.jpeg)
{BOOK PROLOG} WHY YOUR HEART KEEPS BEATING - Divine Encounters with God's Sustaining Power
- Jan 12
- 28 min read
Updated: Jan 24
FOREWORD
The heart beats approximately 100,000 times per day. That's roughly 35 million beats per year, and over 2.5 billion beats in an average lifetime. Medical science can describe the mechanics—the electrical impulses, the sinoatrial node, the synchronized contractions—but they cannot explain the ultimate source of that first spark or the sustaining force that keeps it going.
Why does your heart keep beating?
This book is my answer to that question—not from a laboratory, but from a life lived in the presence of the God who holds all things together by the word of His power.
My name is not important. What matters is the One who called me to write this testimony. For years, I have walked with the Lord Jesus Christ in a relationship that transcends Sunday morning services and religious routines. I have seen angels. I have heard the voice of God. I have been healed, protected, and taught by the Holy Spirit and His messengers.
I am not a theologian by formal training, though theology saturates every page of this book. I am not a pastor, though I have been pastored by the greatest Shepherd. I am a writer—called by God to bear fruit through the written word. What you are about to read is the fruit of that calling.
This book was born from a vision I received on December 23rd, 2023—a vision of hell that I did not seek but that God ordained for His purposes. In the aftermath of that terrifying and transformative experience, the Lord spoke clearly: "Write about this." So I did. But as I wrote, the Lord expanded the message far beyond that single vision to encompass the deeper truth He wanted to reveal.
God wants to show you why your heart keeps beating.
This is not a medical textbook. This is not a theological treatise divorced from real life. This is a testimony—my testimony—of how God revealed His sustaining power through visions, angelic encounters, miraculous healings, and intimate conversations with the divine.
How to Read This Book
You can read this book in several ways:
As a testimony: Simply read it cover to cover as you would any spiritual memoir. Let the narrative carry you through the experiences God has given me.
As a devotional: Take one chapter at a time, reading slowly and prayerfully. Use the reflection questions at the end of each chapter for personal meditation.
As a study guide: Gather with a small group and work through the chapters together, discussing the theological implications and personal applications.
As a reference: Use the scripture index in the appendices to find biblical teaching on specific topics—angels, protection, visions, hell, God's presence, and more.
However you choose to read it, I pray that by the time you finish, you will know—not just intellectually, but experientially—that your heart beats because God wills it to beat. That you live because He sustains you. That you are protected because His angels have charge over you. And that no matter how dark the valley, His hand is always extended to rescue you.
A Word of Invitation
This book contains truths that some will find difficult to accept. I write about seeing angels. I describe hearing God's voice. I recount a vision of hell that, while not graphic, is nonetheless sobering. I make claims about divine intervention that skeptics will dismiss and even some believers will question.
I understand. I do not ask you to believe everything I say simply because I say it. I ask you to test everything against Scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:21). I ask you to seek the Lord for yourself and discover whether these things are true. I ask you to be open to the possibility that the God of the Bible—the God who spoke through prophets, sent angels to shepherds, gave visions to apostles, and raised the dead—is still active, still speaking, still sending His messengers, still healing, still protecting.
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is not dead. He is alive. And He wants to show you why your heart keeps beating.
Let's begin.
INTRODUCTION: The Mystery Science Cannot Explain
The Question That Started Everything
Several years ago, I came across a fascinating admission from the medical community: Despite all our advances in cardiology, neuroscience, and bioelectrical engineering, scientists cannot fully explain why the human heart keeps beating or why the lungs keep breathing.
They can describe the process. They can map the electrical pathways. They can identify the sinoatrial node—the heart's natural pacemaker—and explain how it generates rhythmic impulses that cause the heart muscle to contract. They can measure the voltage, trace the signals, and even replicate the process with artificial pacemakers.
But they cannot explain the ultimate source of that electrical energy or why it continues, reliably and automatically, for decades without our conscious effort.
One cardiologist wrote, "We know how the heart beats. We just don't know why it starts or what keeps it going at the most fundamental level."
That question lodged in my spirit like a seed. The Lord brought it back to my memory week after week, month after month, until finally, He said, "I want to show you something about why your heart keeps beating."
