Where sinners go after death |
The Word
of God teaches that there is a place of torment in the unseen world, a
horrible and dreadful place where fire burns continually and where there is
weeping and gnashing of teeth, and where the souls of those who have not
repented of their sins and believed in the Gospel of the grace of God go
after death. |
This place
is called ‘‘soggiorno dei morti’ (that is, ‘abode of the dead’) – in Greek:
Hades, while in Hebrew: Sheol – and it is mentioned many times in the
Scriptures. Before proving you from the Scripture the existence of this place,
I want to tell you the following things. |
First of
all, both the Hebrew word Sheol and the Greek word Hades, which is equivalent
to Sheol, mean also ‘sepolcro’, that is, ‘sepulchre, grave, tomb’. That’s why
in the Bible sometimes the word Sheol (in Greek Hades) is translated ‘sepolcro’.
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For
instance, Diodati [1] translated Sheol ‘sepolcro’ in the following passages: |
“Non
lasciare scendere la sua canutezza in pace nel sepolcro” that is, “Do not let
his gray hair go down to the grave [Sheol] in peace” (1 Kings 2:6); |
“Così chi
scende nel sepolcro non ne salirà più fuori” that is, “So he who goes down to
the grave [Sheol] does not come up” (Job 7:9); |
“Perciocchè
il sepolcro non ti celebrerà” that is, “For the grave [Sheol] will not praise
you” (Isaiah 38:18). [2] |
I have
said ‘sometimes’ and not ‘always’, because this Hebrew word refers also to
the abode of the souls between death and the resurrection [3], that’s why
some other times it is translated ‘inferno’ (that is, ‘hell,’) or ‘soggiorno
dei morti’ (that is, ‘the abode of the dead’). |
For
instance, Diodati translated Sheol ‘inferno’ in the following passages of the
Old Testament: Psalm 9:17, Job 26:6, and Proverbs 7:27; and he translated
Hades as ‘inferno’ in the following passages of the New Testament: Matthew
11:23, 16:18, Luke 16:23, Revelation 1:18 (while in Acts 2:27 and Acts 2:31
he translated Hades as ‘luoghi sotterra’ [that is, ‘underground places’]) [4].
Luzzi [5], in the Old Testament of the Italian Bible Riveduta Version (the Revised
Version) put ‘soggiorno dei morti’ (‘abode of the dead’) instead of ‘inferno’
(‘hell’); while in the New Testament he left the word Hades in its
untranslated Greek form. (See the above mentioned passages in the Riveduta
Version). However, both ‘inferno’ and ‘soggiorno dei morti’ refer to the same
place. |
Furthermore,
I want you to know that the word ‘inferno’ – which is not present in the
Riveduta Version – comes from the Latin word infernus which means ‘lower,
underground’. As for the English term ‘hell.’ it comes from the Old English
word helan, which means ‘to hide or cover’ |
Someone
will say: ‘Why wasn’t this word translated always in the same way?’ Because
sometimes the context did not allow the same rendering. In other words the
same word has a different meaning in different contexts. Therefore, sometimes
Sheol or Hades indicates the unseen place where the souls of the dead go, while
some other times Sheol or Hades indicates the grave where the body is laid. Let
me give you an example taken from the book of Isaiah. The prophet says: “Hell
from beneath is excited about you, to meet you at your coming; it stirs up
the dead for you, all the chief ones of the earth; it has raised up from
their thrones all the kings of the nations. They all shall speak and say to
you: ‘You also have become as weak as we, and you have become like us” (Isaiah
14:9-10 – Translated from the IBDV). Here Diodati translated the word Sheol
as ‘inferno’ - Luzzi translated it as ‘soggiorno dei morti’ – because it does
not mean grave, in that the text speaks of people staying in Sheol who at the
coming of the king of |
Therefore,
in the light of the Scriptures, those who deny that the word Sheol (or the
equivalent Greek word Hades) refers also to the place of torment where
sinners continue to exist after death (and they stay there till the
resurrection) are greatly mistaken. |
Now I am
going to prove from the Scriptures the existence of this place of torment
(called Sheol or Hades) in the unseen world; I will tell you where it is located
and how the Bible describes hell. |
● It
is written: “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and
fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar
named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be
fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs
came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was
carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was
buried; And in hell [Greek: Hades] he lift up his eyes, being in torments,
and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said,
Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that
he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am
tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy
lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but
now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us
and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence
to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that
would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that
thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that
he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead,
they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the
prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead”
(Luke |
This is a
story which was told by Jesus Christ. It teaches that people continue to
exist after death and that the souls of the sinners continue to live in an
unseen world. It is clear that we do not see our soul, yet we know that it
dwells in our body made of flesh and bones; and just as we can’t deny the
existence of the soul just because we do not see it, so we can’t deny the existence
of Hades just because we do not see it or we have not seen it. The fact is
that while the soul is in our body, Hades is in the lower parts of the earth.
