On 9/18/03 I received a letter “Concerning the Resurrection of Daniel Ekechukwu” By David Kirkwood. He felt that it would be good to iron out some of the details of the story.

Unfortunately with this new interview come even more questions of the validity to this story. As I  will point out, there are some apparent contradictions to the Bible. We are left to believe either one or the other, not both.

Kirkwood writes “I had received some e-mail correspondence from some hostile and not-so-hostile “discernment ministries” (as they call themselves), who all attempted to discredit my reporting, saying I had not done a thorough investigation.”
I would only hope that I was classified as non - hostile, though I think anyone who questions this stories contradictions would probably be considered hostile to everyone who supports it. We are only trying to pursue the truth and sometimes it means to question what does not line up with what God says. And let me clear up something before I go on. I personally teach Bible studies and speak at churches, I evangelize the unsaved and do not like being categorized as being a “discernment ministry” as if it's something negative. Everyone should be actively exercising discernment no matter what ministry they are involved in. 

Using Mr. Manu as an example (The resident mortician), Kirkwood says “So when “discernment ministries” attempt to discredit the story by showing slight time discrepancies, it only exposes what they don’t know about rural Africans.”

Well there are more than just time discrepancies; they have had almost 2 years to work out all the details of the story. You can’t say this account is documented by doctors and eyewitness reports and then turn around and say these people don’t have a good way of telling the exact time or whether he was traveling home or going somewhere else at the time of the accident. What are we to think when some of the details in the original stories were not presented and when they are later presented, they contradict or change the original story. 

Daniel “He said that earthly things now mean nothing to him.” What needs to be known is that Eku has moved to Lagos. Lagos is the former capital of the West African country of Nigeria, and is the largest city, the country's industrial and commercial center and its principal seaport, it also has an international airport. 

He has been given a large amount of money to purchase a home in Lagos, a generator sound system a platform for his own evangelistic crusades throughout Nigeria. He’s got a video and DVD going out in 6 different languages, English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German and Russian. He’s touring giving his story of being dead and raised all over Nigeria and at Reinhard Bonnke’s crusades and also trying to get into America. And who knows what else may be going on from his trip to heaven and hell.

It is interesting that the person who was in the car and the car itself are not the subject of any interview and they seem strangely missing (along with the car being towed or any kind of police report, if there is any). I guess if you’re wanting to hear a persons story and accept it hands down avoiding investigative questions that pry, you will of course come to Daniels conclusions ONLY. 

The Video says a friend drove with him Kingsley Ikuru. He is known in the story as Kingsley Iruka Daniel's friend who was in the crashed car. We find that “Mr. Kingsley Ekechukwu, younger brother of Daniel, whom was reportedly involved in the auto crash that had injured Daniel.”

Lets go over the confusing details in transmitting the story from those who should know what happened. Kirkwoods first interview says “the mortician injected embalming chemicals between Daniel ’s fingers and into his feet. The full embalming would be administered in the morning.” His next interview (which coincides with the other stories) “Manu, the mortician who had partially embalmed Daniel in the very early morning hours of Saturday, December 1, 2001. He also related how he had twice attempted to cut Daniel’s inner thigh to inject embalming fluid, and the shock he twice received. The second time his arm became partially paralyzed, and remained so through the night.”  

This agrees with some of the original reports “Daniels corpse was taken to the morgue, where a chemical was injected to prepare it for embalming.”Leo Igwe, a Nigerian skeptic who is critical of claims of miracles (and one who certainly would be confronted with the truth if the facts held up) says the mortician told him that he had not done anything to embalm the body. 
Igwe reported Kingsley stating “that on Saturday night something pushed him and caused him to hit his head on the wall as he attempted to embalm Daniel’s body. For this reason, he did not embalm Daniel’s corpse.”
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/raisedfromthedead.htm

However…
Bonnke in his interview with Kenneth Copeland says: “He was already embalmed” Bonnke “he was like a piece of iron.” Charisma reported on its Web site “the Nigerian pastor had been certified dead and injected with embalming fluids.”
We are told people were able to smell the embalming chemicals coming out of his body for two weeks after his resurrection. That hard to do if you are not embalmed. So again the question comes up from this new interview whether he was embalmed or not? Since it is apparent that the doctor is saying he tried to and was stopped by a shock and also stated to another interviewer (Leo Igwe) he did not embalm him. 

Kirkwoods new interview “He told me about the worship music that emanated from his mortuary during the first night Daniel’s body was lying there, and the light, “something like little stars” that floated above Daniel’s head when he searched for the source of the music in the mortuary.” 

In the another interview “Upon searching for the music’s source in his mortuary, he noticed light emanating from the face of Daniel’s corpse.” This again has varied facts, one says coming out of his face another says little stars floating around his head. Which is it, why can’t the details ever stay the same?

