Podcast Summary: NLS 634: I Was Dead for 44 Hours & Came Back with Robert Marshall

Podcast: Next Level Soul Podcast with Alex Ferrari
Guest: Robert Marshall
Date: October 28, 2025

Episode Overview

In this powerful episode, host Alex Ferrari interviews Robert Marshall, who experienced a medically documented, prolonged clinical death spanning over three days. During this time, Robert claims he was in heaven—with vivid encounters, including extensive time with Jesus—and miraculously returned to life with no lingering effects, and even changes to his physical body. The discussion traverses the details of his death, the afterlife, his interactions with spiritual beings, the physical resurrection, and the aftermath.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Medical Emergency and Death (03:39–11:29)

• Robert describes facing a life-threatening mass on his neck. Doctors urgently suspected aggressive cancer.

  “The doctor came back in and told me... there's about a 99% chance that this is a very aggressive form of cancer." (04:48, Robert Marshall)

• Collapsing at the hospital with dangerously low oxygen, he was intubated and admitted to the ICU.
• An unfortunate medical decision led to the removal of his breathing tube, resulting in total suffocation and cardiac arrest.
• Documented medical records show Robert was clinically dead (no heartbeat, no oxygen) for 15 minutes during the first event, followed by two additional periods without vital signs.

2. The First Afterlife Experience (15:23–19:16)

• Robert recollects separating from his body, observing the trauma team and his devastated wife from above.

  "At that point? I knew something isn't normal. Okay, yes. I'm not with my body... It's surreal. But it wasn't like that. I'm going, oh, wow, what's happening? No pain, no nothing." (15:25, Robert Marshall)

• Instantly, he is "standing in heaven," without the typical tunnel experience, describing a hyper-vivid, multi-dimensional landscape.
• He provides striking sensory details: colors unseen on earth, natural scents, and a musical hum from all living plants and trees—a vibrational song praising Jesus.

  "Every plant, every flower all gives off a special little scent...combined together makes the most beautiful fragrance...And it literally praises Jesus all day long." (19:15, Robert Marshall)

3. Reunion with Loved Ones & Awareness in Heaven (19:16–24:28)

• Robert encounters his father, appearing as a young, healthy man. They exchange a deeply personal greeting, confirming identity.

  “I remembered him from when I was growing up...and he goes, yeah, he says, well, you did it now, didn’t you, son?” (24:05, Robert Marshall)

• He spots the silhouette of Jesus from afar. Before he can approach, he's abruptly revived: “Those cotton-picking doctors got my heart going.” (28:24, Robert Marshall)

4. Multiple Deaths and Visits to Heaven (28:26–36:55)

• Robert dies a second and third time, each with unique heavenly experiences:
  • Greets beloved pets, confirming to him that animals have souls and await us in the afterlife.
  • Communicates telepathically with pets, who express gratitude for being released from suffering.

  “Our pets are absolutely in heaven. They were a gift from God, and he doesn't take gifts that he gives you back.” (34:16, Robert Marshall)

• All encounters feature overwhelming love, interconnectedness, and absence of pain or fear.

5. Prolonged Heavenly Encounter & Teachings from Jesus (43:04–55:06)

• On his third and deepest visit, Robert meets and interacts with Jesus directly.

• He describes falling prostrate at Jesus' feet, feeling humility and joy.

  "I just fell full prostrate, straight, face down on the ground, crying like a baby—not tears of sorrow, tears of joy and humility." (44:03, Robert Marshall)

• Jesus invites him to walk and talk, leading to a 44-hour communion in which Jesus teaches:

  • The reasons for scriptural parables and perceived biblical contradictions
  • The history of creation and time
  • The nature of salvation, faith, and how all is rooted in love—not rigid doctrine
  • Details about heaven, including the “new earth” to come

• Quote from Robert:

  "He shared with me what he wants me to share with other people because of questions people have...He taught me about the Bible, why it was written...everything." (49:31, Robert Marshall)

6. Miraculous Return and Physical Resurrection (55:06–97:38)

• Jesus offers Robert the choice to return, with strict conditions:

  • He would be restored as if he had never died: new brain, new organs, total healing, no physical or cognitive impairment
  • He must share this experience widely and truthfully
  • He must endure intense pain upon returning, akin to what was medically done to his body, so that he would fully understand suffering and sacrifice

  “I will send you back as if you had never died, as if you had never had anything wrong with you in your entire life.” (58:38, Robert Marshall)