According to the Word of God, Hades is a real place where the soul of the
sinner, after it has gone out of the body, goes to stay and where it will be
waiting for the judgement. In other words, while the sinner lives on the
earth his soul enjoys the pleasures of life and takes delight in doing evil
things using the human body, but when the body in which the soul dwells
temporarily dies, the soul departs from the body and goes to Hades where it
will tormented by the fire which is in this horrible place. The story of the
rich man tells us that he lived in luxury every day while he was on the earth
and that when he died he was buried, but he found himself in a place of
torment called Hades. It was his body which was buried not his soul, because
man’s soul cannot be seized by any man nor can it be buried. According to
what God said to Adam, it is the human body which returns to dust: “For dust
you are and to dust you shall return” (Genesis |
The rich
man asked Abraham to send Lazarus that he might dip the tip of his finger in
water and cool his tongue for he was in agony in the fire of Hades, but
Abraham told him that such a thing was not possible. Abraham told him to
remember that in his lifetime he had received his good things, and
furthermore he told him that between them (Abraham and Lazarus) and him there
was a great gulf fixed, so that those who were in Abraham’s bosom could not go
from there to those who were tormented in Hades to help them. God had no
mercy on that man; just as he had been merciless toward his neighbour during
his lifetime, so God was merciless toward him after he died. In this we see a
manifestation of the justice of God. Even under the Old Covenant He did not
leave unpunished those who refused to heed His Word. |
After the
rich man had heard the answer of Abraham, he asked Abraham to send Lazarus to
his father’s house to warn his five brothers of that place of torment so that
they would not come to that place of torment. He thought that if his brothers
had heard Lazarus, they would have repented and they would not have gone to
that place of torment. However, Abraham answered him saying that his brothers
had Moses and the prophets, so they had to listen to them in order not to go
to that place of torment. However, the answer of Abraham did not satisfy that
man, for he told Abraham that in his opinion the testimony of Lazarus would
be more efficacious because if someone from the dead went to them they would
repent. But Abraham did not agree with him, for he told him that if his
brothers did not listen to Moses and the Prophets they would not be convinced
even if someone rose from the dead. (I would like to point out to you the
following things: first of all, that man believed that Lazarus could go back
to the earth and speak to his brothers; secondly, he did not ask Abraham to
grant him to go back to the earth; thirdly, Abraham confirmed that Lazarus
was dead). The words of Abraham were hard words, and they show that those who
do not believe what God says (through the Holy Scriptures) about Hades and
the torments which people suffer in it, will not believe in the existence of
this place of torment even if one goes to them from the dead and speaks to
them about hell and the torments of this horrible place. |
This is
the truth, brothers: some people will not believe in the
existence of hell neither will they repent of their sins, even if one of
their loved ones rises from the dead and tells them the things he saw in hell.
