That Colombian Vision
by David Servant
In February I sent out an E-Teaching titled An Incredible Vision. It included the testimonies of six young Colombian Christians who claimed to have experienced simultaneous visions of hell and heaven.
Those visions elicited diverse reactions from our readers. Some people forwarded them to everyone they knew; some handed out printed copies in Bible studies and prisons; while others called on me to renounce the visions as false. The majority of responses I received, however, were positive, which probably indicates something about our readership.
Regardless, there has been lots of good fruit in the lives of many all over the world who read the Colombian visions. I've received many reports of self-examination and repentance, hardly bad things. Just today I received a letter from a repentant prisoner in North Carolina who is now preaching to other inmates (click here to read his letter). If the visions are a hoax, God is using them in spite of the motives behind them, just as He does, for example, when Christ is proclaimed by preachers with wrong motives (see Phil. 1:8). Personally, however, I don't think the visions are a hoax. If you disagree, I still love you, and remember that we all have to live with the awful fact that not everyone agrees with us about everything!
At the end of the day, it really makes no difference what anyone believes about the Colombian visions. What matters is if we believe what the Bible declares. The Colombian visions repeatedly emphasized several vital and very biblical themes, such as, (1) What a person sows, that will he also reap, (2) God will repay every person according to his deeds, (3) The unrighteous will not inherit God's kingdom (4) To whom much is given, must is required, (4) Without holiness, no one will see the Lord, and so on. You may have noticed some lesser themes, such as one that exposed various errors of Catholicism, deeply rooted in Colombian culture. It is quite clear that the entire point of the visions, according to the Colombians, was to instruct them so that they could admonish others with the same truths. The obvious ultimate goal was to bring people to repentance so they would escape the torments of hell.
I stumbled upon the Colombian visions at a website that had also posted my report about Daniel Ekechukwu, a Nigerian pastor who had been killed in an auto accident, placed in a morgue for two days, but who came back to life to tell of his visit to heaven and hell (click here to read my report). That particular website is loaded with similar interesting testimonies from all over the world. I can't endorse everyone's experiences that are posted there, but it is worth your checking out if you have time (see www.insightsofgod.com). I especially enjoyed the downloadable video dramatizations of true stories of Muslims who have come to Christ by means of visions God has given them.
At that website, you can download the actual recording of the six Columbian people who claimed to have had the simultaneous visions, as well as the Spanish and English transcript of their testimonies. If you can read Spanish, there is also a link to the Colombian website where the testimonies were originally posted. If the whole thing is a hoax, the hoaxers went to quite a bit of trouble. Their motives are also difficult to understand, as they solemnly attempted to motivate others to repentance, holiness, and true faith in Jesus by means of a deception.
I must confess that initially I also was theologically troubled by some aspects of what those six Colombians reported. But knowing how blind I have been in the past to certain spiritual truths because of clinging to tradition, wrong teaching, or wrong motives, I can't help but wonder how blind I may still be. The worst part about being ignorant is that you don't know you are ignorant! So I try to stay open to the possibility that I may still be wrong about some things. God hides truth "from the wise and intelligent" (Matt. 11:25) because He resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Anyone who thinks he has everything all figured out needs to figure out one last thing---that he doesn't have everything all figured out. In fact, the more you learn, the less you realize you know. Thus if you aren't growing more stupid, you aren't really getting any wiser!
It also occurred to me that the visions were probably more scriptural than 95% of all sermons preached in American churches that promote a saving faith that is void of works, a grace that leads to licentiousness, and an eternal security that is based on a past prayer. For that reason, I liked the Colombian visions. The Colombians repeatedly referred to Scripture verses that endorsed their experiences. The major themes of their visions are undeniably scriptural to everyone but theologians.
If one of your doctrinal toes was stepped on as you read the visions, I would recommend not jettisoning the entire vision, but rather opening your mind and considering if perhaps it was God who was stepping on your doctrinal toe---because He loves you. Now please allow me to address a few questions I received in regards to those Colombian visions. I have paraphrased those questions below; none are direct quotes or are meant to demean anyone who asked them.
