John Bunyan was a 17th century English Preacher who spent twelve years in prison for his Christian faith and wrote over 40 books. His best known writing is
Pilgrim’s Progress, one of the most famous and popular books in all of world history.







John Bunyan wrote the following true account when he was a young man, of how an Angel was sent by the Lord Jesus Christ to take him to see Heaven and Hell. It is a true story, not an allegory or fictional book. While all visions must be judged by the Bible, this true testimony was very scriptural and was used by the Lord Jesus Christ to help transform John Bunyan into a mighty man of God.





CONTENTS
1. Planning Suicide
2. Beyond The Sun And Stars
3. Prophet Elijah Explains
4. The Eternal Happiness Of Heaven
5. We Shall Know Each Other In Heaven
6. Conducted To Hell
7. The Tortures Of Hell
8. A Lost Soul Speaks
9. Further Conversations
10. An Atheist In Hell





Chapter 1: Planning Suicide
When evil persons have gone in a life of sin, and find that they have reason to fear the just judgment of God, they begin at first to wish there were no God to punish them.



Then little by little they persuade themselves that there is no God, and look for arguments to back their opinion. I had the unhappiness to know someone like this, who would always be telling me there was neither God nor devil, and no Heaven or Hell.





It was with fear and trembling that I first heard him speak about these topics, but he spoke of them so often that I felt I must consider what he said. From this time I found my mind so confused that I could not remember the truths about God which had appeared so clear to me before. I could not think there was no God but with the greatest horror, yet I questioned the truth of His being. I would not have parted with my hope of Heaven for all the riches of the world, yet now I was not sure whether there was any such place.




In my confusion I went to my false friend to see what comfort he could give me. He only laughed at my fears and pretended to pity my weakness. His talks only made me more confused, until life became a burden to me. It is impossible to tell you the agonies I felt, until I was pushed to the edge of desperation. I thought, “Why should I linger between despair and hope? Would it not be better to end my life and find out what is the truth?” So I decided to kill myself.




One morning I went out into a nearby woods, where I had planned to kill myself. But before I tried to use the knife I heard a secret whisper say, “Do not fall into everlasting misery to gratify the enemy of your soul. The fatal stroke you are about to give yourself will seal your own damnation. For if there is a God, as surely as there is, how can you hope for mercy from Him if you willfully destroy yourself who were made in His image?”





Where this secret whisper came from, I do not know, but I believe it came from God; for it came with so much power it made me throw away my knife, and it showed me the great evil of suicide. The horror of what I had almost done made me shake so much that I could hardly stand.



I recognized my deliverance to have come from the Lord Jesus Christ, and in gratitude I returned thanks. I knelt down on the ground and worshipped Him, asking that He would take away the blackness in my soul so that I would never again question His being or great power which I had just experienced.




Suddenly I was surrounded with a glorious light, brighter than anything I had ever seen before. I saw coming toward me a glorious person like a man, but circled with beams of light and glory which shined from him as he came nearer. I tried to stand up, but had no strength left in me, so I fell flat on my face. As he lifted me up and I was given new strength, I said to him, “O my shining deliverer, how shall I acknowledge my thankfulness, and in what manner should I adore you?”





With majesty and mildness he replied, “Pay your adorations to God, and not to me who am your fellow-creature. I am sent from Him whose being you have so lately denied, to stop you from falling into eternal ruin.”
This touched my heart with such a sense of my own unworthiness that I could only cry out, “Oh, how utterly unworthy I am of all this grace and mercy!” To this the heavenly messenger replied, “When God decided to show mercy He did not consult your unworthiness, but His own unbounded goodness and vast love. He saw how the grand enemy of souls (Satan) desired your ruin, but He upheld you by His secret power. Through this, when Satan thought that you were destroyed, the snare was broken and you have escaped.” These words made me break forth into song, and I praised my Savior and declared that He is God alone.






Chapter 2: Beyond The Sun And Stars




The heavenly messenger then said, “That you may never doubt the reality of eternal things, I have come to show you the truth of them: not by faith only but also by sight. I will show you things never yet seen by mortal eye, and to that end your eyes shall be strengthened and made able to behold Heavenly things.”




