New Film After Death Explores Stories of People Who Visited Heaven, Came Back

Published

2 years ago

October 24, 2023

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Don Piper once was skeptical of near-death experiences. He didnt believe people could taste the fruit of heaven and come back. That is until he faced his own near-death experience back in 1989, he says.

I would have counted myself among them, frankly, he now says of skeptics.Piper was involved in a horrific car crash more than three decades ago and was declared dead by paramedics on the scene. For the next 90 minutes, he says, he visited heaven, talked to deceased loved ones, and even saw angels. It wasnt until a man on the scene of the crash prayed for Piper that he was revived.

Pipers story is one of several near-death experiences that are retold in the new Angel Studios film After Death (PG-13), which opens in theaters Oct. 27. Its the first theatrical movie for Angel Studios since its summer blockbuster movie Sound of Freedom shocked Hollywood.

This movie is the get-people-into-heaven movie, Piper told Christian Headlines about his goals for the film. At the very least, it’s a conversation starter. But at the very most, it’s somebody’s first step into the glory of God.

Piper is the author of numerous books, including his bestseller 90 Minutes In Heaven, which itself was made into a film of the same name. At the time of the crash, he was driving from a pastors conference back to his church. It was a rainy, cold day, he said.

I was crossing a rural, narrow bridge, and the tractor-trailer truck crossed the center line and hit me head-on [in a] horrific collision, Piper said. Two other vehicles besides the truck and myself were involved. So it was just a horrific accident. Miraculously, everyone else was okay. I was not. I was killed instantly. And was treated by four paramedics and the state trooper who worked the accident. And in spite of their best efforts to resuscitate me, they were unsuccessful. I was pronounced by those paramedics dead on the scene — body covered up with a waterproof tarp. And they were waiting for a medical examiner to come in and do an investigation so they could take me away.

At the exact moment of the car crash, Piper said, he went to heaven.

I was standing at the gates of heaven, at least one of them — there are 12 according to the Revelation — and I was at one. And [I was] surrounded by people I had known and loved in life who had preceded me in death. And we were having a spectacular reunion. They looked great. If you want to look great, heaven is where you want to be. And they looked great. Back on the bridge, I looked terrible.

Piper remembers heaven vividly, he said.

The music is beyond any music we’ve ever heard — not just the quality of the music, but the quantity, for instance. I heard thousands of songs at the same time in heaven. But they were symbiotic. They didn’t clash with each other. Quite the contrary, they complemented each other. And you could distinguish each one of them with your heavenly ears.

In heaven, he said, There are colors there that we have never seen here.

There’s [also] a gate made of pearl, but it’s so dazzling because of the light reflecting off of it that it looks living, he said. And I’m not sure that it is living in our sense. But it certainly looks that way. The people that I saw were so perfect in every way and timeless in the sense that they were not old, and they were not particularly young but fully recognizable as themselves. I knew them. They knew me. They were perfect in every way — no scars, no blemishes.

Above Piper in heaven, he said, there were angels.

I don’t even know how many [but] they were different sizes and shapes and different numbers of wings. There were angels without wings.

The accident took place around 11:45 a.m. At 1:30 p.m., an attendee of the conference who had encountered the crash stopped and prayed for Piper.

At 1:30, he’s singing the great old hymn, What a Friend We Have in Jesus, and I start singing it with him. And I was back unaware of what had happened to me, didn’t know anything about the accident.

All total, he was in the hospital for 13 months and had 34 operations. He was in rehab for three years.

Earth, he told Christian Headlines, cannot compare to heaven.

I obviously have had a meaningful life for the past 34, 35 years being here, he said of Earth. But honestly, I would rather be there. These people that are in the movie, they would rather be there, too.

After Death is rated PG-13 for thematic material, including violent descriptions, some bloody images, and drug references.

Photo Courtesy: Angel Studios / used with permission.

Video Courtesy: Angel Studios via YouTube

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

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The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Salem Web Network and Salem Media Group.

Politics

Why Boris’s best mate is off to Reform

Published

1 hour ago

July 10, 2025

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Former Conservative chairman and friend of Boris Johnson – Sir Jake Berry – is defecting to Reform UK, causing more problems for Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.

On today’s episode, Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy discuss if his defection will divide parts of Reform policy.

Elsewhere, the Anglo-French summit gets under way, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hoping to announce a migration deal with French President Emmanuel Macron to deter small boat crossings.

Plus, chatter around Whitehall that No10 are considering a pre-summer reshuffle, but will it have any value?

US

Donald Trump praises Liberian president’s English – the country’s official language

Published

1 hour ago

July 10, 2025

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Donald Trump praises Liberian president's English - the country's official language

Donald Trump has praised the Liberian president’s command of English – the West African country’s official language.

The US president reacted with visible surprise to Joseph Boakai’s English-speaking skills during a White House meeting with leaders from the region on Wednesday.