1.) "This vision puts fear into people. That is not the right way to motivate people to serve God."
Scripture declares that "the fear of the Lord is beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 9:10). That indicates that without the fear of God, a person has no wisdom at all, which is entirely true. He may have some earthly wisdom, but no heavenly wisdom. A quick look at all that is found in the book of Proverbs about the fear of the Lord should be enough to convince anyone who claims to be a Christian that fearing God is a wonderfully beneficial thing (see Prov. 1:7; 2:5; 8:13; 10:27; 14:26-27; 15:16, 33; 16:6; 19:23; 22:4; 23:17).
For those silly folks who won't accept anything found in the Old Testament since we are now living under the New Covenant, Paul wrote to Christians, "Let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1). Peter instructed believers, "Fear God" (1 Pet. 2:17). And Jesus told His followers, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28). That is a God-given commandment to believers that specifically ties fearing God with the terrors of hell.
It could be rightly stated that the biggest problem in modern Christianity is that there is no fear of God. God's love has been so perverted that His wrath has been extinguished in people's minds. Yet Scripture still declares, "Behold then the kindness and severity of God" (Rom. 11:22). When Ananias and Sapphira fell dead after donating a large sum of money but lying in the process, Scripture says, "And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things" (Acts. 5:11). If you can read that story in Acts 5 without fear coming over you, you should be concerned.
2.) "Those Colombians described hell as a place where demons were torturing people. The Bible, however, describes hell as a place where the devil will be tortured, not where his demons will be doing the torturing."
The hell seen by Colombians in their visions, according to the testimony of one of them, was apparently not the "lake of fire and brimstone" described in Revelation 19:20 and 20:10-15. Thus the hell they witnessed throughout their visions was what is more literally translated as "hades" in the New Testament, which is where the unrighteous are cast at death. Jesus spoke about a rich man, for example, who died and was tormented in flames in hades (see Luke 16:22-24). It seems from Scripture that when the unrighteous die, they are cast into hades to await their resurrection and ultimate judgement, after which they will be cast into the lake of fire. Scripture tells us that ultimately, hades itself will be cast into the lake of fire (see Rev. 20:13-14), as will the devil (see Rev. 20:10).
There is no indication in Scripture, however, that the devil is currently being tormented in hades, or ever will be. Rather, the devil is now active on earth, spreading lies through his evil army and reigning over the kingdom of darkness. He also apparently still has some limited access to God's heaven, even since his original expulsion (see Job 1:6; 2:1; Zech. 3:1-2, Luke 22:31; Rev. 12:10).
There is no doubt that people are tormented in flames in hades according to Jesus (see Luke 16:23). In the Old Testament, one description of Sheol, which is the equivalent of the New Testament's hades (compare Psalm 16:10 and Acts 2:27), describes it as a place of maggots and worms (see Is. 14:11). Jesus, of course, warned about hell as a place of unquenchable fire and undying worms using the Greek word gehenna. Gehenna is often thought to be the equivalent of the lake of fire mentioned in Revelation (but no one can be certain of that, and Jesus may have been warning of hades, or both hades and the lake of fire).
So is it possible that demons are actually tormenting people in hades?
I remember asking Daniel Ekechukwu something he reported seeing in hell. He said he saw a sign at the gates that read, "Welcome to the Gate of Hell" (One of the Colombians reported seeing a sign in hell that said, "Welcome All Gossipers and Liars.") I told him that I had a hard time believing that God would post such a sign. He told me that I was mistaken in thinking that hades was a place that God, solely by His own means, meted out punishment to the wicked. Rather, he claimed, hades is a place where Satan mocks and tortures his own, and he referred me to the scripture in Revelation 20:14 where it is revealed that one day hades would be cast into the lake of fire.
Daniel asked me, "Why would God cast His hell #1 into His hell #2?" His point was that there was something significantly different between hades (hell #1) and the lake of fire (hell #2). Hades will be destroyed in judgment. Daniel also asked me, "Why did Jesus promise that "the gates of hades" (or "hell" as the KJV says) would not overpower His church (see Matt. 16:18) if "the gates of hades" speak of or represent a place of God's domain?"
