On Wednesday I had the great privilege of hearing Ian McCormack tell how he was stung by a boxer jellyfish (100% deadly – most people die within 15-90 minutes), died and was laid on a slab in the hospital morgue, and then came back to life. Wow. It was amazing. Before this experience he was an ‘intellectual atheist’. But, lying in the ambulance with the jellyfish’s deadly poison coursing through his body, he heard a voice telling him to say the Lord’s prayer. When he got to the part ‘forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us’ he was challenged to forgive certain people who hadn’t helped him in the immediate minutes after the jellyfish attacked. Only when he forgave those people, did he know he had God’s forgiveness.
Ian died. He met the Lord Jesus Christ – in all His glory. On looking at Him, Ian knew He had the authority to bring worlds into being just by speaking (Col 1:16 – For by Him all things were created…; Heb 1:3 – …He upholds the universe by the word of His power). Ian experienced love, joy and peace. He saw that God is light. And He saw that Jesus is the only door into Paradise (John 10:9 – I am the door; John 14:6 – I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.) Beyond Jesus, at the beginning of Eternity, Ian could see grassy meadows, beautiful flowers and a crystal-clear river flowing.
Jesus gave him the option to return home. This does not happen to everyone, it very rarely happens. But Ian is one of the few exceptions to the rule. Why? Because Jesus had a job for him to do. As Ian looked away from Heaven behind him, he could see millions of people. Jesus asked him to go and share his story so they would have a chance to ask God to forgive them for rebelling against him and asking Jesus to be the Lord of their lives so that they could spend all Eternity with Him. So Ian came back.
Read his story. Click on the link A Glimpse of Eternity. You won’t regret it.