'90 Minutes in Heaven' Don Piper Warns That Heaven Is for Prepared People
"90 Minutes in Heaven," the stirring film of Don Piper's miraculous trip to heaven and back, is coming to DVD and On Demand Dec. 1. The Christian Post caught up with Piper to talk about the making of the film and the real-life struggles he faced after he died and came back to life.
"It's surreal to watch people be you and say your words and reenact a part of your life; it's quite disarming to sit there and watch it," Piper reflected on the filming experience to CP.
"There were times when they would actually turn to us after filming a scene and say 'what do you think?' You don't normally have that happen, so Giving Pictures did everything they could to make this an authentic film," Piper revealed.
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"90 Minutes in Heaven" made its theatrical debut Sept. 11, 2015, premiering in 800 theaters across the country. The film is based on Piper's New York Times bestselling book of the same name, which sold more than 7 million copies.
The film follows Piper and his loved ones' experiences when he was declared dead by rescue workers on the scene after a traffic accident on Jan. 18, 1989, when a semi-tractor truck crushed his car. His body laid under a tarp for the next 90 minutes, during which time Piper said he was in heaven. A pastor's prayers helped bring him back to life. Piper experiences love, joy and life like he had never known during the 90 minutes he spent in heaven, but when he finally woke up in the hospital, heaven's bliss was replaced by excruciating pain and emotional turmoil. With the support of his family and community, Piper clings to his faith and fights to recover the life he lost.
"The moment the truck struck me on the bridge I was standing at the gates of heaven there. Twelve of them, of course, according to Revelation. And I was at one of them surrounded by people I had known and loved in life who had preceded me in death. Grandparents, friends, teachers, relatives, and I was greeted by them and they were literally in perfect condition. Many of them had died in old age here but they were perfect and healthy there," he explained.
Actor Hayden Christensen (Star Wars) and Kate Bosworth (Superman Returns) play Piper and his wife, Eva, respectively, in the 121 minute flick. The real-life Don Piper and Eva were both very involved in the movie making process and were active on set.
In Piper's accounts of what he saw in heaven, he confirms most of the biblical descriptions people are familiar with.
"I was surrounded by a century explosion of things. The colors, the brilliance of it all, the streets that was gold, the gates that was pearl. I did see thrones through the gate high and lifted up. I did see the river of life. I did see the tree of life. I did see all those things that you would expect to see," he noted.
The pastor/author highlighted, however, an aspect of heaven that the Bible did not go into specific detail about. He seemingly still was amazed as he shared his most vivid memory.
"The music, that was my most vivid memory. There were so many thousands of songs at the same time without any sense of chaos. They were all glorying God of course but there was no chaos amongst the songs even though they were all being offered at the same time. You could hear each one of the songs with your ears, heavenly ears. That music kinda penetrated me, it kind of invaded me to the point that I came back with it and I can still hear it today. It's the one portable thing that I returned with," he recalled.
