The Writings of Mary K. Baxter

by Charles W. Martin

Books written by those who have died and gone to heaven, or hell, and later returned earth, or by those who say they have received visions of heaven and/or hell, are quite numerous. Among these, the writings of Mark K. Baxter (A Divine Revelation of the Spirit Realm, Whitaker House, 2000; A Divine Revelation of Hell, Whitaker House, 1993; and A Divine Revelation of Heaven, Whitaker House, 1998) have all been very popular. The same can be said for similar writings, even though they often contradict one another. For example, Don Piper’s 90 Minutes in Heaven (Revell, 2004) was in its fifth printing in January 2005.

What are we to make of these people’s experiences? In his popular work, Heaven (Tyndale, 2004), Randy Alcorn states regardless of how sincere these people appear to be, we must always carefully compare what they say they have experienced with Scripture itself, because the Word of God has more authority than our personal and private experiences, no matter how real and genuine they may be in our minds.

This is wise advice in light of the fact that those who claim to have visited heaven and/or hell constantly contradict each other. Some of those who have made these kinds of claims have been exposed as fakes, such as Betty Malz, whose book, My Glimpse of Eternity, was printed by Guideposts, Chosen Books, and Revell in 1977-1978.

As for Baxter’s book entitled A Divine Revelation of Heaven (Whitaker House, 1998), she recounts her visitation to heaven, which came some time after she was allowed to visit hell, both, she says, at the command of Jesus, although as most any student of the Bible knows the idea of anyone going to hell and leaving is in direct contradiction to the teaching of Scripture (Luke 16). Baxter’s books have become bestsellers. She explains that Jesus told her that her trips to hell and heaven are His very purpose for her life, as is her sharing her experiences with others through the writing of books, so that the unbelieving world may know there truly is a heaven and hell, and that Jesus was sent by the Father to save unbelievers from the horrors of hell and prepare them for a home in heaven.

The implication of Baxter’s alleged commissioning by Jesus implies that Scripture is ineffective in its ability to "let the world know that there is a heaven and hell," and that Jesus was sent by the Father to save those who follow Him from the torments of hell. The issue boils down to this: Is all we need to know about heaven and hell found in the Bible or is it not? For 2,000 years orthodox Christianity has taught that the Bible is God’s divine revelation to man, and that revelation ended with John’s vision found in Revelation, the last book of the Bible. If the world needed more than what is found in the Bible, we would undoubtedly have a larger canon of Scripture, and John would not warn his readers in the last few verses of Revelation 22 (18-19) about adding to the words of his prophecy.

Indeed, this is one of the reasons evangelicals condemn Christian Scientists, Mormons, and all other groups who proclaim extra-biblical writings as being equally inspired and having equal authority with Scripture. The canons of the Old and New Testaments are officially closed. God has revealed Himself through the written word of Scripture and His Son, Jesus, the living word. No other inspired or revelatory word in needed or promised in Scripture. Each year members of the Evangelical Theological Society must sign the doctrinal statement of the society, which, in part, says, "The Bible alone, and the Bible in its entirety, is the Word of God written and is therefore inerrant in the autographs." This means that Calvin’s Institutes, Wesley’s sermons, or the writings of anyone else, even someone who, like Baxter, claims to be directly representing God, does not speak with anything like the authority of Scripture.

However, for the sake of argument, let’s accept at face value for a moment that Baxter’s claim of having received a "divine revelation" is true. Again, for the Christian who is a careful student of the Bible, even this bit of laxity is difficult to do, because what Baxter relates right away appears to be more human in its origins than Scriptural. If we allowed that what she says is true, then we would also have to conclude that God is confused and open to contradicting Himself.