Bryan Melvin NDE interview by Randy Kay in 2021

Summary by Patrick

Randy Kay had a NDE years ago.  He met Jesus.  He wrote a book about it.  He started interviewing others that had supernatural experiences.

Bryan Melvin was, in his own words, a militant atheist.  He wasn't a nice guy.  He died and stood in judgment before God.  Jesus stood in the gap and saved him.  Jesus said to him, "It's been granted to you to see a land best forgotten but not to be left unseen."  Bryan got a tour of hell.  It's a fascinating story.  Among others, he states he saw Joseph Smith down there.

Bryan Melvin NDE interview by Randy Kay in 2021:

Part 1 – youtube.com/watch?v=9SZPZyYvgoM 1.5 hours long

Part 2 – youtube.com/watch?v=8DeZ7h0bVXI 2 hours long

Transcript Below

Part 1

Randy Kay: An Interview with Brian Melvin

Hi, Randy Kay here. We all go through struggles at times, and I want to share with you—through stories, insights, and interviews—how much God loves you. He loves you immensely, and that’s what I hope you will hear through our interviews and what we have to share with you. Thanks for staying tuned; here we go.

Hello, Randy Kay here with the Heavens Series. I have a guest who is absolutely going to bless you, but before the blessing, there is going to be something that will be very shocking to you. You see, my guest, Brian Melvin, died and he went to hell. He saw a number of people there, but one in particular is perhaps the most hated person in all of history—certainly recent history. His book, A Land Unknown: Hell’s Dominion, is a bestseller and describes his account in detail. We’re going to get into that detail today.

Welcome to the show, Brian.

Brian: Well, it’s great to be here, Randy. It’s a joy to be here and a joy to be alive, I can tell you that!

Randy: Well, we can both testify to that. You know, heaven is better than this world, but there’s work to be done here and we need to fulfill that purpose that God’s ordained for us. As you and our audience know, Brian, I’m going to allow you to direct the story here. I will just briefly say that you did die from poisoning—I think cholera led into that from some contaminated water when you were younger. Before getting too much into it, I’m going to turn it over to you to hear this fascinating and life-changing story.

The Transition: From Atheism to Eternity

Brian: Amen to that. Well, brothers and sisters, believers and non-believers, I know when someone says they died and came back to life, a lot of people have doubts. I just suggest you let your mind wonder and you decide. I’m going to tell you what it’s like to die without Christ.

Ecclesiastes 12:5-7 says: “For man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about in the streets. Remember your Creator before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken… then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.” Folks, I never knew anything really about the Bible. I grew up in a Christian home, but it didn’t make me a Christian. I didn’t have any real Bible training. Where I grew up, I just drifted into agnosticism and then into full-blown, militant atheism.

In July 1980, in Tucson, Arizona, I contracted what is known as cholera by drinking contaminated water someone had left in a thermos while I was working at a construction site. The typical progression of cholera left me in a severely dehydrated state. About three to four days into it, your body goes into shock and you usually die.

I was lying in bed when it happened. My breathing became a series of wheezing gasps. I couldn’t really do anything. My roommates had gone off on an adventure to the Grand Canyon, so I was alone. Suddenly, I looked around the room and was amazed that I could see everything with pristine clarity. I normally wear glasses—I’m nearsighted—but I could see my alarm clock perfectly. I could see my dog; I could hear everything.

Then, I took my last breath and I floated above my body. Despite the “militant atheist” chip on my shoulder, everything was about to radically change. The moment I took my last breath, I no longer believed in atheism.

The Silver Cord and the Out-of-Body Experience

I was hovering above my body. I looked down and saw my body was a white-blue, blotchy color; I didn’t look too good. My dog was whimpering, trying to lick my hand, and I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t say, “Lassie, go get help!” All the excruciating pain from the cholera was gone. I actually felt very good.

I drifted through the ceiling, past the swamp cooler on the roof. I noticed it was held together by a bandana and baling wire through the screw holes. I had never been on the roof before, but later, when I recovered and went up there to change the filter, I saw exactly what I had seen while out of my body. Little things like that proved to me this was real.

