How many people are entering heaven? -

Have you ever wondered how many people are entering heaven? Below are the testimonies of two conservative ministers, who both had out of body experiences:

1987-1991

According to Pastor Yong Park Gyu (conservative presbyterian pastor, now deceased, who had an out of body experienced following a serious stroke in 1987), God informed him that as few as 1 in 1,000 people were entering heaven between 1987 to 2001. That’s 0.1%! The pastor gave away all his money following his experience. Presbyterians do not expect to see extraordinary miracles:

From here: “Presbyterians are perhaps less prone to expect extraordinary miracles than our sisters and brothers in either the Catholic or the Pentecostal traditions, but we share with them a confident prayer life, a belief in God’s abiding Spirit, and faith in the central mysteries of Christ’s incarnation, suffering death and resurrection.”

1979

In 1979, Howard Pittman, a conservative baptist minister in the US, ex-police officer and politician, suffered severe internal bleeding whereupon he said he met God and was shown that at that moment in time only 2.5% of people were entering heaven. Baptists also do not expect to see extraordinary miracles:

Baptist beliefs:

Now why all this sickness if the Apostolic Signs were still in effect? Answer: They WEREN’T still in effect, because they were only needed in the early ministry of the Apostles for the purpose of confirming the truth to Israel.

Now we firmly believe that God can still work miracles and heal anyone He chooses, and we believe that the prayers of God’s people can move Him to work miracles, but let’s not confuse answered prayers with Apostolic Signs, because there’s a vast difference. We believe in healing; we just don’t believe in healers.

Note that presbyterians and baptists are sceptical of seeing supernatural miracles on earth in modern times. This increases the credibility of the supernatural testimonies of these two ministers. Pastor Park gave away USD$ 150 Million, five luxury cars and virtually everything he owned. (I believe he may have kept some of his clothes.) He was like this merchant in the Bible:

Matthew 13:45-46 King James Version (KJV)

⁴⁵ Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls:

⁴⁶ Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

Videos of their testimony	Select
Fast forwarded to section on the number of people entering heaven: Fast forwarded to section on number of people entering heaven:

If you cannot view youtube, try the vimeo version	Select
Pastor Park on Vimeo (start at 29 minutes 40 seconds): Howard Pittman on Vimeo (start at 3 minutes 30 seconds):

Jesus said:

Matthew 7:13-14 King James Version (KJV)

¹³Enter 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:

¹⁴Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

The gate is straight because the path of righteousness has no crookedness in it. Further, the path is narrow. There is little or no room for compromise: We cannot do whatever we want and wander around.

Few there be that find it	Select
Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “God will only allow a few to find it”. The passage is clear that the responsibility for finding the way is on us. Refer to this verse: Matthew 7:7-8 King James Version (KJV) ⁷Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: ⁸For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. And also this: Matthew 6:33 King James Version (KJV) ³³But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. We are to seek God’s righteousness and give up all that we have for God’s precious gift. We are not to make up our own God and our own righteousness.

Few there be that find it

Examples of making up our own God and our own righteousness	Select
These statements exemplify situations where people make up their own version of God and righteousness: “We believe in God and he is a loving God. We do some bad things (no one is perfect, the Bible says so also) but we also do a lot of good things. Surely a fair God would not condemn us to hell because fundamentally we are good people.” The Bible is clear. No one is good. Not you or I, or anyone: Mark 10:18 King James Version (KJV) And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. This means your best efforts at good are not good enough for God. If we have sin in us, a just and perfect God is required to punish us for our sins. This is another statement I hear often: “God is a loving God. Why would he torture me for living a quiet life in peace doing my own thing? I didn’t hurt anyone. Hitler should go to hell but the rest of us are just ordinary people.” Even if we were very nice people and barely committed any sins (which is highly unlikely), God is not obliged to accept us into his perfect heaven. In this case we would suffer in hell because hell is the absence of God. Why? It is because we used our own notions of “good” but, in reality, we rejected God and his righteousness. i.e. We made up our own rules, therefore, God is not obliged to comply with them. We must find out what God’s rules are. Why? Because God created the heavens and the earth, which means God sets the rules, not us. Genesis 1:1 King James Version (KJV) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And God expects us to seek him and his laws diligently: Hosea 4:6 King James Version (KJV) ⁶My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. There are Christians who do not believe in the power of God, even though the Bible tells many stories of Jesus and the early Christians casting out demons and healing people. They say: “God used to work mighty miracles in the old days but he doesn’t do it in modern times because there is no reason for miracles any more. We are good people, we do good things and we go to a good Church.” This was the attitude of Howard Pittman and Pastor Park. They made up their own version of a God with no miracles, instead of looking to see why there are no miracles in their Churches. The Bible describes them here: 2 Timothy 3:5 King James Version (KJV) ⁵ Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. Look at the world today. We are in need of God’s miracles more than ever. Jesus himself said: John 14:12 King James Version (KJV) 12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. Not only will we see the things that Jesus did, we will see greater ministries and miracles if we believe in Jesus and the things that he said.

