23 Minutes In Hell: One Man's Story About What He Saw, Heard, and Felt in that Place of Torment

Well, Bill Wiese claims to have gone to Hell for 23 minutes and claims that this is the record of that trip, with various messages for "the church".

Sadly, Bill Wiese is so utterly incorrect on even the most clear biblical facts, this book is demonstrably theological fiction. I'm not going to waste time clearing up the plethora of strange, incorrect and downright nonsense statements in the book. I will say a few things that, if true, should cause any half-brained believer to toss this book out the window.

I'm not saying that Bill didn't experience some sort of vision like he records in the book. I'm also not saying that he didn't experience what he even claims he did. Bill possibly had an amazing experience and saw amazing things.

I am definitely claiming that his interpretation of what happened to him is utterly, demonstrably, inescapably, untrue for the following reasons:

1. Bill claims to have gone to Hell and seen demons working there, maintaining prison cells and whatnot.

Several Problems:

a. Demons don't rule, or even work, in "Hell". Revelation 20:10 says that the Devil, the beast and the false prophet (and therefore the Devil's lesser co-workers), will be thrown into "Hell". It's not a place of demonic employment, but a place of demonic suffering. The Devil doesn't rule in "Hell"; this idea is from movies and Greek mythology, not the Bible. Matthew 8:29 suggests that the demons know they're going to a place of suffering...not a new job in a celestial prison.

b. "Hell" is only ever described as a place of fiery torment, and Gehenna is a lake of fire. There's never mention of prison cells, or organization of any sort. Again, this idea of "Hell" comes from popular media and culture and is nowhere to be found in the Bible at all.

2. Bill Wiese claims to have gone to "Hell", where he saw wicked people.

One major problem:

The judgment hasn't happened yet and the wicked aren't in "Hell". Rev. 20:11-15 suggests, RATHER strongly, that if Bill could have possibly have gone to "Hell", it would have been empty. The final judgment hasn't occurred yet and the place of eternal torment doesn't have a single person in it...yet.

Now, the astute reader has noticed that I've put the word 'Hell' in quotations, and for good reason. The Bible distinguishes between "Hell" and "the lake of fire", and they're not the same thing at all. I definitely didn't get the sense that Bill Wiese knows that at all; he talked like he was talking about being in the place of eternal torment, not the place of temporary holding before the final judgment. I suspect that Bill Wiese doesn't have the theological sophistication to recognize the difference between the two. He doesn't make any differentiation between the holding place of the wicked and final suffering place of the wicked. When Bill talks about "Hell", he's talking about where the wicked are for eternity. That place isn't even called "Hell".

3. Bill Wiese claims to have come back from Hell.

Epic theological problem.

If Bill Wiese is a Christian, and Hell is the place of God's unmitigated wrath against sinners, then there's no possible way for him to go to Hell, let alone come back. 1 Thess. 1:10 says that Jesus rescues Christians from God's coming wrath; that wrath is eternal torment in Hell. 1 Thess. 5:9 suggests that Christians are not appointed to suffer wrath, and if Bill claims to have suffered the unmitigated wrath of God against sin in Hell (which is the ONLY thing that occurs there) even for a second, God is a liar.

Bill Wiese went SOMEWHERE and saw SOMETHING, but he didn't go to Hell.

God's word is so clear about these things that the only realistic options are:

a. Bill Wiese has been demonically deceived (unknowingly)

b. Bill Wiese has been mislead by his pastor/spiritual influence in his life to claim these lies.

b. Bill Wiese is a knowing false teacher and will realize one day, far too late, how terribly "off" his vision was.

This book rings the theological gong with both hands.

Read at your own risk.

As a child I saw many movies about hell and decided it was not a place I ever wanted to be in for eternity. Bill Wiese claims he not only saw images of hell, but that he experienced it physically and emotionally for 23 minutes.

Can you go to hell and live to tell about it?
Do children go to hell?
Will good people only go to heaven?
Are there demons in hell?
Is hell a real place with real fire?
Will you remember your life on earth while in hell?

Bill Wiese answers all these questions and also backs up his own experience with biblical references. His story is convincing and told from the perspective of someone who was placed in a position of extreme stress and vulnerability. He describes his 23 minutes in detail and in a very convincing manner. Dreams can be very vivid and so at the start you have to either believe this is true or decide it isn't something you are willing to believe.