I went through the ceiling into a dark void. It was very pleasant. There was a light off in the distance growing bigger, and I felt a profound love and an overwhelming calm. There was music—a heavenly choir singing about God. As I approached the light, I knew I was approaching the “Governor of the Universe.”

The choir was singing in a different language, but I could understand it in my own language. They were proclaiming the mysteries of God’s character. I learned that because He is the God of the living, He isn’t going to extinguish you into non-existence; that is contrary to who He is. As I moved through this pleasant darkness, I was oblivious to the fact that I was heading toward a reckoning.

The Judgment of Love

The light grew bigger. It was coming from a person standing upon a big rock suspended in space. I landed feet-first before Him. I felt like a dead sack of wheat on the ground. Someone from behind picked me up and stood me right in front of this individual. I knew it was the Lord.

It is true when the Bible says it’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. As Hebrews 9:27 says, after death comes the judgment. You can’t weasel your way out of it. I didn’t realize at the time that I was being judged by God’s love. That sounds good, but let me clarify: God’s love has boundaries. Without boundaries, love cannot be love.

He showed me my life like an instant replay. I saw how I had manipulated His goodness for my own ends. I saw every relationship I had “crucified,” the money I stole from my parents, and how I used people like commodities. I realized that if I were allowed into heaven in that fallen state, I would just continue to do the same things. You are “sealed” in the spiritual state in which you die.

I noticed I was wearing a filthy, rag-like outfit, like a torn judo suit. I was fully guilty. I always say this: We deserve God’s wrath; we do not deserve mercy. But what happened to me was I found grace instead.

The Descent into the Pit

The Lord spoke to me in thought, telling me I would see “a land unknown that’s best forgotten but not to be left unseen.” He told me that if I felt overwhelmed, I should say His name and title: Jesus Christ. I was lifted up and carried through a gate that opened like a scroll. I found myself in a vortex, like the inside of a tornado. It smelled horrible and was exceedingly hot. I hit a yellow, flame-colored light and fell, bouncing onto the ground.

At first, I didn’t see flames or pitchforks. I saw a house on a hill and a dilapidated tree. It was so hot it felt like my eyes would melt. People started running out of the house, slapping me on the back, saying, “Welcome to paradise, Brian! All your friends are here!”

I recognized one guy from school—a mean dude who had been killed in a drive-by shooting. I thought, “You can’t possibly be in paradise.” As soon as I doubted, he morphed into a hideous entity. They started circling me like piranhas. Their eyes were like alligator eyes with yellow irises. I remembered what the Lord said and started saying “Jesus Christ” like a machine gun.

The moment I said His name, they morphed into their true forms: gargoyles, reptilian beings, and ancient pagan deities. I learned there is power in that Name. They could punch me, but they couldn’t grab me as long as I said His name.

The Cubes and the Levels of Hell

An entity I nicknamed “Lizard Breath” came up to me. He offered me “half his kingdom” if I followed him. We went to a place I call “The Pit.” It looked like a giant spiral staircase. Instead of bricks in the walls, there were transparent cubes or cells, stacked six high.

Thousands of people were being dropped into these cubes by tornado-like vortexes. Each cube was a “recompense” for what that person had done in life. Inside the cells, people were living out a never-ending nightmare based on their own sins.

I saw a former witch who had cursed people’s lives; she was trapped in a coffin, scratching to get out. I saw an abuser from the 1950s who was now being browbeaten by the same voice he used on his children. I saw a “revelation preacher” who had used the Bible to manipulate women; he was being beaten by demons with a prop that looked like a Bible.

Most people there were incredibly bored and isolated. They were reaping exactly what they sowed. It was a “trash bin of existence” where people were becoming worse, not better.

The Meeting with Adolf Hitler

We went deeper into the back recesses of the pit. We came to a cell that looked like the inside of a furnace. Inside was Adolf Hitler. You couldn’t mistake him—the mustache, the image from 1945.

He was experiencing the cremation and gassing process over and over again. His flesh would be consumed by flames and then return. I knew intuitively that he was experiencing everything he had put his victims through—being stripped, raped, gassed, and buried alive—one person at a time. It was a horrendous sight.

The Rescue

Finally, we came to an open cube. I knew this was where I belonged. I was weakening and could hardly say the name of Jesus anymore. I felt totally abandoned and realized I deserved this fate.

