He Flatlined. He Met Jesus. He Came Back. Read This Book.

I've always been fascinated by near-death experience stories. There's something about hearing that someone died, saw something on the other side, and came back to talk about it that I just can't look away from. Are they really seeing Heaven? What does it look like? What does it feel like to be in the presence of God? When I was offered a free copy of 18 Days in Heaven by Gabe Poirot for review, I said yes immediately. Stories like this always pull me in.

Little did I know that by the time I sat down to read it, I'd be walking through some grief of my own. I lost my sweet girl Adah to feline GI lymphoma a few weeks after I said yes to the review, and reading a book about someone who visited Heaven and came back hit differently than I expected.

Disclosure: I received this item free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.

⚡ Key Takeaways

• ✝️ Gabe Poirot was 20 years old when an electric skateboard accident left him flatlined and in a coma for 18 days.
• ✝️ He describes traveling through a tunnel of living light straight into Heaven's throne room, where he met Jesus face-to-face.
• ✝️ The book covers what Heaven looks like, what Jesus looked like, why God allows suffering, and how prayer reaches across time.
• ✝️18 Days in Heaven is backed by medical documentation, eyewitness accounts, and Scripture, making it one of the most Christ-centered NDE accounts on record.
• ✝️ It's a short, fast read at 160 pages and is available in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats.

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What This Book Is About

18 Days in Heaven is Gabe Poirot's firsthand account of what happened when he flatlined after a catastrophic electric skateboard accident. He was just 20 years old. One ordinary afternoon, he hit a bump in the road, flipped, and landed hard on the back of his head. His skull shattered. Blood came from his ears. Vomit entered his lungs. The prognosis was grim, with doctors giving him a 50/50 chance of survival.

Doctors were able to revive him, but Gabe stayed in a coma for 18 days. While his body lay in a hospital bed with machines keeping him alive, he says his spirit was somewhere else entirely. He describes being lifted through a tunnel of living light, going through an instant life review, and finding himself in the throne room of Heaven face-to-face with Jesus. When he woke up on November 14, his personality and memory were fully intact. From that point on, his mission became clear: tell people what he saw.

The full title, 18 Days in Heaven: I Left My Body. I Met Jesus. What He Told Me Will Alter Your Eternity, was published by Harrison House Publishers in April 2026 and landed immediately as a #1 New York Times bestseller. It's about 160 pages, so it's a manageable read. Gabe writes the way he talks, which makes it feel like he's sitting across from you telling the story over coffee.

Who Should Read 18 Days in Heaven

This book is a good fit for a few different people. If you're a Christian who wants your faith reignited rather than just reinforced, this one will do it. It's also a strong choice for anyone dealing with fear of death, grief after a loss, or spiritual exhaustion that's dulled your sense of what's actually true. Gabe is a Gen Z pastor and evangelist whose online ministry reaches millions, and the way he tells his story feels young and real without being flippant about any of it.

It's probably not the best fit if you're looking for a deep theological debate about the afterlife. Gabe isn't here to build a systematic case. He's telling you what he saw and what it means for how you live now. If that's what you need, you'll get a lot out of it. If you need extensive doctrinal footnotes, you might want something alongside it like John Burke's Imagine Heaven, which Burke himself called Gabe's NDE one of the most "awe-inspiring and biblically confirming" cases he's ever encountered.

What Stood Out to Me

The Accident That Changed His Life

What makes Gabe's story feel different from some other NDE accounts is how physically documented his accident was. His skull actually shattered. His friends stood over him on the street, calling 911, trying to rouse a body that looked empty. The medical team had real doubts about whether he'd survive, let alone wake up with full brain function. So when he talks about leaving his body and going somewhere, there's a weight behind it that's hard to dismiss. He wasn't just in a light sedation or a dream state. He genuinely flatlined.

What He Saw in the Throne Room

When Gabe describes the throne room of Heaven, it doesn't sound like a fluffy cloud scene. It sounds alive. He describes elders and living creatures and worship that points entirely away from itself toward the Lamb. He says Heaven is so saturated with the presence of Jesus that everything else feels like a shadow by comparison.

His description of meeting Jesus is worth the price of the book on its own. He writes about eyes "like a spectrum," an authority that's both royal and tender, and a love so overwhelming that he could barely stand in it. He felt fully known. Fully forgiven. He even noticed a personal detail: his name, "Gabriel," inscribed near Jesus's nail scars. As if to make the point that the Cross wasn't a transaction done in the abstract. It was personal. That detail got to me. It's either genuine or it's the most specific and oddly moving thing someone could imagine. Either way, it landed.

The Life Review and God's Mercy

One of the strongest parts of the book is Gabe's life review, where he watched his years play back in an instant. What struck him most wasn't the big sins he'd committed. It was how much his choices affected the people around him. And instead of condemnation, what met him was mercy. He describes Jesus coming to him with nail-scarred hands when he fully expected judgment. The message was essentially, "This is already done. You're covered."

