Fear sells. And Randy Kay believes Christians need to be extremely careful about what that fear is doing to their faith.
Kay, known for sharing his near-death experience and interviewing others who claim to have encountered heaven and hell, is sounding the alarm over a growing trend of viral testimonies warning that Christians themselves could end up in hell.
Some of these videos are racking up hundreds of thousands of views, but Kay says there may be a spiritual cost when believers walk away terrified instead of trusting Jesus.
“On average, hell videos get more views than heaven videos,” Kay said. “When fear is what pays, fear is what gets produced.”
Kay isn’t arguing that hell should be ignored. Quite the opposite.
“Hell is real. Sin matters, and repentance matters,” he said, adding that he believes God has allowed some people to see hell as a warning.
But Kay argues the purpose of those warnings should ultimately be rescue, not keeping born-again believers trapped in a constant cycle of wondering whether one wrong move will condemn them.
For Kay, this issue is deeply personal.
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He says that when he died, he initially found himself in darkness and saw figures in the distance “warring” over him. In that terrifying moment, Kay says he didn’t rely upon his theological knowledge.
He called on Jesus.
“I called out to Jesus, and he came,” Kay recalled. “He put his arm around me and walked with me.”
Then came two words Kay says have stayed with him ever since.
“Trust me.”
Kay believes those two words capture something Christians can easily lose sight of when faith becomes consumed by fear: salvation rests in Christ, not in endlessly trying to prove yourself worthy enough to keep it.
“The gospel moves it back to him,” Kay said.
He also addressed one of the most difficult questions Christians face: How can someone distinguish between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and condemnation?
According to Kay, conviction is specific. The Holy Spirit identifies something that needs to be dealt with and draws the believer toward Jesus in repentance. Condemnation, he argues, operates differently—it is vague, relentless and leaves someone believing that they are the problem and will never be enough.
Kay pointed to Romans 8:1: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
He acknowledged that Bible-believing Christians have disagreed for centuries about eternal security and whether salvation can be forfeited. Kay holds to eternal security, but his larger argument reaches beyond that theological divide: Christians were never intended to live perpetually terrified of God.
And perhaps his simplest test for discerning frightening spiritual messages is also his most powerful.
Does the message leave you running toward your Father or hiding from Him?
For Christians caught in an endless stream of frightening testimonies, prophetic warnings and viral videos about eternity, Kay’s message comes back to the same two words he says Jesus spoke to him in his darkest moment:
“Trust me.”
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
