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To Hell and Back
Life After Death - Startling New Evidence
Evidence that not all near-death experiences are positive. Some patients spoke of going to hell rather than heaven during times when they were clinically dead.
Evidence that not all near-death experiences are positive. Some patients spoke of going to hell rather than heaven during times when they were clinically dead.
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 20, 2024
Dr. Rawlings is a medical doctor who developed leading resuscitation methods. As a result, he had many experiences with patients who died and were brought back to life.
Many of them at the time of death were screaming, at the entrance of Hell, and not wanting to be there. When they were resuscitated, the horror of the experience was still real and they could remember it. By the next day, they often had forgotten it, probably because an experience of that horror is blocked out by the mind and emotions for protection, much like POW's who have gone through torture.
Others were unhappy to be brought back to life. They had entered an experience that was more pleasant than being on earth.
But the most interesting cases were of people who died, went to Hell and were brought back to life, then immediately prayed a simple prayer asking for forgiveness from God for the way they had lived their lives, died again, experienced Heaven, and then were brought back to life. If there is any experience that shows the effect of believing in Jesus, this is it.
My father's heart stopped for 8 minutes during surgery. Upon being resuscitated, he was desperate to make his life right with God and was born again. My father always believed that he was going to Heaven because he was following the rules of his Christian denomination. I had never heard him say that he had made a mistake or had ever sinned. He believed in Hell but he was sure he was never going there. He was blinded to the truth. I personally think that the spirits of those who die and see Hell are no longer blinded to the existence of God. They realize that Hell exists and why they are in Hell. They also realize what they can do in order to go to Heaven when they die. Thankfully, some people are given this opportunity through the life-saving resuscitation methods of doctors like Rawlings.
Rawlings was a skeptic who did not believe in the reality of God until an experience like this. A patient died, went to Hell, and was resuscitated. He was screaming about not wanting to go back and asked Rawlings to pray with him. Rawlings said that he prayed simply to get the man quiet so he could continue with the procedure. He did not think it would have any effect. Rawlings prayed a simple prayer that he remembered as a child in Sunday school asking God to forgive him of his sins and let him be with God forever in Heaven. Then the patient died again but went to Heaven. He recounted the experience to Rawlings. Rawlings began to investigate scientifically this phenomenon, checking with each patient who had memory of the experiences of death. Eventually, this research led him to renew his relationship with God and be unafraid to share this knowledge with others.
I have read several books like this. However, this book is unique in that Rawlings shows how seeing beautiful light and feeling peace at the time of death do not necessarily mean that the person is going to Heaven. Most Christians are deceived in this way (as are most of the world). They forget that Satan can transform himself into an angel of light, and so probably can the fallen angels.
Rawlings teaches the reader how to differentiate between religions that can produce a "false" light at death and those that really lead you into the light of God.
At this point some of you might be thinking that this is prejudiced or biased or even incorrect. You might think that the statements are intolerant.
You can believe what you want; I can believe what I want.
You can believe that Hell does not exist. But you cannot say that God says that Hell does not exist. You can say that you do not believe the Bible or believe God. That is your right.
Somehow I do not think that Jesus died a horrible death on the cross to come and warn us that we would all go to Heaven when we died. Would you? Hell is mentioned more often than Heaven by Jesus... He came to warn us about Hell.
You can choose to believe in gravity or choose to believe that it does not exist. But at some irreversible point, perhaps when your parachute fails to open, you might change your mind. But it is then too late to avoid the consequences of your beliefs.
Not everyone pays taxes, but everyone dies. This is the one trip that it is best to be sure about before you begin.
Here is a book written scientifically by a medical doctor with more experience with life after death than probably anyone on earth.
Even if you do not believe in Hell, then you might hope to find errors in this book to prove your beliefs. This is a final trip that is worth researching.
This book can change your life for the better.
There is no fear in this book. No condemnation. Just the love of God. People regardless of their past, their sin, their hate or bitterness, etc., in an instant can tell God they are sorry for their sins and ask for forgiveness. Jesus never condemned sinners. He said "go and sin no more." He never judged them. He loved them. He does not want anyone to go to Hell.
I have had several copies of this book and given many away. However, some people did not want to read it and would not accept it (even though I am not pushy...). But I know, at least in one case, of someone whom I was with at the time of death, who could never get close to God because she felt that she had done something that could never be forgiven. When she realized that she could be forgiven, easily and instantly, she asked God for forgiveness. Soon after, she died and went into the presence of God. How different her life could have been if she had realized that God loved her all the time.
