injured requiring physical therapy and rehabilitation - she was also unaware of these injuries. At the time, she believed her physical body was fine. This makes me wonder, do others who are this severely injured, have the same type of  awareness? How can a person appear comatose and yet be fully aware of their surroundings and even travel out of their body while in a coma? Should this reality change the way we interact with people who appear to be unresponsive?

At the Gate of Heaven

Ron Peltey died during an operation. Most people who have near -death experiences are profoundly changed by them. Ron was given a special gift of seeing in the spiritual dimension when he came back. He tells Sid Roth his story.

Two Near - Death Experiences

We're halfway through the month of April. I hope you've enjoyed the posts on near death experiences. I have fifteen more posts ready. On May 1, I'll return to the regular schedule and topics of posting. I've learned a lot from this study. When people are interviewed or instructed in heaven, it nearly always centers on love. Not religion, not being a good person, but learning to love people regardless of circumstance. If we take nothing else away from this time of learning, I hope we all learn to love in a greater way.

This is the testimony of a woman who had two near-death experiences. Like many who experience them, she met family members who had already gone into eternity and had an encounter with Jesus.

My Walk Thru Heaven - Kim Rives

This is the near - death testimony of Kim Rives, who was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. Of note in her experience was a reinterpretation with Jesus of a terrifying childhood experience. He showed her the heavenly perspective on it. These experiences are often reported when people go through inner healing of traumatic childhood events.

Kim is the author of the book, My Walk Thru Heaven. Her website can be found here.

Pediatric Specialist Discusses Near Death Experiences

Dr Melvin Morse was a Pediatric Fellow working in Critical Care Medicine. He was trained at Johns Hopkins and had no particular interest in Near Death Experiences until he resuscitated this girl. Since then he has become a leading expert the field of Near Death Experiences. His research is focused on children. He notes that children report angelic encounters at a much higher rate than adults. He has authored several books on Near Death, including Where God Lives, and Parting Visions. His website on Near Death can be found here.

This Is Your Eternity

Don suffered a heart attack at a casino in Las Vegas and died. His experience in eternity wasn't what he expected. No two near death experiences are exactly the same. Many people report feeling loved or being at peace. Others report feeling separated from love or experiencing pain or torment. Some describe a place of darkness. This man's story is quite different. Like most people, his experience profoundly changed his perspective on life. His website can be found here.

Near - Death in The Dentist's Office

This woman's near-death experience happened in a dentist's chair. Beautiful lights, peace, harmony, and heavenly assignments. And no review of her life....lucky woman!

Near - Death From Respiratory Disease

This woman's testimony has some of the classic features of NDE's including an overwhelming sense of peace and traveling through a dark tunnel. She had an angelic encounter shortly afterward and was healed of a respiratory disease.

Blind Woman Sees In Near - Death Experience

This is the story of a woman who was born blind but was able to see for the first time after she died. That's a challenge to explain from a medical perspective. Like many who step into eternity, she experienced the perfection of her heavenly body for the first time. What kind of hope should that give the rest of us who suffer from physical problems?

Near - Death Experience After Car Accident

This man tells of the time he was killed in a car accident and went to heaven. I won't spoil the beautiful ending. His experience included a classic feature of NDE's - the life review. You might find God's perspective on his boyhood mischief comforting.

"I Want To Go Back"

This is the testimony of a man who was hospitalized with severe heart disease. He was placed on a transplant list, but soon suffered cardiac arrest and died. He was immediately taken to heaven and then given a choice - remain there or come back to earth. He chose to come back. He would suffer cardiac arrest several more times during his stay in the ICU over the next few weeks and each time he was asked if he wanted to go to heaven or stay on earth. He chose to stay. Eventually, his poorly functioning heart was healed and he went home.

Resurrection In The Operating Room

This is one of the most unique near death stories I've heard.

Chris Russell was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He had a lung removed and due to complications, returned to the hospital for another procedure. According to the surgeon and nurses he died on the operating table. He remembered nothing after he died but those around him had the whole story. I won't spoil the amazing ending.

You won't believe this...

The Resurrection of Daniel Ekechukwu

Did Jesus rise from the grave after three days?

Could it happen today?

