23 minutes in hell (7 page)

8. “Perfect love [which Jesus is] casts out fear” (1 John 4:18).

9. “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst” (John 4:13–14). “And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17).

10. USS “Indianapolis” (CA-35) Survivors, “Only 317 Survived!” (Indianapolis, IN: Printing Partners, 2002), 183.

11. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it” (Matt. 7:13).

12. A. W. Pink, Eternal Punishment, Introduction, paragraph 6, http://www.crta.org/eschaton/pink_eternal_punishment.html (accessed August 4, 2005).

13. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Rom. 5:8–9). See also Romans 6:23; John 3:16.

Chapter 5

Confirmations

Seven years have now passed since my visit to hell, and we have not solicited one door. But God has given us numerous opportunities to speak at dozens of churches, to share on television broadcasts and several radio broadcasts, all by invitation. I am still somewhat hesitant because I personally have never been one who enjoyed public speaking. Given the seriousness of the subject matter, it’s easy to see how people could think that I either had a bad dream or that I’m just plain crazy. Either way, it’s sometimes not easy to tell the whole story again.

That is not to say that I don’t welcome the opportunities when they arise. They are one of the strongest confirmations to me personally that God wants this message to be heard. The e-mails, calls, and countless reports of many who have become Christians after hearing me tell my experience continue to reaffirm that God is opening the doors.

God has confirmed this experience many times. In this chapter I will share several incidents that have occurred.

A Second Glimpse

One day after the November 22, 1998, experience, I was going to drop off some business-related paperwork at a friend’s home. Coincidentally, this was the same house my wife and I were at the night before, just prior to my journey to hell. While driving to their home, I voiced to the Lord, “Lord, can You simply confirm that I truly was there last night? It’s just so wild to think I actually went to hell. Could You show me just a glimpse of that place again for just a few seconds?”

I pulled up in front of their home and parked. Suddenly I was in hell once more. However, this time was different. During my first visit to hell, I was a participant in the suffering. This time, I was there only as an observer. Even so, just being there was enough to terrify me again.

This “tour” lasted no longer than ten seconds before I was back in my car, trying to deal with what had happened, now for the second time. It took me a good twenty minutes, sitting alone in my car, to calm down and gather myself to where I could conduct the business I needed to conduct. The shock stayed with me as I entered the home and barely spoke a word. At one point, my friend asked, “Are you all right?”

I simply replied, “Oh, I’m fine, thank you,” then finished my business and left.

As I was driving home, my first thought was that I needed to tell my wife what had happened. I realized, “This is pretty serious.” I was stunned by what I had seen but also grateful that the Lord had so quickly answered my prayer and confirmed the experience so concretely. However, I had enough of that place. I asked the Lord to never, ever take me back there. To this day, He hasn’t.

A Divine Interruption

One week later, I was having lunch with three local pastors. As we were sitting in the restaurant having light conversation, one of the pastors mentioned having some repair work done on his car. Out of the blue, he abruptly changed the subject matter and turned to me and said, “Can you imagine how horrible it must be for people in hell? It must be so awful. We must warn people.” Then, just as abruptly, he turned to the other pastors and continued to discuss his car repairs. It was as if he and the other pastors didn’t even notice what was said. It was really strange, since all of them were unaware of my experience at this point. It was as if God was using him to speak to me.

No more than three months later my wife and I were with this same group of pastors. The same pastor who spoke to me of hell at that earlier lunch now felt compelled to say, “Bill, I sense that you have been through something traumatic. You should tell us about it.” It wasn’t until then that I shared the experience with them.

A Divine Connection

I had not wanted to tell anyone what had happened, and did not for three weeks. My wife and I were at lunch with a couple with whom we are friends, and my wife felt that I should share my experience with them. After I had told them, they mentioned a certain book by a woman who had also seen hell and asked if we had read it. We told them that we had not. They said that in her book this woman told of some of the same experiences that I had talked about. We purchased the book and couldn’t put it down. We wanted to meet the author, but we did not know how to contact her personally, much less set up a meeting.

Two or so weeks later, I was on the phone with my mom, planning a trip to visit with them. During our conversation, she told me how she had recently listened to a tape by a woman who gave her testimony about a visit to hell. It turned out to be the very woman whose book we had just read. So I proceeded to tell my mom what had happened to me. After a few more days, my mother called me back. She had discovered that she and this woman attended the same church.

When we arrived for our visit, we discovered that this woman had also arrived the same day. And when we attended church on Sunday, she did, too. This in itself was a miracle, because her speaking schedule keeps her busy throughout the world and doesn’t allow her to attend many services per year. After the service we got the chance to meet her, and we talked for about three hours. It helped me immensely to be able to talk with someone else who had been there.

She was able to tell me some of the things that she went through after her experience, and this helped prepare me for what I encountered. She knew just what I was going through, and she was able to explain many of my feelings. Over the next few months, there were times when I would find myself in circumstances, or feeling a certain way, and her generous words would come to my memory and help me through whatever I was facing. I truly believe it was no accident that I was able to meet her.

A Gentle Giant

When in hell, I had only thought specifically of three people: my wife, my friend Pastor Raul, and someone we didn’t know personally but had seen frequently at the gym. This third man did not know us, but you couldn’t miss him when he was around because of how massive and powerfully built he was. I remember thinking of him as I was being held down by some of the demons in hell. He came to my mind as I thought, “Even the strongest guy I’ve seen would be no match for these creatures.”

About two weeks after my experience, my wife and I were at the gym, riding stationary bikes, when the huge man walked past us. He suddenly stopped and said, “Do you mind if I ask you a question?”

