PREPARE THE WAY

“It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27 KJV).

Near Death Experience: Howard Pittman was a Southern Baptist pastor and a police officer, leading an exemplary life. He and his wife even adopted over thirty children. The storyHis testimony may be seen on YouTube,
Howard Pittman’s Near Death Experience. begins when an artery on the back of his stomach formed an aneurysm and burst on August 3, 1979, causing his death for 15 minutes. Finding himself in total darkness, he asked God to extend his life. The sweetest voice he had ever heard urged him to stop breathing, but the voice was not God.

Having crossed the veil and into the light, he was shown a stage play of the verse in Ephesians 6:12 All scripture quotations are from the New
American Standard Bible (NASB ©1995)
unless otherwise noted., “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” Soon, he was permitted to plea his case at the gate of the third heaven, telling all the good works he had done.

With a voice like thunder the Lord said, “Your faith is dead. Your works are in vain. The life you lived and offered to me as a life of Christian service is an abomination that I rejected in the Pharisee. What made you think I would accept it from a Laodicean-type Christian. In fact, untold millions are living the same kind of life that you lived, and they stand in danger of My everlasting wrath.”

Howard Pittman insisted the Lord must be mistaken, saying, “I’m a pastor. I’m a teacher.” The Lord said he had served a false god, and that god was S E L F. You called Me Lord, but never made Me Lord. Mr. Pittman realized his error and felt God justified to drop him into hell.

Laodicean-type Christian: What was this reference to being a Laodicean-type Christian? The church in Laodicea was self-sufficient and did not realize its need for Christ and the Holy Spirit, characterized as being lukewarm, as described in Revelation chapter 3:

14 To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

14 The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, say this:

15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.

16 So because you lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.

17 Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not

17 know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,

18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so

18 that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve

18 to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.

A better translation for verse 16 would be, “So – because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about (μέλλωActive Voice • Indicative Mood •
Present Tense • 1st Person Singular) to vomit (ἐμέσαιVerb: ἐμέω to vomit •
Active Voice • Infinitive •
Aorist Tense) you out of My mouth” (LSV). The aorist tense indicates completed action without reference to time, which action can be future.

Good Works: One mistake Mr. Pittman made was to rely on his good works to justify himself, as seen in Luke chapter 18:

10 Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people:

11 swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.

12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’

13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but

13 was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’

14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will

14 be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Pastor Pittman was permitted to live and given a message for His church. It might appear this message was for the Baptist Church, but the church as a whole has become lukewarm, and Mr. Pittman was to go only where Jesus opened the doorMr. Pittman reportedly appeared on The 700 Club.. Revivals in the past raised churches with sound spiritual foundations, and now these same churches are not living up to their potential and have become lukewarm.

Eternal Security is a problem in the Baptist Church. The devil used this to coax Mr. Pittman to stop breathing by saying, “Security,” a reference to their doctrine that you cannot lose your salvation. A similar refrain in many churches — God is love. The devil is under our feet. Don’t worry about it. You’re a good old boy.

Deep Things: During my sojourn among the Baptist, this author had trouble being led by the Holy Spirit, and even resorted to throwing fleeces (Judges 6:36-40). The Holy Spirit was a very weak force in our lives, and we had trouble hearing His voice. We knew nothing about the deep things of God, and neither did the leaders. This same problem exists throughout the church today.

Spiritual Warfare: A major part of Mr. Pittman’s testimony, he was shown Satan’s war room, a long table where the princes, the giant warring order of angels, sat. The earth was divided into principalities or territories, with a prince over every principality. Satan does nothing without a plan, and the princes were given as many demons as needed to carry out his plan. A principality that was no threat to his kingdom might have only one prince, whereas America has many princes.

There is no love in Satan’s kingdom, only hate and fear. They hate all humans and fear their boss, Satan. There are even enforcers who enforce Satan’s rules. Mr. Pittman marveled at how Satan could mislead a third of the angels in heaven, and how successful his plan was to overcome the church (Revelation 13:7-8). The church grossly underestimated Satan.

Mr. Pittman admitted he was weak on spiritual warfare. It was seldom preached and not mentioned in seminary. Battered children coming into his home, who looked to him for help, opened his eyes to unhuman evil, but he did not know how to help these children.

THE FIVE-POINT MESSAGE

(1) This is the Laodician Church Age.

(2) Satan, your adversary, is personal and powerful. As an archangel, he is anointed.

(3) To have God’s power in your life, you must live the life, not merely talk it.

(4) We have reached a time like the days of Noah, when mankind has two priorities – wealth and pleasure. Consider what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 24:

37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.

38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and given in marriage,

38 until the day that Noah entered the ark,

39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son

39 of Man be.

Jesus is coming for His bride, the church, having neither spot nor wrinkle. He is not going to marry a bride whose garment is filthy, but one who has cleansed herself and is appropriately attired, as described in Ephesians chapter 5:

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such

27 thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.

(5) The main point: The Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

God is going to shake the world one last time, but He cannot do that with carnal Christians. God is recruiting an army, and Howard Pittman is the recruiting sergeant. It will take the power of the Holy Spirit to shake this world, as Matthew chapter 3 clarifies:

11 As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I,

11 and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

12 His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather

12 His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

This baptism is the third and final baptism. Howard Pittman’s concern is for the Holy Spirit to burn the chaff out of our lives. Speaking in tongues may be evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but if you speak in tongues on Sunday and go to the honky-tonk on Monday, there is something wrong. Burning up the chaff will take tribulation.

