Andy; This is my belief as well. I've sat at the bedside of hundreds of people in the last hours and moments of their lives. Many who I assumed were in mortal sin had an extended period of agitation prior to death. It seems to me like they were doing life review and coming to terms with their sins. It also feels to me like this is a time of profound visitation from God. All the nonsense of "I believe this, and I don't believe that" just evaporates in the presence of TRUTH. The only unforgiveable sin is the sin against the Holy Spirit, which I understand is the sin of disbelieving or refusing God's mercy. To disbelieve in God's power and mercy in His very presence, and refusing His mercy at the moment of death, it seems to me, would take the coldest, darkest heart. From what I've seen, God wants us safe with Him so badly, He does everything but take us piggyback. This is why I believe a final illness is the ultimate gift.
The church has always taught that dying in a state of mortal sin is the ticket to hell. But there is amazing grace at the moment of death. In a perfect world, we receive the sacrament of the sick, confess our sins and receive the Eucharist prior to death. But who would deny that we have a very big God, who is more than capable of hearing a confession and giving absolution at the moment of death?
St. Augustine, before he was a Saint but after he came to believe, planned to wait to be baptized until his final illness, so he could sin away until that day. Eventually he gave up on such foolishness, and abandoned himself whole-heartedly to the Lord. The priest in the video who deserved hell said that he went to confession often as "fire insurance." I take it that God doesn't suffer attempts to trick him or "beat the game." But the priest did not go to hell; the Blessed Mother interceded for him. I've had two opportunities recently to place a brown scapular on a person dying in spiritual distress. The first time was divine mercy Sunday. I put the scapular on a baptized Catholic who led an incredibly destructive life. I said, "This scapular means you belong to Mary. She will protect you and lead you straight to Jesus." He died instantly!!! The second time was last week. I found a woman in deep distress, actively dying. I asked her sister about her spiritual beliefs and she said, "She believes in reincarnation." Then I got out of her that they'd both been raised in the Church, and attended 12 years of Catholic school. With her permission, I put my scapular on the woman, and peace overtook her almost immediately. I saw her the next night, just hours before her death. Her sister said, "After your visit last night, the agitation just left, and never came back." Our Lord, it seems, just can't say no to his Mama!
Thank you Kathy for your insight on this topic. It is very reassuring for me and for the ones I love dearly and concerned about. I too have witnessed amazing grace at death. I will tell the story of my great uncle some time and also the story of my father in law who came to me in dream just a few months ago telling me to pray for him for he had a lot of work to do sill to be with God. He died 10 yrs ago. I do have another question/thought about this though despite my beliefs at what happens at death with potential for great mercy. Jesus said that the gate was narrow so either many many souls reject Gods mercy or God grants many souls mercy in that instant but that mercy leads them to purgatory and not heaven. Do you think the narrow gate is for heaven and not purgatory?
..."I was still incredulous. "But you are more glorious and full of more joy and peace than I even imagined, even for those in heaven. I do not feel any remorse in you, and yet I know that here you cannot lie. This does not make sense to me." Looking me straight in the eyes, he continued, "The Lord also loves us with a love greater than you can yet understand. Before His judgment seat I tasted the greatest darkness of soul and remorse that can be experienced. Though here we do not measure time as you do, it seemed to last for as long as my life on earth had lasted. All of my sins and follies which I had not repented of passed before me, and before all who are here. The grief of this you cannot understand until you have experienced it. I felt that I was in the deepest dungeon of hell, even as I stood before the Lord. He was resolute until my life had been completely reviewed. When I said I was sorry and asked for the mercy of His cross, He wiped away my tears and took away the great darkness. He looked at me with a love that was beyond anything that you can now understand. He gave me this robe. I no longer feel the darkness or bitterness that I knew as I stood before Him, but I remember it. Only here can you remember such things without continuing to feel the pain. A moment in the lowest part of heaven is much greater than a thousand years of the highest life on earth. Now my mourning at my folly has been turned into joy, and I know that I will know joy forever, even if I am in the lowest place in heaven." I began to think again of the treasures of salvation. Somehow I knew that all that this man had told me was revealed by those treasures. Every step I had taken up the mountain, or into it, had revealed that His ways are both more fearful and more wonderful than I had known before. Looking at me intently, my former acquaintance continued. "You are not here to understand, but to experience. The next level of rank here is many times greater than what we have. Each level after is that much greater than the previous one. It is not just that each level has an even more glorious spiritual body, but that each level is closer to the throne where all of the glory comes from. Even so, I no longer feel the grief of my failure. I really deserve nothing. I am here by grace alone, and I am so thankful for what I have. He is so worthy to be loved. I could be doing many wondrous things now in the different realms of heaven, but I would rather stay here and just behold the glory, even if I am on the outer fringes.".... ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The excerpt above from Rick Joyner's dream/vision (the Final Quest) reminded me of a private revelation I saved, it is so beautiful. MO, Rick's dream confirms it. An exception was made, to instruct Rick, those saints talking to him in Heaven were able to remember their sins but like it says the man speaking doesn't feel the grief of them. God would do this, yes, perfectly sounds like something He would do. Makes you want to die and go to Heaven (humor, no I am really serious). Sharing the site I found this Catholic message on but it has been so long, I don't remember where I read it there, under which subject listed on the site or the name of the seer. I believe the webmaster is French, you can tell the message is a translation http://apparitionsmariales.org/ + + + Our Lady August 13, 2003 "Let me tell you about the sky for you to know and understand the glory of your destination. My child, injustice exists in your world, but the injustice is not allowed in heaven. There is only love and celebrations. Let me tell you about the sky for you to know and understand the glory of your destination. The sky is filled with souls who love God. All souls, all filled with joy, exploring every facet of the Divine. There is much knowledge to have and anything you want to learn, you can learn. Imagine the joy in the accomplishments of all saints, both those you know and those who are known only to God. In heaven, your achievements will be celebrated. Your sins, your sins, do not trip and are not only forgotten but incinerated. Can you imagine, my dear? "Do you begin to think of it? Let me continue. In heaven, there are vast spaces where all are embedded pieces of beauty ever created by God. If on land, you create something that is divinely inspired, and that's what we want from you, she will live in heaven to be admired and discussed by your brothers and sisters. Your spiritual relations also follow you to heaven. Every memory will be erased your sins because you could not enjoy heaven if you were constantly bothered by the memory of your mistakes. It is a mercy from God himself and a good example that illustrates the character of your God. Please consider this further. It is never spiteful, never vindictive and he never punishes punishing. God, your Father all loving acts for your benefit, you creatures created in love and hope. Children, I tell you with love, let your starting trouble, I'll help. Ask me if you please, and let me clean the wounds of the past that have been inflicted by troubled souls. I desire your holiness Your full, your welfare, your confidence. Your healing is here in my hand. I extend my hand to you now and I place in your heart. Be with me, my darling ...it's yours I speak." ...
The message from the Blessed Mother of August 13, 2003 in the previous reply... Did I save to my e-mail a false message?
Our Lady August 13, 2003 "Let me tell you about the sky for you to know and understand the glory of your destination. My child, injustice exists in your world, but the injustice is not allowed in heaven. There is only love and celebrations. Let me tell you about the sky for you to know and understand the glory of your destination. The sky is filled with souls who love God. All souls, all filled with joy, exploring every facet of the Divine. There is much knowledge to have and anything you want to learn, you can learn. Imagine the joy in the accomplishments of all saints, both those you know and those who are known only to God. In heaven, your achievements will be celebrated. Your sins, your sins, do not trip and are not only forgotten but incinerated. Can you imagine, my dear? "Do you begin to think of it? Let me continue. In heaven, there are vast spaces where all are embedded pieces of beauty ever created by God. If on land, you create something that is divinely inspired, and that's what we want from you, she will live in heaven to be admired and discussed by your brothers and sisters. Your spiritual relations also follow you to heaven. Every memory will be erased your sins because you could not enjoy heaven if you were constantly bothered by the memory of your mistakes. It is a mercy from God himself and a good example that illustrates the character of your God. Please consider this further. It is never spiteful, never vindictive and he never punishes punishing. God, your Father all loving acts for your benefit, you creatures created in love and hope. Children, I tell you with love, let your starting trouble, I'll help. Ask me if you please, and let me clean the wounds of the past that have been inflicted by troubled souls. I desire your holiness Your full, your welfare, your confidence. Your healing is here in my hand. I extend my hand to you now and I place in your heart. Be with me, my darling ...it's yours I speak." ... I asked today, is there something wrong with the 2003 beautiful message from Our Lady? I can accept it may not be true. The subject of the thread, I am with those who believe Jesus is speaking to Protestants, getting them prepared for the Warning, to accept the faith and the coming glorious time after the Great Tribulation.
Here is another posting about imminent cosmic event followed by 3 days of darkness. This does not jive with the timeline that I thought I knew so don't think too much of this other than it is a very Catholic message to a Protestant. http://newbon-bonsblog.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/cosmic-disturbance.html?m=1
Andy, hi, thanks! This isn't Julie Whedbee, am I correct? If it isn't... "Before this is to take place,".... How confusing, now two Protestant messages speaking of the Great Warning and the 3 Days of Darkness to precede it? Protestant Julie Whedbee in the OP heard the same. I thought the 3 Days of Darkness comes at the time of God's just Chastisement? I wrote a friend, who has a devotion to private revelation after I read Julie's message. He said, there is one 3 Days of Darkness coming at the time of the Chastisement. After reading some of the comments in the above, I wanted to cry.
You are right, I noticed in the comments to Bonnie's latest message, a link to one her earlier messages and how confusing, the 3 Days of Darkness is mentioned too. http://newbon-bonsblog.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/the-order-of-events-to-come.html
I think there is a need to distinguish between these messages themselves and the theological interpretation given to them (sometimes visionaries and dreamers are the least competent interpreters of what they have received!). I certainly don't discount the possibility that there is some authentic content in the former; the problem with the comments is that it's clear that the readers are forcing the message into a prior theological framework which is extraneous to the actual locution, i.e. the pre-tribulation 'rapture', which as I have said before is probably the biggest problem in certain Protestant eschatological circles. I say 'certain' circles because there are also prominent prophetic Protestant teachers who oppose it (two good examples being John Paul Jackson and Neville Johnson, about whom more in a separate post). Reading the comments appended to Bonnie's message which insist on a pre-tribulation rapture, the error seems to have come in failing to distinguish 'tribulation' from 'chastisement'. The former is persecution coming from forces opposed to God, the second is a punishment from God directed at an unrepentant world. That the first affects Christians - even primarily Christians, as we are already seeing in places such as Pakistan - ought to be crystal clear from a reading of the eschatological material in the Gospels as well as the Johannine Apocalypse. The witness of the Church during the tribulation is critically important; any idea that we will be granted an escape out of this stage of world history is delusional and does nothing to promote authentic Christian discipleship. What will happen to the Church during the chastisement, on the other hand, is far less clear, as there doesn't seem to be a logical reason why the Bride should be subject to Divine punishment. Here I don't feel confident about advancing any theory, other than to point to some possible hints at an interpretation. One recent message received by Edson Glauber - the visionary connected with the approved apparitions of Itapiranga in Brazil - could for example be interpreted as suggesting that the true Church, as opposed to merely nominal Christians, will be kept supernaturally protected during the time of punishment, indeed somehow 'taken'. Did Edson Glauber's imagination get carried away here, or is there some genuine prophetic illumination in his message? I don't know... but Revelation can plausibly be read that way if you consider that the 'harvest of the earth' in Revelation 14 occurs before the full outpouring of Divine wrath and that prior to the seven bowls of Rev. 16 'those who had been victorious over the beast' are beside the sea of glass singing the song of the Lamb (Rev. 15:1-5). I could of course be completely wrong about this. My personal sense, for what it's worth, is that some passages of the Book of Revelation are still in some sense 'sealed' in that exegesis alone cannot yet shed full clarity on them. But I have a sneaking feeling that the time of their opening may not be far off.