I didn't know what He meant at the time. But God was about to take me on a journey that would answer that question in ways I never imagined.
The Biblical Foundation
Long before modern science began studying bioelectricity, the Bible revealed a truth that connects the physical heart to the spiritual realm. In Proverbs 20:27, Solomon wrote:
"The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the innermost parts of his being." (NASB)
Other translations render it as "the candle of the LORD" (KJV). The Hebrew word for "lamp" or "candle" is ner, which refers to a light source—something that burns, glows, produces heat and illumination.
Think about what a candle does. It converts fuel (wax) into heat and light through combustion. It's a chemical reaction that produces energy. The human spirit, according to Scripture, functions similarly—it is a source of energy, heat, and light within the human body.
The verse goes on to say this spirit "searches all the innermost parts of his being." The Hebrew word for "innermost parts" is cheder, which literally means the chambers, the inner rooms, the hidden places. In the context of human anatomy, this would include the heart chambers, the lung cavities, the internal organs—all the places where life is sustained.
Could it be that the electrical energy scientists measure in the heart and lungs is actually the manifestation of the human spirit—the "candle of the LORD"—burning within us?
The Bible seems to suggest exactly that.
The Tri-Part Nature of Man
In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul writes: "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Notice the three components: spirit, soul, and body.
The body is the physical vessel—flesh, bones, organs, the material substance we can see and touch.
The soul is the seat of personality—mind, will, emotions, the psychological dimension of our existence.
The spirit is the innermost core—the part of us that connects with God, the eternal essence that transcends physical death.
Science focuses almost exclusively on the body. Psychology focuses on the soul. But the Bible reveals that the spirit is the animating force that gives life to both.
Genesis 2:7 describes the creation of man: "Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."
The Hebrew word for "breath" is neshamah, which also means spirit or life-force. God breathed His own life into the clay, and man became a living soul. The spirit is what separates living humans from dead corpses. When the spirit departs, the body dies (James 2:26).
Job 33:4 declares, "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life."
Job 32:8 says, "But it is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding."
The connection between spirit and breath, between the divine breath and human life, is woven throughout Scripture. And if the spirit is the source of life, then it stands to reason that the spirit is also the source of the electrical energy that keeps the heart beating and the lungs breathing.
But here's the crucial question: Is the human spirit self-sustaining, or is it dependent on God?
Not Deifying the Human Spirit
Let me be clear from the outset: I am not teaching that the human spirit is divine or self-sufficient. The New Age movement and various Eastern religions promote the idea that we are gods, that we possess infinite power within ourselves, that we simply need to "tap into" our inner divinity.
That is a lie from the pit of hell.
The human spirit, while powerful and eternal, is a created entity. It is not self-existent. It is not self-sustaining. It derives its power from God, just as a lightbulb derives its power from the electrical grid. Unplug the bulb, and the light goes out. Separate the human spirit from God, and spiritual death occurs.
Paul makes this clear in Acts 17:28: "For in Him we live and move and exist."
We don't live because of ourselves. We live in Him. Our existence is contingent upon His sustaining power.
Colossians 1:17 says of Jesus: "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."
The Greek word for "hold together" is synistēmi, which means to cohere, to continue to exist, to be constituted. Jesus is the cosmic glue. Without Him, everything—including our beating hearts—would fall apart.
Hebrews 1:3 declares that Jesus is "upholding all things by the word of His power."
The word "upholding" is pherō in Greek, which means to bear, to carry, to sustain. It's a continuous present tense—Jesus is right now, at this very moment, actively sustaining the universe, including the rhythm of your heartbeat.
So yes, the human spirit is the immediate source of the electrical energy in our bodies. But the ultimate source is God. Our spirits are lamps, but He is the flame. Our hearts beat, but He is the One who keeps them beating.
God's Plan to Reveal This Truth
About a week before my vision of hell, the Lord brought this topic back to my mind with fresh urgency. I had recorded voice memos on my phone about the mystery of the heartbeat, planning to write an article titled "God Wants to Show You Why Your Heart Keeps Beating."
But I had no idea how He was going to show me.
Then came December 23rd, 2023—the day everything changed.