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of Mr. Pittman’s experience, only 2½ percent are saved. He based this calculation on seeing 50 saints enter the gateIs there only one gate into the third heaven? of heaven in the 15 minutes he was dead, while worldwide nineteen hundred died during that time. In any event, this teaching is ominous.

Mr. Pittman characterizes the Laodicean church as a cotton candy religion, hot air, and doctrines of demons. The majority of Christians are ‘mouth professors and not heart processors.’ Not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, as described in Matthew chapter 7:

21 Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he does the will

21 of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name

22 cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’

23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

Are these people in ministry who cast out demons and perform miracles? With Jesus Christ as the foundation, a person can build upon His foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw” (1 Corinthians 3:12). The ones who make Jesus Lord, led by the Spirit, will build with gold, silver, and precious stones. Those who build with wood, hay, and straw did not form a close relationship with Christ. Ministries are built either on divine guidance or on programs and self-seeking.

Mr. Pittman admonishes, “Keep your eye on the eastern sky.”

Noteworthy: Satan is the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), and his kingdom is in the second heaven. Initially, when his soul left his body, Mr. Pittman was in total darkness, and this is when the sweet voice spoke to him. Does this tell us something about crossing the veil into the third heaven?

DO NOT LOSE HEART

“For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5). In today’s church, one can easily ask the question, where are the Holy Spirit and power? The only thing left of a gospel without the Holy Spirit and power is the word only, a watered-down gospel.

Jesus still carries the scars in His body, and His blood paid for our ransom, so do not belittle His gift by attempting to earn your salvation through your good works. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

The Holy Spirit leads the believer by a still, small voice. If you have trouble hearing His voice, seek a greater anointing. His leading can reinforce the word, so act on the scripture He brings to life. Remember the poor when He leads you to remember the poor (Galatians 2:10).

What is the answer to the question, “WHAT DID YOU DO WITH YOUR LIFE?” Do not exalt yourself like the Pharasee. You should recognize that without Christ, you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked, so like the tax collector, you can beg for mercy. If you have shown mercy, you may receive mercy (James 2:13). A better plan is to follow His advice and buy gold refined by fire to become rich, clothe yourself in white garments, cover your nakedness, and anoint your eyes.

Howard Pittman died on March 13, 2019, 39½ years after his near-death experience. The army he helped recruit waits for their marching orders. Mr. Pittman was the forerunner, preparing the way for the second coming.

PTW — PREPARE THE WAY

Moving ahead, Touch Heaven Ministries is an apostolic and prophetic ministry commissioned by the Spirit of God as an outreach to the world, preparing the way for the coming of our Lord. Touch Heaven Ministries is led by Frank Amedia, the senior pastor of Touch Heaven Church in Canfield, Ohio. Mr. Amedia wears the apostolic mantle.

If this is troubling, you are encouraged “to the test those who call themselves apostles” (Revelation 2:2). An apostle should be true in word and deed, consistent with the verse in 2 Corinthians 12:12, “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.”

Frank Amedia, a practicing Jew, received the Lord in 1980. He received revelations causing him to misjudge the timingUntil your time merges with your calling, you are in a wilderness. of his call, but events in Israel merged with his call on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, signaling a threshold crossed. He is now ramping up his ministry, finding support from like-minded ministries.

Lukewarm: During the Leadership Institute Meeting on 2/10/22, Mr. Amedia discussed this scripture, “So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth,” (Revelation 3:16 NKJV). He then proceeded to say, “There are polls about everything. … God has a poll, a temperature poll. Right now, the temperature of the body of Christ is lukewarm, at best. That’s not a bride prepared to come away, that’s vomit. What do you do with vomit? First of all, you gag when you smell it. Right! No one wants to preach about vomit.”

Deep Darkness: During the Leadership Institute Meeting 2/22/22, Pastor Amedia discussed the following verses in Isaiah chapter 60:

1 Arise, shine; for your light has come,

1 And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

2 For behold, darkness will cover the earth

2 And deep darkness the peoples;

2 But the Lord will rise upon you

2 And His glory will appear upon you.

Pastor Amedia continued by saying, “So, we have equated and understand that in order for the glory of the Lord to intensify for a Laodicean hot church, a church on fire for God, filled with the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, moving in the power and abundance of everything that heaven has, calling heaven on earth, bring it here, just like it is in heaven. We must also understand and expect and see gross darkness.”

One topic frequently mentioned by Pastor Amedia is the anointing, where a key verse is, “The yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oilThe Hebrew word shemen (שֶׁמֶן) is translated oil about 90% of the time in the NASB (176/194).” (Isaiah 10:27 NKJV). The anointing permits the believer to go from the finite into the spiritual realm, where the yoke is anything that hinders you from bridging the gap. Therefore, the PTW anointing is crucial in preparing the church for the second coming, is stronger than the previous anointing, being able to withstand the spirit of the antichrist.

A fundamental truth goes back to the days of creation, ‘Let every kind bring forth its kind’ (Genesis 1:11-12, 21, 24-25). The Father brings forth children, like seeds falling from good stock, whose seeds contain His divine attributes and grow in His likeness. The young trees differ and are like-minded according to their purpose – some for building and some for fruit. As the Touch Heaven ministry unfolds, Frank Amedia has prophecies he will soon release, perhaps by the end of 2024, which the like-minded will take as their own and build upon.