This is the story of a man who witnesses say was raised from the dead in Nigeria after being dead for three days. In fact the similarities between his resurrection and that of Jesus are numerous. On November 30th 2001, Daniel Ekechkwu was involved in a car accident, suffering severe head and chest injuries. He was taken to a local hospital, but the physician gave no hope for survival. He was taken to a second hospital but died in the ambulance. The physician at the second hospital pronounced him dead. His body was taken to a mortuary and embalmed. But his wife refused to give up hope. After 3 days in the mortuary, she arranged to have his body transported in the coffin to a church where Reinhard Bonnke was speaking. They placed his coffin in the basement of the church. During the service Daniel's dead body came back to life.

Nearly everyone involved including the mortuary attendant, physician, wife, and friends tell their account of what happened. Daniel recounts what he saw in eternity. He mentions the story of the rich man and Lazarus, found in Luke 16: 19-31 and said that the reason God sent him back from death was to warn people about the reality of hell, as the rich man requested in that story.

I first ran across this story two years ago. It's one of the most intensely debated healing or resurrection stories in recent history. Many people have tried to discredit the story. But, like the resurrection of Jesus, many first hand witnesses have brought together a consistent story, including those who pronounced him dead, had him embalmed and carried his dead body in a casket. In light of the fact that so many witnesses came forward to testify, I believe this story to be a credible account. I'm pleased to post the story here. It is a wonderful testimony to the power of God.

I hope you're encouraged by it.

They Buried Me Really Deep...

Most stories about near - death aren't funny.

This one cracked me up.

Enjoy!

Atheist Howard Storm's Near Death Testimony

Easter is approaching. Lately, my thoughts have turned to the resurrection. I've been finding a lot of testimonies of people who've suffered clinical death, stepped into eternity for a time, then came back to talk about what they experienced. I'd like to investigate this phenomenon a little more.

From a clinical perspective, brain death begins when the brain is deprived of oxygen for four minutes at room temperature. Hypothermia slows metabolism, so a body that's been cooled may survive longer. But, most people who have these experiences are not hypothermic. In the emergency setting we typically end resuscitation attempts after 10 to 15 minutes have passed and no sign of circulation has been observed. That isn't a very long time to determine death.

Most of the stories I've found involve people who have been in cardiac arrest for more than 20 minutes, some for nearly an hour, and some for several days. There is little in the way of science that can plausibly explain the spontaneous recovery of people in cardiac arrest for this length of time. All of these people who were clinically dead, returned to life with no sign of brain damage.

Whether you call them resurrections or near- death experiences, (NDE's) makes little difference. These stories all have similar features. That fascinates me. There are a number of these stories that lack credibility. I'll do my best to post stories that are well documented.

Before his near-death experience, Howard Storm, a Professor of Art at Northern Kentucky University, was by his own admission, not a very pleasant man. He was an avowed atheist and was hostile to religion and those who believed in a higher power. He considered all belief systems associated with religion to be self- deception and fantasy. Beyond what science proved, there was nothing else. What could make a hardened atheist change his mind?

On June 1, 1985, at the age of 38, Howard had a near-death experience due to a perforation of the duodenum, while hospitalized in France. It's unclear exactly what happened, but he tells of briefly stepping into eternity. His life was so changed after the experience that he resigned as a professor and devoted his time to attending seminary. Today he's the pastor of a church. His website can be found here. This video is a brief account of that experience. He published a book My Descent Into Death, which describes his life and the experience in great detail. Those who research NDE's view his as one of the most complete experiences to date and often cite it research on the subject.

Heidi Baker on Intimacy and Miracles

This is an interview with Heidi Baker in which she explains that a life of miracles is the fruit of a relationship with God.

1040

Something's happening here....

Mickey Robinson Testimony of Resurrection

This is the testimony of Mickey Robinson as told to Patricia King. Since his death and resurrection after an airplane crash, he's experienced the supernatural life with an intensity few others have seen. Today he is a gifted teacher and prophet. Mickey's website can be found here.

Does God Cause Sickness?

Ready to kill a few sacred cows?

In our first video, Bill Johnson answers a couple of questions; the main one being, does God cause sickness? Leif Hetland and Rand Clark are also present on the platform.