I heard footsteps that shook the ground. The entities in my cell fled and hid. I felt a hand pick me up. I saw the holes in His wrists and the bones pulled apart. I lost it. I knew that through my life and my sins, I was the one who had nailed Him there. I wept on His shoulder, and He carried me out of that pit.

He blew on me, and I was propelled back through the void. I woke up in my body in the hospital, gasping for air. I asked the doctor, “Am I still in the cube?” He said, “No, Mr. Melvin, you’re in a hospital in Tucson.”

A Call to Action

When I got home, I sat in a beanbag chair and said, “Jesus, I never want to go back to that awful place. Take me, I’m yours.”

If you’re watching this and you don’t know Jesus, or you’re tired of where your life is going, I want to tell you: We deserve wrath, but He is so willing to give grace. He will clean you up from the inside out.

Randy: Amen. Brian, thank you for sharing this. To our audience, if there is one video you share with your loved ones, let it be this one. Some of us need to be scared into heaven, quite frankly.

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Part 2

Part 1: Reflections on Hell and Post-Traumatic Stress

Randy Kay: Hi, Randy Kay here. We all go through struggles at times, and I want to share with you—through stories, insights, and interviews with others—how much God loves you. He loves you immensely, and that’s what I hope you will hear through our interviews and what we have to share with you. Thanks for staying tuned; here we go.

Hi, Randy Kay here. Welcome to the “Heaven Series.” We are welcoming back Brian Melvin after the video where he died and experienced heaven. There were hundreds of thousands of people who watched that episode shortly thereafter, and we had to bring him back. We actually promised that we would bring Brian back because he also experienced hell and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). God revealed heaven to him to heal those wounds, but before we go there, Brian, I first want to say welcome back to our show. It’s great to have you.

Brian Melvin: It’s great to be back and see you again. I’m quite shocked; this is how the Lord works. I never expected this would go viral, but it did. Praise God for His glory only, amen.

Randy Kay: Amen. Go back to that video; it’s on our YouTube channel. We will also have a link to Brian’s book, A Land Unknown. I would encourage you to watch the full video where we discussed his venture into hell—God actually referenced hell as “a land unknown” to Brian.

Before we get to the redemption of your experience—when God blessed you with the vision of heaven—let’s go back to your experience in hell when you died from contaminated water. I wanted to ask you for some highlights. You met Hitler in hell; you met a preacher who was a womanizer in hell. What was it that really stuck with you about that experience that you would like to convey to the audience?

Brian Melvin: What affected me the most is that the people in hell know they deserve to be there. You are judged, and I don’t think that aspect is taught much anymore. Primarily, the people in hell know they deserve it; they aren’t victims. They are reaping what they have sown in their life to a just degree that I can’t really describe other than saying you have to see it. Some were worse, some were less—which is what the Scriptures talk about.

A lot of people get confused and think a hell experience is like a DMT trip. No, it’s very cognitive. It’s orderly, there’s a flow to it, and it makes perfect sense. It’s like a coherent nightmare that you never wake up from. The other thing I felt was total abandonment from God. You are totally separated from anything of love or value. In this life, even if we are separated from God, we still have compassion from other people. In hell, all that is gone.

Even to this day, what strikes me is the knowledge that I deserved hell, and yet I came back. I had a lot of survivor’s guilt. I didn’t want to tell anybody at all because I thought people would say, “You’re nuts,” or “You’re just doing this to make money.” Several years went by before I told some pastors about it. One Southern Baptist minister and others from the Assembly of God told me I should write a book.

Part 2: The Deception of Evil and the Power of Jesus’ Name

Randy Kay: One of the things that impressed me about your account was the deception. When you initially arrived in the “Land Unknown,” you saw individuals who appeared to entice you into what they called “paradise.” Then there was a revelation of their true nature—a morphing from beauty to ugliness. They were indeed lying to you.

Brian Melvin: Exactly. I knew nothing about near-death experiences in 1980. What struck me was the constant deception. People arrive in hell thinking they’ve reached paradise. I see people on talk shows describing a “wonderful place” or “the light,” and when they describe it, I think, “That’s the entry to hell; you were deceived.”