For me, that was all food for thought, and it still is. It was also interesting to me that one of the Colombians testified that Jesus told him that the suffering people he saw would suffer even more after the day of judgment, which would be when the people who were in hades would be cast into the lake of fire.
If you know of some scripture that proves that hades is not a place where Satan mocks and tortures his own but a place that God, solely by His own means, metes out punishment to the wicked, please let me know. I can't think of any.
It has been pointed out to me that Jesus declared that He has the keys of death and hades (see Rev. 1:18). That, however, does not prove that Jesus does not allow Satan to rule hades and torture his own there. Jesus also has "all authority in heaven and on the earth" (Matt. 28:18), but He obviously allows Satan quite a bit of freedom to operate on the earth. He allows Satan to rule over the kingdom of darkness, which includes all those who are not submitted to Him. And Satan certainly tortures his own on the earth.
In any case, it can hardly damage one's spiritual life to believe that hades is a place where the devil mocks and tortures his own rather than believe that hades is a place where God metes out punishment to the unrighteous, solely by His own means, even if the former is not true. Regardless of the authenticity of the visions, they are not of the sort that consist of truth mixed with error that is spiritually deadly. No matter if demons are torturing people in hades or not, I don't want to go there!
3.) "The Colombians reported seeing people apparently doomed to repeat or relive their sins, at least for as long as they will be in hades. Such a thing is not taught in Scripture."
Such a thing is not taught as graphically in Scripture, but I'm sure you remember that God promises that every person will reap what he or she has sown. That means that what they have done to others will be done to them. And I'm sure you remember that God promises to repay every person according to his or her deeds. That means there are specific punishments for specific sins, just as there are specific rewards for specific acts of obedience. The only way to escape the down side of those promises is through repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus, who is the propitiation for our sins.
Remember that in Jesus' story of the rich man and Lazarus, that the rich man reaped in hades what he had sown on earth. He was apparently given the ability to see Lazarus being comforted by Abraham (a rich man, incidentally, who did not go to hell, because he did not ignore the plight of the poor). In hades, the greedy rich man longed for a drop of water from Lazarus, just as Lazarus had once longed for a crumb from his table. And if he reaped the sin of ignoring Lazarus, you can be sure that in some fashion he reaped every sin he had ever sown.
For what it is worth, Daniel Ekechukwu also testified of witnessing graphic examples of people in hell doomed to reap continuously what they had sown on earth. I have fully reported about that previously (click here to read those reports).
And one more thought: The New Testament teaches that one of the manifestations of God's wrath upon the unrighteous presently on earth is their captivity to their sin. Borrowing a truth found in Psalm 81:12, Paul wrote that God "gives sinners over" to greater perversions and depravity (see Rom. 1:24-28). Part of the punishment for willful, persistent sin is captivity to sin; thus part of the wonderful benefit of redemption is freedom from sin's captivity (see John 8:36). Thus it is quite possible that God may allow those who practice sin to find themselves captive to the same sins in hell that they loved so much on earth.
Again, even if what the Colombians and Daniel Ekechukwu claimed to have witnessed in their visions is false, and if hell/hades consists of nothing more than flames and worms, those who believe what the Colombians and Daniel Ekechukwu reported are not in great spiritual danger due to their deception. If their "deception" leads them to repent, then may more people be so deceived! Drunkards, adulterers, fornicators, homosexuals, liars, thieves, murderers, idolaters, lovers of the world, backsliders, and gossips---all of whom were warned in the Colombian visions---have already been warned in Scripture of their fate if they don't repent (see 1 Cor. 6:9-10, Heb. 10:39, 1 John 3:15, Rev. 21:8).
4.) "One of the Colombians claimed to have witnessed a special place in hell for Christians who did not tithe and claimed that Jesus quoted Malachi 3:8-9. Tithing was only required of those under the Law of Moses, so this proves that the visions are just a fabrication."
That particular part of the Colombian visions was indeed troubling, and especially to the 94% of professing born-again Christians who don't tithe (see www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=139).