In our second video Andrew Womack challenges traditional teaching on the nature of God and why tragedies happen. Andrew often provokes me to reconsider my beliefs, some of which are more traditions of men, than eternal truths.

Xtranormal Healing

What do medics do for amusement on a long, boring shift when nobody wants a ride to the hospital?

Some of them make movies.

Steven Spielberg's job is safe. And I'm no Darren Wilson. But I had a desire to create videos that show people healing in every day situations. This is a short video in which two strangers meet and have an Xtranormal conversation. Our healer receives a few words of knowledge and begins building a bridge of relationship. The words of knowledge surprise the woman, forcing her to consider that this guy is getting information from a higher power. When she feels power going into her body, she now has evidence that something supernatural is happening. The woman perceives healing as an act of compassion; revealing the heart of the man who prays and a God who heals out of love. Having built a safe environment for the relationship, she wants to know more about the God who made it happen. The healer can now discuss the kingdom of God with her.

Let me know what you think.

Healing at Bethel Church and Shasta Mall

This video shows some of the young Christians in northern California bringing the healing power of God to the Shasta Mall. Words of knowledge are involved, revealing medical conditions that aren't obvious.

I love what God is doing at Bethel Church, in Redding California. Follow the link below to watch an edited video of a service in which many people were healed. You can view this video without registering. If you want to view other videos, you will need to register for a free membership.

iBethel.TV // Bethel Church // Oct 11th Healing service : Dec 02 '09

Power of Prayer: Kayla Knight

This article was first published by KLTV 7 News in Tyler, Texas. The original article can be found here

It's hard to see anything different today in little 11 year old Kayla Knight.

It was just three weeks...three weeks ago that doctors told Amy her little girl had a tumor that cover almost a quarter of her brain.

"I think it was like being in another world. Because I just stood there. I mean it literally took him... Amy, Amy because I thought... You just don't believe it," remembers Kayla's mother Amy Knight.

For months Kayla had been having severe headaches. The frequency and severity kept growing until one night in May they became so unbearable they went to the E. R. Doctors said an x-ray showed some kind of abnormality in Kayla's head. It would take another month before Kayla could get in to see a doctor in Tyler. They took an MRI, which showed a large white spot on Kayla's brain. A tumor that doctors feared was spreading quickly around Kayla's brain.

"We prayed," said Amy. "We both hit our knees and we were praying. That was actually on a Wednesday so when we got to church we had a good 30 people or more lay hands on her and it just.... you could feel God. I can't say we prayed as much before. I mean we did...but not like this. Not like we do now."

Two days later Kayla was sent to Baylor Hospital in Dallas. Same routine. Another MRI. But this time...

"I don't know how to read it so I was okay...to me it looked like it had expanded because all you see in the picture is nothing. So I thought okay maybe its just taken over the whole brain. And he said no, it gone. And he said its got to be a mistake, it has to be. We are going to schedule another test, there is no way its just gone and just the whole time he is stuttering and there is just this look on his face like I don't understand. I don't know. We did another one and it was gone and his words were it was truly a miracle, this has to be the act of God," said Amy.

In just 48 hours all that this single mom had known was turned upside and back again. Just yesterday they went for another follow and still no signs of the tumor. But there are plenty of signs say Amy, of the power of prayer. That not only saved Kayla but changed this family forever.

"I don't know because I'm 30 years old and I just come to grips with that a couple of months ago and I have never been as comfortable in my faith as I am right now. And I think I have a lot of people standing behind me. Its hard to explain, I just know whatever happens to me apparently God wanted it to happen or it would not happen in the first place. I know He is in control of our lives," says Amy

"Well its been kind of scary but kind of fun. Because your like knowing God is going to do something about it," says Kayla

"The best way to describe it, I was a mediocre Christian. To be honest. I mean I went to church, the mundane thing. You do this and you do that and you think okay I'm going to heaven. Looking back now I don't know that I would have. I know I will now. I know this has opened my eyes and I think maybe God used that to make us better believers. To make us fully depend on Him. I mean that's what its all about anyway," says Kayla.

Clint Yeatts, KLTV 7 News.

