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Hi Gerry, I came to the close of your book today “Hope Beyond Hell” and I had to convey my appreciation to you for obediently writing this book.  It is truly a miracle that it was placed into my hands.  I have walked with the Lord about 21 years now, I’ve read the Bible, studied the Bible, taught the Bible, and thought I knew the Bible, or at least what I believed. . .ha.  I now ask myself, how could I have thought I read/knew the Bible yet not really have known/read the Bible?  I guess this speaks to the power of a mental stronghold (what we’ve been taught to believe).

About three months ago, the Lord was stirring the question in my heart, (and I even asked a few people) “Do you think Hell is eternal” as I reflected on the passage where Jesus, in speaking of the servant who had been forgiven a debt and then would not forgive another, spoke of him being thrown into prison (Hell) “until” he paid the last penny.  Although the answers I received were traditional Augustine views, I kept thinking, wow, that statement sure sounds like something finite to me.  As I look back, it’s amazing to me that I never really put much thought into this before, not even realizing the huge impact our belief in this area has on our view of God, the Church, the lost, and especially those in Hell right now.  I had seen some accounts of people who had been shown Hell and what they shared was tormenting to me as a Believer!

Fear had been a huge obstacle for me most of my life.  During my childhood my mother was fascinated with horror movies and the children (including me) were permitted to watch them.  She also taught that we only make it to Heaven “by the skin of our teeth.” I spent most of my childhood wondering what I had to do to escape Hell and make it to Heaven.  At the onset of a thunderstorm I was terrified, wondering if Jesus was coming back and I wasn’t ready.  My first steps toward salvation started with a prayer like this, “Jesus, please take my soul because I don’t want the devil to get it.”  All this led up to the Summer of 1992 when (in my mind) I had sinned one too many times and believed I had gone beyond God’s grace.  I believed I had lost my salvation and was doomed to Hell which was especially tormenting because I was a Christian at the time who really wanted to serve the Lord.  I probably would have committed suicide, but I didn’t want to go to Hell!  About 7 years of what I would term “clinical depression” followed.  But the Lord did a miracle then too—He taught me to rely on His work on the cross and not myself (the real root of my problem which made me vulnerable to the deception in the first place).

Anyway, the Lord has brought me a long way since then, healing me of many soul wounds and giving me revelation after revelation.  Now comes the miracle—my husband and I needed a repair person to fix our hot tub (we could not get anyone to call us back for a year!).  Finally a friend recommended a couple who did the pipe repairs we needed.  As soon as the couple agreed to come over I received two phone calls (from repairmen who would not call us back!)  I told my friends, I know this is a divine appointment—it had to be because it was so strange how it all unfolded,  little did I know.

The couple came over and I soon learned they were Christians.  Sherry began talking about her amazing revelation of God’s love and the redemptive purposes of Hell. . .I said, You know, I was just questioning if Hell is eternal (and shared about the scripture I had been pondering).  Sherry just beamed and exclaimed she had a book in her vehicle I had to read.  She left the book with me and (I’ll be honest here) it sat on my dresser for about a month.  I was afraid to read it, especially after I checked out that verse in Matthew that refers to Hell as “eternal.”  I thought, well that settles it, there is no point in reading that book.

So when I had pretty much decided “not” to read the book, God gave me a dream (the Lord often uses dreams to speak to me).  I was walking down a road and I was saying, “Lord, do you want me to read that book” as if He had told me to read it and now I was questioning Him, “Do you want me to read that book?”  I kept asking the same question.  When I woke up I realized He was most definitely leading me to read the book. . .so I started to read the book.  I loved that you addressed the hardest verses first—of course I was using my Greek/Hebrew concordance just to make sure I wasn’t being “deceived.”  What I found, was probably one of the most remarkable truths I have ever learned in my entire Christian walk.  The Lord led my family and me out of the tradition Church in 2008 as God revealed the man made traditions were not His idea.  Then He led me into an understanding of what He Had in mind for His Church. . .a community of united Believers who care for and love one another and when they meet, freely operate in their spiritual gifts.  So we started meeting in our home, very informally, with a handful of like-minded Believers.   That in itself has been an amazing journey.  But this revelation of God’s Love. I know this will prove to be the most amazing.

You see, about two years ago God gave me a dream and showed me that He was going to bring me into such a revelation of His love that, in the dream I was saying something like, “I didn’t know anything about His love before.”  I have been waiting and waiting to come into this revelation, honestly not having a clue how it would happen. . .I really couldn’t figure it out, but I believed it would happen.  I kept having dreams that I would be calling out to God and my spirit would rise as high as the ceiling and stop.  I would become frustrated because I couldn’t go higher and would hit the ceiling with my fist in the dream.  I only knew the ceiling represented a barrier, a barrier within me, keeping me from going higher and coming closer to my Heavenly Father.

As I have carefully walked through the pages of this book, God has unfolded a bigger and better plan than I ever could have imagined.  A plan that has served to remove the “ceiling barrier” that I have struggled to get past for many years.  As I have come to put my hope in the “Blessed Hope” as you call it, an amazing thing has happened, all the fear (any that was left) within my soul began to dissipate.  My heart is overwhelmed with thanksgiving to God as I realize who He really is, the extent of His Love and Mercy, the redemptive purpose of His judgments, and that He really does have it ALL under control.  My worries have faded because I know that every soul (and they all belong to Him) will be taken care of.

Thank you so much Gerry, for writing this book.  I am so grateful that God gave you this revelation and that you have been brave enough to share it. . . even with all the persecution you have undoubtedly incurred as a result.  Your reward in Heaven will be GREAT!  Many blessings to you and yours, both now and forever (and I mean forever J)!

Blessings ~

Melissa

“Love One Another” John 15:12

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