Examples of making up our own God and our own righteousness

These statements exemplify situations where people make up their own version of God and righteousness:

“We believe in God and he is a loving God. We do some bad things (no one is perfect, the Bible says so also) but we also do a lot of good things. Surely a fair God would not condemn us to hell because fundamentally we are good people.”

The Bible is clear. No one is good. Not you or I, or anyone:

Mark 10:18 King James Version (KJV)

And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

This means your best efforts at good are not good enough for God. If we have sin in us, a just and perfect God is required to punish us for our sins.

This is another statement I hear often:

“God is a loving God. Why would he torture me for living a quiet life in peace doing my own thing? I didn’t hurt anyone. Hitler should go to hell but the rest of us are just ordinary people.”

Even if we were very nice people and barely committed any sins (which is highly unlikely), God is not obliged to accept us into his perfect heaven. In this case we would suffer in hell because hell is the absence of God. Why? It is because we used our own notions of “good” but, in reality, we rejected God and his righteousness. i.e. We made up our own rules, therefore, God is not obliged to comply with them.

We must find out what God’s rules are. Why? Because God created the heavens and the earth, which means God sets the rules, not us.

Genesis 1:1 King James Version (KJV)

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And God expects us to seek him and his laws diligently:

Hosea 4:6 King James Version (KJV)

⁶My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

There are Christians who do not believe in the power of God, even though the Bible tells many stories of Jesus and the early Christians casting out demons and healing people. They say:

“God used to work mighty miracles in the old days but he doesn’t do it in modern times because there is no reason for miracles any more. We are good people, we do good things and we go to a good Church.”

This was the attitude of Howard Pittman and Pastor Park. They made up their own version of a God with no miracles, instead of looking to see why there are no miracles in their Churches. The Bible describes them here:

2 Timothy 3:5 King James Version (KJV)

⁵ Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Look at the world today. We are in need of God’s miracles more than ever. Jesus himself said:

John 14:12 King James Version (KJV)

12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

Not only will we see the things that Jesus did, we will see greater ministries and miracles if we believe in Jesus and the things that he said.

God made everything and gave us everything. Be respectful, thankful and humble before him	Select
Firstly, we are not equal to God and we were not made for our own pleasure. All creation was made by God for his pleasure: Revelation 4:11 King James Version (KJV) ¹¹Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. God is above all. We are literally owned by God: 1 Corinthians 6:20 King James Version (KJV) ²⁰For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

God made everything and gave us everything. Be respectful, thankful and humble before him

First major barrier - PRIDE	Select
The first major barrier to heaven for most people is pride. Once we realise where we stand in relation to God, we must humble ourselves if we are to have any hope of finding the right path. James 4:6 King James Version (KJV) But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Pride tripped up lucifer, a powerful and beautiful archangel. He just couldn’t get over how beautiful and perfect he was. He thought it meant something to be so beautiful. See this verse: Ezekiel 28:17 King James Version (KJV) ¹⁷Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. We learn that pride corrupts wisdom. Therefore, be humble. How humble? Very, very, very humble. Imagine that you have terminal cancer and have one month left to live. How desperate would you be? Would you be humble when approaching God to forgive your sins? That amount of humility and desperation is needed when we seek God for forgiveness.