Circling The Drain

She spoke little English. But with a heart rate around 40 and a B/P in the 50's, I'm surprised she was awake. Her potassium was critical. The normal range is 3.5 to 5. Hers was nearly 7. Hyperkalemia is a silent killer. It usually comes from kidney failure, but she had no history of it. Nurses frantically did what they could to keep her alive. I was taking her some place bigger. A place where they have dialysis; her only hope.

That...and prayer.

So I prayed on the way and spoke healing into a body gone mad. I kept an eye on the pumps and watched her vitals, which steadily improved. When we dropped her off in the ICU, her heart rate was clipping along around 100. Their first B/P was 118/ 70.

And that was amazing.

It might have been the anointing.

It could have been the dopamine.

I'll let you decide.

Healed Heart & A Word of Knowledge

Happy St. Patrick's day!

This would make a great valentine's day post.

Oh well.

If you haven't noticed, we're in a season of new things. Some are painful. I was on duty yesterday getting lunch at a deli. I felt a sudden pain in the first knuckle of my middle finger I've never had before, so I wondered if it might be a word of knowledge for healing. I asked the person closest to me if they had pain in their hands, but they said no.

I got in the rig and told my partner about it. He shot me a puzzled look and asked, "where's your pain?" I repeated, "first knuckle, middle finger." He smiled and said he's been having terrible pain in that exact spot for a week - ever since our last shift. The pain woke him up this morning. So I put my hand over his and commanded healing into the joint. He felt a tingling sensation like pins and needles. A little while later he was pain-free. To someone who has words of knowledge like this often, it might not be a big thing - but to me it's a major breakthrough. I've been wondering for a long time if I'd ever feel the pain of a friend as a sign that God wants to heal them.

My wife had an episode of tachycardia two nights ago. She was sitting at the computer when it started. Suddenly, her heart began beating about 150 times a minute. She's had PSVT for many years. I felt her pulse to confirm it. We decided to pray for healing. I put my hand over her heart and spoke healing into her. I asked for a new heart. Within a few minutes her rate was back to normal.

No bearing down or holding her breath. No drugs. It just returned to normal as we prayed. We'll have to wait to know if she was healed permanently. We're trusting in God for that.

Raised From The Dead in Africa

This is part of the film The Finger of God, by Darren Wilson. After the short discussion on preaching the gospel, we hear the testimony of a man named Francis, who was brutally beaten to death. At the hospital he was resurrected and healed of his injuries. Heidi Baker and Bill Johnson discuss miracles of healing following his story. If you haven't seen the entire movie, I strongly suggest buying copy. (Or two) After you see it, you may want to give a copy to a friend.

Healing From Intimacy With God

Bill Johnson teaches on healing out of intimacy with God.

Miracle Healing in China

Professor Hermilo Jasso took 30 college students to China. He became ill and was admitted to a Chinese hospital with a ruptured appendix. God sent two mysterious strangers to get him the help he needed.

Back From Death After Fatal Pulmonary Embolism

This video is the testimony of a woman who suffered cardiac arrest from a pulmonary embolism. The ER doctor testifies of a two -hour resuscitation attempt, which failed. One of the nurses involved tells of her part in the resuscitation. While hospital staff worked to bring her back to life, her church interceded for her. Friends and family visited the ER and prayed at her bedside. After the decision had been made to stop resuscitation, she came back to life. Within hours, she regained full neurological function.

Home Show Response

We received this e-mail today:

Just wanted to check in to let you know I have been feeling better and better since you prayed for me at the Home Show. Thanks again for being there!

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Joan

Treasure Hunt Testimonies

This young man shares his story about going on a treasure hunt with his friends. They followed clues given to them by God.

In our second video, a group of believers testify about their experiences while attending Bethel's School of Supernatural Ministry.

Indonesian Muslim Healed & Cloud of Glory Appears

This is the story of an Indonesian Muslim woman who developed breast cancer. Her Christian husband and the Indonesian branch of the 700 club began to pray for her. A short time later her cancer vanished.





The video below was filmed somewhere in Asia. I don't know where, exactly. It seems to be an authentic video revealing the appearance of God in a cloud of glory during a prayer meeting.

