It was three in the morning on Nov. 23, 1998, when Bill Wiese got up for a glass of water and never made it to the kitchen. A 28-year Christian and real estate broker, Wiese was pulled out of his body and hurled through a blazing tunnel — landing, conscious and terrified, in a stone prison cell in hell.
The account became a New York Times bestseller. Over a million copies later, Wiese is still talking — not to frighten, but to warn. In an interview on Heaven Encounters with Randy Kay, Wiese provided the details of that harrowing experience.
The Cell
The first thing Wiese felt was the heat. “It was so far beyond the ability to sustain life,” he told Kay. “I wondered, ‘How can I be alive? I should be incinerated in this blast furnace.'”
The walls were rough-hewn stone. The darkness was not merely an absence of light — it was a tangible presence. Wiese pointed to Exodus 10:21, which describes a darkness that “may be felt,” adding: “It just seems to consume and go right through every cell in your body.”
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Two massive reptilian demons occupied the cell with him, which he says were 12 to 13 feet tall, had scales and claws, and paced like caged animals while they blasphemed God.
Then they turned on Wiese.
One threw him against the wall with such force that he felt every bone shatter. The other tore open his chest with its claws. There was no blood. Leviticus 17:11 says the life of the flesh is in the blood, and in hell, there is no life.
They have an extreme hatred for God. And they can’t hurt God, but they can hurt His creation. So, they get pleasure in hurting what God esteems the highest. — Bill Wiese
The Worst Part
God deliberately hid Wiese’s identity as a Christian during the experience. The reason was intentional: “He wanted me to experience what they feel. Hopelessness.” Isaiah 38:18 confirms that those in the pit cannot hope for truth. Jesus said He is the Truth — and in hell, He is utterly absent.
The worst torment, Wiese insists, is the crushing, eternal certainty that you will never get out. “Here in life, we always have hope,” he said. “Even if your situation is so dire, you’re in such agony, you can always die to escape the pain. But in hell, you can’t. You’ll never escape. You’ll never get out.”
Why Hell Exists — and Why God Weeps Over It
Kay asked the hardest question: why would a loving God allow this? Wiese’s answer was precise. Hell was prepared for the devil, not mankind (Matt. 25:41).
In preparing it, God withdrew His own attributes from the space — His light, His love, His mercy, His strength, His very breath. James 1:17 says every good and perfect gift comes from above. Remove God, and every good thing goes with Him.
You can’t have the good without God. You can’t separate the two. So, that’s why hell is so horrible. He’s withdrawn his goodness or his attributes. — Bill Wiese
On the way back from hell, Wiese says God allowed him to feel a piece of His heart — the anguish over every soul that falls. He watched people who had just died dropping one after another into the pit.
“I couldn’t stand,” Wiese recalled. “I said, ‘Lord, I can’t even feel a little piece of the anguish that You feel for a soul falling into hell.'”
The Choice Is Yours
Wiese is careful to draw a clear line: God doesn’t send anyone to hell. Jesus said in Matthew 12:37 that people’s own words condemn them — specifically, the word of rejection. People say they reject Jesus as the only way, Wiese explained, and so their own words condemn them.
Hell is eternal — not a temporary holding cell, not an annihilation. Jesus used the same Greek word, aionios, for everlasting punishment and everlasting life (Matt. 25:46).
As Wiese told Kay plainly: “Just as heaven is everlasting, so is hell everlasting. He used the same word.”
This decision’s really important because one second after you die, it’s too late. You won’t get a second chance. — Bill Wiese
When Jesus appeared to Wiese in the tunnel — a man outlined in holy, blinding light — Wiese said only one word: “Jesus.” Jesus replied: “I Am.” Wiese collapsed.
When he came to, he says the gratitude was overwhelming.
“I was so thankful,” he told Kay, “because one second ago, it was in my mind that I’m here forever. And now He placed it back in my mind that I’m a Christian. I don’t have to go to hell.”
Wiese’s testimony is a reminder that life really is eternal, and it is our decision how we will spend that eternity.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