However we are called to warn people about this place of torment, because God
Himself has warned us of this place with His Word. If God did not want people
to know what will happen to them after death if they do not repent and bear
fruits worthy of repentance, He would not have caused some persons to write
so many clear references to Hades and to the lake which burns with fire and
brimstone, which is the place of torment where the wicked will be cast after
they are judged in that day. |
Let us see
some other verses of the Scripture which confirm the existence of hell, and
that hell is located in the lower parts of the earth and the wicked are
brought down to it. |
● In
the Psalms it is written: “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the
nations that forget God” (Psalm |
● Job
said about the wicked: “They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment they
go down to the abode of the dead” (Job |
●
Isaiah said about those who did not regard the work of the Lord but followed
intoxicating drink: “Therefore the abode of the dead has enlarged itself and
opened its mouth beyond measure, the splendour of Zion, its multitude and its
pomp, and he who is jubilant among it, shall descend into it” (Isaiah 5:14 – Translated
from the IBRV). Isaiah, in his prophecy against the king of Babylon, said to
Israel: “It shall come to pass in the day the Lord gives you rest from your
sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to
serve, that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and
say: ‘…. The abode of the dead from beneath is excited about you, to meet you
at your coming; …. Your pomp and the sound of your stringed instruments are
brought down to the abode of the dead” (Isaiah 14:3,9,11
– Translated from the IBRV). |
●
God foretold through the prophet Ezekiel what He would do to Tyre: “Then I
will bring you down with those who descend into the Pit, to the people of
old, and I will make you dwell in the lowest part of the earth, in places
desolate from antiquity, with those who go down to the Pit …. “ (Ezekiel
26:20 – NKJV), and He told what He did to Pharaoh: “In the day when he went
down to the grave I caused a mourning: I covered the deep for him, and I
restrained the floods thereof, and the great waters were stayed: and I caused
Lebanon to mourn for him, and all the trees of the field fainted for him. I
made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to
hell with them that descend into the pit: and all the trees of |
●
When Jesus rebuked Capernaum He said: “And you, |
As you can
see, from all the above mentioned verses of the Scripture we clearly learn
that the abode of the dead is a place which is in the lower parts of the
earth, or rather, as Jesus said: “In the heart of the earth”, and that the
sinners who refuse to heed the voice of God go down to this place. |
However,
the Scripture even describes hell. |
●
Job called hell “the land of darkness and the shadow of death. A land as dark
as darkness itself, as the shadow of death, without any order, where even the
light is like darkness” (Job |
●
Bildad the Shuhite, in speaking of the destiny of the wicked, said: “He is
driven from light into darkness” (Job |
●
Zophar the Naamathite said about the wicked: “An unfanned fire will consume
him” (Job |
As you can
see, the Bible describes hell as a place of darkness where people are
tormented by an unfanned fire. |
Hell is
not a pleasant place where to dwell; some people scoff at it saying that
those who go down to hell have a great time there! But I can assure you that
it is a dreadful and horrible place. Some people have seen it, for God
granted them to see it, and they have a clear and indelible memory of it.
Yes, because even in this generation God has allowed some men and women to
see hell. These people, after they came back to life, have tried to tell as
clearly as possible the horrible things they saw in that place; they still
recognize that the best words they can use to describe hell, which they saw
by the grace of God, are those which are written in the Holy Scripture. Indeed
there are no better words to describe hell than those written in the Word of
God. |
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The testimony of a man who died in his sins and came
back to life
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The late
Kenneth Hagin (1917-2003) saw Hell at the age of 16. Here is what he tells us
in his book I believe in visions: “I
gave my heart to the Lord and was born again the very first night I became
bedfast. That was |
The
Scriptures tell us about the lost being cast into outer darkness where there
is weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 25:30). The farther down I went, the
blacker it became, until it was all blackness - I could not have seen my hand
if it had been one inch in front of my eyes. And the farther down I went, the
hotter and more stifling it became. |
Finally,
far below me, I could see lights flickering on the walls of the caverns of
the damned. The lights were caused by the fires of Hell. The giant,
white-crested orb of flame pulled me, drawing me as a magnet draws metal to
itself. I did not want to go, but just as metal jumps to the magnet, my
spirit was drawn to that place. I could not take my eyes off of it. The heat
beat me in the face. Many years have gone by, yet I can see it just as
clearly today as I saw it then. It is as fresh in my memory as if it just
happened. |
I came to
the entrance of Hell. People ask, "What does the entrance of Hell look
like?" I cannot describe it, because if I tried, I would have to have
something with which to compare it. (Similarly, if a person had never seen a
tree in his life, it would be impossible to tell him what a tree looks like.)
