Lipreading Mom

Lipreading Mom Note: This video was originally broadcast by the 700 Club and is viewable at http://www.jesus-loves-you.org/?p=3449. However, because the video wasn’t captioned, the thousands of us with hearing loss could not enjoy this video.

Enjoy this one!

Gordon/700 Club:
Ian McCormack had traveled for two years chasing adventure around the globe, we wound up on the island of Mauritius, an island known for great surfing and diving.

Woman on Video:
Ian McCormack loved the ocean, he was an avid diver, but nothing prepared him for what he was about to encounter.

McCormack:
As we dove into the water something smashed into my forearm, it felt like thousands of bolts of electricity. My whole arm was swollen double its normal size, my arm was blistered where the tentacles had hit me like burn blisters. I could feel the toxin quickly moving up my lymph glands. I thought Ian, what on earth have you done in your life to deserve this kind of punishment.

Woman on Video:
Ian was stung by five box jelly fish. One can kill a person in four minutes. And he wasn’t ready to die. He was young, loved to travel, party, womanize. He had also been an atheist and didn’t know what was waiting for him in the after -life. With precious time passing by, and several failed attempts for help, Ian finally got an ambulance to take him to the hospital. But Ian knew it was probably too late.

Gordon:
Welcome to the 700 Club, Ian McCormack – Ian it is wonderful to have you.

McCormack:
Its great to be here.

Gordon:
Your story is one of the most amazing miracles I have ever heard. What was your life like before you got attacked by the jellyfish.

McCormack:
Very much a non-Christian. Partying, traveling, surfing, nightclubs. Religion was something that old people involved in, and mother.

Gordon:
Your mother was a Christian?

McCormack:
She was what you would call in the states Episcopalian, or Church of England. So I had been brought up as a child in it, but I thought it was for grandmother and old ladies – not for young people.

Gordon:
Not for you?

McCormack:
No, so I went looking at Eastern religions, and traveling – that was what I was doing surfing around the world.

Gordon:
So you get in your diving, you get stung by FIVE box jellyfish – not just one – but FIVE. And one is enough to kill you.

McCormack:
That’s right.

Gordon:
And kill you in how long?

McCormack:
The quickest I have heard when you have been stung across the throat, around the heart, 3 minutes. Many people die within 15-20 minutes. Some even 10. It depends on what part of the body you are stung on. And others have lived up to 1 ½ hours. So when I was hurt, the fisherman turned white, and said Ian one of these will kill you. So when you see the black Safarian turn white, it is very troubling. And I could feel the poison moving quickly into my body. I knew I had very little time. They got me into the boat and said Ian urinate on your arm We need to get to a hospital immediately. So I was frightened, I was very frightened.

Gordon:
I assume you knew you were dying?

McCormack:
The poison was moving so quickly, it was paralyzing right down my right side. By the time I got in the ambulance I was completely paralyzed. My body went through death rattles. It was frightening.

Gordon:
When did you know that you were actually dead? Because you were…

McCormack:
Well as I was going into the hospital in the ambulance, I saw my life flashing before me. I thought perhaps I won’t make it, is there life after death. And as I am questioning all of these things, my mother appears in a clear vision, in front of me. on her knees praying. I didn’t realize, but back in New Zealand, she was the only Christian. She had just seen God reveal my fate to her and said that your elder son is nearly dead.

Gordon:
So your mother is alive, she is in New Zealand, she gets a visitation?

McCormack:
I would say so, a vision, a clear vision of my face and God audibly speaking to her.

Gordon:
And he said?

McCormack:
Your elder son Ian is nearly dead, start praying for him now.

Gordon:
And she starts praying? And you and the ambulance.

McCormack:
See her doing this – and she is saying call out to God. No matter how far you are from God you are son – he will forgive you! Call out from your heart. I thought – well I don’t believe in God, and it’s too late, how can he forgive me? But I knew my mother was a Christian, and I thought well maybe there is a God. If there is, show me your face, help me to pray. So suddenly the Lord’s prayer appears in front of me – forgive us our sins – so I asked God to forgive me and forgive others who have sinned against you. I thought well I can do that – and God showed me pictures of two faces of people that I had difficulty forgiving. I had a chance to forgive them, give your life to the lord, thy will be done.

Gordon:
All during your adventure to get to the ambulance to the hospital. you had been abandoned. People didn’t want to pick up dying guy – and do anything for you…

McCormack:
One actually pushed me out of his taxi because I didn’t have any money. And that was one of the faces – the Indian taxi driver – and God was asking me would you forgive him. That’s not easy. You can say the words, but to do it from your heart is not that easy. But Jesus said if you don’t forgive others who have sinned against you, your heavenly Father will not forgive you of your sins. So I thank God that I forgave them. (haha) The Lord’s prayer – I prayed from my heart – I felt like weeping, but I was proud – I controlled my emotions. The peace that came in has never left me in 28 years.

