Book Presentation of Heaven is Real but so is Hell in Rhodes

March 31, 2018

Following the successful presentation of the book Heaven Is Real but so is Hell at the Ianos Bookshop in Athens on March 7, 2018, another bookshop, Karavaki, this time in Rhodes, showed an interest in organizing a presentation of the book.

It was a great blessing from Jesus for Rhodes, as Vassula lives there and we all know that many have levelled accusations and calumnies at her on issues of her personal life.  Nonetheless, their calumnies and accusations were not aimed at the TLIG messages, as they can find no fault with them.

 Eleftheria, the bookshop manager, cooperated with Emmanuella, Thanassis, Tassos, Andreas and the TLIG Rhodes group to organize this event.  They found a hall to host the event at the Plaza Hotel and set the date for Saturday, March 31, 2018.  Vassula herself would present her autobiography, answer questions, and sign books at the end of the event.

On September 5, 2016, our Lord, in one of His messages said: “now tell your prayer group of Rhodes the following: in the early days of the Messages you valued all My Interests, surmounting persecutions and trials joyfully; I have taken you all out of the power of darkness, and have forgiven your sins; I am reminding you all now to fan into a flame your love for Me; read My Messages, learn to love Me more! Do good and adopt yourselves in My Knowledge; take your refuge in Me, and I shall be your Song; I can read everyone’s heart, and I know perfectly your needs; so come to Me, your Saviour, be My Living Church! delight My Heart, assemble and receive My Tenderness; self-efface all that is not Me, and work hard for your salvation and the salvation of others; receive My Holy Kiss on your foreheads; Love loves you all!”   (TLIG Messages, September 5, 2016) 

Bearing this message which invigorated our minds and hearts, we very quickly prepared for the event in detail and prayed for the presentation’s success.  Hence, we decided to invite the Social Network for Readers and Books (www.bookia.gr) for live coverage of the presentation and its promotion on the internet.  The Bookia journalist interviewed Vassula, who replied to five main questions.

Question 1: Vassula, the presentation of your book Heaven is Real but so is Hell has drawn a great deal of attention to your name and your mission all over the world.  We know that this book was published in America, was a best seller on Barnes and Noble for two years and in the spirituality section on Amazon.  You mentioned that for the past 30 years you have been travelling all over the world and you have delivered over 1124 speeches in 86 countries where you have been invited.  So the following question arises: Where do the funds for your extensive travelling come from?

Answer: “I am glad you asked this question because I have been slandered a lot over this.  Many people all over the world got to know me through the True Life in God book with the messages, but also through YouTube videos.  So these people invite me to go to their places and give my testimony.  They pay for my travel and accommodation expenses.” 

Question 2: Do the people who come to listen to your speech pay for admission, even if it’s just a minimal sum?

Answer: “No one pays for a ticket to enter the place where I am to speak.  Admission is free.  There is only a whip-round [a collection of contributions of money from a group of people for a particular purpose] to meet my travel expenses.”

Question 3: As you mentioned, you have authored two books.  The first one is entitled True Life in God and the second one is entitled Heaven is Real but so is Hell.  The first book has been translated into 42 languages, and the second one into at least 10, with more translations in progress.  One could claim that you are a very wealthy woman, even if you only receive royalties.  Are you really a millionaire?

Answer: “In our times it is difficult for people to believe that I do not even receive a single euro!  Not even the royalties that other authors get.  Nothing!  I do not get the royalties that I normally could get from the books; they go to the Associations that have printed the books, and not to me.”

Question 4: Vassula, you spoke about a vision you saw and heard from Our Lady and Jesus, which was the reason you opened the Houses of Our Lady, called Beth Myriam in the Aramaic language, where poor people all over the world are fed.  Could you elaborate on how these 26 houses work, where they are, and what kind of services they provide? 

Answer: “Beth Myriam means House of Our Lady in Aramaic.  They are houses run by volunteers.  These volunteers have been touched by the messages of Our Lord and Our Lady and have volunteered to open a house in a poor area in order to help the poor.  They cook daily, and some of the BMs also provide dental care from a volunteer doctor.  They all provide one hot meal daily.

”We have also established a primary school in a poor village in Bangladesh so as to help the children living there, with a few teachers who are paid by our Beth Myriam account.  Allow me to repeat that no one makes any profit.  I myself have no office of any kind, unlike what some people think.”