In the first third of the book he explains his horrifying experience of being in hell and then in the second section he talks about near death experiences and why there is hope for anyone who wants to avoid going to hell after they die. In the third section he focuses on verses from the Bible to give a more complete view of hell.

The thoughts in this book are somewhat sobering and the idea of spending eternity in a state of emotional distress and physical pain is more than enough motivation to try to find a way not to duplicate Bill Wiese's experience. Fortunately he does provide a message of hope and explains how Jesus Christ is the answer and the Savior of the soul.

If you are interested in more on Jesus Christ, I can highly
recommend [[ASIN:0310394910 The Gospel According to Jesus]]

~The Rebecca Review

Written by Bill Wiese, '23 Minutes In Hell' purports to be his story of the author's brief visit to hell.

Admittedly, I was skeptical about the book before I started reading it. That only intensified as I read Wiese's book. Essentially, he claims that he was taken from his house, transported to hell, tortured, observed all kinds of demonic activity, and then was brought back by Jesus personally and had a conversation with Him.

Obviously, no one except Wiese and God know the truth for sure. Here are some things that we can consider. In the story of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man died and was buried. He then had a conversation with Abraham and asked to have Lazarus go and warn his brothers about hell. He wanted them to avoid his fate. Abraham replied: 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' Are we to think that although we are told that unbelievers will not believe even if someone rises from the dead, they will take the word of a California realtor?

In the book, Wiese claims that Jesus made it so that he would not remember he was a Christian during his trip to hell. One wonders how that correlates with Titus 1:2 which indicates that God does not lie.

Another claim made by Wiese is that in his converation with Jesus, he was told that he was taken to hell so that he would spread the message that He would be returning 'very soon' - that time was running out. Wiese says that he should have asked Jesus how long. The Scriptures tell us clearly that only the Father knows the time of his return.

Another consideration is that the whole point of Mr. Wiese's 'testimony' is his claim of a special revelation from God. This implies that the general revelation of God's word is insufficient. One might ponder how that fits with Revelation 22:18-19 which clearly warns not to add or take away from the words of 'this book of prophecy'. It gives very clear consequences for such action.

My advice for Christians would be to avoid this book like the plague and certainly not recommend it to others.

One critic of Bill Wiese's 23 Minutes in Hell quoted Luke 16:27-31, saying, "No one can come back from Hell and warn others; they have the prophets and the [Law of Moses]--let them believe them." This is a good observation, but when Jesus told that story, it was before His Resurrection. But after Christ's Resurrection, He acquired the Keys of Hell (Rev. 1:18c). And even so, Jonah, the OT prophet, went to Hell and back (2:2). Therefore, the passage in Luke applied to the rich man, but not to all people at all times. Also, in light of Luke 16:31, we learn that only Bible-Believers have the ability to believe in Extra-Biblical Revelations, such as Wiese's and Mary K. Baxter's A Divine Revelation of Hell. Other critics quote Hebrews 13:5 in light of the fact that Baxter's and Wiese's stories involve God leaving them alone in Hell for periods of time. But we must also consider Psalm 139:8, and that Baxter and Wiese are alive and well today, and that God did not abandon them--that is, they never really were forsaken, but only appeared to be. God was watching them the whole time.

If true, this book is totally depressing, even for a Christian. If children don't go to Hell, wouldn't it be better to die as a child? Better still, why bother having children at all? If there was the slightest chance any of my kids would wind up in Hell I would rather have none. In fact it would be better if the entire planet would stop having children and let the human race become extinct. It also sounds like the demons are having a relatively good deal in Hell. If being burnt alive is just punishment, does that mean because of having the bad luck to be born into the wrong faith, and you just don't "get it" about Jesus, He will sentence you to cook alive? Did all the people who were tortured, used for medical experiments, put into ovens during the Holocaust, wind up up in Hell? Was Hitler's ghastly genocide just a precursor to what God is going to do to people? If so, then why was Hitler stopped? After all, these non-Christians were getting their just reward ( in advance of course ). How come the apostles didn't make the awfulness of Hell one of their primary reasons for becoming Christian? I don't see the apostle Paul screaming at people to avoid this awful place.( Of course he didn't seem to give Christmas presents either ). God is Love, and not willing that any should perish ( or so it is written ). what do YOU think about God, Jesus, Holy Spirit looking down on people being tortured? God have mercy on us all, IN THE NAME OF JESUS.

