In Line at the Pearly Gates

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2:16Welcome to Our Paranormal Afterlife. This is Episode 238 of Paranormal Stories. In this episode, I'm reading from Ricky Offer's book, 33 Days Between Heaven and Hell, a true miracle story. One man's near-death experience, and visit to the afterlife. When I've guessed on my podcast, I read their books to work out questions for the episodes. When reading these books, always find such amazing information that never makes it into the podcast, and here, I get a chance to give you a peek into the book. I put a link to the book in the show notes, and I did see permission to record this extract, and the author kindly said, yes.

3:19I will be reading from Chapter 14, which is titled Life and Death, and this is what Ricky has written. Peach Black, Silence, Darkness, Peace, Tranquility. Being medically induced into a coma that, like falling asleep without disturbances, initially, I experienced nothing but complete rest. But that's when my spirit man was awakened. I realized there is some debate on this topic, but I was raised to believe that we are made up of three parts, body, soul, and spirit. The soul is made up of our mind, will, emotions, and it's temporal. When we die, the soul dies with our body. However, the spirit is eternal. It either lives forever with God in heaven or in hell. This is what I understand in my study and interpretation of the Bible, and I strongly believe it. Right after I was put into a coma, I felt the spirit part of me activate.

4:23It's like God had flipped a switch, and I could now experience things in His dimension, the dimension of His spirit. As I entered this spiritual dimension, I found myself inside a house with people who seemed to know me very well. They treated me as if we had been friends for years. My intuition told me that I was in heaven. The house was beautiful and relaxing, and everyone was joyful and at peace. The intimate crowd was diverse and friendly. One person was cooking in the kitchen while the other sat in the living room around a crackling fireplace. I could feel the heat coming from the fire, and I could smell the burning logs. It was so cozy, like a getaway to a cabin in the mountains. It took me a second to remember I was just struggling for life moments before. Then I realized that I was no longer sick or struggling or fighting to breathe. I felt great, actually.

5:23My body felt like it was completely back to normal. I briefly questioned if I was hallucinating or dreaming, but then I discovered I still had all my senses. I could see, smell, touch, and hear. And soon I would even taste. It was no different from everyday life, so I truly thought all of this was happening in the earthly realm. Although my mind was trying to comprehend how I got here, my interactions were normal, and I was totally at peace. I continued to spend time with the people in the house. We ate, laughed, and talked. What once did I think to ask who they were, because it was such a natural, familiar feeling to be with them? It felt like I had known them for my entire life. It's how I've always thought heaven would be, peaceful, relaxing, and full of hope. As we were hanging out, one of them stood up and asked me if I wanted to see something

6:23beautiful. I said, sure. They all stood up, grabbed each other's hands, including mine, and from the middle of the living room we began to ascend through the ceiling, into the sky, and above the clouds. Not once did I question my ability to fly. All I could do was marvel at the beauty of creation around me, earth, or at least I think it was earth, slowly grew smaller as we ascended higher into the heavens. We were traveling through space, the stars and planets shimmered above and all around us. We began to travel so fast that it was almost like the speed of light. It felt like we were going through different realms and dimensions. The beauty of what I was witnessing was far beyond what my finite mind could comprehend. It was like watching a movie like contact or interstellar, but far more beautiful. And rather than watching, I was experiencing it.

7:24Only an infinite God could create a universe so marvellous and intricate. I wasn't afraid. I was in awe and truly enjoying the travel. I began to see an overwhelming variety of colours, colours that I've never seen in my natural life. I can't put into words the vastness of the beauty, but trust me when I say it was breathtaking. I briefly close my eyes in the moment, and when I open them I found myself standing in a line next to a young lady. When I say standing, that doesn't explain the sensation or the feeling. Floating might be a better word. Though I felt like I was standing on solid ground. It didn't feel like land or soil. It was more like solid air or glass, some kind of invisible plane, but I could see the surface beneath my feet. The line of people was structured with people standing two by two and extended as far as

8:24I could see. It snaked backward too, disappearing into the clouds. There were people of all ages and nationalities, and everyone was calm and tranquil. There wasn't much chatter, and everyone seemed to understand what we were standing in line for. That is, everyone except me. I had no idea why I was here. Am I in heaven? I wondered. Or the outskirts of heaven, outside the gates. I tried to wrap my mind around my surroundings when it dawned on me. Could this really be what I think it is? Am I out of my body? And is this my spirit? Is this the heavens? If it is, why can I feel and touch like I'm still in my natural body? I looked around to take in my surroundings, and other than this line of people, I couldn't see anything but the open atmosphere. I may not be a theologian, but I have had a long time relationship with God, and have read my Bible long enough to know that this seemed to be the line for judgment.

9:28I was familiar with it from Hebrews 927, where the Apostle Paul says that, people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. I also know that there is a book of life in heaven that contains all the names of those who claim Jesus as their Savior. I broke down in tears right there in the line. Yelling to the Lord, I don't want to die, I don't want to die. God, please help me. To be clear, I look forward to heaven. I have lost several close family members. COVID in particular was not kind to my family, and I look forward to uniting with them in heaven. But not at 30 years old, I just had this sense that it wasn't my time, that this was just the end of a chapter in an ongoing story, not the final page of my earthly life. As much as I protested out loud, no one around me seemed bothered by my actions. As a matter of fact, they were completely unbothered.

10:30No one even turned their head or acknowledged my outcry. But I knew that if I got to the front of that line, it would be too late to turn back. Was it beautiful? Yes. Peaceful. Yes. A wonderful place. Yes. And despite this somewhat strange and foreign feeling, I also had an immense sense of peace and calm. It was the kind of feeling I used to get when I was a kid, and Mama would sit on my bed and read to me as I drifted off to sleep. Complete safety, warmth, and joy. Still, despite how wonderful it all felt, I knew that I was not supposed to be there yet. My presence here was premature. I felt as if a mistake was being made. I didn't want to leave Earth, my family, or my friends. I thought to myself, I don't want to perish from the natural realm without fulfilling my purpose. I began to talk to God like I do in the natural. I did not see him physically, but I could feel his presence strongly, like being in a spirit-filled

11:35service but much more present. I pleaded with the Lord, if you let me live, I promise I will live the rest of my life for you. I will spread your name and goodness across the world. I know this can't be it for me. I haven't had children. I haven't been married. I haven't completed my purpose yet on Earth. I know that I'm supposed to complete my purpose like you would want me to do. I recited this petition to God over and over again. I closed my eyes for an instant, and in that mere second of opening and closing them, I vanished from the line. Today I was reading from Ricky Offer's book, 33 Days Between Heaven and Hell, A True Miracle Story, One Man's Near Death Experience, and Visit to the Afterlife. And if you want to buy the book, there is info and a link in the show notes. And my book on verified near-death experiences is out on Amazon, and you can get it on paperback, Kindle, and AudioBook.

12:37And the audio book is also available on Spotify. And if you enjoy this episode, please leave a review and be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or via your favourite podcast app to make sure that you don't miss out on any episodes. And thanks for listening. So, if you've ever furnished a restaurant, hotel, or an office, you know the trail.