Tragically, so many are convinced that their salvation, which Scripture instructs us to "work out with fear and trembling," is "in the bag," and that "assurance of salvation" is the divine right of everyone who ever prayed a prayer to "accept Jesus." And they cling to this fallacy even though Jesus warned His followers that many people who call Him Lord, who even cast out demons, work miracles and prophesy, and who certainly possess "the assurance of their salvation," will be cast into hell for lack of holiness (see Matt. 7:21-23). Jesus also warned His closest followers that unfaithful servants and stewards would one day be weeping and gnashing their teeth with "hypocrites" (those who profess one thing but practice another) in outer darkness (see Matt. 24:45-51; 25:14-30). And He warned those same disciples that what separates the sheep from the goats is what they do with their time and money (see Matt. 25:31-46).
In light of these scriptures and the many others which focus on the stewardship expected of believers (..one out of every six verses in the synoptic Gospels has to do with money...twelve of Jesus' thirty-eight parables have something to do with money...Paul warned that no greedy person will inherit God's kingdom, and so on...), it would seem that the 94% of professing born-again Christians who don't even measure up to a basic Old Testament standard of stewardship would be a little more concerned. But they aren't, because they think that they are saved by a grace that gives them the right to continue loving money.
So what kind of stewardship does God expect from new covenant believers? Does He expect less devotion from them than He did from those under the old covenant?
First, although Jesus criticized the scribes and Pharisees for emphasizing tithing over more important aspects of serving God, He also endorsed the practice. This is indisputable:
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others (Matt. 23:23, emphasis added).
And since Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples, teaching them to obey all that He had commanded them, we can easily place tithing, not only under the Law of Moses, but also under the Law of Christ (as are many other laws that were under the Mosaic Law).
And there is no doubt that the early Christians, who for the most part were all Jews who were zealous to obey the Law of Moses, practiced tithing. And it is clear from Scripture that they went beyond giving just a tenth, because if one possesses enough, he can tithe and still be guilty of laying up earthly treasures (which Jesus forbade) and not loving his neighbor as himself (the second greatest commandment). The Pharisees scrupulously tithed and all went to hell, lovers of money (see Matt. 23:15, 23; Luke 16:14).
Jesus quoted and endorsed many of the Laws of Moses, and so did the authors of the New Testament epistles (see, for example, Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:14; Eph. 6:2; Jas. 2:8; 1 Tim. 5:18). So why should anyone be surprised that Jesus quoted from Malachi 3:8-9, words that were actually His words when they were first spoken through Malachi, words which reiterate a few basic principles of stewardship, including God's promise to bless givers and curse the greedy (principles also found throughout the New Testament), and which emphasize not only tithing, but also giving of offerings, something that even the most die-hard anti-tithing advocate would not argue against?
Keep in mind that the tithe prescribed under the Mosaic Law did not just consist of 10% that was allocated to the priests, but another 10% that was collected every third year to relieve orphans, widows, local Levites and aliens (see Deut. 14:28-29, 26:12-13). Surely such people would qualify as some of the "least of these" among Christ's family. If we neglect such people, according to Christ we have no hope of being treated like anything but goats at the judgement of the sheep and goats. According to the Bible, helping such people is under the category of tithing. And if we neglect that kind of tithing, Jesus said we go to hell (see Matt. 25:31-46).
Granted, the whole concept of tithing has been abused by the wolves in sheeps' clothing among us today, but that does not negate the legitimate application of the principles of tithing, which incidentally predate the Mosaic Law (see Gen. 14:20, 28:20), which would certainly indicate that tithing may also have some application after the Mosaic Law as well.
And because the New Testament solemnly warns us that no greedy person will inherit the kingdom of God, should we not consider whether or not one is guilty of greed if he fails to give at least 10% of his income, especially when the 10% standard is so predominant in Scripture?
I've heard it repeated over and over again throughout the years, "The New Testament standard for giving is not some legalistic formula of tithing, but what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 9:7: 'Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.'"