That afternoon, I lay down to sleep after a long night of cleaning my house. I was exhausted but content. As I drifted off, something kept waking me. A presence in the room. I looked around several times, saw nothing unusual, and eventually fell into deep sleep.
That's when the vision began.
I was pulled from my body, spun through a vortex of light, and sent descending toward hell. But Jesus intervened, stopping the black hand that was dragging me down. When I woke, trembling and awestruck, the Lord and His angels began to explain what I had just experienced.
Over the following days, God revealed that the black hand wasn't the devil at all—it was my guardian angel, Gabriel, demonstrating what happens when a soul is taken to hell. The vision was a teaching tool, not a judgment.
But that wasn't the end of the lesson.
A few days before the vision, I had experienced something even more remarkable: Gabriel had healed my heart. I didn't even know my heart was failing until the angel prayed, and I felt blood surge through chambers that had been sluggish and weak. Suddenly, I had energy. Strength. Vitality.
The two events were connected. God was showing me, through direct experience, that He is the One who keeps our hearts beating. Not our own willpower. Not the autonomic nervous system alone. Not random chance or evolutionary biology.
God.
What You Will Discover in This Book
This book is divided into six parts, each revealing a different dimension of God's sustaining power:
Part One: The Vision of Hell — I'll take you through the December 23rd vision in detail, exploring what happened, why it happened, and what the Lord taught me through it.
Part Two: Meeting the Guardians—Angels in Our Midst — You'll discover the truth about angels, what they look like, how they minister, and the reality of spiritual warfare happening all around us.
Part Three: The Healing—God's Sustaining Power — I'll share the miraculous story of how my heart was healed and the divine timing of God's intervention in my life.
Part Four: Theological Foundations—Why Your Heart Keeps Beating — We'll dive deep into Scripture to explore the connection between spirit and body, the nature of divine electricity, and the Trinity's role in sustaining all life.
Part Five: Living in the Shadow—Practical Application — I'll show you how to apply these truths to your daily life, walking in divine protection and developing intimacy with God.
Part Six: The Call to Righteousness — Finally, we'll examine the urgency of salvation, the reality of hell, and the invitation to live safely and securely in God's presence.
The Invitation
By the end of this book, my prayer is that you will never take another heartbeat for granted. That you will recognize every breath as a gift from the God who breathed life into Adam. That you will see the invisible hand of God sustaining you moment by moment. And that you will respond to His love with wholehearted devotion.
Your heart is beating right now.
Why?
Because God wills it.
Let Him show you.
PART ONE: THE VISION OF HELL
Chapter 1: December 23rd, 2023 — The Day God Pulled Back the Veil
"It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment." — Hebrews 9:27 (NASB)
The date was December 23rd, 2023—two days before Christmas. While the world was wrapping presents and hanging stockings, I was about to receive a gift I never asked for and didn't want: a glimpse into hell.
I need to say from the beginning: I did not die and go to hell. This was a vision—something that really happens, but when you're asleep, not awake. The Bible is filled with examples of God speaking through visions and dreams, revealing truths that cannot be perceived through ordinary human senses.
But before I describe what happened that afternoon, let me set the stage by explaining the biblical foundation for visions and why God still uses them today.
The Biblical Precedent for Visions
Throughout Scripture, God has used visions to communicate with His people, especially when the message is urgent, profound, or beyond normal human experience.
In Numbers 12:6, God Himself establishes this as a primary mode of divine communication: "He said, 'Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, shall make Myself known to him in a vision. I shall speak with him in a dream.'"
The prophet Joel prophesied that in the last days, God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh, and "your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions" (Joel 2:28). The Apostle Peter quoted this very passage on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:17), confirming that we now live in the age when such manifestations should be expected.
Consider some of the most significant visions in Scripture:
Abraham received visions about God's covenant promises (Genesis 15:1)
Jacob saw a ladder reaching to heaven with angels ascending and descending (Genesis 28:12)
Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on His throne, high and lifted up (Isaiah 6:1)
Ezekiel saw the glory of God, the valley of dry bones, and the future temple (Ezekiel 1, 37, 40-48)
Daniel saw visions of future kingdoms and the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7-12)
Peter saw a vision of unclean animals that revolutionized his understanding of God's acceptance of Gentiles (Acts 10:9-16)
Paul was caught up to the third heaven and saw things unlawful to utter (2 Corinthians 12:1-4)
John received the entire book of Revelation through vision (Revelation 1:10-11)
God has not changed. Hebrews 13:8 declares, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." If He spoke through visions then, He can speak through visions now.