• Upon revival, a series of scientifically baffling events occur:

  • His blood type changes, documented both pre- and post-death

    “I was a type A. I'm now a type O. My DNA doesn't match.” (59:20, Robert Marshall)

  • MRI scans reveal a perfectly healthy brain—no scarring, no damage—despite prolonged clinical brain death
  • Organ function is fully restored
  • A tracheotomy wound, expected to leave a massive scar, closes overnight without a mark

    "It's totally healed, that hole in my neck. There's nothing...I mean, nothing. No. And that overnight, like in 12, 13 hours, that hole went. Everything." (94:18, Robert Marshall)

• Medical staff are confounded, repeatedly calling the outcome a miracle.

  • A dramatic moment: Robert, presumed brain-dead, squeezes his wife's finger and then follows the doctor's commands by raising his arms, wiggling his feet, and even blinking on command.

    [Doctor]: “If you can hear me, raise your arms.”
    [Robert]: “I raised both arms...the doctor on that little chair scooch[ed] back and goes, 'What the—?’” (81:02, 81:09, Robert Marshall)

7. Aftermath: Transformation, Mission, and Message (97:38–123:16)

• Robert is radically changed—emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.
  • He describes a shift from arrogance and competitiveness to compassion, gratitude, and joy.

    “Before I hate to say this, I was a very obstinate, arrogant, self-serving individual...Now, I don't even care anymore...I'm not the same person.” (107:05–109:51, Robert Marshall)

• Both family and medical professionals recognize the profound transformation and the incontrovertible physical evidence.
• Robert is tasked by Jesus to share his story, answer questions honestly, and spread the core truth of divine love and salvation.
  • He establishes a ministry and publishes his book, “44 Hours in Heaven,” donating proceeds to further his outreach.
  • He is gifted a newfound talent for songwriting, which he also attributes to his experience in heaven.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Heaven’s Sensory Overload:

  “The trees in heaven are like—our oak trees compared to the trees in heaven are like little dying branches. The colors are so vibrant and bright...It's not like three-dimensional—it's like gazillion-dimensional.” (16:33, Robert Marshall)

• On Love and Peace:

  “You just feel the most peaceful, loving feeling...a huge giant hug...You're connected to everything and everything just fills you with love...” (17:32, Robert Marshall)

• On the Mission Jesus Gives Him:

  “I will command you to share everything that I taught you, everything you learned, everything you experienced in heaven—including how you died, why you died, and the miracle that I performed to bring you back.” (59:57, Robert Marshall)

• On the Medical Staff’s Shock:

  “He gets up next to my ears, and...screams: 'If you can hear me, raise your arms.'...I raised both arms...the doctor on that little chair scooch back and goes, 'What the—?’” (81:02–81:09, Robert Marshall)

• On Faith and Love:

  “If it's not being done out of that, then you're trying to do things out of the world. Anything not out of love is contrary to love...You have to believe and that's available to anybody, anywhere, anytime.” (118:23, Robert Marshall)

Key Timestamps

• Medical Emergency & Death: 03:39–11:29
• First Afterlife Experience: 15:23–19:16
• Meeting His Father in Heaven: 19:16–24:28
• Pets in Heaven & Telepathic Communication: 32:13–35:26
• Physical Resurrection Discussion: 55:06–59:57
• Proof and Medical Reactions: 72:10–98:00
• Message to Medical Staff: 101:50–106:34
• Life, Transformation, and Philosophy Post-NDE: 107:05–123:16

Flow, Tone, and Takeaways

• The conversation is frank, humble, and peppered with humor—Robert especially makes light of his previous personality and the doctors’ reactions post-miracle.
• Themes include radical forgiveness, the overwhelming power and interconnectedness of love, the reality of the afterlife, the continuity of consciousness, the inclusion of pets in the afterlife, and the limits of human science when facing the divine.
• Robert’s miraculous healing is presented as medically irrefutable, spurring widespread acceptance—even among skeptics—of his testimony’s authenticity, at least regarding the physical documentation.

Final Thoughts

This episode offers a deeply personal and dramatic testament to near-death, eternity, and healing—blending spiritual insights with clinical evidence, and underscoring a mission of love, transformation, and service. It’s especially significant for anyone wrestling with loss, the nature of consciousness, or the afterlife.

For more, visit 44hoursinheavenministries.org.