Those words of Paul are usually construed to mean something like, "Only give what you feel like giving in your heart...and if you don't feel like giving anything, don't worry about it. If you can't give cheerfully, that is an indication that you are giving more than you are supposed to give, so you need to cut back to a more cheerful level."
But that is a complete perversion of Paul's words as revealed by their context. Paul spent two entire chapters out of thirteen in his second letter to the Corinthians attempting to persuade the Corinthians to contribute generously and sacrificially to an offering for poor believers in Jerusalem. His lengthly fund-raising appeal employes many means of persuasion. He tells them about how sacrificially the Macedonians had given towards the same project in spite of their poverty (8:1-5). He challenges them to seize the opportunity to prove their love for other believers (8:7-8, 24) and appeals to the sacrificial example set by Jesus (8:9). He reminds them of their earlier willingness (8:10-12). He appeals to the principles of equality, and reminds them that the time may come when roles may be reversed, and they may need help from the Jerusalem believers who now needed their help (8:13-15). He assures them that their contributions will be administered with integrity (8:16-23). He tells them how he has already boasted about their intended generosity and how their example has stirred other believers (9:1-2), and he warns how ashamed they will feel if they fail to follow through on their promises (9:3-4). He tells them of his expectation of a "bountiful gift" that is "not affected by covetousness" (9:5). He promises them bountiful reaping if they sow bountifully, but warns of a reaping that is sparse if they sow sparingly (9:6, 8-11).
And after all that persuasion to give liberally and sacrificially, some want us to believe that Paul ended by telling the Corinthians not to feel any obligation to give anything or feel pressured in any way, but to give only what little they can surrender cheerfully! What a hoot!
No, clearly Paul was instructing the Corinthians to purpose in their hearts to give sacrificially, and not to tolerate any resistance they might find in their hearts to do otherwise. If they couldn't sacrificially give with cheerfulness, if they felt some sense of grudging or compulsion, the cure for their covetousness was not to give sparingly, but to repent!
Finally, the New Testament standard for giving is not found in one New Testament verse that is often twisted to mean what it does not mean, but it is found in every verse in the New Testament that has anything to do with stewardship, from Jesus' words to the rich, young ruler, to His warnings to the wealthy Laodicean church (see Rev. 3:14-22), as well as everything in between. And if a person thinks that he can give less than 10% of his income and fulfill what the New Testament teaches about stewardship, he is out of his mind.
Jesus warned, "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous wealth, who will entrust the true riches to you?" (Luke 16:11).
And please, do not write and tell me how your poverty prevents you from tithing! I regularly travel to countries where Christians who live on less than two dollars per day are faithfully tithing. Where will rich Western Christians who "couldn't afford to tithe" stand in the judgement with them?
And please don't scoff at what one Colombian Christian reported, "The Lord also told me that when His people withheld their tithes, the works of the Lord are stagnated and stopped and the Gospel could not be preached anymore." Please don't tell me that God is sovereign and so He doesn't need our money to further His kingdom. God has sovereignly chosen to use our money to help extend His kingdom.
There are hundreds of thousands of missionaries, Western and indigenous, whose effectiveness could be multiplied if those who profess to know Jesus took seriously what Jesus said about the money He has entrusted to them. Jesus and His band of disciples were supported by people who gave them offerings (see Luke 8:1-3). Paul was similarly supported in his ministry. When he had no choice but to work as a tent-maker, he did, but clearly that was less desirable to him than when he was free, because of the support of the saints, to devote his full time to the gospel (see Acts 18:1-5). "The Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel" (1 Cor. 9:14).
I suppose that if Jesus had given the Colombian vision to seven theologians rather than seven young Christians, He would have had a lot more explaining to do. (And He may have been tempted to have just shown them hell and then left them there!) But Jesus wasn't trying to convey the finer points of theology to those seven young Christians, He was doing what is His passion---trying to keep people out of hell, and trying to get people into His holy family.
I've got more I'd like to say, but I'm afraid I've already been too long-winded. As always, thanks for your feedback. I read it all (with the exception of hate mail), but I am having a very hard time finding the time to respond, which I don't like at all. Thanks for your understanding.
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