Visions About Hell
While visions of heaven and glory are more common in Scripture, there are also sobering accounts of glimpses into the realm of the dead and the reality of judgment.
Jesus Himself described hell in vivid terms—the fire that is not quenched (Mark 9:43-48), the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 25:30), the place prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).
In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus told the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Whether you interpret this as a parable or an actual account, it describes the afterlife with specific, concrete details: the rich man dies and finds himself in torment in Hades, in flames, in agony, begging for even a drop of water to cool his tongue. He can see Abraham and Lazarus far off in a place of comfort, but there is a great chasm fixed between them that cannot be crossed.
This isn't mythology. This is Jesus teaching about the reality of hell.
The Apostle Peter writes about fallen angels being cast into hell and committed to pits of darkness (2 Peter 2:4). Jude speaks of the punishment of eternal fire (Jude 7). The book of Revelation describes the lake of fire where the beast, the false prophet, and all whose names are not written in the Book of Life will be cast (Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 15).
Hell is real. Judgment is real. And God, in His mercy, sometimes pulls back the veil to show His people the reality of what awaits those who reject Him—not to terrorize, but to motivate repentance and urgent witness.
The Setting: A Restless Night
Let me take you back to that afternoon.
I had spent the previous night cleaning my house. For several days, I had been lounging around, resting, enjoying my home. But the result was that things had stacked up—trash, dishes, laundry, cat litter. The Lord finally told me to get up and clean, so I did. I cleaned all night, scrubbing, organizing, restoring order.
By morning, I was exhausted. I showered, felt refreshed, and lay down to sleep. My three-month-old Maine Coon kitten, Pumpkin, was curled up on the electric blanket a couple of feet away from me, purring softly.
But sleep wouldn't come easily.
Something kept waking me up.
At first, I thought it was Pumpkin moving around, but when I looked, he was sound asleep. There was something in my room with me. I could feel a presence—not threatening, but definitely there.
I wasn't scared. I've lived in the company of God and angels for years, and I've grown accustomed to sensing spiritual presences. So I just kept looking around, acknowledging that something was happening, and eventually I drifted into a deep sleep.
The Biblical Pattern: God Prepares Before He Reveals
Looking back, I can see that God was preparing me for what was about to happen. The restlessness, the repeated waking, the awareness of a presence—all of this was the Lord gently alerting me that I was about to enter into something significant.
This follows a biblical pattern. Before God gave major revelations, He often prepared the recipients:
Samuel heard his name called repeatedly before he finally recognized it was the Lord speaking (1 Samuel 3:1-10)
Ezekiel heard a voice and saw a brilliant light before the heavens opened and he saw visions of God (Ezekiel 1:4, 28)
Daniel was physically affected—trembling, falling on his face, losing strength—when angelic messengers appeared to him (Daniel 10:7-11)
Paul was struck blind before he encountered the risen Christ (Acts 9:3-9)
God doesn't usually shock us with revelation. He alerts us. He awakens our spiritual senses. He prepares the soil of our hearts before planting the seed of vision.
That's what was happening in my room that afternoon. The Lord was preparing me.
Job 33:14-18 — God's Purpose in Visions
There's a passage in the book of Job that perfectly describes why God gives visions, especially visions related to death and judgment. Elihu, speaking with wisdom beyond his years, says:
"Indeed God speaks once, or twice, yet no one notices it. In a dream, a vision of the night, when sound sleep falls on men, while they slumber in their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction, that He may turn man aside from his conduct, and keep man from pride; He keeps back his soul from the pit, and his life from passing over into Sheol." (Job 33:14-18, NASB)
Read that again carefully. Why does God speak through visions?
To open the ears of men — Sometimes we're not listening when God speaks in ordinary ways, so He uses extraordinary means.
To seal their instruction — A vision makes an indelible impression that words alone cannot achieve.