Question 5: What is most important, where does the money to run these houses come from?

Answer: “For this project of Our Lady, we opened an account for those wishing to make a donation and it is for this purpose alone.  Those wishing to establish a Beth Myriam do so with their own funds, and if they are not sufficient, then they get some assistance from the BM account.  The Lord has told me: ‘freely I gave, so freely give'" (TLIG Messages, May 5, 1987)

Following the Q & A session, that afternoon, Eleftheria, as the bookshop representative, welcomed Vassula and those present.  Emmanuella introduced Vassula to the audience.  Among other things, she mentioned that Mrs. Vassula Rydén is Greek, born in Egypt, and belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church.  Her husband’s professional obligations meant that she had to spend more than 20 years in Africa and Asia.  She passed her time with receptions, painting and tennis: a pleasant life, without any pressure.

All of that was to change dramatically in November, 1985.  She could have never imagined that God Himself would reveal Himself to her while she was living in Bangladesh with her family.  This was the beginning of a mystical communication which continues to this day.  God dictates and reveals to her words of wisdom.  They are a reminder of His Word, the Holy Bible, and are meant for her to pass on to His people so that they know His love and His will.

She wrote these words of wisdom in notebooks and they were subsequently published and translated into 42 languages, under the title of True Life in God.

Mrs. Vassula Rydén’s autobiography, entitled Heaven is Real but so is Hell which we are presenting, is the story of Mrs. Rydén’s amazing journey and her conversations with God.  It is a book which will awaken all those who seek a path towards the truth in the midst of today’s turbulent world.

The book Heaven is Real but so is Hell was published in English in 2013 and remained in the #1 Best Seller for several months at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and USA Today, in the categories of “Orthodoxy” and “Religion” respectively.  It has already circulated in 10 languages, while translations into additional languages are in progress.   It has been recently published in Greek and we hope that it will be successfully known.

Mrs. Rydén makes no profit from any publication.  She does not even receive royalties from any books sold.  She makes no profit whatsoever from them.  As she says: “This is the work of Jesus and He gave it to me freely and freely I give it.”  The royalties from books go to the Associations printing these books, not to Mrs. Rydén.

Vassula stepped up to the podium last, saying that her Greek is not good and that she attended an English school; that is why Jesus speaks to her in the language she understands best.  After thanking everyone present, she said that the book she was presenting on that day is her autobiography.  She tells her story in it.  It is not fictional but describes true and real events.  She said that it describes not only Heaven but also Hell, and that is because the Lord wanted to show them to her through visions and in a supernatural way.  She said that as Christians, we know that God can reveal Himself whenever He wants and to whomever He wants.  God gives us signs that He exists through miracles, through dreams, or even by speaking to our heart.

It is a divine gift to listen to Him in our heart.  When the Lord speaks to our heart and gives us this gift without us deserving it, it is not for our benefit, but for the benefit of society.

God is always present and acts because His Word is living and active.  “In this book,” Vassula states, “I explain that God revealed Himself to me from the first three days after my birth!  Several years later, when I was a child, Jesus would reveal Himself to me in my dreams.  He was speaking and constantly inviting me to be near Him.  Several years went by, and at some point in 1985, quite unexpectedly, my angel presented himself to me.  He spoke and told me one phrase: ‘God is near you and loves you.’ (cf. My Angel Daniel, May 12, 1986)

"It is this spiritual journey that I have tried to describe in the book.  This year it is 33 years since this journey with Jesus began.  I recognized for one more time the Voice calling me when I was a child.  The difference is that the Voice is no longer only in my dreams, but also in my heart.