Heart Attack Healed

This is the testimony of David Khoury. He and his wife spent hours studying Andrew Womack's teaching on healing. David developed chest pain and suffered a heart attack. He was taken to a hospital, diagnosed, and scheduled for bypass surgery. But before the procedure was done, he and his wife continued to believe God would heal him. To the amazement of the cardiologist, subsequent blood tests and EKG's showed that his infarct had been healed. He left the hospital the following day. Andrew is the man in the red jacket on the left - smiling while the story is told.

Honor and Heresy

This post has the potential to hurt a few people, but faithful are the wounds of a friend. I've written this because I love my friends.

I have some acquaintances that I correspond with on occasion. They present a challenge to me. They often post passages of scripture after making a comment on something I’ve said. It’s rare for these brothers and sisters to make any comment without some kind of reference to the bible. They frequently request others to provide ‘chapter and verse’ when they make statements having to do with spiritual life.

I’ve become increasingly concerned with this behavior and I have a confession to make. I was one such person, not long ago. I’ll describe this from my own experience.

After coming to the Lord in 2000, I began a 7-year journey; relentlessly devouring everything I could find to help me understand the bible. I became an expert of sorts. People used me as a resource for theological questions. I was always quoting chapter and verse. I questioned (and sometimes criticized) ideas, statements and positions that didn’t square with scripture…or rather, my understanding of it. If there were a banner over my life it would have said, “Prove all things, hold fast to that which is good.” It was the word, not the spirit that was leading me. The letter kills, but the spirit gives life.

It was during this time that God showed me how dead I was. I had been born again, but not baptized in the Holy Spirit. I had a dream in which Luis Palau was present at a meeting. A woman at the meeting informed me I was spiritually dead and told me I became spiritually alive when I registered for a Kim Clement concert. That gave me reason to re-evaluate a lot of things. One of them was my obsession with biblical accuracy. I heard pastors say you could be so right that you were 'dead right'. Who knew they were talking about me?

I began having experiences that were hard for me to understand in the context of biblical Christianity. Although the bible has much to say about dreams and their interpretation, I’d never had a dream I remembered as an adult and never hear a sermon on dream interpretation. Suddenly I was having many dreams. God showed up in a few and He had a lot to tell me. Some of the experiences I've had while sleeping defy explanation. I have no memory of seeing, hearing or feeling anything. When I wake, I have an awareness that something 'spiritual' happened. But I can't find words to describe it. I know my spirit man was up to something, by my natural mind had no clue what was going on. I retained no memory of it. I have no chapter and verse for something like this.

It was also at this time that God began speaking new words to me, like 'prophet' and 'healer'. I had no grid for these things. But this was my new identity, like it or not. I reluctantly began the process of transformation, and in this new life I moved from servanthood, to sonship. Having my identity confirmed from the Lord freed me from the insecurity that compelled me to prove to men who I was.

I began having visions, visitations, angelic encounters and seeing miracles. Some of the images I see in visions aren’t found in the bible. Am I supposed to ignore them? How can I interpret them? This is where we have to lay the bible aside to come before God and ask what He’s saying, what it means, and how to apply it. As I hear the voice of God and declare His rhema word for a person, group or season, much of what comes from my mouth doesn’t have chapter and verse attached. Biblical principles should be found in it and the heart of God should be revealed through it. Prophecies must be judged. The question then comes – how do you know you’re hearing from God?

This is a case where relationship must have priority over the written word. I'm not suggesting experience trumps the logos. But God isn't a book. As His children, we must believe that we’re hearing the Spirit of God and trust that He is revealing the truth to us. Unfortunately, there have been errors in the past and there’ll be more in the future. I’ve missed my share of interpretations, and learned from the mistakes. I’m new, and making mistakes is part of the process of maturing.

I see problems in always demanding ‘chapter and verse’ to support statements. The first is, not all ideas and experiences have biblical references. The second is the fact that we don’t all have the same familiarity with the word of God. Most of the people who do this are very skilled in handling the word and know how to use electronic bibles to gather a mountain of verses to support their idea. They scan people’s blog or Facebook posts, looking for ideas that seem out of harmony with their understanding of the bible. When something hits their radar – they make a corrective observation, insert an adequate supply of bible verses and wait for a response. They are not intimidated, but seem eager to engage in a battle of words. They seldom back down. And that bothers me. Remember, I once did this myself.