I never believed in Heaven or Hell until I became an adult. Life experiences taught me ... my beliefs are not the result of doctrine or brainwashing, but of experience and of a relationship with God. My review is not intended to be condemning in any way of anyone. It is just to encourage people to read this book, especially if they do not have peace about what happens after they die.
My father was one of the first patients to go through open heart surgery. He entered the operating room believing as he always had that he never had done anything wrong (yikes...but true... he actually believed that and could never admit wrong or say that he was sorry). Then he died on the operating table, went to Hell, was resuscitated and the first words he spoke in ICU were that he wanted to receive Jesus. Interestingly, he never attended a church that taught him about this; somehow intuitively while in Hell he saw how he had been deceived and because his mind was no longer bound by time, he knew truth about everything. So he knew about Jesus while he was in Hell.
This death experience took place before this book was written. At that time, I did not really understand what my father had gone through. But this book helped to explain it. My father was a changed person after that death experience.
This book helped me to understand death. It also helped me understand how to live, and how to die.
This book is worth reading.
Many of them at the time of death were screaming, at the entrance of Hell, and not wanting to be there. When they were resuscitated, the horror of the experience was still real and they could remember it. By the next day, they often had forgotten it, probably because an experience of that horror is blocked out by the mind and emotions for protection, much like POW's who have gone through torture.
Others were unhappy to be brought back to life. They had entered an experience that was more pleasant than being on earth.
But the most interesting cases were of people who died, went to Hell and were brought back to life, then immediately prayed a simple prayer asking for forgiveness from God for the way they had lived their lives, died again, experienced Heaven, and then were brought back to life. If there is any experience that shows the effect of believing in Jesus, this is it.
My father's heart stopped for 8 minutes during surgery. Upon being resuscitated, he was desperate to make his life right with God and was born again. My father always believed that he was going to Heaven because he was following the rules of his Christian denomination. I had never heard him say that he had made a mistake or had ever sinned. He believed in Hell but he was sure he was never going there. He was blinded to the truth. I personally think that the spirits of those who die and see Hell are no longer blinded to the existence of God. They realize that Hell exists and why they are in Hell. They also realize what they can do in order to go to Heaven when they die. Thankfully, some people are given this opportunity through the life-saving resuscitation methods of doctors like Rawlings.
Rawlings was a skeptic who did not believe in the reality of God until an experience like this. A patient died, went to Hell, and was resuscitated. He was screaming about not wanting to go back and asked Rawlings to pray with him. Rawlings said that he prayed simply to get the man quiet so he could continue with the procedure. He did not think it would have any effect. Rawlings prayed a simple prayer that he remembered as a child in Sunday school asking God to forgive him of his sins and let him be with God forever in Heaven. Then the patient died again but went to Heaven. He recounted the experience to Rawlings. Rawlings began to investigate scientifically this phenomenon, checking with each patient who had memory of the experiences of death. Eventually, this research led him to renew his relationship with God and be unafraid to share this knowledge with others.
I have read several books like this. However, this book is unique in that Rawlings shows how seeing beautiful light and feeling peace at the time of death do not necessarily mean that the person is going to Heaven. Most Christians are deceived in this way (as are most of the world). They forget that Satan can transform himself into an angel of light, and so probably can the fallen angels.
Rawlings teaches the reader how to differentiate between religions that can produce a "false" light at death and those that really lead you into the light of God.
At this point some of you might be thinking that this is prejudiced or biased or even incorrect. You might think that the statements are intolerant.
You can believe what you want; I can believe what I want.
You can believe that Hell does not exist. But you cannot say that God says that Hell does not exist. You can say that you do not believe the Bible or believe God. That is your right.
Somehow I do not think that Jesus died a horrible death on the cross to come and warn us that we would all go to Heaven when we died. Would you? Hell is mentioned more often than Heaven by Jesus... He came to warn us about Hell.
You can choose to believe in gravity or choose to believe that it does not exist. But at some irreversible point, perhaps when your parachute fails to open, you might change your mind. But it is then too late to avoid the consequences of your beliefs.
Not everyone pays taxes, but everyone dies. This is the one trip that it is best to be sure about before you begin.
Here is a book written scientifically by a medical doctor with more experience with life after death than probably anyone on earth.
Even if you do not believe in Hell, then you might hope to find errors in this book to prove your beliefs. This is a final trip that is worth researching.
This book can change your life for the better.