Gordon:
What happened next?

McCormack:
Well I knew that I had given my heart to God, and there was a peace that had come, but my body was still dying. They got me to the hospital and I could feel myself coming out of my body. I could hear them talking and saying that is all we can do for you as they shoved an anti toxin serum into me. I thought I would stay awake all night, but I had no strength, I felt like I had a machete in my eyes and I thought I would gather more strength. As it happened, the machines monitoring my heart flat lined and I was pronounced dead.

Gordon:
And you heard that?

McCormack:
Yeah, and I am out of my body, alive, looking and I am thinking…

Gordon:
You heard the flat tones, and you heard a doctor say…

McCormack:
They are running to my body, and I am alive out of the body, and you can tell by everything that is happening that I am gone. So I am out of their hospital and in complete darkness – so I am like has there been a power cut, have the lights gone out, or have I died? So I am groping around in the darkness looking for a light switch – it is so dark I cannot see my hand in front of my face. I bring my hand toward my face and it goes through my face – that is impossible. Two hands, both hands, nothing. Then I have the terrifying realization that I could be alive out of my body. The closest thing I could thing of was that I had met people who had amputations and they could feel their limb was there– phantom pain it is called – the medical term. So I am going could my physical body be back in that hospital – where am I? And then I could feel evil – the most intense evil! It was like invisible eyes looking at me, it was like a spiritual darkness. I heard men shouting out of the darkness at me saying “Shut up!” I thought – I said nothing. Not realizing my inner thought was a speech and they could hear – who turned the lights out – another man “he deserves to be here”, I said “deserves to be where?” – another man in front of me “you’re in hell!” In hell? I didn’t believe in it – you know what I mean? it’s supposed to be a party place, I am wrestling with this whole concept and then I have a realization that this could be hell, could be Hades. The next minute I am thinking God has every reason to send me here and yet I reflected on the fact that I had prayed in the ambulance. The next minute a radiant light pierces through the darkness and draws me out.

Gordon:
So you remembered your prayer, and you remembered the peace that the prayer brought, and as soon as you remembered it the light came?

McCormack:
Yes – Psalm 23 – the Lord is my shepherd even though I walk through the valley of the shadow death – the Hebrew word is deep darkness – I shall fear no evil. So the evil was all around me – but it couldn’t touch me. Nothing can separate me from God – neither life nor death. Now I didn’t know scripture but after – the scripture just came alive to me – of what actually happened. I was walking in darkness and saw a great light, he has delivered me from the king of darkness. Now I had seen sunlight come through windows as a child and dust go up in it – and I was like a spec of dust going up – walking in darkness and seen a great light. I was being drawn up and saw a tunnel of light – what is that? I am now drawn into this narrow tunnel. Jesus said narrow is the way – and I moved down this tunnel at the speed of light – waves of radiance come up – first wave – comfort – I thought that is a living emotion – it’s a living light. Another wave – peace – oh the peace of God goes right through me. I don’t know what to do. Jesus said – I am the Prince of Peace. I turned my head to see what my body looked like, because in the darkness my hand had gone through my face. And I could see my arm, transparent, a spiritual being of light. God said the father of light – I could see through my hand – and I thought – what is the end – and then further down another wave of light – Joy- came out of the tunnel and saw the full radiance and glory of God – it covered the heavens. As I stood in his presence he called me by name. He said Ian – do you wish to return? I said return? I looked behind me and saw the tunnel disappearing back in the darkness. I thought am I out of my physical body? Am I actually standing here or am I traumatized – am I tripping out on endorphins. Is this happening in my head, or am I actually out of my body?

Gordon:
Have you had people critique your experience?

McCormack:
Oh yeah – you have so many people ask you – were you alive or dead? I was declared clinically dead for 15 minutes. When I came back into my body I was on a slab.

Gordon:
You were in the morgue when you came back?

McCormack:
When I came back into my body I was on a slab.

Gordon:
You were in the morgue when you came back?

McCormack:
Yeah. That is where my body had been moved. So here I am trying to reflect on is this real – I responded back and said look if I am out of my body I must return. He said Ian if you return you must see in a new light. I said well are you the true light? His response was “Ian, God is light. And in him, there is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:5

Gordon:
So God is quoting scripture to you?

McCormack:
Yes, the Lord is quoting scripture directly to me – God is light. I am thinking the darkness – I had just come from there – and they called it hell- I was thinking heaven – is that almighty God. I was shaken. He knows my name, he knows my thought before I speak, then he must see all my sins. And I am not a good man. I’ve done a lot of things wrong. So I pulled back, as I did, waves of light came off of his presence, pure love. And I cried like a child as waves of love and acceptance came into me. I told him God you cannot love me, and I started telling him my sins. And each sin I told him – more love. And I said God but I have cursed you, slept around, drugs… and more and more of his love – he showed me that all of my sins had been forgiven when I had prayed in the ambulance. He says of course that the blood of Jesus washes away all sins – and he had forgiven me when I prayed from my heart. And I stood before him with no sin, no darkness. I opened up my eyes and I was full of liquid light – love – encased 2-3 feet around me in pure light, in pure love. The radiance around the Lord eclipsed – like a glowworm or a firefly. I saw this cloud – I said God, if you love me can I step in and see you face to face?

