Mary Baxter Cause of Death: A Divine Revelation or a Hellish Deception?

Mary K. Baxter, a bestselling author and self-proclaimed prophetess, died on September 13, 2021, at the age of 81. She claimed to have visited heaven and hell with Jesus Christ, and wrote several books about her supernatural experiences. But was she telling the truth, or was she a fraud who exploited the faith of millions of people?

A Divine Revelation of Hell

Mary K. Baxter’s most famous book, A Divine Revelation of Hell, was published in 1993 by Whitaker House, a Christian publishing company. According to the book, in 1976, Jesus appeared to Mary in her home in Belleville, Michigan, and took her on a 40-day tour of hell. She described seeing various torments and punishments for different types of sinners, such as liars, murderers, adulterers, idolaters, and unbelievers. She also claimed to have seen famous people in hell, such as Adolf Hitler, John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson.

The book was a huge success, selling over 1.4 million copies and being translated into more than 30 languages. It also spawned a series of follow-up books, such as A Divine Revelation of Heaven, A Divine Revelation of the Spirit Realm, A Divine Revelation of Angels, and A Divine Revelation of Satan’s Deceptions. Mary K. Baxter traveled the world and preached her message of repentance and salvation, drawing large crowds and followers.

A Hellish Deception

However, not everyone was convinced by Mary K. Baxter’s claims. Many critics and skeptics pointed out the inconsistencies, contradictions, and errors in her books and testimonies. They also accused her of plagiarizing from other sources, such as Dante’s Inferno, Emmanuel Swedenborg’s Heaven and Hell, and Bill Wiese’s 23 Minutes in Hell. Some of the questions and challenges raised by her detractors include:

• Why did Jesus address her as Kathryn, when her name was Mary? Some suggest that she adopted the name Kathryn to emulate the famous faith healer Kathryn Kuhlman, who died in 1976, the same year Mary claimed to have her visions.
• Why did she divorce her husband of 22 years, William L. Baxter Jr., and erase him from her biography and obituary? Was she hiding something from her past, or did she violate her own teachings on marriage and divorce?
• Why did she give the rights of her book to T.L. Lowery, a Church of God pastor and a notorious racist, who endorsed her book and profited from it? Did they have a secret agreement or a hidden agenda?
• How did she see people in hell who were still alive or not yet born at the time of her visions, such as Michael Jackson, Princess Diana, and Osama bin Laden? Did she update her books to include more recent celebrities and events, or did she make false predictions?
• How did she reconcile her descriptions of hell with the biblical teachings on the afterlife, such as the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, and the lake of fire? Did she add or subtract from the scriptures, or did she misinterpret them?

Conclusion

Mary K. Baxter’s cause of death was not officially announced, but some sources say that she died of natural causes. She left behind a legacy of controversy and confusion, as well as millions of fans and followers who believe in her divine revelations. Whether she was a true prophetess or a false teacher, a sincere believer or a cunning deceiver, a saint or a sinner, only God knows for sure. But one thing is certain: her books and messages have challenged and changed many lives, for better or for worse.