After the Liberian president finished his brief remarks, Mr Trump told him he speaks “such good English” and asked: “Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”

Mr Trump seemed surprised when Mr Boakai laughed and responded he learned in Liberia.

The US president said: “It’s beautiful English.

“I have people at this table who can’t speak nearly as well.”

Mr Boakai did not tell Mr Trump that English is the official language of Liberia.

The country was founded in 1822 with the aim of relocating freed African slaves and freeborn black citizens from the US.

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Mr Trump promised the leaders of Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau a pivot from aid to trade at the surprise meeting.

He described the countries as “all very vibrant places with very valuable land, great minerals, and great oil deposits, and wonderful people”.

Later asked by a reporter if he’ll visit the continent, Mr Trump said, “At some point, I would like to go to Africa.”

But he added that he’d “have to see what the schedule looks like”.

Trump’s predecessor, President Joe Biden, promised to go to Africa in 2023, but only fulfilled the commitment by visiting Angola in December 2024, just weeks before he left office.

US

Gaza permanent ceasefire ‘questionable’, says Israeli government

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1 hour ago

July 10, 2025

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Gaza permanent ceasefire 'questionable', says Israeli government

The Israeli government believes the chances of achieving a permanent ceasefire in Gaza are “questionable”.

The pessimistic assessment, in a top-level Israeli government briefing given to Sky News, comes as the Israeli Prime Minister prepares to leave Washington DC after a four-day visit which had begun with the expectation of a ceasefire announcement.

Benjamin Netanyahu will leave the US later today with the prospect of even a temporary 60-day ceasefire looking extremely unlikely this week.

Within “a week, two weeks – not a day” is how it was framed in the background briefing late on Wednesday.

Crucially, though, on the chances of the ceasefire lasting beyond 60 days, the framing from the briefing was even less optimistic: “We will begin negotiations on a permanent settlement. But we achieve it? It’s questionable, but Hamas will not be there.”

Sky News has spoken to several Israeli officials at the top level of the government. None will be drawn on any of the details of the negotiations over concerns that public disclosure could jeopardise their chances of success.

But I have been given a very clear understanding of Mr Netanyahu’s thinking.

The Israeli position is that a permanent ceasefire (beyond the initial 60 days, which itself is yet to be agreed) is only possible if Hamas lays down its arms. “If they don’t, we’ll proceed [with the war],” said a source.

The major sticking point in the talks between Hamas and Israel is the status of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) inside Gaza during the 60-day ceasefire and beyond, should it last longer.

The latest Israeli proposal, passed to Hamas last week, included a map showing the proposed IDF presence inside Gaza during the ceasefire.

This was rejected by Hamas and by Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, who reportedly told the Israelis that the redeployment map “looks like a Smotrich plan”, a reference to the extreme-right Israeli finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich.

My briefing of Mr Netanyahu’s position is that he has not shifted in terms of Israel’s central stated war aims. The return of the hostages and eliminating Hamas are the key objectives.

But in a hint of how hard it will be to reconcile the differences, it was clear from my briefing that no permanent ceasefire is possible in the Israeli government’s view without the complete removal of Hamas as a political and military entity.

Hamas is not likely to negotiate its way to oblivion.

On the status of the Israeli military inside Gaza, a senior Israeli official told Sky News: “We would want IDF in every square metre of Gaza, and then hand it over to someone.”

It was clear to me that Mr Netanyahu wants his stated position to be that his government has no territorial ambition for Gaza.

One quote to come from my briefing, which I am only able to attribute to a senior Israeli official, says: “[We] don’t want to govern Gaza… don’t want to govern, but the first thing is, you have to defeat Hamas.”

Another clear indication of Mr Netanyahu’s position – a quote from the briefing, attributable only to a senior Israeli official: “You cannot have victory if you don’t clear out all the fighting forces.

“You have to go into every square inch unless you are not serious about victory. I am. We are going to defeat them. Those who do not disarm will die. Those who disarm will have a life.”

On the future of Gaza, it’s clear from my briefings that Mr Netanyahu continues to rule out the possibility of a two-state solution “for the foreseeable future”.

The Israeli government assessment is that the Palestinians are not going to have a state “as long as they cling to that idea of destroying our state”.

On the most controversial aspect of the Gaza conflict – the movement of the population – the briefing revealed that Mr Netanyahu’s view is that 60% of Palestinians would “choose to leave” but that Israel would allow them to return once Hamas had been eliminated.

“It’s not forcible eviction, it’s not permanent eviction,” a senior Israeli official said.

Critics of Israel’s war in Gaza say that any removal of Palestinians from Gaza, even if given the appearance of being “voluntary”, is in fact anything but, because the strip has been so comprehensively flattened.

Reacting to Israeli Defence Minister Katz’s recent statement revealing a plan to move Palestinians into a “humanitarian city” in southern Gaza, and not let them out of that area, the official wouldn’t be drawn, except to say: “As a permanent arrangement? Of course not.”