Coming to the entrance, I paused momentarily, because I did not want to go
in. I sensed that one more foot, one more step, one more yard, and I would be
gone forever and would not come out of that horrible place! Upon reaching the
bottom of the pit, I became conscious of some kind of spirit being by my
side. I had not looked at him, because I could not take my gaze off of the
fires of Hell. But when I paused, the creature laid his hand on my arm to
escort me in. |
At that
same moment, a voice spoke from far above the blackness, above the earth, and
above the heavens. I don't know if it was the voice of God, Jesus, an angel,
or who. I did not see him, and I do not know what he said, because he did not
speak in English; he spoke in some other tongue. When he spoke, his words
reverberated throughout the region of the damned, shaking it like a leaf in
the wind, and causing the creature to take his hand off my arm. I did not
turn around, but an unseen power, like suction, pulled me up, away from the
fire, away from the heat, and back into the shadows of the absorbing
darkness. |
I began to
ascend until I came to the top of the pit and saw the lights of the earth. I
saw my grandparents' home, went through the wall back into my bedroom, and it
was just as real to me as it was any time I had entered through the door (my
spirit needed no door). I slipped back into my body as easily as a man slips
into his trousers in the morning. It was the same way in which I had gone out
- through my mouth. I began to talk to my grandmother. She said, "Son, I
thought you were dead." |
My
great-grandfather had been a medical doctor, and Granny had worked with him.
She later told me, "I dressed many people for burial and laid them out
in days gone by. I have had much experience with death, but I learned more
about death in dealing with you and your experiences than I ever knew before.
You were dead. You had no pulse or heartbeat, and your eyes were set." |
"Granny,"
I said, "I am going again. I am dying. Where is Momma?" "Your
mother is out on the porch," she replied. And about that time I heard my
mother praying at the top of her voice as she walked up and down the porch. "Where
is my brother?" I asked. "He ran next door to call the
doctor," Granny answered. If you're not ready to go, you want somebody
with you. You're afraid! I said, "Granny, don't leave me! Don't leave
me! I'm afraid I'll go while you're gone! I want somebody with me! Don't
leave me!" So she gathered me into her arms again. I said, "Tell
Momma I said goodbye. Tell Momma I love her. Tell Momma I appreciate
everything she has ever done for me and for all of us. And you tell Momma
that I said if I've ever put a wrinkle in her face,
or a grey hair in her head, I'm sorry, and I ask her to forgive me." I
felt myself slipping. I said, "Granny, I'm going again. You were a
second mother to me when Momma's health failed. I appreciate you. Now I'm
going, and I won't be back this time. "I knew I was dying, unprepared to
meet God. I kissed her on the cheek and said goodbye. |
My heart
stopped beating for the second time. It's almost as real to me today, nearly
half a century later, as it was that day. I felt the blood cease to circulate.
The tips of my toes went numb - then my feet, ankles, knees, hips, stomach,
and heart. I leaped out of my body and began to descend: down, down, down.
Oh, I know it was just a few seconds, but it seemed like an eternity. I began
to descend again into the darkness until the lights of earth had faded. Down
below, the same experience occurred. The voice spoke from Heaven and again my
spirit came up out of that place - back into my room and back into my body.