"The Voice of Jesus asked me: ‘which house is more important, your house or My House?’ (cf. TLIG Messages, October 23, 1986)  I understood that Jesus was talking about His Church, so I replied, ‘Yours.’  This reply seemed to please the Lord, because He answered: ‘revive My House, embellish My House, and unite My House…’  (cf. TLIG Messages, May 22, 2012) 

"Ever since, Jesus has given me a lot of messages and visions, and prophecies, of which some have already been fulfilled.  Others have not been fulfilled yet.   He enabled me to see the souls that have not reached Heaven yet and need prayers and Masses.  He enabled me to see His angels and His heavenly residence.  He then showed me Hell and how much Satan hates us.  Jesus said that there are many who do not believe that Hell and Satan exist; that is why He showed them to me, so that I can describe them in my book.  Our Lady also gave me a lot of messages on our times, and a call to begin helping the poor and those in need.  The Lord explained to me that our generation is experiencing a real spiritual battle which we all participate in.  I describe this battle in my book.  We are all in this battle, and it is not a physical battle but a spiritual one.  We have to fight spiritual beings which affect us and try to hurt us.  They contaminate our mind so that we make bad choices.

"What really matters in this life is that we go to Heaven. This is our destination, our real Home.  God created us for the glory of living with Him.  He could have made us like machines, like robots, but he created us free so that we can choose love.  Everything, then, depends on how we wish to use our freedom.  On the Day of Judgment, God will judge us according to the measure of love that we had on earth.  After death, we can no longer change.  All choices are over.  In one of His messages, Jesus says: ‘live as though it is your last day on earth;’” (TLIG Messages, March 2, 1993)

At the end of the evening, Vassula shared one of the messages that our Creator has given us:

“- in the morning sow your seed of love;  

- at noon sow your seed of peace;

- in the evening sow your seed of reconciliation;

then go and collect your harvest and offer it to Me, your Father in Heaven, and I will tell you: 'in your graciousness, My child, you have obtained your reward in heaven;'

from above I call to you all: 'come! come and make peace with Me, your God

and you will have My Blessings; return to Me and you will live forever;'" (TLIG Messages, June 18, 1994)

Vassula then responded to questions from the audience, such as:

• What is prophecy? Does the book include prophecies that have been fulfilled? Is there a prophecy on our times?
• Since we have the Holy Bible, why does God speak in our times?
• In your mission all these years all over the world, has Jesus indicated His presence by working a miracle?
• When God calls you to write, how do you see Him?
• Are Heaven and Hell in this life after all?
• Why does God allow suffering and sorrow to afflict people?

The question and answer session lasted about one hour and then almost everyone, about seventy people, bought the book, asked Vassula to sign it and to pose for a photograph with them.

However, the evening was not over yet.  People would not leave the hall, forming small circles and discussing all they had heard during the presentation.  It was then that some of the people gave testimonies, saying that they saw Jesus on Vassula’s face.  Michel, a student from Palestine studying in Chania, saw Jesus’ blue eyes instead of Vassula’s the entire time he was looking at her.  And he was not the only one.   Mrs. Morfoula Gogidou as well as Mrs. Popi Xifaki, a Bookia contributor observed the same phenomenon.

As a token, we quote Mrs. Maria Papavassiliou’s testimony: "The moment Vassula said, 'Now do not think that we are alone, Jesus is here,' I saw from where the wooden sign of the hotel on the presentation table was, down to the floor, Jesus' white garments, which were very brightly white; they were those from His waist down.  Nonetheless, what impressed me were the ripples within His garment, spaced wide apart, while the flat fabric covering the table was blue.  It was impressive; I focused my gaze on that, and I realized I was seeing Jesus' white tunic instead of the cloth covering the table. This setting was in front of the area where Vassula was sitting.  In general, this incident was Jesus appearing to me one more time because I have asked Him to reveal Himself to me, and He has done it before.  I have had other similar experiences." 

Moreover, Mrs. Triantafillia Papatoliou told us: “I am the audience member who asked the last question, wondering why the Lord allows suffering, sorrows and toil to afflict people.  At the moment I asked it, I saw on Vassula’s face the Face of Jesus, just as it appears on the TLIG icon; that is, I saw the beard and the dense eyebrows which remained on her the entire time she was answering my question, even at the time she was signing my book.”

It was a really successful presentation, with a lot of blessings from Jesus for all of us.  For ten of the people listening to Vassula talk about her mission for the first time, this experience did not end at the end of the evening.  Three days later, at a friend’s house, Vassula was talking to them about His messages and her mission all over the world.  She replied to their questions for three full hours.  Praise God.

Emmanuella Introduces Vassula

Presentation of the HIR book from Vassula

About 50 People were Present

Books at the Entrance Hall

The Group from Rhodes who worked for the Success of the HIR Book Presentation