First major barrier - PRIDE

An example of humility	Select
Pastor Park dedicated Himself To God Since He Was 18 When did God forgive your sin? I was eighteen. I began to go to church when I was very young. I used to cry out all the time trying to repent and confess my sin. As I was attending a technology school in Seoul, I got in trouble and had to return to my hometown without a diploma. I was very embarrassed. At the same time, I struggled to find the way to wash away my sin. Everyday, early in the morning, I asked for God’s pardon for my sin, but nothing happened. One day, I visited a pastor and asked, “I am a wicked man. What should I do to wash my sin and have faith?” The pastor replied, “Pastor Park, you are young, that’s why. I sent my two daughters to another city for their study, and I have no idea what they are doing there. From now on, try harder to overcome any temptations by faith. You will eventually be blessed.” Finally, I decided not to go to church, thinking that I was not among the chosen people, and that Jesus and I had nothing in common. However, when the church bell rang on Sundays, I could not help but attend the service. For about one year my heart was troubled. One morning in 1962, I went to church as usual and cried out, “Lord, I am a sinner. Please forgive me.” After I finished praying, I began to think that my sin had already been forgiven. I was at peace. Right after that, I was driven to read the Bible, and I actually liked it. So many times I tried to read the Bible, but I could not. The Scriptures sounded new and different to me. “Jesus washed my sin away. How wonderful!” My heart was changed. (He was born again at this precise moment.) [Here he received a phone call.] A month later, I wanted to give something to God, in appreciation of what God had given to me. First, I thought about money, but parents in the country did not give pocket money to their kids so I had no money. Before I was saved, my friends and I would steal bags of rice from my father and sell them for pocket money. Could you not steal some money to offer God? I didn’t want to give that kind of money to God. One day, I knelt down to pray at the church. “Lord, thank you so much, but I don’t have anything to offer you. The only thing that I have is my body, but what can you use me for? I know I am useless, but if you don’t mind, I want to offer myself.” (this is God giving him the spirit of obedience in Ezekiel 36:27) At that time, I had never imagined that I could be a pastor. I just wanted to spend my life helping children and doing chores at the church. In the country, there were many houses that had only female residents. I could be very happy helping them to maintain their houses by doing chores such as building their fences. About a month later, by God’s grace, I had the opportunity to go to missionary school. There were some born-again missionaries among the foreign missionaries. They realized that most of Korean churches were only formality. “What a disaster. Let’s start a school to raise born-again servants of God.” The missionary school started with seven or eight students, and I was one of them.

An example of humility

Pastor Park dedicated Himself To God Since He Was 18

When did God forgive your sin?

I was eighteen. I began to go to church when I was very young. I used to cry out all the time trying to repent and confess my sin. As I was attending a technology school in Seoul, I got in trouble and had to return to my hometown without a diploma. I was very embarrassed.

At the same time, I struggled to find the way to wash away my sin. Everyday, early in the morning, I asked for God’s pardon for my sin, but nothing happened. One day, I visited a pastor and asked, “I am a wicked man. What should I do to wash my sin and have faith?”

The pastor replied, “Pastor Park, you are young, that’s why. I sent my two daughters to another city for their study, and I have no idea what they are doing there. From now on, try harder to overcome any temptations by faith. You will eventually be blessed.”

Finally, I decided not to go to church, thinking that I was not among the chosen people, and that Jesus and I had nothing in common. However, when the church bell rang on Sundays, I could not help but attend the service. For about one year my heart was troubled.

One morning in 1962, I went to church as usual and cried out, “Lord, I am a sinner. Please forgive me.” After I finished praying, I began to think that my sin had already been forgiven. I was at peace.

Right after that, I was driven to read the Bible, and I actually liked it. So many times I tried to read the Bible, but I could not. The Scriptures sounded new and different to me. “Jesus washed my sin away. How wonderful!” My heart was changed. (He was born again at this precise moment.)

