Reverend
Kenneth
Hagin (1917 -
2003)
thought that
by the time
he was nine
he had done
all that was
necessary to
get a place in heaven. He was
born and raised a Southern
Baptist. As a child, he first made
his commitment to Christ and
was baptized with water. He was
a lifelong member of the church.
In Christian circles, he was
"saved" and on the path for
heaven. He was a believer and
follower of Jesus Christ and he
knew this assured him a place in
heaven. He even believed that
Jesus and all his disciples were
Southern Baptist. It came as a
real shock to him when he found
out that they weren't. At the age
of 15, Kenneth had a near-death
experience which resulted from
a malformed heart � a condition
he was born with. Kenneth Hagin
was the pastor of Rhema Bible
Church and the Kenneth Hagin
Ministries which publishes the
Word of Faith Magazine. For
videos by Rev. Kenneth Hagin,
visit
www.FaithCenteredResources.com.
Read the news article about Rev.
Kenneth Hagin's passing.
The following is an excerpt of his
experience as described in his
book, I Believe in Visions, by Rev.
Kenneth Hagin.
My heart stopped beating. This
numbness spread to my feet, my
ankles, my knees, my hips, my
stomach, my heart � and I leaped
out of my body.
I did not lose consciousness; I
leaped out of my body like a
diver would leap off a diving
board into a swimming pool. I
knew I was outside my body. I
could see my family in the room,
but I couldn't contact them.
I began to descend � down,
down, into a pit, like you'd go
down into a well, cavern or cave.
And I continued to descend. I
went down feet first. I could look
up and see the lights of the Earth.
They finally faded away. Darkness
encompassed me round about �
darkness that is blacker than any
night man has ever seen.
The farther down I went, the
darker it became � and the
hotter it became � until finally,
way down beneath me, I could
see fingers of light playing on the
wall of darkness. And I came to
the bottom of the pit.
This happened to me more than
60 years ago, yet it's just as real
to me as if it had happened the
week before last.
When I came to the bottom of
the pit, I saw what caused the
fingers of light to play on the wall
of darkness. Out in front of me,
beyond the gates or the entrance
into hell, I saw giant, great
orange flames with a white crest.
I was pulled toward hell just like
a magnet pulls metal unto itself. I
knew that once I entered
through those gates, I could not
come back.
I was conscious of the fact that
some kind of creature met me at
the bottom of that pit. I didn't
look at it. My gaze was riveted on
the gates, yet I knew that a
creature was there by my right
side.
That creature, when I
endeavored to slow down my
descent, took me by the arm to
escort me in. When he did, away
above the blackness and the
darkness a voice spoke. It
sounded like a male voice, but I
don't know what he said. I don't
know whether it was God, Jesus,
an angel or who. He did not
speak in the English language: it
was a foreign language.
That place just shook at the few
words he spoke! And the
creature took his hand off my
arm. There was a power like a
suction to my back parts that
pulled me back. I floated away
from the entrance to hell until I
stood in the shadows. Then, like
a suction from above, I floated
up, head first, through the
darkness.
Before I got to the top, I could
see the light. I've been down in a
well: it was like you were way
down in a well and could see the
light up above.
I came up on the porch of my
grandpa's house. Then I went
through the wall � not through
the door, and not through the
window � through the wall, and
seemed to leap inside my body
like a man would slip his foot
inside his boot in the morning
time.
Before I leaped inside my body, I
could see my grandmother
sitting on the edge of the bed
holding me in her arms. When I
got inside my body, I could
communicate with her.
I felt myself slipping. I said,
"Granny, I'm going again. You've
been a second mother to me
when Momma was ill."
My heart stopped for a second
time. 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.
There farther down I went, the
hotter and darker it became, until
I came again to the bottom of
the pit and saw the entrance to
hell, or the gates as I call it. I was
conscious that that creature met
me.
I endeavored to slow down my
descent � it seemed like I was
floating down � yet it seemed
like there was a pull that pulled
me downward. And that creature
took me by the arm. When he
did, that voice spoke again � a
man's voice. It was a foreign
language. I don't know what he
said, but when he spoke, that
whole place just shook. That
creature took his hand off my
arm.
It was like suction to my back. I
never turned around. I just came
floating back into the shadows
of darkness. And then I was
pulled up, head first. I could see
the lights of the Earth above me
before I came up out of the pit.
The only difference this time was
that I came up at the foot of the
bed. For a second time I stood
there. I could see my body lying
there on the bed. I could see
Grandma as she sat there
holding me in her arms."
[Kenneth says goodbye to his
family]
I left a word for each one of
them, and my heart stopped the
third time.
I could feel the circulation as it
cut off. Suddenly my toes went
numb. Faster than you can snap
your fingers, my toes, feet,
ankles, knees, hips, stomach and
heart went dead � and I leaped
out of my body and began to
descend.
Until this time, I thought, this is
not happening to me. This is just
a hallucination. It can't be real!
But then I thought, "This is the
third time. I won't come back
this time! I won't come back this
time!' Darkness encompassed me
round about, darker than any
night man has ever seen."
And in the darkness, I cried out,
"God! I belong to the church! I've
been baptized in water"
I waited for an answer, but there
was no answer; only the echo of
my own voice through the
darkness. And the second time I
cried a little louder, "God! I
belong to the church! I've been
baptized in water!"
I waited for an answer, but there
was no answer; only the echo of
my own voice as it echoed
through the darkness.
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 like there was 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 head first.
(Kenneth Hagin then enters his
body again and recovers from
his illness.)