There is no fear in this book. No condemnation. Just the love of God. People regardless of their past, their sin, their hate or bitterness, etc., in an instant can tell God they are sorry for their sins and ask for forgiveness. Jesus never condemned sinners. He said "go and sin no more." He never judged them. He loved them. He does not want anyone to go to Hell.
I have had several copies of this book and given many away. However, some people did not want to read it and would not accept it (even though I am not pushy...). But I know, at least in one case, of someone whom I was with at the time of death, who could never get close to God because she felt that she had done something that could never be forgiven. When she realized that she could be forgiven, easily and instantly, she asked God for forgiveness. Soon after, she died and went into the presence of God. How different her life could have been if she had realized that God loved her all the time.
I never believed in Heaven or Hell until I became an adult. Life experiences taught me ... my beliefs are not the result of doctrine or brainwashing, but of experience and of a relationship with God. My review is not intended to be condemning in any way of anyone. It is just to encourage people to read this book, especially if they do not have peace about what happens after they die.
My father was one of the first patients to go through open heart surgery. He entered the operating room believing as he always had that he never had done anything wrong (yikes...but true... he actually believed that and could never admit wrong or say that he was sorry). Then he died on the operating table, went to Hell, was resuscitated and the first words he spoke in ICU were that he wanted to receive Jesus. Interestingly, he never attended a church that taught him about this; somehow intuitively while in Hell he saw how he had been deceived and because his mind was no longer bound by time, he knew truth about everything. So he knew about Jesus while he was in Hell.
This death experience took place before this book was written. At that time, I did not really understand what my father had gone through. But this book helped to explain it. My father was a changed person after that death experience.
This book helped me to understand death. It also helped me understand how to live, and how to die.
This book is worth reading.
July 14, 2013
I have mixed feelings about this book. The title, To Hell and Back: Life After Death--Startling New Evidence, leads the reader to believe that this is a book about hellish near death experiences. However, that is only a small part of this book. It actually becomes a study of all methods that mankind has discovered and practiced trying to reach out to and reign in "god" and the unknown. It shines a light on the deceptive nature of New Age teachings of self-reliance and compares these to the teachings of the Bible. Dr. Rawlings ends his book by offering the salvation prayer for anyone who is ready and willing to accept Jesus as everlasting insurance and to answer yes to the question posed throughout the book, "Is it safe to die?" I found this book enlightening and overall inspirational.
June 2, 2016
I enjoyed the first six chapters of the book that focused on the "negative" NDE as opposed to the "Omega Point" school that only focuses on happy experiences. The author's view point is a valuable perspective to the discussion. However, after Chapter 6, he digressed for another five chapters into a polemical treatise on all manner of metaphysical phenomena. These chapters added nothing to his arguments and, in my opinion, tainted his objectivity as a medical scientist.
July 24, 2020
I've been making an effort to take religion more seriously recently, and since this has been sitting on my shelf for at least a decade now, I thought I'd finally take a look. It is definitely not the sort of thing I would typically read, but maybe it could provide some new perspective or rationale that I'm overlooking. Nope. Those dreams were quickly dashed. This has to be one of the silliest books I've ever read.
Dr. Rawlings, who by all accounts is a perfectly competent cardiologist, gives away his hand pretty early. Instead of taking the time to establish much credibility as a physician or a serious and open-minded thinker, he explains that after a study of the world religions, he immediately came to the conclusion that Christianity was the correct religion because its prophecies were the most accurate. He is also able to convince agnostic colleagues of his positions and instill them with doubts with some of the most basic canards—the world is complex, so how could God not have created it? He then spends the rest of the book arguing backward from the conclusion he wants to arrive at: that it's dangerous not to become a Christian and accept Jesus.
His main gripe is that most studies of near death and out of body experiences only focus on positive experiences of the afterlife, which have fueled people's beliefs in the Omega philosophy, the idea that everyone and her mother will all be accepted into heaven no matter what. But, in reality, many people have had negative experiences, and they have either been embarrassed about these visions and not come forward with them or their evidence has been suppressed by lazy secular researchers who aren't willing to alter their worldview.
Despite the fact that the cover of the book claims there is "startling new evidence," the evidence—if a series of questionable anecdotes can be considered such—is not very startling. Perhaps, it is new, though. I really couldn't say. What I can say is that after the first few chapters, the book descends into a diatribe on violent movies, psychology, secular schools, the occult, UFOs, new age philosophy (which he often conflates with secular humanism), and, most laughably, evolution. He even repeats the tired claim that Darwin renounced evolution and converted to Christianity on his deathbed.