[Here he received a phone call.]

A month later, I wanted to give something to God, in appreciation of what God had given to me. First, I thought about money, but parents in the country did not give pocket money to their kids so I had no money. Before I was saved, my friends and I would steal bags of rice from my father and sell them for pocket money.

Could you not steal some money to offer God?

I didn’t want to give that kind of money to God. One day, I knelt down to pray at the church. “Lord, thank you so much, but I don’t have anything to offer you. The only thing that I have is my body, but what can you use me for? I know I am useless, but if you don’t mind, I want to offer myself.” (this is God giving him the spirit of obedience in Ezekiel 36:27)

At that time, I had never imagined that I could be a pastor. I just wanted to spend my life helping children and doing chores at the church. In the country, there were many houses that had only female residents. I could be very happy helping them to maintain their houses by doing chores such as building their fences.

About a month later, by God’s grace, I had the opportunity to go to missionary school. There were some born-again missionaries among the foreign missionaries. They realized that most of Korean churches were only formality. “What a disaster. Let’s start a school to raise born-again servants of God.” The missionary school started with seven or eight students, and I was one of them.

Humble people of God	Select
Moses was humble. Numbers 12:3King James Version (KJV) ³(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) King David was humble: 1 Samuel 18:18: And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king? The Centurion who sought Christ was humble: Matthew 8:8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. Jesus is meek and lowly in heart: Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. Having discussed scripture, religion and God with many people, I’m realising that one of the key differences between goats and sheep is pride. Pride gets in the way of obedience. If you are unable to humble yourself, the kingdom of God will be very far away from you. If you are blessed, God will crush your pride by destroying the things of the world that you love. Matthew 21:44 And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. When life is hard, God is crushing your pride.

Humble people of God

Second major barrier - APATHY	Select
I wasn’t sure if this was the number one or number two barrier. I believe pride is probably a bigger problem because many people live terrible lives but yet many don’t turn to God, mainly because of pride. The second major barrier, in my view, is apathy. People can’t be bothered reading the Bible, listening to good teaching, researching evolution, asking questions about the new covenant, investigating the afterlife, reading up on history, discovering how bad hell is according to the Bible or research anything really. People enjoy entertainment in the form of TV, computer games, music, sports, making money, gambling, porn, sex, drinking etc… and are not seeking God and his righteousness. Therefore, people are rejecting God by default because they don’t know or care about what happens to them after they die. It’s all the more tragic because we have the internet nowadays which is the greatest research tool man has ever invented, yet people use it for entertainment: porn, games, music and other very pointless stuff. For example, did you know NASA sent up two probes to study the Van Allen radiation belts in 2012, for the first time? Does that seem strange to you? No? You could be asleep. If you’re interested, you can read up about it from here. If you are a Christian and believe in the Bible, do you know how bad hell is according to the Bible? Read up about it here. If we don’t seek God diligently and seriously, we are in effect saying we don’t care about what happens after we die and that we don’t care about what happens to the souls of the people around us that we love. If we don’t care about our own eternal soul, God throws hands up and gives us over to a reprobate mind: Romans 1:28-32 King James Version (KJV) ²⁸And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; ²⁹Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, ³⁰Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, ³¹Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: ³²Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Failure to seek God and his righteousness results in a mind that becomes more and more corrupted.

Second major barrier - APATHY

I wasn’t sure if this was the number one or number two barrier. I believe pride is probably a bigger problem because many people live terrible lives but yet many don’t turn to God, mainly because of pride.

The second major barrier, in my view, is apathy. People can’t be bothered reading the Bible, listening to good teaching, researching evolution, asking questions about the new covenant, investigating the afterlife, reading up on history, discovering how bad hell is according to the Bible or research anything really.

People enjoy entertainment in the form of TV, computer games, music, sports, making money, gambling, porn, sex, drinking etc… and are not seeking God and his righteousness. Therefore, people are rejecting God by default because they don’t know or care about what happens to them after they die.

