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90 Minutes in Heaven

D4Christ

D4Christ

Member
Has anyone read "90 Minutes in Heaven" by Don Piper.

Synopis

As he is driving home from a minister's conference, Baptist minister Don Piper collides with a semi-truck that crosses into his lane. He is pronounced dead at the scene. For the next 90 minutes, Piper experiences heaven where he is greeted by those who had influenced him spiritually. He hears beautiful music and feels true peace. Back on earth, a passing minister who had also been at the conference is led to pray for Don even though he knows the man is dead. Piper miraculously comes back to life and the bliss of heaven is replaced by a long and painful recovery. For years Piper kept his heavenly experience to himself. Finally, however, friends and family convinced him to share his remarkable story.
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I managed to download the book online for free. There are several sites claiming to offer the book but many links are broken. I got the book on Uploading.com. I saved it to my computer but the book was in file format .rar. Winzip is supposed to be able to open these files but since I don't have winzip, I downloaded a free program called RAR File Open Knife which did the trick and opened the file up in pdf format.

It is a very good and very easy read. The book was not what I expected and I enjoyed the author's pov. I hope those interested in this topic get a chance to read it.

Blessings,
Dee
 
Is is a "true story", that is, is it claimed to be a true story or a novel?



You have the best sigline here.
 
I might just go buy the book... I am uncomfortable with downloading a book for free that someone has worked to write.

I remain unconvinced it is a true story. Not saying it can't be true, just that I'm not convinced. But I want to believe.
 
Before I go through the trouble… Is this one of those “let’s scare them into repenting’- books like that Choo Thomas book? Sorry, I only know the Afrikaans title.
 
I am not familiar with the book you are referrng to, but I can testify that there is nothing scary about the book or the author's experience. In fact, whereas other people who have claimed to have similiar experiences have a lot to say about what they saw, this author spent only 1 chapter detailing his 90 minute experience. He actually didn't see a lot. It was the overwhelming feelings of love and peace he experienced which was most difficult for him to describe. 99% of the book was him questioning why he came back to life and coming to terms with some of his own attitudes and assumptions about life and his relationhip with God and others.

I came away from this book, not knowing any more about heaven that isn't already documented in scriptures, but feeling like an unappreciative whinner who seriously needs to get her act together.

I hope this helps,
Dee
 
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D4Christ said:
In fact, whereas other people who have claimed to have similiar experiences have a lot to say about what they saw, this author spent only 1 chapter detailing his 90 minute experience. He actually didn't see a lot. It was the overwhelming feelings of love and peace he experienced which was most difficult for him to describe. 99% of the book was him questioning why he came back to life and coming to terms with some of his own attitudes and assumptions about life and his relationship with God and others.

Dee
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If God allowed him to come back, it would stand to reason that God would not allow him to have too much of a glimpse into that lies ahead. We have never had much revelation of the afterlife, so it stands to reason he was given little to come back with in that regard.

I remain unconvinced, of course, but I haven't read it ... yet.
 
Pizzaguy said:
If God allowed him to come back, it would stand to reason that God would not allow him to have too much of a glimpse into that lies ahead. We have never had much revelation of the afterlife, so it stands to reason he was given little to come back with in that regard.

I remain unconvinced, of course, but I haven't read it ... yet.
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It is for that very reason the his book is considered to be one of the more believable ones. In fact, the author is very skeptical of near death experiences himself and talks about that in the last chapter of his book.

I also found this critical reveiw on Gotquestion.org. which I think gives excellent advice on how evaluate claims of the afterlife.

Question: "Are books such as 90 minutes in Heaven and 23 minutes in Hell biblically based?"
Answer: Recent best-selling books 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper and 23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese are raising the question – is God giving people visions of heaven and hell today? Is it possible that God is taking people to heaven and/or hell, and then sending them back in order to deliver a message to us? While the popularity of these new books is bringing the concept to the forefront, the over-arching claim is nothing new. Books such as A Divine Revelation of Hell and A Divine Revelation of Heaven by Mary Baxter and We Saw Heaven by Roberts Liardon have been available for years. The key question is - are such claims biblically solid?
First, it is important to note that of course God COULD give a person a vision of heaven or hell. God gave the Apostle Paul just such a vision in 2 Corinthians 12:1-6. Isaiah had an amazing experience as recorded in Isaiah chapter 6. Yes, it is possible that Piper, Wiese, Baxter, and others have truly been to heaven / hell and come back. Ultimately, only God knows if these claims are true or the result of misperception, exaggeration, or, worst, outright deception. The only way for us to discern is to compare the visions and experiences with the Word of God.
If God were to truly give a person a vision of heaven or hell, one thing we can know for sure is that it would be in 100% agreement with His Word. A God-given vision of heaven would in no sense contradict Scriptures such as Revelation chapters 21-22. Further, if God were to truly give multiple people visions of heaven or hell, the God-given visions would in no sense contradict each other. Yes, the visions could be different and could focus on different details, but they would not contradict one another.
As with any book written by any author, “test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil†(1 Thessalonians 5:21-22). If you read these books, read with a discerning mind. Always compare what the author says and claims with Scripture. Most importantly, never allow someone else’s experience and his interpretation of that experience to shape your understanding of Scripture. Scripture must be used to interpret experience, not the other way around. Be blessed and encouraged by what happened to other people, but do not allow their experiences to be the foundation of your faith or walk with God.
Overall, we found 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper to be the most biblical and believable of all the available books. Piper seems to approach the issue with humility and honesty. Whether or not the vision was truly from God, Piper’s experience appears to be miraculous. Again, though, read with a healthy amount of discernment and a commitment to the Bible as the absolute source of truth.
When the Apostle Paul was “caught up to paradise,†he “heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell†(2 Corinthians 12:4). Similarly, the Apostle John (Revelation 10:3-4) and the prophet Daniel (Daniel 8:26; 9:24; 12:4) were instructed to conceal aspects of the visions they received. It would be quite strange for God to have Paul, Daniel, and John withhold aspects of what He revealed to them, only to, 2000+ years later, give even greater visions, along with permission for full disclosure, to people today. It is our contention that these books claiming visions of and trips to heaven and hell should be viewed skeptically and, most importantly, biblically.
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I read this book maybe 2-3 years ago. It was a book worth reading for sure. I guess that I was most let down by the lack of info on Heaven. Like what did I expect, a full report with 8 X 10 colored glossy photos? Well, yes. :) Anyway his story and recovery are worth a read, and yeah, just might keep you from whining about your next hang nail.
 
Read this book 3 years ago, and it actually helped me personally with the loss of my Dad. Hearing about what heaven was like for the author, made me feel a lot better about what my Dad was experiencing, despite my feelings of sadness because he was not here with me.
 
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