Bruce Van Natta, founder and president of Sweet Bread Ministries, sat down with ChurchLeaders to share how he briefly died after being crushed by a logging truck and supernaturally watched his body come back to life.
Van Natta, whose story appears in the newly released film “Investigating the Supernatural: Angels and Demons,” says he experienced what he believes were divine interventions—including seeing angels and briefly entering heaven—after a catastrophic workplace accident.
“Angels and Demons” is the second installment in Christian Broadcasting Network’s (CBN) “Investigating the Supernatural” film series. The first film, featuring journalist Billy Hallowell, focused on miracles and received the Aletheia Documentary Award at the 33rd Annual Movieguide Faith & Values Awards.
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On Nov. 16, 2006, Van Natta, a self-employed diesel mechanic, was diagnosing a leak on a PeterBuilt logging truck when the 20-ton jack holding up the front axel slipped from its positioning, causing the entire axel to drop onto his midsection.
“On impact, blood shot out of my mouth,” he told ChurchLeaders. “Before I even felt the pain, before I even looked down, I just said, ‘Lord, help me.’”
The crushing impact caused catastrophic injuries, including a broken back and multiple severed arteries.
Van Natta said, “Doctors make the claim that I’m the only person they can find in the whole world that has ever lived with arteries severed in five places.”
The trauma caused his heart to stop and triggered what he describes as an out-of-body experience. “I went up to the roof of the garage…perfect peace,” he said. “I’ve never felt so good in my entire life.”
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From above, Van Natta said he watched emergency responders arrive and attempt to revive him. He claims he saw two large angels standing beside his body.
“They had white shining robes. They did not have wings,” Van Natta said. “Really muscular men, long hair…and they looked identical, like matching twins.”