That's a perspective shift a lot of us need. Romans 8:1 says there's no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Gabe experienced that truth in a way most of us only read about. And for anyone who carries a lot of guilt or anxiety around their faith, that part of the book hits differently.

How You Can Use This Book

18 Days in Heaven is the kind of book you can read in a weekend. But I'd actually recommend slowing down and sitting with each section before moving to the next. There are no built-in study questions or journal prompts, but the content naturally stirs up reflection. You might want to keep a notebook nearby.

It works well as a personal read during a season of grief or spiritual dryness, a gift for a friend who's scared of dying or questioning their faith, or a small group conversation starter for people willing to dig into questions about eternity. It's also a solid choice for someone who's been in church their whole life but has started to feel like faith is just routine. Gabe's story has a way of cutting through the routine and reminding you that what you believe is actually alive.

My Favorite Takeaways from the Book

A few things from this book have genuinely stayed with me since I finished it.

The first is something Gabe says plainly: "Heaven is not just a location. Heaven is Him." That one line reframed everything for me. I've spent most of my life thinking about Heaven as a place. He experienced it as a person. That's a completely different kind of hope.

The second is something I didn't expect: prayer reaches across time. Gabe experienced the prayers being prayed for him in the hospital while he was in Heaven. They weren't hitting a ceiling. They were landing. For anyone who's ever prayed hard for something and wondered whether it matters, that's not a small thing to walk away with from a book.

Third, the book emphasizes that you are loved with the same love the Father has for Jesus. That comes straight from John 17:23. Most of us know that verse exists. Gabe's testimony makes it feel less like a doctrinal statement and more like something you can actually rest in on a hard day.

And fourth, there's a real clarity in how he talks about the blood of Jesus securing your destiny. He's direct: Hell has no claim on those covered by Jesus. It's not prosperity gospel. It's just the straightforward truth of the gospel expressed through someone who says he saw it from the other side.

Where to Get 18 Days in Heaven

18 Days in Heaven retails for $19.99 in paperback. It's also available as a Kindle ebook and in audiobook format. Here are a few places to pick it up:

• Amazon (paperback and Kindle)
• Barnes & Noble
• Bookshop.org (supports independent bookstores)
• Books-A-Million
• ChristianBook.com

If you want to follow Gabe's ongoing ministry, he's active on YouTube and social media as a pastor and evangelist reaching a generation that's hungry for something real.

18 Days in Heaven Is Worth Your Time

This book won't settle every theological question you have about the afterlife, and Gabe doesn't try to make it do that. What it does is point you toward a Jesus who is real, personal, and closer than you think. And right now, in a season where grief and fear seem to be constant companions for so many people, that's not a small thing to offer.

I read this while I'm still healing from losing Adah, and it helped. Not because it answered every question I have, but because it reminded me that this life isn't the whole story. If you're in a season where you need to be reminded that Heaven is real, that Jesus is personal, and that you are genuinely known and loved, this is a good book to have in your hands. Save this post, share it with a friend who needs it, or go grab a copy for yourself today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 18 Days in Heaven by Gabe Poirot a true story?

Yes. Gabe Poirot's near-death experience happened after an electric skateboard accident left him with a shattered skull and a 50/50 chance of survival. His coma lasted 18 days and is supported by medical documentation and eyewitness accounts. He woke up with full cognitive function. While no one can independently verify a spiritual experience, the physical reality of his accident and recovery is documented. John Burke, New York Times bestselling author of Imagine Heaven, called it one of the most "miraculous, awe-inspiring, and biblically confirming" NDEs he's ever encountered.

What does Gabe Poirot say Heaven looks like?

In the book, Gabe describes Heaven as alive and saturated with worship focused entirely on Jesus. He writes about the throne room, the presence of elders and living creatures, and an atmosphere that isn't just beautiful but overwhelming in its realness. He says Heaven's presence is so full that everything on earth feels like a shadow by comparison. His description of meeting Jesus includes eyes "like a spectrum" and a love so intense it's hard to stand in. You can read more about his story at NDE Questions.

How long is 18 Days in Heaven, and where can I get it?

The book is about 160 pages, which makes it a quick but meaningful read. Most people can finish it in one to three sittings. It's available in paperback for $19.99, as a Kindle ebook on Amazon, and in audiobook format through major retailers. It's currently a #1 New York Times bestseller and is easy to find at most booksellers online and in stores.

Is 18 Days in Heaven a good book for someone who is grieving?

It's actually one of the better options I've come across for grief. Gabe's encounter with Heaven is full of reassurance about the reality of life after death, the mercy of God, and the personal love of Jesus. He addresses fear of death directly and describes a God who is compassionate rather than condemning. Revelation 21:4 promises God will wipe every tear, and Gabe's testimony of standing in the throne room of Heaven brings that promise to life in a way that can genuinely comfort someone walking through loss.