Can a person die, go to heaven for 90 minutes, and then come back to tell about it? That’s what Pastor Don Piper does in his popular book 90 Minutes in Heaven. Don was is a terrible car accident, and the EMT’s left him for dead. Another pastor who happened onto the scene prayed with him and sang “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” When Don started singing along with him, he was astonished (freaked!). Finally Don was rushed to the hospital where he miraculously survived.
Don describes some of the things he saw and heard in heaven during the ninety minutes he was left for dead. But most of the book is really about his recovery from the accident. Don’s testimony raises a question about Near Death Experiences (NDEs). Do they really happen? Can people die and come back to earth again?
I’m always careful neither to criticize or affirm these experiences. They are personal, and I prefer to leave them to the individual. However some NDEs contradict the Bible and have to be disregarded. In a recent Bible study we looked at eight instances of people mentioned in the Bible who died and were brought back to life. None of them told us what the afterlife was like. Paul had a vision of heaven, but he refused to talk about it. John, on the other hand, had several visions of heaven in which he saw some very interesting things.
Probably the most important thing about an NDE is that they are not as important as the Bible itself. An NDE shouldn’t be the basis of anyone’s faith.
2 comments:
I just finished reading this book today. I understand what you are saying, but I think this might open a door for the non-believers. Either way a great read!
I agree. I think it's worth reading in the hopes that it might lead people to think about the afterlife and go on to read the Bible!
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