If a near-death experience sounds too good to be true, it is. If someone is allowed into heaven as they are, they would corrupt heaven. You mentioned Hitler—evil always comes off as beautiful initially, just like the serpent in Eden. Hitler was a bona fide psychopath with narcissistic tendencies. He used “dragon speak” to seduce a nation, doing it under the disguise of “peace and safety.”

Randy Kay: Before you went into that land, God told you to say two words: the name of Jesus Christ. Throughout your time in hell, the demons were trying to devour you, but when you declared the name and authority of Jesus Christ, they could not.

Brian Melvin: That’s true. He told me to say His name and His title. I had no clue about the power of that name at the time. When I said it, they couldn’t grab me or drag me in. These things are vicious, vile, and very clever. All I could say was “Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ,” because I was terrified.

Even after I came back, the PTSD was real. My wife would come into the room while I was napping, and I’d jump up throwing pillows, shouting “Jesus Christ!” because I thought I was back there. It testifies to the validity of the experience. It wasn’t self-aggrandizement; it was a reality that haunted me.

Part 3: The Transition to Heaven and the Healing of the Soul

Randy Kay: Let’s transition to heaven. You were a militant atheist when you died, but the Lord rescued you. Tell us how He gave you this vision of heaven to heal you.

Brian Melvin: When the Lord rescued me out of hell, He set my feet upon a rock. He blew on me, and I traveled backwards through the void and back into my body. About two years later, in 1982 or ’83, I was still struggling with PTSD. I was working myself to death in the church, trying to drown out the trauma with service because I was terrified of going back to that place.

One night, after a long series of revival meetings, I was in a “foul, unholy mood.” I was tired and frustrated. I laid down, and the room lit up. I heard a booming voice say, “Awake! Arise! Stand to your feet!” I actually told the voice to go away because I needed sleep! It happened three times. Finally, I realized what was happening. I heard a still, quiet voice say, “Do you remember how you left before?” I recognized the Lord’s voice. I laid back down, and I was “translated” or caught up in the spirit.

This was a personal experience to heal me from the sights of hell. I entered heaven, and the atmosphere was what I call “The Land of Liquid Love.” It wasn’t wimpy love; it was an immersive, overwhelming sense of being cherished and nurtured.

I saw a “Field of Reunion.” I saw a man reconcile with his father. I saw women who had suffered from the guilt of abortions meet their children, who grew up before their eyes. All accounts were settled; the slate was wiped clean. It was a beautiful, powerful scrubbing of the soul.

Part 4: The Countryside, the River, and the Return

Randy Kay: Did the Lord show you more of the landscape?

Brian Melvin: He asked if I wanted to see the city or the countryside. I chose the countryside. We walked on a road made of gold dust. I saw trees that were “plantings of the Lord,” and I saw the River of Life. It was crystal clear, miles wide, and flowing from the throne.

We came to a tributary where children were playing. Jesus got right in the water with them, splashing and laughing. He was so approachable, so affable—the “life of the party.” That experience cleansed the last of the ptsd from me. I knew I was His.

Eventually, we went through the New Jerusalem—a massive city being prepared. Then, it was time to go. He blew on me again, and I landed back in my body. It was morning, the birds were singing, and I wasn’t tired. My supervisor at work told me I was “glowing.” I actually glowed for three days. It was like Moses coming down from the mountain.

Randy Kay: Brian, it has been such a pleasure. Your story is a powerful testimony of the reality of both places and the incredible mercy of God.

For those watching, if you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, we want to offer an invitation. This life is a vapor. You can have the assurance of heaven. Brian, would you close us out in prayer?

Brian Melvin: Yes. Lord Jesus, I ask you to look at the hearts of everyone watching. Some are broken by abuse, failed relationships, or depression. I thank you for setting them free and healing their wounds right now. By the power of the blood of Jesus, cleanse them and give them resurrection power.

If you don’t know Jesus, just say: “Lord Jesus, forgive me. Cleanse me with your blood. I don’t understand everything, but I ask you to take me as Yours. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and teach me.”

I thank you, Lord, that the brokenhearted are healed and the captives are set free. In Jesus’ name, Amen.