A Pastor Meets His God
On January 18th, 1989, Don Piper, a Baptist minister, was struck head-on by a semi-trailer truck while driving home from a conference in Texas. He was crushed, impaled by his steering wheel, his body broken by the impact.
When paramedics arrived, they found no signs of life, and thought him dead, covering him with a tarp as another pastor prayed over him.
But according to Piper, he ascended to Heaven, where he spent the next 90 minutes of his life as he was prayed over.
Instantly, he found himself surrounded by deceased relatives and friends, looking up at the magnificent gate of heaven that “had been sculpted from mother-of-pearl.” Behind that gate was a light that Piper describes as something that cannot be seen in an earthly body.
For Piper, it was the most glorious experience of his life.
After those 90 minutes passed, Piper found himself back in his body, staring up at the tarp that covered him. He would go on to endure 13 excruciating months of hospitalization, 34 surgeries, and years of therapy and rehabilitation. One thing he could never shake, though, was an intense yearning to return to heaven.
He now speaks to audiences around the world about his experience, which he compiled into his bestselling book, “90 Minutes in Heaven.” He uses the income from his book, as well as from his speaking engagements to fund over 40 ministry projects around the world.