Shawn Ryan Says He Was Shown Hell. Here's What I Found After the Camera Stopped

Hey! In this video I reacted to the opening of Shawn Ryan's Bible series with Cardinal Raymond Burke. Before they even got to the Bible, Shawn shared something very personal: about a month earlier, during a psychedelic experience, he believes he was shown hell. No sense of God, nothing good, just extreme fear. Since then he says he's met demonic entities, had picture frames fly off the wall, felt "manifestations" in his body, and gone through four exorcisms with two different priests. And it's still happening.

I'll be honest: I'm normally skeptical when someone says they've seen heaven or hell. And my big question was this: did the drugs open a door?

I believe Shawn is sincere

You can see it in his posture and hear it in his voice. He's not performing. He's scared, and he's being vulnerable in front of millions of people. So I'm not calling him a liar. I just think we need to ask what's really going on.

Did the psychedelics open a door?

Psychedelics mess with your senses, and your senses are how you tell what's real. I know people who have done mushrooms and seen things that weren't there. So when you take something that relaxes every guard in your mind and invite the unseen world in, whatever shows up probably isn't something good.

The Bible actually has a word for this. In Galatians 5:20, Paul lists "sorcery" among the works of the sinful nature. The Greek word there is pharmakeia, connected to drugs and potions used in pagan spiritual practices. It's where we get the word "pharmacy."

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)

Staying alert is the opposite of altering your mind and hoping for the best.

Or is it the mind, not demons?

I'm not a doctor, and I'm not trying to diagnose anybody. But four exorcisms and it's still not going away? That makes me wonder whether part of this is what the drugs did to his mind, and not only something spiritual. I'd want to know if he saw a doctor before the exorcisms. Both can be true at the same time, and caring for your mind isn't a lack of faith.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

And whatever it is, the Bible tells us not to take every spiritual experience at face value:

Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.1 John 4:1 (NLT)

Where I agree with Cardinal Burke

Burke said the devil's main temptation is discouragement. He wants you to believe what you're doing is impossible so you give up. I believe that 100%. If you're for the Kingdom, you will be attacked. And the bigger the platform, the bigger the attack. Shawn has millions of subscribers, and his Bible episode alone has been watched by millions. That's influence.

My own story

I shared this in the video, and it's dear to me. Before I gave my life to Christ, I decided to read the whole Bible to see if Jesus was really there. I made it a habit to read before work. One morning I was reading on the way to my job and fell asleep. In that moment, I had an image of Christ. I didn't see His face, but I saw His eyes, filled with fire, glowing with heat. It felt more real than anything. I woke up scared out of my mind.

After the camera stopped, I looked it up, and it stopped me in my tracks. This is how John describes Jesus in Revelation:

His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire.Revelation 1:14 (NLT)

I'm not a scholar, and I don't know it all. Anybody who says they do is lying. But that experience is a big part of why I tell people about Jesus today, and why I make these videos. Here's the difference I see: my experience pointed me to Jesus and His Word. That's how you test it.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.1 Timothy 2:1 (NLT)