To turn man aside from his conduct — Visions are often corrective, designed to change our behavior.
To keep man from pride — Nothing humbles us faster than seeing spiritual reality beyond our control.
To keep his soul from the pit — This is the ultimate goal: to save us from hell.
God gave me this vision not to condemn me, but to keep me—and through my testimony, others—from the pit.
2 Corinthians 12:1-4 — Paul's Vision
The Apostle Paul describes his own supernatural experience in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4:
"Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the third heaven. And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak."
Notice several things:
Paul speaks of "visions and revelations" as a normal part of his walk with God.
He wasn't sure if the experience was physical or spiritual—"whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know."
The experience was so profound that he heard things he wasn't even allowed to repeat.
My vision was not as glorious as Paul's third-heaven experience, but it was equally real and equally transformative. Like Paul, I'm not entirely sure of the mechanics—was my spirit literally pulled from my body, or was it a purely spiritual vision? I don't know. What I do know is that it was real, it was from God, and it changed me forever.
The Presence in the Room
As I lay in bed, drifting in and out of sleep, I kept sensing that presence. Now I know who it was: Jesus and the archangel Gabriel.
They were both there, in my room, preparing to show me something that would ignite a fire in my soul and become the catalyst for this book.
The Lord was about to answer the question He had planted in my spirit weeks earlier: "I want to show you something about why your heart keeps beating."
But first, He had to show me what happens when the heart stops.
What I Didn't Know
At the time, I didn't know that my own heart was in trouble. I had been sleeping a lot, feeling sluggish, too tired to do basic chores. I thought it was just laziness or mild depression. But a weak heart causes excessive sleepiness because the body isn't getting enough oxygenated blood to the organs and muscles.
I also didn't know that just days before this vision, Gabriel had already healed my heart in my bathroom—an encounter I'll describe in detail in Part Three.
And I certainly didn't know that I was about to be taken on a journey to the edge of hell and back.
All I knew was that I was tired, I was finally falling asleep, and something otherworldly was happening.
The Vision Begins
I was sleeping, not dead.
But I could see through my closed eyes.
That's one of the markers of a vision—you're physically asleep or in a trance, but your spiritual eyes are wide open. You see things more clearly than you've ever seen with your physical eyes.
What I saw next would be seared into my memory forever.
A black hand—alien-looking, like a sea creature with protruding appendages—grabbed my feet.
And then I started to fall.
Reflection Questions:
Have you ever experienced a dream or vision that you believe was from God? How did you know it was divine and not just your imagination?
Why do you think God sometimes uses dramatic methods like visions to communicate with us instead of gentler, more comfortable means?
Read Job 33:14-18 again. Have you ever had an experience where God "opened your ears" in an unusual way to turn you from a destructive path?
How does the reality of hell affect the way you live your daily life? Does it motivate you to witness, or is it something you prefer not to think about?
What do you think God might want to show you about why your heart keeps beating?
Prayer:
Lord, I thank You that You are not silent. You speak to Your people in many ways—through Your Word, through Your Spirit, and sometimes through visions and dreams. Give me spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear what You are saying. Prepare my heart for the revelations You want to give me. And if there are areas of my life where I'm not listening, open my ears, seal Your instruction in me, and keep my soul from the pit. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Chapter 2: The Descent - Spinning Into Darkness
"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment..." — 2 Peter 2:4 (NASB)
The moment that black hand touched my feet, everything changed.
My feet were hanging off the edge of my bed—a detail that seems mundane but became significant. I felt the grip, firm but not painful, and suddenly I was spinning. Not a gentle rotation, but a violent, mechanical spinning like being caught in a vortex or a massive turbine.
The speed was incredible. Superfast. Disorienting. And I was yelling—screaming, really—but my voice sounded strange. It echoed as if I were in a great hall, an amphitheater, a cathedral. The acoustics were perfect, amplifying my terror into something that filled the entire space.
I could see the spinning even with my eyes closed. It was a massive, multicolored swirl—brilliant lights spinning in a chaotic pattern, like a kaleidoscope on steroids or the special effects in a science fiction movie. Blues, reds, yellows, greens, all bleeding together in a dizzying spiral.