I know there is much exhortation in the word to avoid false doctrine. But this behavior resembles what a bully does on a playground. Bullies look for those who are weaker and beat them up. It’s usually done out of a weakness or insecurity that torments them. When bullies grow up they become thugs who terrorize everyone around them. The people I’m referring to in this post could be called intellectual bullies. They go around looking for people who are intellectually weaker and beat up their ideas with a superior set of ideas. The references to scripture are nothing more than an iron bar or a baseball bat that says, “Don’t mess with me.” Is this the kind of life Jesus would have us live?

In a continual search for error they have become known as ‘heresy hunters.’ Bill Johnson made a profound statement that forever impacted how I see heresy. (I’ll paraphrase) He said that if you react to error, you won’t arrive at truth – but another error of a different kind. As long as error is your starting point – you can’t arrive at truth. The truth stands on it’s own ground, independent of and in no relation to error. Man wasn’t designed to react to error, but to respond to truth.

God wants us to be a culture that honors its members. Intellectual bullying dishonors everyone involved. This behavior needs to end. In some, a lack of identity may be the cause. Allowing God to tell us who we are can begin the healing process.

The Orphaned Spirit

I had a dream a couple of weeks ago that put a new subject on my radar. I'll call it a 'subject', though it may be the biggest problem in society right now. The dream was about the 'orphaned spirit'. That's a new concept to me. Bill and Beni Johnson showed up in the dream and discerned that the 'orphaned spirit' was the single biggest problem God wants us to deal with right now. Their son was 'locked down' somewhere and I went on a journey to meet him. It was a long dream. So it was only a little surprising when Bill's son Eric came to speak at a church about a half mile from my house a few days after I had the dream. I didn't know Eric was coming until the day before he arrived. Wanna guess what he talked about? If you guessed the orphaned spirit - pick up your "I'm a prophet" t-shirt before you leave.

If you're not familiar with the orphaned spirit, but want to find out more, Bill Johnson does a nice job of explaining it here. If you're a heresy hunter - I'm pretty sure it isn't in the bible, so it'll keep you busy for a while. The problem is one of identity. The orphaned spirit is a mind-set in which we believe no one is able to protect or provide for us, leaving us orphans to fend for ourselves. It isn't just a problem outside the church; many believers are not yet fully convinced of who they are and who their Father really is. The problem of identity is critical to our mental, spiritual and physical health. The two videos below don't mention the orphaned spirit, but I believe they show the effect of it. In the first interview, heavy-metal rocker Kirk Martin shares about his deliverance from darkness and the belief that he needed to be in control of his own destiny. In the second, former Korn front-man Brian "Head" Welch tells how Jesus redeemed him from a life of self - destruction.

The Gospel Brings Healing in Pakistan

I found this video on Healing Herald and wanted to share it with you. It features Andres Bisonni as he ministers in Pakistan. A number of people are healed including the deaf and blind. The gospel of peace brings healing and life.

Healing at the Home Show

The presence of God descend as the woman in the long black coat told us about rashes, bumps on her ankles and other health problems. I knew by His presence, God wanted to heal her. I asked if we could pray for her. She seemed reluctant; KC was Mormon. As my wife talked to her, I closed my eyes and saw a small candle surrounded by a vast darkness. I told her what I saw. She knew what it meant. We continued talking and building the bridge. I had something to deliver, but ministry flows through relationships. Before we could pray for her, she had to trust us. After she told us more about herself, she agreed to let us pray. I commanded the darkness to leave and light inside her to increase; this is Spirit led prayer. We spoke healing into her body and commanded sickness to leave. Almost immediately she felt different. She began checking out her ankles. A joy came over her and she began thanking us. But she expressed concern that her healing wouldn't last so we gave her some advice - we encouraged her to focus on the goodness of God and not her sickness, to continue believing she was healed, knowing the enemy will try to convince her it never happened and a few other strategies. After she was healed she took us around to meet other vendors who had sickness and pain. She introduced us to a man who had hepatitis C. He was on a list for a liver transplant. He was a Christian and gladly let us pray for him. These were the last two people we prayed for before leaving. (KC - it was a pleasure to meet you, please let us know more about your healing)