Aside from the weak arguments and jeremiads of someone with a Christian persecution complex, the writing is atrocious. The book couldn't be more disorganized: Let me tell you about my heart attack. Now, let me tell you about all the ways people can die, often in their sleep when they're seemingly healthy and not expecting it. Here's how you determine if someone has AIDS so you know whether you can safely do CPR on them or not. Now, back to my heart attack. Here's how you interview someone who claims to have crossed over before being resuscitated. Now, let me allude to a different resuscitation story for the fifth time without actually telling the story. One time a pathologist was mean to me and a corpse.
Nevertheless, the book is amusing. I learned what the Omega philosophy was, and there is an interesting section on the different religions' views of the afterlife. Otherwise, this is an odd relic of the early 1990s that should probably be forgotten.
Dr. Rawlings, who by all accounts is a perfectly competent cardiologist, gives away his hand pretty early. Instead of taking the time to establish much credibility as a physician or a serious and open-minded thinker, he explains that after a study of the world religions, he immediately came to the conclusion that Christianity was the correct religion because its prophecies were the most accurate. He is also able to convince agnostic colleagues of his positions and instill them with doubts with some of the most basic canards—the world is complex, so how could God not have created it? He then spends the rest of the book arguing backward from the conclusion he wants to arrive at: that it's dangerous not to become a Christian and accept Jesus.
His main gripe is that most studies of near death and out of body experiences only focus on positive experiences of the afterlife, which have fueled people's beliefs in the Omega philosophy, the idea that everyone and her mother will all be accepted into heaven no matter what. But, in reality, many people have had negative experiences, and they have either been embarrassed about these visions and not come forward with them or their evidence has been suppressed by lazy secular researchers who aren't willing to alter their worldview.
Despite the fact that the cover of the book claims there is "startling new evidence," the evidence—if a series of questionable anecdotes can be considered such—is not very startling. Perhaps, it is new, though. I really couldn't say. What I can say is that after the first few chapters, the book descends into a diatribe on violent movies, psychology, secular schools, the occult, UFOs, new age philosophy (which he often conflates with secular humanism), and, most laughably, evolution. He even repeats the tired claim that Darwin renounced evolution and converted to Christianity on his deathbed.
Aside from the weak arguments and jeremiads of someone with a Christian persecution complex, the writing is atrocious. The book couldn't be more disorganized: Let me tell you about my heart attack. Now, let me tell you about all the ways people can die, often in their sleep when they're seemingly healthy and not expecting it. Here's how you determine if someone has AIDS so you know whether you can safely do CPR on them or not. Now, back to my heart attack. Here's how you interview someone who claims to have crossed over before being resuscitated. Now, let me allude to a different resuscitation story for the fifth time without actually telling the story. One time a pathologist was mean to me and a corpse.
Nevertheless, the book is amusing. I learned what the Omega philosophy was, and there is an interesting section on the different religions' views of the afterlife. Otherwise, this is an odd relic of the early 1990s that should probably be forgotten.
August 14, 2024
THE AUTHOR OF "BEYOND DEATH'S DOOR" EXPANDS UPON HIS WORK
Dr. Maurice Rawlings is a specialist in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases; he has also written books such as 'Beyond Death's Door,' 'Before Death Comes,' 'Life Wish: Reincarnation, reality or hoax?', etc.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1993 book, "Of the numerous authors investigating near-death experiences, almost none of them report negative or unpleasant cases... The purpose of this book is simply to expose the negative cases, those secreted, embarrassing cases found primarily during resuscitative procedures... when nothing is concealed, the time when the psychologists and psychiatrists who write most of the books on the subject are absent from the scene. If negative cases can be readily demonstrated... then a place like hell would seem reasonable. And if hell is possible, then it may not be safe to die." (Pg. 10-11)
Under the topic title, "Why Hell Cases are Not Reported," he suggests, "If the interview is delayed just a little bit---much less days, weeks, or months after the fact---only the positive experiences will be found. The negative experiences have long since been relegated to the painless portions of the memory... Thus, hell cases are not reported." (Pg. 33)
He also proposes, "there are some recent good experiences claimed by atheists who might have seen still another angel of light---the one called Lucifer, the Deceiver... the one assuring that everything is okay out there, the one advocating a free ride for everyone with no redemption, no penalties, no prerequisites." (Pg. 47)
He even speculates that "one of the clinical deaths in biblical times may have involved the Apostle Paul. Instead of permanent biological death... Paul may have experienced a clinical death in the city of Lystra where he was stoned and left for dead by a murderous mob of people who resented his ministry and his miracles (2 Tim 3:11)." (Pg. 58)
He wonders, "Of all those who have been to hell and back, I wonder why is there no report of anyone seeing Satan, or Lucifer, or Pan, or gods of hell?... Since hell has been recognized from classical times, whatever happened to hell in modern times? How did it gradually get diluted down over the years? ... There seem to be a number of contributing factors ... For instance, hell has become the great enigma of modern humanistic psychology, which promotes the tenet that man achieves fulfillment by fully satisfying his wants, not by denying them... They deny the existence of hell, of course. They say it just doesn't fit." (Pg. 79, 80, 83)
Rawlings' books are perhaps the most popular evangelical Christian interpretations of NDEs, and deserve study by all persons researching NDEs (whether one agrees with him in every instance, or not).