And I was descending. Going lower. Falling into another world.
The Theology of Hell's Location
Where is hell?
This question has puzzled theologians for centuries, but Scripture consistently describes hell as being "down" or "beneath" the earth.
In Numbers 16:30-33, when God judged Korah, Dathan, and Abiram for their rebellion, Moses said: "But if the LORD brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the LORD." And that's exactly what happened—"the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up... So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol, and the earth closed over them."
They went down to Sheol (the Hebrew word for the realm of the dead).
Ezekiel 31:16 says, "I made the nations quake at the sound of its fall when I made it go down to Sheol."
Ezekiel 32:27 speaks of warriors who "went down to Sheol."
Isaiah 14:15 prophesies concerning the king of Babylon (often interpreted as a reference to Satan): "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit."
Jesus Himself used directional language when speaking of hell and heaven. In Matthew 11:23, He said to Capernaum, "And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades." (Hades is the Greek equivalent of Sheol.)
In Luke 10:15, Jesus uses the same language: "And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades."
The pattern is consistent: Heaven is up. Hell is down.
Now, I'm not suggesting that heaven is literally in the clouds or that hell is in the molten core of the earth. The spiritual realm operates on a different plane than the physical. But the directional language is consistent throughout Scripture and was consistent in my vision.
I was spinning downward. Descending. Going lower and lower into another realm.
The Multicolored Swirl — The Veil Between Worlds
What was that swirl of lights?
I believe it was the barrier between the physical realm and the spiritual realm—the veil that separates this world from the next. When that veil is crossed, you enter a dimension where the laws of physics as we know them no longer apply.
The Bible speaks of veils and barriers between realms:
In the Tabernacle and later the Temple, there was a veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies—the very dwelling place of God's presence. Only the High Priest could pass through that veil, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:2; Hebrews 9:7).
When Jesus died on the cross, Matthew 27:51 records: "And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." This tearing of the veil symbolized that access to God's presence was now available to all who come through Christ (Hebrews 10:19-20).
But there are other veils. 2 Corinthians 3:14-16 speaks of a veil over the minds of unbelievers that prevents them from seeing spiritual truth. Hebrews 6:19 describes our hope as an anchor that enters behind the veil into the heavenly Holy of Holies where Jesus has gone as our forerunner.
In my vision, I was passing through a veil—not into God's presence, but into the realm of the dead. The multicolored swirl was the transition point, the boundary, the passageway between this life and the next.
It was beautiful and terrible at the same time.
The Acoustics of Hell
One of the most unsettling aspects of the vision was the sound of my own voice. I was yelling—screaming—but the echo was strange. It sounded like I was in a vast, empty hall designed for singing or speaking. An amphitheater. A concert hall.
Why would hell have such acoustics?
I believe it's because hell is a place of eternal, unsilenced torment. In Matthew 8:12, Jesus describes hell as a place where "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." He repeats this phrase six times in the Gospels (Matthew 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30).
Weeping. Wailing. Gnashing of teeth. These are sounds—constant, eternal sounds of anguish.
In Luke 16:24, the rich man in Hades cries out, "Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame."
He's crying out. Begging. His voice echoing in that realm of torment.
Revelation 14:11 says of those who worship the beast, "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night."
No rest. No silence. No peace. Just the eternal echo of regret, pain, and despair.
The acoustics I heard in my vision were the acoustics of eternity's prison—a place where every scream, every plea, every expression of anguish reverberates forever.
Why I Kept Waking Up
I mentioned in the previous chapter that I kept waking up before the vision fully began. Now I understand why.
As I was being spun and pulled downward, I started waking up. My consciousness was fighting to return to my body, to break free from the vision. And because I was partially awake, I could see myself falling. I was both participant and observer—experiencing the descent while also watching it happen.
This is not unusual in visions. The prophet Daniel experienced something similar. In Daniel 10:7-9, he writes:
"Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great dread fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. So I was left alone and saw this great vision; yet no strength was left in me, for my natural color turned to a pallor, and I retained no strength. But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground."
Notice the transitions—he's awake, then he sees the vision, then he falls into a deep sleep, then he's awakened by the angel (verse 10). The boundaries between waking and vision states are fluid when God is revealing something supernaturally.
