What the.... Hell?

I don't have a lot of time to put up much of a post right now, but I feel like I need to write a little something and possibly go a little deeper after I've had some more time to reflect on it.

I was at a Bible study this morning and the conversation turned towards our understanding of heaven and hell. Let me just say to begin with that I understand, on a very basic level, that hell is total separation from God, all the while knowing that He does indeed exist. It is living eternally with the knowledge of an amazing, unbelievable God and also knowing that you will never be in relationship with him. One of the people in the group gave me a book to read. It's a book that I've seen on the shelves at the bookstore time and time again. Though I've been mildly interested in it, I never really wanted to pull the trigger to buy it.

The book is 23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese. Mr. Wiese is a realtor in California who had an incredible experience in which he spent 23 minutes in hell. His story is incredible, and quite frankly, has challenged some of my thoughts on hell. I still maintain that hell is a total separation from God and it is being aware of that separation, but I have never reflected too deeply on the physical aspects of hell. This book has, at the very least, caused me to consider some of what Scripture has to say on a more literal level.

I won't go into much more detail than that right now. I really need to spend some time thinking and praying about what I've read. But if you have a chance, pick it up. It's an easy read. I started it around 5:30pm or 6:00pm tonight and finished it before 10:00pm, and that was with eating dinner during that timeframe. Let me know what you think.