Dr. Maurice Rawlings is a specialist in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases; he has also written books such as 'Beyond Death's Door,' 'Before Death Comes,' 'Life Wish: Reincarnation, reality or hoax?', etc.
He wrote in the Preface to this 1993 book, "Of the numerous authors investigating near-death experiences, almost none of them report negative or unpleasant cases... The purpose of this book is simply to expose the negative cases, those secreted, embarrassing cases found primarily during resuscitative procedures... when nothing is concealed, the time when the psychologists and psychiatrists who write most of the books on the subject are absent from the scene. If negative cases can be readily demonstrated... then a place like hell would seem reasonable. And if hell is possible, then it may not be safe to die." (Pg. 10-11)
Under the topic title, "Why Hell Cases are Not Reported," he suggests, "If the interview is delayed just a little bit---much less days, weeks, or months after the fact---only the positive experiences will be found. The negative experiences have long since been relegated to the painless portions of the memory... Thus, hell cases are not reported." (Pg. 33)
He also proposes, "there are some recent good experiences claimed by atheists who might have seen still another angel of light---the one called Lucifer, the Deceiver... the one assuring that everything is okay out there, the one advocating a free ride for everyone with no redemption, no penalties, no prerequisites." (Pg. 47)
He even speculates that "one of the clinical deaths in biblical times may have involved the Apostle Paul. Instead of permanent biological death... Paul may have experienced a clinical death in the city of Lystra where he was stoned and left for dead by a murderous mob of people who resented his ministry and his miracles (2 Tim 3:11)." (Pg. 58)
He wonders, "Of all those who have been to hell and back, I wonder why is there no report of anyone seeing Satan, or Lucifer, or Pan, or gods of hell?... Since hell has been recognized from classical times, whatever happened to hell in modern times? How did it gradually get diluted down over the years? ... There seem to be a number of contributing factors ... For instance, hell has become the great enigma of modern humanistic psychology, which promotes the tenet that man achieves fulfillment by fully satisfying his wants, not by denying them... They deny the existence of hell, of course. They say it just doesn't fit." (Pg. 79, 80, 83)
Rawlings' books are perhaps the most popular evangelical Christian interpretations of NDEs, and deserve study by all persons researching NDEs (whether one agrees with him in every instance, or not).
May 10, 2022
This book was a hell of a disappointment (pun intended). Since it was by a medical doctor, I was expecting a scientific analysis of near-death experiences, but it is actually a Christian book in which the author repeatedly tells us how anyone who has not accepted Jesus is going to hell. And even members of some branches of Christianity are going to hell anyway. He never says which denomination he's part of, but apparently if your Christianity does not match the tenets of his, you are...well, going to hell when you die if don't wake up and smell the flowers soon. And if you have had a positive near-death experience that did not involve directly meeting Jesus, it was just Satan trying to trick you.
There are a handful of pages of interesting material, but not enough to be worth wading through this.
There are a handful of pages of interesting material, but not enough to be worth wading through this.
December 24, 2019
i was honestly so bored i couldn't finish
Want to read
November 29, 2021How to read his book
January 26, 2012
If a person reads all the books about life after death they owe it to themselves to read this one too. He slams Joseph Smith and rants and raves too much but there is something to be learned from his thesis.
January 27, 2011
Very interesting read from years ago, I loaned this book to someone and that was it. I am going to try to replace it.
July 7, 2012
I enjoyed reading this. Lots of interesting facts and stories.
August 10, 2012
You have heard many stories of peoples' near death experiences of seeing heaven well here is the other side of the coin: visions of hell.
September 29, 2011
(ordered fr enfield pub lib via wpl lion)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews