Here I will quote what authors Craig R. Lundahl, Ph.D. and Harold A. Widdison, Ph.D. have written about what she said she was told during her NDE in their book The Eternal Journey,
Page 76...
"Betty Eadie was told by her guides in the other world that when we die "we experience nothing more than a transition to another state".*1
> I think this declaration needs to be qualified...it seems to me like a subtle Satanic lie to mislead folks.
Death will not be so simple a transition for the non-believer in Jesus Christ. There will be Hades and then Hell at the end of time on earth. We learn from The Rich Man in Luke 16:19-31 that he was "in torment". That was only Hades!
In time up until the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is said that Hades had two areas and there was a "great gulf fixed betwixt the two". The rich man could look over and see Lazarus and Abraham and visa versa but they could not access either place from where they were. The rich man in torment could see Lazarus in good hands and comfort. Once Jesus rose from the dead, He "led captivity captive" (Ephesians 4:8; Psalm 68:18); meaning those in the Paradise side got out of Hades and went to be "with Christ" (Philippians 1:23).
As Erwin W. Lutzer put it in his book, One Minute After You Die, page 49,
"What about the believer, Lazarus? He was in that region of Sheol or Hades, which is called here "Abraham's Bosom". But after the ascension of Christ believers are said to go directly to heaven. In other words, the two regions of Hades no longer exist side by side; there is reason to believe that Abraham's bosom is in heaven today.
So if you die and your spirit goes to Heaven, you will not be able to see those who are suffering in Hades as Lazarus did. Perhaps at the ascension, Christ took those who were in Abraham's bosom (near those who suffered in Hades) to Heaven with Him. So Abraham's bosom, paradise and Heaven all refer to the same abode, namely the place of bliss in the presence of God. [See 2 Corinthians 5:8])."*2
If this is true then perhaps the diagram above is not quite accurate either. However it will give you an idea of things. From being "with Christ" the believers in Jesus Christ will still be reunited with their bodies (resurrection, as depicted in the diagram), for the Bema Seat. Christians will have a different kind of "judgement" at that time.
From various verses in the Bible we get such descriptions of Hell as being a place of: "fire and brimstone (sulfur); everlasting punishment; a furnace of fire; everlasting destruction; wailing and gnashing of teeth; smoke of their torment; lake of fire". That is a horrid list and definitely something to fear.
True enough, that the moment a person dies, they do make a transition to another place: either Hades, or to be "with Christ". If one has faith in Jesus Christ and has accepted Him as their Savior, then Heaven it is for them; they transit from earth to "depart and be with Christ which is far better" (Philippians 1:23). See Part 3 to learn a bit more about Hades.In time to come all the souls will be recalled to be reunited with their bodies, to the Great White Throne or the Bema Seat. But we'll see about that another day. Let us not be lulled into complacency that the hereafter is just "another state". It is serious to end up in Hades. It is not a place to want to venture. In the here and now on earth, I once again implore all the readers of this blog to come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He loves you. He cares about you. He wants you in His family. Come to Jesus today. Won't you accept?
~ERC 2016~
Bibliography
1. The Eternal Journey; Craig R. Lundahl, Ph.D. and Harold A. Widdison, Ph.D.; copyright 1997; Warner Books, Inc., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020 A Time Warner Company; page76.
2. One Minute After You Die; Erwin W. Lutzer; Moody Publishers; January 5th, 1997; page 49.
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