An atheist, Howard Storm was lying in a Paris Hospital in 1985 - dying from a perforated stomach. His stomach acids were leaching into his other organs. Suddenly he was standing up in a surreal brightly lit hospital room. He tried to talk with his wife and a fellow patient, but they both ignored him. Off in the distance, outside the room in the hall he heard voices calling: "Howard", "Howard". Come out here the voices said, "Let's go", "hurry up". We've been waiting for you a long time. He stepped out into the hallway and could see these people off in the distance. He could tell they were male and female, tall and short, old and young adults. He followed them feeling very much alive. Every time he hesitated they demanded that he keep up. These people kept telling him if he would follow them his troubles would end. A fog surrounded him, and it got gradually darker as he shuffled along behind them. These people became increasingly angry and sarcastic with Howard. He now felt he was being forced by an angry mob of unfeeling people to an unknown destination. They next began shouting and hurling insults at Howard. The more miserable Howard became, the more enjoyment they derived from his distress.
A few of the voices attempted a conciliatory tone with Howard to amuse the others. Their mood was excited and triumphant. The hopelessness of Howard's situation overwhelmed him, especially when he noted he was now in complete darkness. He could feel their breath on him as they shouted and snarled insults at him. They were playing with him, just as a cat plays with a mouse. These people were once human. The best way Howard could describe them was to think of the worse possibly imaginable people stripped of every impulse of compassion. They began pushing and beating on Howard.
Howard began to pray to God, which excited those around him to rage. It was as if Howard was throwing boiling oil on them. They screamed at Howard; "There is no God! Who do you think you are talking to"? They spoke in the most obscene language, worse than any blasphemy said on earth. There voices became more and more distant in the darkness. Alone, destroyed, yet painfully alive in that revolting place for a time without measure Howard was experiencing the terrible consequences of a life of selfish materialism and rejection of God. Then for the first time in his adult life he began singing an old tune from childhood: "Jesus loves me, da da da". He began to have a ray of hope that something greater was out there. Off in the darkness he saw a pinpoint of light, like the faintest star in the sky. It began coming closer. The now brilliant light was a living being and it penetrated Howard's body. Ecstasy swept away his agony. The loving luminous being embraced Howard. This being knew Howard and everything about him. Howard felt unconditionally loved. The light was the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Christ Jesus the Savior. He had substance and was indescribably wonderful: goodness, power, knowledge, and love. He held me and caressed me like a mother with her baby. Next, they both rose upward, gradually at first, and then like a rocket - out of that detestable hell. Off in the distance Howard saw a vast area of illumination that looked like a galaxy with a great concentration of light in the center.
As Howard and Jesus approached he was permeated with tangible intense feelings and thoughts of love. He know that God loved him, God loved his creation, and that God was love. He felt like garbage, filthy rags, in the presence of the Holy One. Still countless light years away, Jesus called out in a musical tone to some of the luminous entities radiating from the great center.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE7U-6hQh1k