I wanted to mention Neville Johnson, a pastor who used to lead the biggest Pentecostal congregation in Australasia, as he is - like Terry Bennett and Rick Joyner - a Protestant whose personal accounts of supernatural encounters includes things which cannot simply be shoehorned into a Protestant theological framework. Take the following from a recent talk that Neville Johnson gave at the Lancaster, CA Prophetic Conference; These remarks occurred during a (IMHO compelling) section of his talk commenting on the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in which he explains the 'outer darkness' into which the latter are cast . That he has had a vision of Purgatory seems to me to be beyond doubt. Here's a quick transcript of his reading of the fate of the foolish virgins: 'Now listen to me, and don't stone me ... these are all Christians. Half of them ended up in outer darkness. That's not hell, by the way... get your theology straight, outer darkness is not hell. These are Christians, all of them Christians - half of them became part of the Bride, half of them ended in outer darkness. What is that? It is a place ... how can I explain it, this is really difficult, it's a place where you finally get to Heaven and the sorrow for the life that you have wasted as a Christian is so great, and you are in absolute despair and darkness until there is enough degree of repentance to bring you out of it. Now I know that's not going to fit your theology, sorry about that, but I've been there and seen it. It is a place where anguish and weeping and gnashing of teeth after wasted life ...horrible. Eventually they come out of that, and they will come into Heaven, but at a much lower level. You see, this whole thing about, you know, when the Rapture comes we'll all be made into the Bride ... sorry, it says 'the Bride hath made herself ready', not the Rapture.' I sit up and take notice when I hear things like this, because one of the marks of prophetic authenticity would seem to be when people are unafraid to relate experiences which go against the received wisdom of their denominational framework and which they are extremely unlikely simply to have invented. Yes, Neville Johnson has had some personal issues in the past of which he's had to repent publicly (although he's in good company there), and I don't necessarily agree with everything he says when he talks theological interpretation. But much of what he says is powerfully convicting, and when he sticks to his personal experience his words are really quite riveting. Something profound is going on here, I think.
"I think there is a need to distinguish between these messages themselves and the theological interpretation given to them (sometimes visionaries and dreamers are the least competent interpreters of what they have received!). I certainly don't discount the possibility that there is some authentic content in the former; the problem with the comments is that it's clear that the readers are forcing the message into a prior theological framework which is extraneous to the actual locution, i.e. the pre-tribulation 'rapture', which as I have said before is probably the biggest problem in certain Protestant eschatological circles. The similar prophecy given to the two Protestant prophets (concerning 3 Days of Darkness at the time of the Warning) was upsetting to read (because of the timing) and the commentary to follow Bonnie from Australia's messages. Peter, you help in understanding the reasons why. God is speaking to the Protestants and saying Catholic things, to prepare them. Here is a message to Bill Burns, a non-Catholic Christian. Correct me if I am wrong, the "hidden manna" is the most Holy Eucharist? Their messages confirm what Catholics have heard but Catholic prophecy is much more detailed for a reason. http://ft111.com/thetrumpet.htm September 23, 2013: Come now, My people, and enter your chambers until My indignation passes you by. For, when My judgments come upon the earth, they were not designed for you, they were not yours to be received. You are My chosen ones, My glorious ones, and I have revealed that to your heart in these past few weeks. And, now you know beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the God that you serve, which God I am, loves you and cares for you, cherishes you, equips you, and empowers you so that you may fulfill your destiny in the end of the age. So, come into your chambers; come into the hiding place; come into the place of anointing; come into the place where My word runs like a river. Come quickly and eat the hidden manna I have provided for you. Freely I have given freely receive. Come now. Come to Me as you continue to look up, says the Lord.
I try to explain the miracle and mystery of the Eurcharist to some of my protestant friends and they just don't agree or get it. It is really frustrating some times to think about how they have ignored 2000 years of church history and practice and even ignore all of the true significance of John Chapter 6: 22-to end. It is so plainly clear for me that John 6 is the introduction to this wonderful miracle and is made into the sacrament at the Last Supper. How can a bible loving protestant ignore what is clearly in the bible??
Most recent message from Bonnie in Australia: "GET READY! GET READY! GET READY! The time is now upon you, My children. Don't look to the right or the left for I AM COMING!! Remember Amos 3:7 - 'Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets'. I will give you more information as the time approaches for the cosmic event. It is on its way now. I will not leave you in the dark, My children. I will reveal more to you as this event comes closer. There is much coming that will bring fear to many - but for my children, you will know My peace and safety. Fear nothing! Remember always that I alone am in control! I will strengthen you in the coming days for what lies ahead. There is nothing to fear. All is upon you now. It is here. There is no turning back. Look ahead with confidence and know that I am fighting for you! Don't look to the right or to the left - look to Me, your Lord and Saviour. I am fighting My way to you and I will not delay!"