Monk-Turned-Pastor Describes Terrifying Visit To Hell
Steve Kang, a former Buddhist monk who now serves as a Christian pastor, has spoken publicly about a terrifying encounter he believes he had with Hell during a near-death experience. The vision, which occurred after a suicide attempt in 1998, profoundly changed the trajectory of his life and led him to embrace Christianity.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Kang recalled the intense spiritual ordeal that unfolded after he attempted to take his own life by slashing his neck and abdomen. At the time, he was struggling with drug addiction and what he perceived as spiritual oppression. While doctors raced to save him at a California hospital, Kang says he was spiritually transported to a desolate, nightmarish realm.
“There was no light at all,” Kang recounted. “No greenery, no grass—just a bleak, rocky terrain with cliffs stained in eerie purples and reds. It was pitch black, like the darkest night you can imagine.”
Though the actual medical emergency lasted eight hours, Kang described his time in this spiritual realm as a 20-minute experience—an experience that felt eternal. He said the emotional torment was unbearable: “It wasn’t just physical pain—it was guilt, shame, and fear multiplied. I couldn’t communicate with anyone. It was like suffocating under emotional weight.”
Kang said he also saw massive demonic figures towering over the damned. “They must have been four or five stories tall,” he said. “You could tell they were the ones in control.”
The anguish he experienced, he added, was so intense that he wouldn’t wish it on even the world’s most notorious figures. “Even someone like Hitler or Kim Jong-il—I wouldn’t want them to go through what I went through,” he said.
Kang, who had trained as a monk in his youth, said his mother turned to her Buddhist faith during his medical crisis but found no help. Instead, a Christian friend introduced her to a prayer group that came to the hospital. Kang believes their prayers had a direct impact on his recovery.
“I suddenly felt peace, and I heard a voice I believe was Jesus,” he explained. “At that moment, I came out of that place and woke up in the hospital.”
Doctors later told him it was a miracle he survived. “One said he located the critical blood vessels just in time. If he’d been even a few minutes later, I wouldn’t have made it,” Kang said.
Now sober for over two decades, Kang says he has completely turned his life around. “I don’t drink, smoke, or look at anything inappropriate. I feel like God gave me the strength to live with integrity.”
As the lead pastor at Revive The Nations Ministry, Kang kept quiet about his spiritual experience for many years. But after meeting others with similar near-death visions, he decided to share his testimony more publicly. He sees it not as a personal story, but as a universal warning and call to transformation.
“This isn’t just about me,” he said. “People from all walks of life have had these experiences. I think God allows it to show that there’s something more at stake.”
Kang refers to sin as “spiritual cancer” and sees his mission as helping people find the cure. “Our role is to let people know there is hope, there is healing, and there is salvation.”
Scientific research has also begun to explore these phenomena. A 2022 study in Frontiers in Psychology analyzed hundreds of near-death accounts and found that around 10% included distressing or hellish elements.
In a separate interview with The Christian Post, Pastor Michael Youssef of the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta emphasized the biblical reality of Hell. “Jesus talked about Hell more than anyone in the Bible,” Youssef said. “Many today want to pretend it doesn’t exist, but that’s not what Scripture teaches.”
Youssef argued that dismissing Hell leads to spiritual complacency. “Everyone assumes they’re going to Heaven because they think they’re good,” he said. “But the truth is, only one good person is in Heaven—Jesus. The rest of us are redeemed sinners who recognized our need for His grace.”
He stressed that understanding the reality of Hell gives deeper meaning to the promise of Heaven. “You can’t appreciate the beauty of Heaven if you ignore the horror of Hell,” he said. “People need to know both.”