The only difference this time was that I came up at the foot of the bed. I
began to talk to Granny again. I said, "I will not be back this time,
Granny." I asked, "Where is Grandpa? I want to tell Grandpa
goodbye." She said, "Son, you know your Granddad went down to the east
part of town to collect rent off of some of his rent houses." |
"Oh,"
I said, "I remember that now. I just forgot momentarily." I said,
"Granny, tell Grandpa goodbye. I've never known what it means to have a
daddy. He's been the nearest to a daddy I've known. He gave me a home when I
had none. Tell him I appreciate him. Tell him I love him. Tell Grandpa that I
said goodbye." Then I left a word for my sister and two brothers, and my
heart stopped for the third time. I could feel the circulation as it cut off
again - and I leaped out of my body and began to descend. |
Until this
time, I had thought, this is not happening to me. This is just a
hallucination. It can't be real! But now I thought,
this is the third time. I won't come back this time! Darkness encompassed me
'round about, darker than any night man has ever seen. |
I wish I
had adequate words to describe the horrors of Hell. People go through this
life so complacently, so unconcerned, as if they will not have to face Hell.
But God's Word and my own personal experience tell me differently. I know
what it is to be unconscious - it is black when you are unconscious - but
there is no blackness to compare with outer darkness. |
As I began
to descend in the darkness this third time, my spirit cried out, "God, I
belong to the church! I've been baptized in water!" I waited for Him to
answer, but no answer came - only the echo of my own voice as it came back to
mock me. It will take more than church membership - it will take more than
being baptized in water - to miss Hell and make Heaven. Jesus said, .... Ye must be born again" (John 3:7). Certainly I
believe in being baptized in water - but only after a person is born again.
Certainly I believe in joining the church - but only after a person is born
again. If you merely join the church and are baptized in water without being
born again, you will go to Hell! The second time I cried a little louder,
"God! I belong to the church! I've been baptized in water!" Again I
waited for an answer, but there was no answer, only the echo of my own voice
through the darkness. |
It would
frighten a congregation out of their wits if I ever imitated the way I
screamed the third time, although, if I could scare them out of Hell and into
Heaven, I'd do it! I literally screamed, "GOD! GOD! I BELONG TO THE
CHURCH! I'VE BEEN BAPTIZED IN WATER!" And all I heard was the echo of my
own voice. I came again to the bottom of that pit. Again I could feel the
heat as it beat me in the face. Again I approached the entrance, the gates
into Hell itself. That creature took me by the arm. I intended to put up a
fight if I could to keep from going in. I only managed to slow down my
descent just a little, and he took me by the arm. |
Thank God
that voice spoke. I don't know who it was - I didn't see anybody - I just
heard the voice. I don't know what he said, but whatever he said, that place
shook; it just trembled. And that creature took his hand off my arm. It was
just as if there was a suction to my back parts. It
pulled me back, away from the entrance to Hell, until I stood in the shadows.
Then it pulled me up headfirst. As I was going up through the darkness, I
began to pray. My spirit, the man who lives inside this physical body, is an
eternal being, a spirit man. I began to pray, "0 God! I come to You in
the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I ask You to forgive me of my sins and to
cleanse me from all sin." I came up beside the bed. |
The
difference between the three experiences was that I came up on the porch the
first time; I came up at the foot of the bed the second time; and I came up
right beside the bed the third time. When I got inside my body, my physical
voice picked up and continued my prayer right in the middle of the sentence.