If you don't straighten up and fly right after this testimony, you never will. If you study the word. Even if he didn't experience the events, it got me thinking, "I don't want to be caught short when Jesus returns, and if this is remotely close; Hell is not where you want to spend eternity!

SOME PROBLEMS WITH THIS STORY: 1) NO ONE BUT THE AUTHOR AND HIS WIFE WITNESSED THIS EXPERIENCE, THERE WAS NO NEAR DEATH OR EVEN COMA LIKE EVENT AND NO INDEPENDENT CORROBORATION 2) HE HAS NEVER SUBMITTED TO A LIE DETECTOR TEST AS TO WHETHER IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED 3) EVEN NDES (NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCERS) HAVE NEVER REPORTED SUCH AN EXTENDED PERIOD ON THE OTHER SIDE 4)HOW DOES THE AUTHOR KNOW IT WAS EXACTLY 23 MINUTES? 5) WHY DID HE SOON START A VERY PROFITABLE BOOK AND SPEAKING CAREER AND MINISTRY AFTER THIS EVENT?

The author isn't talking about being forced to listen to Florence Foster Jenkins singing the Brunnhilde role in the Ring cycle, or an episode of "Joanie Loves Chachi" with the commercials edited out. He's talking about an actual trip to the real Hell, complete with flames, demons, and everything. So I decided to try it myself.

I found myself in a field of whatever kind of wheat they make Cream of Wheat out of. All around me ran tiny pink animals with the heads of elephants and the bodies of the Pokemon character "Jigglypuff," but with feathers like a Major Mitchell Cockatoo. Suddenly, Dick Cheney appeared riding Pushmi-Pullyu, the two-headed llama from "Doctor Doolittle," and proceeded to smother me with a 1970s-era promotional t-shirt from a KISS concert at the L.A. Forum. I couldn't breathe, but all I remember thinking was, "What's he doing? This thing could be worth $30 on eBay!"

I was rescued in the nick of time by Bolivian President Evo Morales, wielding a gigantic brick of Gruyere cheese, while in the background, the ghost of Jackie Gleason was playing the theme from "Love Story" on a vuvuzela, pausing occasionally to read from the text of the Lalor-Virtue Agreement.

What did I learn from all this? That I need to switch to a different brand of Absinthe.

I never like to give a bad review, I can usually find something nice to say but just by the title I guess you could guess this was not going to be a walk in the park. Well had the writing been a little bit better I can honestly say I may have read more than the into and first few pages but honestly folks this one is not even worth you picking up. While things like this interest me and I do believe there is Good and Evil, Heaven and Hell and I know of People in this world that I feel have been touched by both and believe me the evil wins out too many times, what goes into this book stated to make me wonder just with the first few pages I read if this was a REALLY VIVID DREAM that nobody can convince this person of otherwise? It’s all just too fishy to me. Maybe because I have read other books similar to this but about heaven especially with children that this made ME uncomfortable BUT while I know they are trying to get the word out I feel like hmmm what is behind this? Again maybe I would have had another conclusion had I read more but between the less than stellar writing and the lack of real interest but fear being put into you I feel this is one that will sit on the shelves.

This is the worst kind of delusional fire and brimstone writing I have ever read in my life.

There is no doubt in my mind that this is without any kind of psychological merit whatsoever. In fact I'll say right here and right now that this piece of literary trash could be extremely psychologically damaging.

Anyone who is already struggling with any type of psychological issue could be permanently negatively impacted by this mess. It could push them into an area where they may be dangerous to themselves and others.

I'm issuing a warning right now to all those who know what I'm saying and who are not under any form of cultish mind control...This book is dangerous and should be avoided at all costs. It absolutely should be kept out of the hands of children as well.

While I know I'm inviting all kinds of "fundamentalist" wrath and ungodly comments from the Christians offering scripture quotes and prayer I'm willing to take that chance.

This book should be banned and every copy burned.