Following Voices Into The Fog

Short Summary: Howard Storm's near-death experience involved torment in darkness followed by a transformative encounter with Jesus, leading him to become a pastor.

Details

Location: Paris, France

Year: 1985

Prayer: Prayer adapted from the end of Howard Storm's book: Yes, I need to be known. Yes, I want to be loved for who I am. Yes, I belong to God above all else. Yes, You love me even though I denied You. Yes, by Your power I can change my life. Yes, I welcome you in my heart, making me a new person. In Your great Love for us, You forgive us and call us by name. Jesus, You are the way, the truth, and the life.

Verse: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -Jn 14:1-6

Full Story

Howard Storm’s near-death experience (NDE) is one of the most vivid and well-documented encounters of its kind, recounted in his book, My Descent Into Death. His journey began during a trip to France, where his small intestine ruptured, leaving him on the brink of death while awaiting surgery in a hospital. As he slipped out of consciousness, Storm experienced an extraordinary awareness outside his body, feeling more alert and alive than ever before. When he realized that no one in the hospital room could hear him speak, he ventured into the hallway, following beckoning voices into a fog. As the beings ahead of him hurried him along, a growing sense of dread overwhelmed him. Eventually, the fog gave way to total darkness, and Storm found himself surrounded by malevolent beings who began insulting, laughing, and pushing him. The situation quickly escalated into a horrifying attack, as the beings began tearing at his flesh. The more he struggled, the more they relished his torment. Some of the events were so gruesome that Storm later found them too painful to recall. At his lowest point, an inner voice urged him to pray to God. Though he had no clear understanding of how to do so, he scrambled together fragments from his childhood, including "Deliver us from evil" and "One nation under God." To his surprise, the beings reacted with anger, and as he continued to pray, they gradually left him alone in the darkness. Within solitude, Storm reflected on his life and realized how much he had in common with the cruel beings that had tormented him. He understood that his lack of love and contempt for believers mirrored their behavior. In his desperation, he cried out, "Jesus, save me." In that moment, a radiant light appeared, enveloping him. “I was unconditionally loved and accepted,” he later recounted. The presence was Christ, whom Storm recognized as the “King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Christ Jesus the Savior.” Jesus then carried him away from the darkness, which Storm believed to be the entrance to hell. Following this encounter, Storm was introduced to a host of saints and angels, beings of incredible light and beauty, with colors beyond anything he had ever seen. They engaged in a deep conversation, answering a series of his questions. As Storm later described in his book, they communicated profound spiritual truths. One of the key messages was: “You are given a life in the world for only one purpose, which is to love God. You love God by learning God’s will and doing God’s will by loving one another… but God will not force love on anyone.” Before returning to his body, Storm was informed that he was not yet ready for Heaven because of his previous life choices. He was also told, “You still have your job to do, which is to take care of the people God needs you to love… You are the hands in the world to care for them.” When he awoke after surgery, Storm was profoundly changed, repeatedly saying things like, "It’s a huge ocean of love!" It took him years to fully integrate the power of the experience into his life, but the transformation was undeniable. He went on to attend seminary and became a pastor, dedicating the rest of his life to preaching the love of God and the message of redemption. When asked why he was given a second chance, Storm credits it to two things: the prayers of Sister Delores, a former teacher who had prayed for him for thirteen years, and the boundless love of God, who, as Storm puts it, "loves a repentant sinner who wants to come home."

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