Besides the discrepancies, where in the Bible does anyone who is dead have light emanating? Light is associated with life not death. I would think this would be more concerning than hearing people sing in the mortuary. Is there any story in the Bible that tells us light is around someone who is dead? 

Too many people have had revelations and experiences beyond the Scripture it is certainly a word of caution to be considered from the apostle Paul “For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14).

Kirkwood in his second interview records “Mr. Manu had gone in the ambulance with Daniel’s wife, son and father to the church in Onitsha. He was in the room when Daniel came back to life, an eyewitness! Mr. Manu was not a Christian, and Daniel’s resurrection so unnerved him that he immediately left the room and the premises! He told me that he soon after repented and is now serving the Lord.” 
Kirkwood's former interview states “Daniel’s friend, Ede Samuel (whom I interviewed at length) was with her and essentially witnessed everything that transpired over the next three days.”
Originally I have only heard of Kingsley Ikuru his friend traveling with him, now we have others. In the video it supposedly shows who is there. His wife speaks about going in the ambulance with her son and his brother. No others are mentioned. It must have been a crowded ambulance, as there are number of others to include now. Maybe this can be explained.
Kirkwood also records Daniel’s father “He was in the room when Daniel came back to life.” So we have Mr. Manu, Daniels father, Ede Samuel, his wife all there when he resurrected.

In the video we have The Bishop's son, Paul, and another pastor on the church staff, (Bathcomery Nkwando), and two other staff pastors, Lawrence Onyeka and Luke Ibekwe joined them to guard the body. There is no mention of any other; the wife is not there either. And yet someone has a video camera to video this miraculous event. Maybe I missed something here?

Angels or angel?
For example, Daniel said that the angel who escorted him always used the word “we,” speaking of himself and at least one other person whom Daniel didn’t see. Daniel thinks that perhaps there were other angels around him of which he was not aware. I suggested that perhaps that angel was speaking on behalf of God, as we read in Scripture that angels often do, and God was using the word “we” just as He used the word ‘us” in the first chapters of Genesis. Daniel wasn’t sure.

Kirkwood’s assumption shows a lack of biblical knowledge on his part. The first chapters of Genesis is not about God including angels but speaking among the persons of the tri-unity. For it was “let us” God creating man in his own image, not angels. There is no “we” in the first chapters of Genesis for God.

Despite some of the inconsistencies and contradictions already found, it is here where I find the greatest difficulty. As I bring this story to be aligned with the word of God that is never changing there are apparent contradictions in Daniels story.

In the story the escorting angel told pastor Daniel,  “If your record is to be called here, you will in no doubt be thrown into hell.” Pastor Daniel immediately defended himself saying,  “I am a man of God! I serve Him with all my heart!” But a Bible immediately appeared in the angel’s hand, and it was opened to Matthew 5 where Jesus warned that if one calls his brother a fool he is guilty enough to go into the hell of fire (see Matt. 5:21-22). Pastor Daniel knew he was guilty for the angry words spoken to his wife. The angel also reminded him that Jesus promised that God will not forgive our sins if we do not forgive others (see Matt. 6:14-15) because we will reap what we have sown. Only those who are merciful will obtain mercy (Matt 5:7). The angel told Daniel that the prayers he prayed as he was dying in the hospital were of no effect, because he refused to forgive his wife even when she attempted to reconcile on the morning of his fatal accident.”

I think he meant If your record is NOT called here, you will in no doubt be thrown into hell. Anyway that is where he ended up.

I’m not sure how this would be the same as calling one a fool. This condition of not being forgiven is under the law not under grace; there is no such teaching with repercussions in the New Testament. Under the law we needed to forgive to be forgiven, under grace we forgive because we have been forgiven. It is a whole new incentive and motivation. One was to receive, the other is because we have received. The concept of grace is that he died for us while we were sinners not when we stopped sinning. Col. 2:13 says, “We were made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.” Our lack of daily confession breaks our communion not our union. This is not like practicing sin and being unrepentant. What kind of gospel is this? That Eku gets a choice after he died. He gets a second chance when the angel told him he was supposed to be in hell and is first brought to heaven to hear this. This doesn’t sound right AT ALL! 

If Daniel’s resurrection is to serve as a sign and be the “last warning for this generation” He would have to tell people this story that contradicts the Bible. (The first article we point out that He is answering the rich mans prayer who was in hell and unsaved. The word of God says Prov. 15:29 “The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.” Prov. 28:9 “One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.” More than a few Scriptures state God does not answer the prayer of sinners, except for their salvation. Therefore, according to the Bible he does not answer the prayer of the rich man. 

