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.