Kathrine Frich
His story resurfaced after he spoke publicly about what he claims happened during a three-day coma.
Accounts of near-death moments often blur the boundaries between medicine and belief.
For one American man, a medical crisis in 2024 turned into what he describes as a direct encounter with the divine.
Extraordinary claims
Robert Marshall told the Next Level Soul podcast that his ordeal went far beyond a typical near-death episode.
He insisted he had “actually died,” adding: “I was dead for three days.”
He said the events began when he sought help for a swollen neck and difficulty breathing, prompting doctors to order scans and blood tests.
In his book 44 Hours in Heaven, Marshall recounts repeatedly going into “code blue” due to severe respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.
Promotional material for the book describes him “drowning on his blood in his lungs” before medical teams resuscitated him.
Marshall said that during this period he experienced an entirely different reality, one he interpreted as heaven itself.
Vivid visions
He recalled scenes filled with towering oak trees, vibrant colours and an overwhelming calm.
He told the podcast that he also encountered Jesus, describing a profound sense of love and reassurance in the setting.
Despite the awe of the moment, Marshall said he asked to return because he “felt every bit” of his wife’s distress.
“When you first came before me, you asked if you could go back,” he quoted Jesus as saying.
He recounted joking that he was relieved to know he had been heard, prompting the host, Alex Ferrari, to reply: “I don’t think Jesus is hard of hearing.”
The message
Marshall said the figure he identified as Jesus told him his condition was dire. “He said ‘your brain has been destroyed’, obviously,” Marshall recalled.
He claimed Jesus added that he would be returned to life “with some caveats” and “with a miracle that nobody could ever deny,” saying it would demonstrate that “I am God and I did this.”
According to Marshall, he was told he would receive “a new brain” and that his memory would be “restored” before he awoke in hospital as doctors revived him.
