TO HELL AND BACK

Howard Shirley

To Hell and Back is written as stated by Howard Shirley: The day I had my heart attack my spirit left my body and hovered over the operation table. I heard nurses calling my surgeon Dr. Brown; it was the first time that I had heard of Dr. Brown.

A bright light appeared and a hand came forth and took my own hand. I thought I had died and was going to heaven. I asked, "What are these lights," a voice spoke to me and said, "These are the prayers of the saint's going up to heaven." As we went up it became brighter, brighter, and all at once we begin to descend. It was then so dark I could not even see my hand before me. The Lord said, "I am taking you to Hell for a little while, you can not speak to anyone or help anyone. When you get ready to go back just tell me."

We came to a large place with a dirt floor. There was the Devil who said, "Come on," he thought he had another soul. The Lord stretched forth his hand and said, "Back, he is covered by my blood." then the Devil went back at once. There was a young woman setting in a hole in the wall. She had long brown dirty looking hair. She raised up her head and looked in my eyes, as if to say help me. In my spirit I said that I could not help her. This woman was my sister who had been killed walking home from work one night. She was not a born again Christian. Our mother had asked her to come to church and give her heart to God, and she said, "You serve your God and I will serve mine." This was the worse part of my trip. I asked Jesus, "Is she going to be placed in the lake of fire," and He said, "Yes, soon." There was an awful smell down there.

There was a large lake of fire as far as the eye could see. People were screaming, "Help me, give me a drop of water," I could not say a word to them. There are three degrees of hell: shoreline, lake of fire, and the bottomless pit. The Lord took his finger and wrote on the dirt wall the names of my two son-in-laws, and then these words: Enter ye in at the strait gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

One of my son-in-law's said he was saved at twelve years of age. Even while taking God's name in vain he said, "If I die I will go to heaven in this state." My other son-in-law attended my church. He worked on a night shift job, when he would finish work he went to the topless bars. I told Jesus,"Take me back, I have seen enough." His hand reached out and took mine. We went back the same way we had come.

My spirit hovered over the operation table, once again, and then entered back into my body. About three days later, when I could speak, my doctor came to see me, and I said, "Hello, Dr. Brown." He said, "How do you know me, I never saw you until I was operating on your heart." I told him about my going to Hell. My wife was setting there and witnessed every word. She asked Dr. Brown, "Have you ever had this happen to you before?" He said, "Oh yes, but I never had one to go to Hell and live to tell me about it."

God spared me, as I was a born again Christian. For six months afterward, I would wake up in the morning and still smell the awful stink of Hell, and could only cry for my sister. Your soul will live forever, either in heaven or Hell. No one wants to go to Hell as it is an awful place. I thank God for saving my soul!