At these words of the Angel I was very surprised, and doubted I would be able to bear it. I said to him, “Who is able to bear such a sight?”
To this he replied, “The joy of the Lord shall be your strength.” When he had said this, he took hold of me and said, “Fear not, for I am sent to show the things you have not seen.” Then before I was aware I found myself far above the Earth, which seemed now to be very small.






Then I said to my bright conductor, “Please let it not offend you if I ask a question or two.” To this he replied, “Speak on. It is my work to inform you of what you ask. For I am a ministering spirit, sent forth to minister to you and to those that will inherit salvation.” (Hebrews 1:14).
Then I said, “Please inform me about that dark spot below, which has grown smaller and smaller as we have mounted higher, and which appears much darker since I have come into this region of light.”
My conductor replied, “That little spot that now looks so dark and despised is the world which you have lived on. To obtain one small part of that spot of Earth so many men have risked and lost their immortal souls; which are so precious that the Prince of Peace (Lord Jesus Christ) has told us that though a man could gain the whole world, it would not equal so great a loss. As you have ascended higher towards Heaven, the world has appeared still smaller and more insignificant; and it will appear the same to all who can by faith get their hearts above it.




If the sons of men below could but see the world as it is, they would not covet it as they do now, but alas, they are in a state of darkness. And what is worse, they love to walk in this darkness. For although the Prince of Light (Lord Jesus Christ) came down among them and showed them the true light of life, yet they go on in darkness and will not bring themselves to the light, because their deeds are evil.”





Then I asked him, “What are those multitudes of black and horrible forms that hover in the air above the world? I would have been much afraid of them, but I saw that as you passed by, they fled; perhaps not being able to abide your brightness.”
To this he answered me, “They are the fallen angels which for their pride and rebellion were cast down from Heaven.



They wander in the air by decree of the Almighty, being bound in chains of darkness and kept unto the judgment of the great day (Jude: 6). They are permitted to descend into the world, both for the trial of the elect, and for the condemnation of the wicked. And although you see that they now have black and horrible forms, yet they were once the sons of Light.





They once were clothed in robes of glorious brightness, like what you see me wear. But the loss of this, although it was the result of their own willful sin, fills them with anger and hatred against the ever blessed God whose power and majesty they fear and hate.




“Tell me,” I said, “O blessed conductor, have they no hopes of being reconciled to God again, after some term of time, or at least some of them?”
“No, not at all. They are lost forever. They were the first that sinned, and had no tempter; and they were all at once cast down from Heaven. Besides, the Son of God (Lord Jesus Christ), the blessed Messiah by Whom alone salvation can be gained, did not take upon Himself the angelic nature.



He left the apostate angels all to perish, and took upon Himself only the seed of Abraham. For this reason they have so much hatred against the sons of men, because it is a torment for them to see men made the heirs of Heaven while they are doomed to Hell.”





By this time we were above the Sun. My conductor told me this mighty globe of fire was one of the great works of God. Yet all the stars were not less wonderful; whose great distance away makes them appear like candles in our sight. They hang in their appointed places without any support. Nothing but His word that first created them could keep them in their station.





“These words are enough,” I said to my conductor, “To convince anyone of the great power of their Creator, and to show the evil of that unbelief which questions the being of the God who has given so many evidences of His power and glory. If men were not like beasts still looking downwards, they could not help but acknowledge His great power and wisdom.”
“You speak what is true,” he replied. “But you will see far greater things than these. These are but the scaffolds and outworks to that glorious place that the blessed above inhabit. A view of it shall now be given to you, as far as you are able to comprehend it.”





In a few moments I found what my conductor had told me was true. For I found myself transferred into Heaven,



where I saw things that are impossible to describe, and heard beautiful songs that I could never sing. Whoever has not seen that glory can speak but very imperfectly of it, and they that have seen it cannot tell the thousandth part of what it is.



Therefore the great Apostle of the Gentiles (Paul), who tells us that he had been caught up into Paradise (2 Corinthians 12:1-5) where he had heard unspeakable words which are not possible for a man to utter, wrote that “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man to conceive the things that God has prepared for those that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9).




I will give you the best account I can of what I saw and heard, as near as I can remember.



TO BE CONTINUED

OP the world has moved pass heaven and hell.

Nice post very enlightning