I was already praying out of my spirit. Now, we didn't have all the
automobiles in 1933 that we have today - that was in the Depression. But they
tell me that between me and Momma praying so loud, traffic was lined up for
two blocks on either side of our house! They heard me praying from inside the
house, and they heard my mother as she walked the porch praying at the top of
her voice. |
I looked
at the clock and saw it was 20 minutes before |
Through my
experience, God brought me to knowledge of salvation, which is the best thing
in the world to know. I was so thankful to know that my heart was right with
God, and to know that if I should die before morning I would go, to be with
Him’ [6] |
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Conclusion
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Brothers
in the Lord, I conclude by saying to you: rejoice and be exceedingly glad for
Christ Jesus in His mercy has saved you from the fire of hell, from the
unspeakable torments of hell people suffer in this horrible place because of
their iniquities; and warn sinners of this terrible place of torment,
exhorting them to repent and to believe in Jesus Christ, because if they do
not repent and believe in Jesus they will go to hell when they die. |
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Footnotes |
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1] Giovanni
Diodati (1576-1649) was an Italian Bible Scholar, who translated the Bible
into Italian. The Italian Bible Diodati is very similar to the King James
Version for it is based on the Text Receptus. This Bible Version is still
used by many believers. |
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2] In the
King James Version as well as in the New International Version, the Hebrew
word Sheol is translated ‘grave’ in 1 Kings 2:6, Job 7:9, and Isaiah 38:18.
While in the New King James Version the word Sheol of Isaiah 38:18 was not translated, for we read: “For Sheol cannot thank
You”. |
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3] In the
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible ( |
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4] In the
Old Testament of the King James Version, too, the word Sheol is translated
‘hell’ many times (31). In Psalm 9:17, Job 26:6 and Proverbs 7:27 Sheol is
translated ‘hell’. In the New Testament the equivalent Greek word Hades is translated
‘hell’ ten times (see Matthew 11:23; 16:18, Luke 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27;
2:31, Revelation 1:18; 6:8; 20:13; 20:14), while once it is translated
‘grave’ (1 Corinthians 15:55). |
In the Old
Testament of the New King James Version the word Sheol is translated ‘hell’
18 times. In Psalm |
As for the
Old Testament of the New International Version, it must be said that
unfortunately the word Sheol is never translated ‘hell’. Most of the times it
is translated ‘grave’. And this is a bad thing which was done by the Bible
translators of this Bible for there are various verses – for instance Psalm
9:17, Job 26:6, Isaiah 14:9 - in which the word sheol must be translated
‘hell’ or ‘abode of the dead’ and cannot be translated ‘grave’ or ‘death’. As
for the New Testament of the NIV, the word Hades is translated ‘the depths’
in Matthew 11:23 and Luke 10:15; ‘grave’ in Acts 2:37 and 2:31; ‘hell’ in
Luke 16:23; ‘death’ in 1 Corinthians 15:55; while it is left in its untranslated
Greek form in the following verses: Matthew 16:18; Revelation 1:18;
6:8;20:13,14. The word Hades in Matthew 11:23 and Luke 10:15,
and Acts |
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5]
Giovanni Luzzi (1856-1948) was a Bible Scholar. In 1906 the British Bible
Society appointed him Chief Reviser of a Committee whose task was to revise
the Italian Bible Diodati Version. The Luzzi Version therefore is a Revised version
of the Bible translated by Giovanni Diodati. We call this Bible ‘La Versione
Luzzi’ that is, ‘the Luzzi Version’ or simply ‘la Versione Riveduta’, that
is, ‘the Revised Version’. It must be said, however, that many passages of
the New Testament of the ‘Revised Version’ are very similar to the New
Testament of the New International Version for the Committee based the
revision also on the ‘Critical Text’. |
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6] I want
you to know that I don’t accept every thing that Kenneth Hagin writes in his
book I Believe in Visions (for
example, I don’t accept the fact that he says that angels are waiting for our
commands). Furthermore, I don’t accept several things he teaches on
prosperity and health, for I reject the so called ‘prosperity message’, and I
don’t accept his ‘holy laughter’ for I consider it a carnal and diabolic
manifestation. There are other teachings taught by Hagin that I reject. Of
course, the fact that at a certain point of his life Kenneth Hagin accepted
strange and diabolical teachings did not bring him honor nor did it bring
praise to God, for I firmly believe that his false teachings have discredited
seriously his ministry. However, I firmly believe that what he says about his
death-experience is true and cannot be refuted at all, because it is
confirmed by the Scripture. |