We said no, that we wouldn’t mind, so he asked, “Do you know anything about God?”

“Yes,” we replied.

“I know this might sound weird,” he continued, “but I feel like God is calling me. I just had this feeling that I should stop and talk to you.”

We talked with him at length, and we became friends. After time, he also received Jesus as his Savior. As we got to know him, I discovered that he had won the World’s Strongest Man contest in 1996, and he’s still one of the biggest men I have ever seen.

Church Leaders Listen

Three months after my experience, I called a close friend of twenty-five years, Darrel Ballman, and his wife, Evie, to confide in them. They are two of the most mature and seasoned Christians I know. Darrel has always been a respected church leader and very knowledgeable in biblical matters. After I told them my story, they asked me to speak to approximately fifty church leaders and pastors that they would invite to their home. It turned out to be a great meeting. Everyone there felt that the experience was genuine and appreciated what I had shared.

One of the pastors talked to us afterward. He told us that he had been praying recently and felt that he was going to be learning more about hell in the near future. He thought that God was going to reveal some truths about hell to him, and that he was to share them with his congregation. This had been published in their newsletter. A few weeks later, he felt a desire to call a friend of his named Darrel. He didn’t have a particular reason to call him, but felt that he should. In their phone conversation, Darrel mentioned that he was going to have a man come to his house and speak of his recent journey to hell. Immediately, this minister spoke up and said, “That’s it! I’m supposed to be there.” So he came.

After hearing our testimony and speaking with us afterward, he was convinced that my wife and I were to come and visit his church. In fact, many of the other leaders also asked us to come and speak to their church or Bible study. We accepted each invitation and witnessed God’s love draw many to Christ.

An Answer to a Prayer

Another time my wife and I were asked to speak at a large Russian church in Sacramento. We went, and it turned out to be a marvelous experience, one we will never forget. It was a very orthodox but Spirit-filled church. The women still wore the shawls over their heads and dresses down to their ankles. Many had escaped Russia and had been in the concentration camps in Germany during the 1940s.

After speaking that evening, one of the elders of the church came up to us and told us through an interpreter that he was a Russian Jew and had been thrown in the ovens at one of the prisoner camps. A friend had pulled him out of the oven and was able to bring him back to life. He said that during that experience, he had died and had been taken to hell. He told me he had seen exactly what I had shared with the group that night.

With tears streaming down his weathered face, he said that he had prayed that one day someone would come and confirm what he had seen. Finally, after fifty-six years, his prayer was answered. He had written a book about his experience, which he signed and gave to us. He thanked us so much for coming and answering his prayer for all those years. Knowing that we had been an answer to that old man’s prayers after all those years left us with a feeling of great honor and humility.

The next night I was asked to speak on the Russian TV broadcast that would air in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Canada, and Russia. This old gentleman came out to the TV station and sat in the front row to honor and encourage us. We appreciated that very much. The Russian people, especially those who head up the TV ministry, were exceptional people. They were so dedicated to serving the Lord. We really liked them and have remained in contact with them. They were so grateful to be in America and to have all the freedoms that we take so for granted. We knew we were in God’s perfect will in going on that trip.

A College Classroom

I was being interviewed on a radio program with Holly McClure, and an e-mail came in from a professor at a college in Southern California. This was a public college, not a Christian school. The professor asked if I would share my experience with his philosophy class, as they were discussing life-after-death issues. My wife and I went, and we found it to be another “being in God’s will” experience.

I had not gotten five minutes into the story before there were hands flying into the air with questions—very good questions. They were so unfamiliar with the things of God, but they were eager to learn and get answers. They wanted to know many things: “Why would there be such a place as hell?” “Why would God send anyone there?” “How do you know this wasn’t just your own preconceived and learned ideas that caused you to perhaps just dream up such a thing?” “How can one be good enough, then, to go to heaven?” “Don’t you have to work your way to salvation?” and so on.

We were able to clear up numerous questions for these young people. Most of the students had never read a Bible or been exposed to church. Very few of them had ever seen “The Ten Commandments” movie or any other religious films. So many of today’s young people are taught that whatever seems right to them is OK. They are not told that there is a definite right and wrong, and they know nothing about God’s great love for them and His will for their lives.

It’s very interesting to see how young people react to this story. To be honest, I’m not the type of person to whom they would naturally be drawn. There are many who are more dynamic, more exciting, more charismatic, and who would seem to better fit the part. But I think that’s just another confirmation that God is behind this message.

Normally, younger people have a short attention span and need constant entertainment if you want to hold their interest. Nevertheless, almost every opportunity I have had to speak to that generation has been very fruitful. They always seem to listen intently and absorb every word.

Radio Call

After a radio interview with Holly McClure, a woman called in. She said she was driving down the road with her teenage son, and he was listening to some awful, “headbanger” music. She told him she couldn’t stand hearing it any longer and tried changing the station. He kept changing it back to his music. She changed it again, this time to Holly’s interview with me. The son listened for approximately fifteen seconds, and then told his mother to keep it there. She was shocked. He listened to the entire program and told her he needed to accept the Lord. He didn’t want to go to hell. She was amazed, as she had tried for so long to get through to him. She called to thank Holly for having me on the air.

The Younger Generation

I’ll never forget when my wife and I were invited to a pastor’s home in the Anaheim Hills area of Southern California. Their home had a very large rear yard, and to our amazement they had it set up with a full stage, screen, and professional lighting. Approximately two hundred high-school students came that evening to hear some Christian musicians and, afterward, my account of hell. They really put forth a tremendous effort, and it was wonderful to see so many young people dedicate and rededicate their lives to Christ.