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Immediately
after being killed in a car accident nearly fifteen years ago, Don
Piper went to heaven. EMTs on the scene determined he had been killed
instantly after a semi had swerved into his lane, crushing his car.
But Piper was unaware of the chaos swirling around his body on earth
- he knew only that he was surrounded by loved ones and friends,
magnificent light, a sense of pure peace and the most glorious music
he had ever heard.
"When I
died, I didn't flow through a long, dark tunnel. I had no sense
of fading away or of coming back. I never felt my body being transported
into the light. I heard no voices calling to me or anything else.
Simultaneous with my last recollection of seeing the bridge and
the rain, a light enveloped me, with a brilliance beyond earthly
comprehension or description. Only that. In my next moment of awareness,
I was standing in heaven," writes Piper, in 90 Minutes in Heaven.
Though Piper
had been pronounced dead, a Baptist preacher who had stopped to
offer help began to pray for him as he lay lifeless under a tarp,
still in his car. At least ninety minutes later, God answered the
man's prayers and Piper revived - taken from heaven and brought
back to a world where he would spend the next several years in painful
recovery from his injuries. He shares his remarkable journey in
his book, 90 Minutes in Heaven.
Biblical reference
is the only detailed account we have that describes the way heaven
looks. 90 Minutes in Heaven is a miraculous journey of the senses
- depicting the sights, sounds, and feelings found within a mysterious
place so unknown to the living. The book means hope and consolation
for the terminally ill, the suffering, those who have lost loved
ones, and the rest of us who only hope to one day experience the
utter peace and pure happiness found on the other side of life.
Piper's experience
in heaven naturally changed his entire existence - from dealing
with his own excruciating recovery, returning to his family, work,
and life in general. His perspectives had been changed forever.
"I'm thoroughly
convinced that God answers prayer. Answered prayer is why I'm still
alive. - I have an unquestionable belief that God still is in the
miracle business. Too many people read about the supernatural in
the Bible and think, That's the way it was in biblical times. I'm
convinced that God continues to do the more-than-ordinary. Every
day I thank God that I'm a living, walking, talking miracle,"
writes Piper.
"Sometimes
I still ask God why I wasn't allowed to stay in heaven. I have no
answer to that question. I have learned, however, that God brings
people into my life who need me or need to hear my message."
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