It’s all the more tragic because we have the internet nowadays which is the greatest research tool man has ever invented, yet people use it for entertainment: porn, games, music and other very pointless stuff.

For example, did you know NASA sent up two probes to study the Van Allen radiation belts in 2012, for the first time? Does that seem strange to you? No? You could be asleep. If you’re interested, you can read up about it from here.

If you are a Christian and believe in the Bible, do you know how bad hell is according to the Bible? Read up about it here.

If we don’t seek God diligently and seriously, we are in effect saying we don’t care about what happens after we die and that we don’t care about what happens to the souls of the people around us that we love.

If we don’t care about our own eternal soul, God throws hands up and gives us over to a reprobate mind:

Romans 1:28-32 King James Version (KJV)

²⁸And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

²⁹Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

³⁰Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

³¹Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

³²Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Failure to seek God and his righteousness results in a mind that becomes more and more corrupted.

Third major barrier - LOVE OF SELF	Select
The third major barrier is love of self. It is subtly different to pride because it does not deny the existence of God. It is also not apathy because these people realise that God exists. They’ve done some amount of seeking to work this out. Love of self is the inability to give up what we want and surrender to God fully. There are many reasons why people are unable to fully commit to God. Here are probably the major ones: We love of our life. We love our children, the beach, the TV, the sports, the music and on and on and on. We refuse to give these things up to God and because we tell ourselves: God doesn’t mind. We read the Bible and find verses that justify our actions or don’t bother with reading the Bible at all. Note that God only has one purpose for us and that is to save souls. If your life is inconsistent with saving souls, it is not likely the Spirit of God is guiding you. We are unable to comply with God’s rules. We’ve tried again and again to comply with God’s rules and have failed time and time again. We are sick of ourselves. We struggle with controlling our bodies and have reached a point where we have given up then we say that we are saved by this magic called “grace”. However, God is a holy and righteous God. He will help you, if you truly seek and surrender to him. We fear what others say and do. We believe God is real, have read the word of God and believe that hell is also real. But we don’t like to talk to others about salvation because we don’t want them to think that we are delusional. This is the fear of man. Firstly, become born again first. The Holy Spirit in us will help us overcome our fears. In the meantime, turn yourself into a prayer warrior: Pray for others by binding the spiritual forces that blind people.

Third major barrier - LOVE OF SELF

So, what does the road to hell look like?

It looks like this:

These things of themselves are not necessarily evil (note: adultery, fornication and masturbation is sin) but the desire of worldly things is evidence that we are not walking after the Spirit.

Galatians 5:18 King James Version (KJV)

¹⁸ But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

There is no condemnation only when we walk after the Spirit of God. This is the meaning of this passage:

Romans 8:1, 13-14 King James Version (KJV)

¹ There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

¹³For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

¹⁴For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Pursue the things of the Spirit of God and you will naturally avoid the things of the flesh.

Are you being led by the Spirit of God? Apply these tests

The flesh can never please God. We worship God in spirit and in truth through our conduct and attitude towards God and others:

If you want to watch TV, you are not walking after the Spirit of God.
If you like to look at beautiful people, you are not walking after the Spirit of God.
If you desire to eat nice foods, you are not walking after the Spirit of God.
If you seek the security of money, you are not walking after the Spirit of God.
If you enjoy listening to mainstream music, you are not walking after the Spirit of God.
If you look forward to entertainment, you are not walking after the Spirit of God.
If you take pleasure in living in your nice pretty home, which is your sanctuary, you are not walking after the Spirit of God.

If God is not the actual, real, genuine number one LORD of your life, you are not walking after the Spirit of God.

If you are walking after the Spirit of God these things are true of you:

People say you are relentless in talking about God.
The first thing you think of in the morning is God.
You are immersed in the word of God daily.
You are praying to God in the morning, during the day and at night.
You repent to the Lord daily in your life.
You sing hymns to God all day long.
You cry when you think of what Jesus did for you.
You love others enough to humble yourself to do anything to save their souls.
You constantly ask God for his opinion.
You are always labouring to bring the truth of God to people.