The same thing happened to me. I was asleep, then partially awake, then back in the vision, then waking up again. And in those moments of semi-consciousness, I could see the full scope of what was happening.
I was coming out of the swirl. The spinning was slowing. And I was about to see where I was being taken.
The Speed of the Descent
The speed was unnatural. Faster than falling. Faster than any earthly experience. It was as if time and space were collapsing, compressed by spiritual forces.
2 Peter 2:4 says that fallen angels were "cast into hell." The word "cast" implies force, velocity, violence. They didn't drift slowly into judgment—they were hurled.
Revelation 12:9 describes Satan's fall: "And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him."
Again, the word "thrown" indicates speed and violence.
Luke 10:18 records Jesus saying, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning."
Like lightning. That's the speed we're talking about. Instantaneous. Violent. Unstoppable.
That's the speed I felt in the vision. I was spinning so fast that I couldn't resist, couldn't slow down, couldn't grab onto anything. I was completely at the mercy of the force pulling me down.
And that's when I saw it.
Coming out of the swirl, I saw a hand—not the black hand that was pulling me, but another hand. A hand I recognized instantly.
Jesus.
The Moment of Intervention
Just as I was about to fully enter that other realm, just as the spinning was carrying me past the point of no return, I saw the Lord Jesus' hand—His right hand—reaching through the chaos.
His hand was clothed in a white sleeve. It was unmistakably a man's hand because I could see hair on His knuckles. And He simply reached out and touched the black hand that was pulling me.
That's all it took.
One touch.
The spinning stopped. The descent halted. The vision ended.
I'll explore the significance of Jesus' intervention in the next chapter, but for now, I want to emphasize the stark contrast between the two hands.
The black hand was pulling me down with relentless, mechanical force—fast, efficient, unstoppable.
The white-sleeved hand stopped everything with a single, gentle touch.
One hand represented the power of death and hell to claim souls.
The other represented the power of grace and salvation to rescue them.
What I Didn't See
It's important to note what I didn't see in this vision.
I didn't see the flames of hell. I didn't see tormented souls. I didn't see demons or the devil. I didn't experience the heat or the pain. I didn't go all the way down.
After the vision, the Lord explained why. He asked me, "Do you know how hot it was when you were there?"
I said no.
He said, "I'm not letting you go any further."
God set limits on the vision. He showed me enough to understand the reality of hell, enough to ignite a fire of urgency in my soul, but not so much that I would be traumatized or broken by the experience.
This is consistent with God's character. 1 Corinthians 10:13 promises: "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."
God doesn't test us beyond our capacity. He measures out our trials with precision, ensuring that we can bear them and grow from them without being destroyed.
Some people have been given graphic visions of hell—visions filled with detailed descriptions of suffering, demons, and torment. Those testimonies serve a purpose, and I don't discount them.
But my testimony is different. Mine is the testimony of someone who was protected even in the revelation. God let me see the beginning of the descent, but He didn't let me see the destination.
Why?
Because He loves me. And because the lesson He wanted to teach wasn't about the horrors of hell—it was about the power of His hand to rescue.
Matthew 25:41 — Hell Was Not Made for Humans
One of the most sobering truths about hell is found in Matthew 25:41, where Jesus describes the final judgment:
"Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.'"
Notice carefully: Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. It was not originally designed for human beings.
God created humanity for fellowship with Him. He created us in His image (Genesis 1:27). He breathed His own life into us (Genesis 2:7). He sent His Son to die for us (John 3:16). His desire is that none should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
Hell is the default destination for fallen angels—spiritual beings who rebelled against God with full knowledge and in the full presence of His glory. They sinned in heaven, in the very throne room of God, and there is no redemption for them (Hebrews 2:16 says Jesus did not take on the nature of angels but of Abraham's descendants—He came to save humans, not demons).
But when humans reject God's offer of salvation through Jesus Christ, they choose to join the devil and his angels in the place prepared for them.
That's the tragedy. Hell wasn't made for you. But if you reject Jesus, that's where you'll end up.
