What if the spiritual battles Christians read about in Scripture are unfolding around us in ways we cannot physically see?
Near-death experience survivor and author Randy Kay says he witnessed that unseen reality firsthand when his heart stopped for more than 30 minutes. What he says happened next left no question in his mind about the power found in the name of Jesus.
Kay recounted the experience during an interview with Charisma Media about the medical emergency that nearly claimed his life. After returning home to San Diego from a job interview on the East Coast, Kay began experiencing intense calf pain, followed by difficulty breathing. His condition deteriorated until he collapsed and was rushed to the emergency room.
Doctors discovered seven blood clots obstructing his pulmonary artery. Kay recalled one physician telling him he was a “walking dead man.”
Yet the physical battle was only part of what Kay says was happening.
At the time, Kay was struggling deeply with his faith, wondering why God had seemingly abandoned him during one of the most difficult seasons of his life. As his body began shutting down, his heart ultimately stopped.
“The heart had stopped for a little over 30 minutes. Thirty minutes and 49 seconds to be exact,” Kay said.
Kay says he suddenly found himself outside his body before being pulled toward a light. However, he is adamant that the place he entered was not heaven.
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Instead, he witnessed what he describes as a battlefield.
Kay saw enormous figures on opposing sides. Those on one side appeared clothed in unusual, shining armor, while the figures opposing them appeared decrepit and decaying. Both sides were fighting with swords. Kay came to understand that he was witnessing angels and demons at war.
But this wasn’t simply something he watched.
When the demonic side gained ground, Kay says he experienced fear, anxiety and doubt. When the angels prevailed, he felt hope, encouragement, peace and love.
“That was the spiritual battle going on,” Kay said.
Then came the defining moment.
Kay, who says he still believed in Christ despite his crisis of faith, realized there was only one thing he could do.
“My only recourse, the only option I had to escape, was to cry out the name of Jesus Christ,” he recalled.
Kay cried out Jesus’ name.
Instantly, everything changed.
He says he was pulled through the light and suddenly found himself face-to-face with the One he immediately knew was Jesus Christ.
For Kay, the experience became a vivid picture of the spiritual warfare Christians face every day. We may not see the battle raging in the spiritual realm, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t real.
And when Kay found himself surrounded by a reality far beyond anything he could control, theological knowledge wasn’t what he said delivered him from fear. It was the name above every name.
After questioning God, wrestling with disappointment and standing at death’s door, Kay came away with a declaration every believer can hold onto in their darkest hour:
“My only hope was Jesus Christ.”
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