I realise that many Christians reading the above will ask this question: WHO IS GOING TO MAKE IT TO HEAVEN? The answer is clear: about 2.5% of people in 1979 went to heaven and this had dropped to around 0.1% between 1987 and 1991. It’s clear we must walk after the Spirit of God and not in our own ideas of godliness.

The account of Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna in the early Christian Church	Select
Polycarp lived in the early Church environment between AD 80 and 167. He was about 86 when he was put to death. Polycarp went to friends in the nearby country, where as usual he spent the whole time, day and night, in prayer for all people and for the churches throughout the world. Three days before he was arrested, while he was praying, he had a vision of the pillow under his head in flames. He said prophetically to those who were with him, ” I will be burnt alive.” God told Polycarp that this is what God wanted to happen. Polycarp could have escaped but he refused saying, “God’s will be done.” When he heard that they had come, he went down and spoke with the soldiers. They were amazed at his age and steadfastness, and some of them said. “Why did we go to so much trouble to capture a man like this?” Immediately he called for food and drink for them, and asked for an hour to pray uninterrupted. They agreed, and he stood and prayed, so full of the grace of God, that he could not stop for two hours. The men were astounded and many of them regretted coming to arrest such a godly and venerable an old man. As Polycarp was being taken into the arena, a voice came to him from heaven: “Be strong, Polycarp and play the man!” No one saw who had spoken, but our brothers who were there heard the voice. “Swear,” urged the Proconsul, “reproach Christ, and I will set you free.” “86 years have I have served him,” Polycarp declared, “and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?” “I have wild animals here,” the Proconsul said. “I will throw you to them if you do not repent.” “Call them,” Polycarp replied. “It is unthinkable for me to repent from what is good to turn to what is evil. I will be glad though to be changed from evil to righteousness.” “If you despise the animals, I will have you burned.” “You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour, and is then extinguished, but you know nothing of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. Why are you waiting? Bring on whatever you want.” The crowd collected wood and bundles of sticks from the shops and public baths. The Jews , as usual, were keen to help. When the pile was ready, Polycarp took off his outer clothes, undid his belt, and tried to take off his sandals – something he was not used to, as the faithful always raced to do it for him, each wanting to be the one to touch his skin – this is how good his life was. But when they went to fix him with nails, he said, “Leave me as I am, for he that gives me strength to endure the fire, will enable me not to struggle, without the help of your nails.” So they simply bound him with his hands behind him like a distinguished ram chosen from a great flock for sacrifice. Ready to be an acceptable burnt-offering to God, he looked up to heaven, and said, “O Lord God Almighty, the Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of you, the God of angels, powers and every creature, and of all the righteous who live before you, I give you thanks that you count me worthy to be numbered among your martyrs, sharing the cup of Christ and the resurrection to eternal life, both of soul and body, through the immortality of the Holy Spirit. May I be received this day as an acceptable sacrifice, as you, the true God, have predestined, revealed to me, and now fulfilled. I praise you for all these things, I bless you and glorify you, along with the everlasting Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. To you, with him, through the Holy Ghost, be glory both now and forever. Amen.” Then the fire was lit, and the flame blazed furiously. We who were privileged to witness it saw a great miracle, and this is why we have been preserved, to tell the story. The fire shaped itself into the form of an arch, like the sail of a ship when filled with the wind, and formed a circle around the body of the martyr. Inside it, he looked not like flesh that is burnt, but like bread that is baked, or gold and silver glowing in a furnace. And we smelt a sweet scent, like frankincense or some such precious spices. Eventually, when those wicked men saw that his body could not be consumed by the fire, they commanded an executioner to pierce him with a dagger. When he did this such a great quantity of blood flowed that the fire was extinguished. (Polycarp was not a Roman Catholic Bishop, because Roman Catholicism was not formed till AD 325. Also see his prayer above.) Yes, I realise there are those of you who will think this is a “fairy tale”. You’re saying in your heart: “Poly-crap”. In which case, watch this mainstream news report, watch these videos about the afterlife. These healing videos. These deliverance videos. God blesses those that seek him and his righteousness.