Revelation 20:10-15 — The Lake of Fire
The book of Revelation describes the final state of the damned in chilling detail:
"And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever... Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:10, 14-15)
Notice the word "thrown" again. Violent. Forceful. Irreversible.
Also notice the phrase "forever and ever." This isn't temporary. This isn't purgatory. This isn't soul sleep or annihilation. This is conscious, eternal torment.
The Greek phrase is eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn, which literally means "unto the ages of the ages"—an emphatic way of expressing absolute, unending duration.
Jesus uses similar language in Mark 9:48, quoting Isaiah: "where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched."
The worm doesn't die—meaning the torment is ongoing, continuous, eternal. The fire is not quenched—meaning it never goes out, never diminishes, never stops burning.
This is the reality I was being pulled toward in the vision. And this is the reality from which Jesus' hand rescued me.
Why God Shows People Hell
Some people question whether a loving God would ever show someone a vision of hell. "Isn't that traumatizing? Isn't that cruel?"
No. It's merciful.
Think about it. If you were walking toward a cliff in the dark and someone shined a flashlight to show you the edge, would you be angry at them for scaring you? Or would you be grateful that they prevented you from falling to your death?
Visions of hell are God's flashlight. They're His warning system. They're His mercy in action.
Ezekiel 33:11 records God's heart: "Say to them, 'As I live!' declares the Lord GOD, 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?'"
God doesn't want anyone to go to hell. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. His desire is that they turn back and live.
But He won't force anyone to choose Him. He respects human free will. So He warns. He pleads. He sends prophets, preachers, visions, dreams, and messengers. He does everything short of violating our freedom to rescue us from the consequences of our choices.
That's why He gave me this vision. Not to terrorize me, but to wake me up. To give me a fire for witnessing. To make me understand the urgency of the gospel. To equip me to warn others.
The Fire to Witness
The Lord told me that He let me experience this vision so I would write about it. And He was right.
Since that afternoon, I've had a burning passion to tell people about Jesus. I've been witnessing to everyone—family members, strangers at the grocery store, people online, even my cats (yes, I witnessed to my cats—don't judge me).
The vision lit a fire in my soul that hasn't gone out.
Jeremiah 20:9 describes this kind of burning compulsion: "But if I say, 'I will not remember Him or speak anymore in His name,' then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it."
That's exactly how I feel. I can't hold it in. I can't stay silent. I can't let people go about their daily lives oblivious to the reality of eternity.
Hell is real.
Jesus is real.
Salvation is real.
And time is running out.
Acts 2:40 — "Be Saved From This Perverse Generation"
On the Day of Pentecost, after Peter preached the first gospel sermon, Acts 2:40 records: "And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, 'Be saved from this perverse generation!'"
The word "exhorting" in Greek is parakaleō, which means to urge, to plead, to beg, to call alongside with intense emotion.
Peter wasn't casually suggesting that people consider Jesus as an option among many. He was urgently pleading with them to be saved.
That's the spirit that has gripped me since the vision. I'm not sharing my testimony as an interesting anecdote. I'm pleading with you to be saved. I'm urging you to take eternity seriously. I'm begging you not to ignore the reality of hell.
Because I've seen where that black hand was taking me.
And if it weren't for the hand of Jesus, I'd be there right now.
Reflection Questions:
Does the reality of hell being "down" or "beneath" change your understanding of spiritual geography? Why or why not?
Have you ever felt a "burning fire" to share the gospel with others? What ignited it?
Read Matthew 25:41 again. How does knowing that hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, not for humans, affect your view of God's character?
Why do you think some Christians avoid talking about hell? Is this avoidance helpful or harmful?
If you knew someone was about to walk off a cliff in the dark, would you warn them even if it scared them? How is this similar to warning people about hell?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your hand of rescue. Thank You that You don't leave us to face judgment alone. Forgive me for the times I've been silent when I should have warned others about the reality of hell. Give me a holy boldness to speak the truth in love. Let the reality of eternity grip my heart and compel me to witness with urgency and compassion. And Lord, if there are people in my life who are walking toward the edge, give me the words to warn them before it's too late. In Your mighty name, Amen.
{Addendum_1}
WHY YOUR HEART KEEPS BEATING - Divine Encounters with God's Sustaining Power