Kirkwood writes “I told him I had a hard time believing that God would put such a sign there, as it would seem to be a sarcastic, out-of-character mockery. Daniel told me something that I had never considered, and still would like to consider in light of Scripture. He said that Satan still has authority over the unrighteous in hell, just as he did on earth, and that hell is actually Satan’s domain. There the devil tortures and torments his own, keeping them captive to the very sins they were enslaved to while they served him on earth. Having nothing to lose, Satan no longer deceives them about his true nature, and so he fully reveals it to them, hating his own spiritual children who have served him. God doesn’t deal with the unrighteous until they are brought before the Great White Throne of judgment, after which they are cast into the lake of fire. That lake is a manifestation of God’s judgment against them, and that is why both hell and Satan himself are ultimately cast there. One could wonder: If hell is God’s domain of punishment, why would He not cast people into hell after their judgment at His Great White Throne, rather than into the lake of fire? Why wouldn’t He cast Satan there as well, rather than into the lake of fire as we are told He will do? And why would God cast hell itself into the lake of fire if it is something of His design? Something for us to think about.”

Yes indeed, lets think on this, carefully, and look at what Daniel is saying for an answer-- because this is an argument of absurdity. Considering this explanation is straight out of a word faith theology, where they believe Satan was in hell when Jesus descended into Hades and He was tortured by him. 

Regardless, Daniel believes Satan rules in hell. The Bible never says this. The Bible says that after Jesus rose He now has the keys “of Hades (and hell) and death,” not Satan. Satan has not intention of going to hell and he does not torture people there, he himself will be in torment when put there. This is not Dante’s inferno. 

Besides, why would Satan bother with people that are already in hell when there are so people on earth who are not? He is called “the prince and the power of the air,” not the prince of hell. He roams the earth as a roaring lion seeing who he may devour. Nowhere does the New Testament tell us he is in hell until Jesus comes back.

Proof
2 Peter 2:4 “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment.”Notice God cast the fallen angels (demons) into hell, they are incarcerated there. It is not their home where they come and go, notice they are there NOW not later.
Ps. 9:17: “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.” It is a punishment. Mt.25:41 Jesus says Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. Would God put the devil in charge of the place He made for punishment? Are we to believe Daniel saying that Satan made hell for himself and the fallen angels to be tortured in.  Remember the demons were put in the pigs because they asked not to be sent their BEFORE their time  Luke 8:31 “And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.” This too is what we call hell (a potion in Hades). 

Lets get something straight as far as the words. Sheol is the Hebrew name of the  place for both the righteous and unrighteous in the Old Testament. Hades is the name in the New Testament. It was divided into two compartments, on one side Abraham's bosom (Lk.16:22) on the other what is called hell which has different levels; Tartarus, the Abyss so there is a side for the righteous and a side for the unrighteous after death.  Hell is a word we are familiar with in English, it is of a Teutonic root which means to hide or cover. Scripture does not actually use the word hell, but the concept that we understand  is clearly presented. It is a place of judgment, ALL who are there are under punishment.

When Jesus comes back after the tribulation he removes all  wickedness, which includes the Devil. This is what Jesus says when he comes back again and ends the tribulation. Matt. 25:41 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” Are we to understand now that he is sent where he is now ruling and not be punished?

Rev. 20:2-3 tells us an angel came down from heaven having the key to the bottomless pit “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” The bottomless pit most understand is at the very bottom of hell, called the abyss. And it has been the place of the fallen angels, it is not a permanent place of confinement, as we see Satan is later released. But the point here is that he is not ruling down there, he himself is in punishment.

The white throne judgment is not until after the Millennium (Rev.20:7). Then before the great white throne judgment he is let out to lead a short temporary rebellion to test those at the end of the Millennium. The Lord puts a quick end to it.  Rev. 20:10 “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

And to the question: And why would God cast hell itself into the lake of fire if it is something of His design? 

God is the creator of heaven and earth, this includes the inside of the earth. Did not God make the angels that fell as well as humanity that rejects him, are they not going to end up in the lake of fire? There is no logic to his question or revelation. The reason Hades is cast into the lake of fire after the millennium is because the Lord is making a new heavens and earth. Daniel and his revelation seems to have missed what the Bible specifically says about these things. 2 Pet. 3:10-11 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. “all these things shall be dissolved.”

Bible tells us the earth and all its works will be burned up, did not God create the earth? Did not God create the Devil who goes into the lake of fire? 

Something is very wrong with his story.

The reason Hades is cast into the lake of fire after the millennium is because the Lord is making a new heavens and earth, one without sin. Daniel and his revelation seems to have missed what the Bible specifically says about these things.   Rev. 21:1 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.” The first heaven and the first earth passed away at the judgment, (Rev. 21:11-15) succeeded by a new heaven and Earth.

While Kirkwood and others ignore the facts and are persuaded that Daniel’s out-of-the body experience is genuine, and he was escorted to see parts of heaven and hell,  I and many others are not convinced at all. The reason is for the above mentioned reasons; it’s contrary to the Bibles revelation. It is not only another interpretation but extra biblical revelation which is promoting a different gospel. I think people ought to take this story a lot more seriously.