The account of Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna in the early Christian Church

Polycarp lived in the early Church environment between AD 80 and 167. He was about 86 when he was put to death.

Polycarp went to friends in the nearby country, where as usual he spent the whole time, day and night, in prayer for all people and for the churches throughout the world. Three days before he was arrested, while he was praying, he had a vision of the pillow under his head in flames. He said prophetically to those who were with him, ” I will be burnt alive.” God told Polycarp that this is what God wanted to happen.

Polycarp could have escaped but he refused saying, “God’s will be done.” When he heard that they had come, he went down and spoke with the soldiers. They were amazed at his age and steadfastness, and some of them said. “Why did we go to so much trouble to capture a man like this?” Immediately he called for food and drink for them, and asked for an hour to pray uninterrupted. They agreed, and he stood and prayed, so full of the grace of God, that he could not stop for two hours. The men were astounded and many of them regretted coming to arrest such a godly and venerable an old man.

As Polycarp was being taken into the arena, a voice came to him from heaven: “Be strong, Polycarp and play the man!” No one saw who had spoken, but our brothers who were there heard the voice. “Swear,” urged the Proconsul, “reproach Christ, and I will set you free.” “86 years have I have served him,” Polycarp declared, “and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”

“I have wild animals here,” the Proconsul said. “I will throw you to them if you do not repent.” “Call them,” Polycarp replied. “It is unthinkable for me to repent from what is good to turn to what is evil. I will be glad though to be changed from evil to righteousness.” “If you despise the animals, I will have you burned.” “You threaten me with fire which burns for an hour, and is then extinguished, but you know nothing of the fire of the coming judgment and eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. Why are you waiting? Bring on whatever you want.”

The crowd collected wood and bundles of sticks from the shops and public baths. The Jews , as usual, were keen to help. When the pile was ready, Polycarp took off his outer clothes, undid his belt, and tried to take off his sandals – something he was not used to, as the faithful always raced to do it for him, each wanting to be the one to touch his skin – this is how good his life was. But when they went to fix him with nails, he said, “Leave me as I am, for he that gives me strength to endure the fire, will enable me not to struggle, without the help of your nails.”

So they simply bound him with his hands behind him like a distinguished ram chosen from a great flock for sacrifice. Ready to be an acceptable burnt-offering to God, he looked up to heaven, and said, “O Lord God Almighty, the Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the knowledge of you, the God of angels, powers and every creature, and of all the righteous who live before you, I give you thanks that you count me worthy to be numbered among your martyrs, sharing the cup of Christ and the resurrection to eternal life, both of soul and body, through the immortality of the Holy Spirit. May I be received this day as an acceptable sacrifice, as you, the true God, have predestined, revealed to me, and now fulfilled. I praise you for all these things, I bless you and glorify you, along with the everlasting Jesus Christ, your beloved Son. To you, with him, through the Holy Ghost, be glory both now and forever. Amen.”

Then the fire was lit, and the flame blazed furiously. We who were privileged to witness it saw a great miracle, and this is why we have been preserved, to tell the story. The fire shaped itself into the form of an arch, like the sail of a ship when filled with the wind, and formed a circle around the body of the martyr. Inside it, he looked not like flesh that is burnt, but like bread that is baked, or gold and silver glowing in a furnace. And we smelt a sweet scent, like frankincense or some such precious spices.

Eventually, when those wicked men saw that his body could not be consumed by the fire, they commanded an executioner to pierce him with a dagger. When he did this such a great quantity of blood flowed that the fire was extinguished. (Polycarp was not a Roman Catholic Bishop, because Roman Catholicism was not formed till AD 325. Also see his prayer above.)

Yes, I realise there are those of you who will think this is a “fairy tale”. You’re saying in your heart: “Poly-crap”. In which case, watch this mainstream news report, watch these videos about the afterlife. These healing videos. These deliverance videos. God blesses those that seek him and his righteousness.