As we waited to buy tickets, my wife thanked me for going to the home show. Some of our friends were doing something like this tonight, and she knew I wanted to be there. But I love my wife and enjoy being with her regardless of where we are. Besides, I had the notion of smuggling Jesus in with me. Shortly after we arrived, we met a woman named Joan. As we talked, she handed me a mint patty. My wife declined and mentioned her gluten - intolerance. Joan had it. too. I shared a story from this blog about the woman from Redding who was healed of it. As we talked the Holy Spirit descended and I began to sway gently back and forth. Joan was a believer so we prayed, believing for a miracle. She gave us her card and thanked us. We hugged and departed. (Joan, you owe us a testimony if you were healed. :)

One way I know God wants to heal people is when I feel His presence increase. It's a green light that says 'go for it'. Later we met a man named Bill, a vendor for Conner remodeling. He teaches pottery and loves art. We talked about the product he was selling and about art. As we were ready to leave, he asked if we had our art on a website. I told him about this blog and about some of the testimonies I've posted. That made him curious. He told us about his knee replacement, carpal tunnel, torn rotator cuff and a few other problems he could live without. I told him we could pray for healing right now. He was a little uncomfortable having us pray for him in public, so I assured him I could do it quickly and discretely. I asked him to continue talking to my wife while I put a hand on his shoulder and prayed. He thanked us and gave us his card. We went by his booth later and he said he was beginning to feel better. (Bill, if you read this - let us know what happened )

One key to ministering to people in public is respecting their concerns. Some people are very modest and healing can become something like a circus. Keeping things low-key can help. There's a benefit you receive when praying for people. If God's presence is there, you're continually being filled with the Holy Spirit. I wouldn't normally be filled with joy, peace and love at a home show. But that night, I was.

Not far from Bill's booth we met Heather. She asked if we needed a security system for our house. We told her we already have one. I asked if she had any pain or sickness. She had neck and back pain from a car-accident. I told her what we were doing and she was happy to let us pray for her. (Heather - if you read this, would you report back on what happened?)

On my last shift on the ambulance I prayed for 3 patients. Two had terminal cancer, one had a spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage. I have no idea if any of them were healed and probably never will, and I'm fine with that. God touched all three with his love and that's what matters.

I've been convicted of not having the passion I should have for those who need to know about God. We're in a critical time right now. We can't afford to be lukewarm about the things of the kingdom. Some of my dreams have been telling me it's time to be on fire. So I've been stepping out of the boat more. My faith and boldness is growing, I hope yours is, too. The more I see people healed, the more I want to move in the miraculous.

I wanted to share one final revelation. My wife had a dream from God a few weeks ago. The interpretation was easy - the age of big-name healing ministries is coming to a close. This was confirmed by a word from a local prophet. We believe this word is seeing it's fulfillment now. We aren't saying that God is done using well-recognized people. But the anointing for healing is increasing on divine nobodies like me, who are on the streets and in stores healing the sick. God is willing to do miracles through anyone. Anywhere. No experience required.

John Mellor Healing Ministry

John Mellor is an Australian healing evangelist. In the first video, We see John ministering healing to a woman who had a 20 year history of Fibromyalgia and Lupus or Systemic Lupus Erythematosis. This video comes with a warning for those who aren't used to seeing the Holy Spirit at work. The woman being healed suddenly collapses on the floor. Some might find it shocking or offensive. But consider this - the healing power of God is every bit as real and powerful as an energized power line. If someone were to suddenly come in contact with that, they would be stunned at least and possibly rendered unconscious. This is not uncommon where God's power is at work, though it creates intellectual problems for many.

In the second video the woman tells about the healing and explained that power suddenly flowed into her body as John prayed for her and that's why she was knocked down. John's method of healing is a little different from that used by others. I'd ask you to consider the results, more than the method. In the third video many people testify of conditions they were haled of when he prayed for them. In the fourth video we hear the testimony of a man who was blind, paralyzed and was a diabetic. He tells of all the things he was healed of.

John's website can be found here.

Get Reposessed in Lacey

Check out this event in the Olympia area on Sunday February 28th, 2010

At St. Martin University - Marcus Pavilion

For More Info:

http://www.repossessme.com/