Gordon:
That is a bold question.

McCormack:
I thought I am so close, and if he loves me so much – so I walked into this cloud. As I did, my hand disappeared and then I put my face in – and I could not see my own spiritual body it had been eclipsed by the radiance. It was like veils of miniature stars. As I moved through these veils I could feel the light that I had stepped into was healing my broken heart, my heart of heart. And as I got deeper in I watched the waves of light open, the cloud begin to part, and Jesus with his arms outstretched, barefeet, dazzling white robes. It was like he had taken this cloud and clothed himself in garments of this cloud of light. And as I looked toward the face of the Lord… the radiance… the source of all of this light was coming out of his face. You knew if he spoke a constellation, galaxies would come into existence. I could see he had the form of man, but the face of God. His hair was radiant white. I had never read a bible so I didn’t know that John had seen that in Revelation – his face shining like the sun and his hair white like snow. But I am seeing what I know to be the Lord, God almighty, radiant light pouring forth from his hands, and as I walk towards him white light pours out of the face of Jesus. I feel purity, I feel childlike innocence restored back to me. I come about half way towards him, more light – holiness flows into me. And as I get right up to him, I am trying to see his unveiled face, but I don’t know that no man looks upon the face of God and lives, but I am so happy… that I am – so happy but still – and I watched Jesus and I thought why won’t he permit me to see his face? As the Lord moves, with his hand he steps aside and he shows me a continuation of the circular tunnel. Right behind him I can see a whole new world opening up behind him as if he is a door of light. As he is opening this doorway into eternity I can see fields. Grass with the same radiance and glory that is upon him right across the pasture. The flowers, crystal clear river, trees along both sides, mountains, blue skies, rolling hills. I come from New Zealand, like Lord of the Rings country, and I am looking at paradise. I am thinking if you stepped on it – it would spring back. The radiance was across the entire creation – I thought – I am home. I couldn’t believe it. I was under the impression that religion teaches you that you go into a cloud, play harps, and have fat little Italian babies…and above it appears heaven – a parallel universe really right in front of me. I knew I am home. I just stepped forward and Jesus came right back in front and said Ian now that you have seen, do you wish to remain here or do you wish to return? I said – remain here. I have no desire to go back. I have no reason to go back, no one loves me. You love me. And I looked back to say goodbye cruel world, and the Lord showed me my mother. The one person who had taught me, who had loved me, the one person that I had loved and honored. I thought if I passed into eternity now, will she know that I prayed in that ambulance, will she have any concept that her prayers helped her son to give his heart to the Lord in his dying sickness? Will she have any way to know this. I thought she will not. I thought how selfish of me to enter eternity, my mother have to bury me, to think she lost her son to hell. I thought it would break her heart. I said I have to go back. Lord I want to go back. He said Ian if you return you must see things in a new light – from an eternal heavenly perspective, not a temporary one. I looked back again – I saw my father, my brother, my sister, hundreds of thousands of people appeared behind them – a sea of humanity. I said who are they? He said Ian I want you to tell them also – because most will not come to a church any longer and hear my name. But I said God I do not love them, I do not know them. I love my mother. He said Ian, I love them, and I desire all of them to come to know me. Now I had difficulty loving one person, I said I don’t understand that love. How can I go back down a tunnel into darkness and back into my body. He said son, tilt your head, fill it from your eye – then open up your eye Ian and see. As I opened up my eye, I was instantly back in my body laying on a slab in a morgue with an Indian doctor holding my right foot cupped in his left hand with a scalpel pricking the base of my foot like a dead piece of meat. As he saw me open my eyes, the poor doctor went through the ceiling. I heard the Lord speak and he said Son I have just given your life back. I said God if that is true, can I look out of my other eye? As I turned my head to the left, I saw the nurses who had worked on me – I saw them in terror and smash into each other as they ran. The doctor drops my foot and tells me I’ve been dead for 15-20 minutes. I could feel nothing from my neck down. I said God if I have seen you, can you please heal me and enable me to walk out of the hospital and live a normal life. The power was like electricity coming from the tip of my head. Death had come in through my feet, now life was coming in. Within 3-4 hours I was completely healed, and walked out of the hospital the next day. I believe in the resurrection power and the healing power. And I said God what has happened to me? He said you are a reborn Christian. He said read a Bible. I said I don’t know what a reborn Christian is, you have to die and come back to life or something. He said, read a Bible, son. I said I have never had one, he said your dad has. In six weeks, in 1982 I read the entire Bible.

Gordon:
What an incredible experience!