23 minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese

[nebula]

Just because you had a psychotic episode does not mean that you will continue to have them. The hallucination of being tormented by demons and even being sent to hell for a short time is not an uncommon hallucination among individuals suffering from acute schizophrenia. Hell is more horrible than anything the human mind can possibly comprehend, thus one can't just up and write a book about an existence that which is absolutely impossible for the human mind to comprehend.

Think about it this way, there are experiences people have here in the natural world that leave even the strongest individuals in a state of complete mental breakdown. Hell would be inconceivably worse than anything no matter how horrible we could experience here on earth. If someone were to even experience such a torment even for a second, they would be in no condition ever to be able to recant their experience or much less write a book about it.

How do you know these people did not have a genuine spiritual encounter or experience?

[forrestkc]

You can have no prior history of mental illness, have a couple of psychotic episodes, and go the rest of your life without having another one. That is very symptomatic of acute schizophrenia.

Moreover, hallucinations often deal with the individuals religious beliefs, and they can be so surreal that one cannot fully comprehend or express their experiences later.

Forrest, when Daniel and the Apostle John and others in the Scriptures had their visions, do you believe those were hallucinations, or made up stories?

No, but the accounts of their experiences is in the Bible, not some book written by a former realtor for sale on Amazon. Probably half of the schizophrenics out there have experienced hallucinations of demons and torment, do you believe they actually were all seeing demons?

[forrestkc]

Just because you had a psychotic episode does not mean that you will continue to have them. The hallucination of being tormented by demons and even being sent to hell for a short time is not an uncommon hallucination among individuals suffering from acute schizophrenia. Hell is more horrible than anything the human mind can possibly comprehend, thus one can't just up and write a book about an existence that which is absolutely impossible for the human mind to comprehend.

Think about it this way, there are experiences people have here in the natural world that leave even the strongest individuals in a state of complete mental breakdown. Hell would be inconceivably worse than anything no matter how horrible we could experience here on earth. If someone were to even experience such a torment even for a second, they would be in no condition ever to be able to recant their experience or much less write a book about it.

How do you know these people did not have a genuine spiritual encounter or experience?

How do you know that disease is not caused by spiritual deficiencies rather than bacteria and viruses?

[7thseal]

No, but the accounts of their experiences is in the Bible,

So if someone receives healing or prophecy for example, we shouldn't believe it because their testimony is not in the Bible?

[Guest shiloh357]

You can have no prior history of mental illness, have a couple of psychotic episodes, and go the rest of your life without having another one. That is very symptomatic of acute schizophrenia.

Moreover, hallucinations often deal with the individuals religious beliefs, and they can be so surreal that one cannot fully comprehend or express their experiences later.

Forrest, when Daniel and the Apostle John and others in the Scriptures had their visions, do you believe those were hallucinations, or made up stories?

No, but the accounts of their experiences is in the Bible, not some book written by a former realtor for sale on Amazon. Probably half of the schizophrenics out there have experienced hallucinations of demons and torment, do you believe they actually were all seeing demons?

Yes, and how many of the contemporaries of the original apostles might have seen them as having lost their minds over the visions they experienced from God?

If Paul were recounting today for the first time, about his vision of going into heaven, instead of 2,000 years ago, you would say Paul was having a psychotic episode, would you not? By what erected standard could God NOT give a similar vision today? What rules out the possbility that some of what we call "mental illness" might actually be demonic oppression? Is there something about humanity today that makes us impervious to such oppression?

[forrestkc]

No, but the accounts of their experiences is in the Bible,

So if someone receives healing or prophecy for example, we shouldn't believe it because their testimony is not in the Bible?

I am not a charismatic, so I am quite skeptical of any prophecies that someone might claim to have received from God. 99.999999999999999999% of the time, they don't stand up to scrutiny.

[sweetycakes]

Personally, I don't think these people were mentally ill or schizophrenic when they had their 'visions' or 'revelations'

These people are active on the preaching circuit, and speak coherently.

Myself, I would not be quite so quick to dismiss their experiences out of hand.

Just my 2 euro's worth.....

[forrestkc]

Yes, and how many of the contemporaries of the original apostles might have seen them as having lost their minds over the visions they experienced from God?

If Paul were writing today for the first time about his vision of heaven instead of 2,000 years ago, by your standard Paul was having a psychotic episode. By what standard could NOT give a similar vision today? What rules out the possbility that some of what we call "mental illness" might actually be demonic oppression? Is there something about humanity today that makes us impervious to such oppression?

I am not saying that it is impossible, I am saying that it is highly unlikely. Would you not agree that it is highly unlikely?

[7thseal]

, so I am quite skeptical of any prophecies that someone might claim to have received from God.

Amen and we should be. But that doesn't rule out that God just might continue doing the supernatural just as he's done in the past.

[mikerunk]

Think about it this way, there are experiences people have here in the natural world that leave even the strongest individuals in a state of complete mental breakdown. Hell would be inconceivably worse than anything no matter how horrible we could experience here on earth. If someone were to even experience such a torment even for a second, they would be in no condition ever to be able to recant their experience or much less write a book about it

This is were faith comes in, this is were christ comes in. If christ wants some one to witness hell in the hope that by them reaccounting there expirence so that others might come to christ for salvation, then it will be done. God choose Bill Wiese and Mary K Baxter so they could go out in the world to tell what they saw, so that many might be saved. That was the purpose of there visite to hell, it is why christ took them there, it wasn't out of spite or trying to be mean, it was out of love. Hell was created for Satan and the angels, not use. He has no desire for use to go to hell and is doing all that he can to prevent that. Yet all this comes down to use choosing to follow christ.

Forrestkc, please go buy the book read it listen to what he has to say, go by Mary K Baxter book and listen to what she says. Both of them explain how and why they were taken. The main reason there able to tell of there experience in hell is for two reasons, one god has taken the fear away (well most of it any way) but left there memories in tact, the other is that while were alive there is always hope. Like said both of them explain these things yet you have to read the book.

Both of them state that people should read the bible, to study it and learn. Now do I know for sure that what happen is real, no. However I believe in them, something inside of me tells me there telling the truth. I will put my faith in christ plain and simple, I hope you will do the samething.