HOWARD STORM, THE ATHEIST THAT MET THE LORD

Howard Storm was an atheist¹ art professor who would not tolerate anyone speaking about religion or God in his presence, and especially in his classroom. An experience in Paris changed all that and completely altered Howard's life. After he "died" in a Paris hospital, in 1985, he met Jesus, who answered all of his questions. HE SHARES HIS EXPERIENCE BELOW.

I was a 38 years old college professor taking some students on a tour of Europe with my wife on a 3 week tour. We were in Paris, precisely 11 am when, I had an acute pain in my stomach. The pain was so excruciating that I was screaming and twisting all over.

My wife called an emergency and I was taken in an ambulance 8 and half miles away to a public hospital, where I was examined by two more doctors and rolled to Surgery. Because there was no surgeon to perform the operation, I was there waiting for close to 8-10 hours, lying there on the operating table helpless. Strangely, till the following day, there was no surgeon to attend to me and this really got me hopeless.

 One thing that was keeping me alive was my determination to live. I also realised my life as somebody that lived for the flesh and an atheist. At this point, with no sight of any doctor, the thought of living for another hour in this agonizing pain was unthinkable, so I knew death was fast knocking at the door. I called my wife and bid her the last bye because death was at the door. She started crying. Having been married for 20 years, the agony of this separation could not be imagined with her crying.

Shortly after this, I went into unconsciousness and almost simultaneously became conscious and I realised I was now standing. I had become well and more alive than ever, with all my senses working super sensitively. I looked round the room and I saw a man on the bed who turned his head to the other side and when I looked closely, it turned out to be me! That was impossible ! How could I be standing and still be lying on the bed!

I tried to talk to my wife, but could not hear me.I started screaming and got angry thinking my wife was ignoring me. I got more agitated and angry because everything looked weird to me. Later, I heard people calling me outside the hospital, ‘Howard come outside now’.

In the hallway, that looked hazy and cloudy, I saw men and women that looked as if they were wearing some hospital uniforms. I asked them if they were from the doctor to take me for my operation. They continued telling me to come quickly as if calling me to follow them, which I did. I observed that time seemed to be of no essence here.As I was following these people, it got darker and they got really hostile to me. We now got into a place of complete darkness. That was when I told these people, ‘I am not going with you any further’ and it became a struggle with tugging, pushing, pulling me. I saw a lot of them; they were taunting me, mocking me. They could destroy me, but were only scratching, biting and hurting me. I tried to defend myself, but they were a lot.

I was now lying on the floor, all ripped up, all pain both inside and outside. I was down humiliated and brought to the lowest point of shame. Suddenly, I heard my exact voice calling me.Many thoughts now began to race through my mind. I thought to myself that, I don’t believe in God in the first place. I remembered that I had not prayed for over 22 years since I was in Sunday School as a young boy. I tried to string together a prayer, but could not pray and I observed something interesting, that any time I mentioned the name of Jesus, my tormentors would shrink back and scream. It was as if they could not bear hearing the name Jesus.

The thought of lying there on the floor for eternity was just unimaginable. I thought about my life, what I had done and what I had not done. I concluded that I had lived a selfish life. I realised that those that attacked me were people like me. They had equally lived a life of selfishness and cruelty, so they are now in a world where they are doomed to inflict such pain on themselves and others for ever and ever. Now, I am part of them, though I didn’t want to be there, but this is where I truly belong.

I was lying there and suddenly, an image of myself came up and I saw myself in the Sunday School singing-‘Jesus loves me, la la’. I realised that there was a time in my life when I believed in a person called Jesus, who cared for me and I knew I want that back now. I want to know Jesus that I knew then, so I called out, ‘JESUS, SAVE ME’.AND HE CAME!

At first, it was a tiny little light and became lighter and the light came upon me and He reached down to pick me up. I was battered and He was literally picking me up from my broken pieces and as He did, all the pains and wounds just began to ease away. I am like whole and complete and I was filled with His love. It was the best thing that could happen to me in life. He was holding me, embracing and rubbing my back. It was like the perfect image of the prodigal son that was lost, but has now been found.

After, Jesus carried me to a world of light(it was as if we were ascending a staircase) .In this beautiful and heavenly environment, I felt like a garbage and was  full of shame.I don’t belong here and when I found myself in this world of light, I began to ask why and how He could care about me.Later,we went to heaven and hell and when we were at the crossroad of the two, Jesus told me: ‘We don’t make mistake, you rightly belong to hell’. Now some angels had joined us.

We began to converse .The angels had brought a record of my past life; things I have done right and the things I have done wrongly. What they wanted to achieve was to show me things that I have done right and wrong. When they were showing me things that I have done right, for example being a good father, they all rejoiced and when I had been selfish and manipulative, they were unhappy. The lesson they were instilling in me   is that   the purpose of my creation is to love God, my neigbours and then myself. And I had failed in all these areas.

They later told me I would go back to earth, but for me, I   wanted to stay and go   to heaven because of a lot of things they told me about the place. It is truly a place of pleasure, but they told me,   I was not ready and fit and that I   should go back and fulfil my purpose. I told them I can’t do it, going back to live on earth and they assured me that they have always been with me and that whenever I pray and give up all my worries, aspiration, anxieties that I would feel their presence, though not physically, that I would also feel their love.

So I returned to earth and the first thing that happened was that, the nursed that had earlier announced that there was no doctor was the same person that came running that the doctor is now around. The doctor came and I was rolled into surgery. I was trying to call my wife to tell her about my experience, but I was rushed in. To the glory of God I recovered quickly and became physically whole.

After many years, the memory of my life-changing experience has not dulled and the reason why I was given the revelation is so   that I would share it with somebody, especially the assurance of Jesus’ everlasting love for human soul.

Are you ready to stand before the Lord, Jesus sincere and blameless? The Lord’s ultimate wish is that we all prepare ourselves for His coming, which will come like a thief in the night. He has prepared a place for us, to reign with Him forever. Are you ready to give your life or rededicate your life to the Lord? Then say this short prayer…Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and that you shed your precious blood to redeem me. Come into my life and be my Lord and saviour. I forsake my sins and yield myself to your saving grace. Thank you Lord for saving me.

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Atheist-Somebody the does not believe in the existence of Good