I BEGAN HAVING STOMACH PAINS,

SEVERE STOMACH PAINS INITIALLY I

HAD NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS.

THE STRESS JEFFREY THOMPSON

WAS UNDER RUNNING HIS LAW

PRACTICE HAD TAKEN A TOLL ON HIS

BODY.

I MAINTAINED THE STRESS.

EVENTUALLY IT BROKE DOWN.

JEFFREY DEVELOPED

DIVERTICULITIS AND NEEDED

SURGERY TO REMOVE PART OF HIS

INTESTINE.

AFTER THE OPERATION, HIS BODY

CONTINUED TO HEMORRHAGE.

I LOOKED INTO THE SURGEON'S

EYES AND SAW CONCERN.

MY INTERNAL CLOCK WAS TELLING ME

I ONLY HAD A FEW SECONDS OF

CONSCIOUSNESS LEFT.

I REACHED UP TO GRAB MY WIFE.

I WENT TO HIM.

IT WAS RIGHT AFTER THAT I

LOST HIM.

I COULD TELL HE LEFT.

HE TOOK MY HAND AND WAS GONE.

JEFFREY THOMPSON JOINS US NOW

LIVE.

THANKFULLY FOR THE REST OF HIS

STORY.

JEFF IT IS GREAT TO HAVE YOU

WITH US.

TERRY, HONORED TO BE HERE.

TERRY: YOU WERE A SUCCESSFUL

LAWYER, WORKING 70-80 HOURS A

WEEK.

EVENTUALLY TOOK A TOLL ON YOUR

BODY.

TELL US ABOUT THAT.

IT DID.

MY PRACTICE TAKES US AROUND THE

COUNTRY.

I AM WITH A WONDERFUL FIRM.

WE HAVE CLIENTS IN EVERY STATE

WHICH REQUIRES A LOT OF TRAVEL.

IT TAKES IT OUT OF YOU.

IT BROKE MY BODY DOWN,

UNFORTUNATELY.

TERRY: YOU ARE GOING INTO

THIS SURGERY FOR A STOMACH

ISSUE.

NOTHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN

FATAL.

WERE YOU PREPARED FOR ANYTHING

BAD TO HAPPEN?

I WAS NOT.

MY WIFE AND I HAD A FEELING

NOTHING WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.

I TOLD MY ASSISTANT THE DAY

BEFORE SURGERY, TELL MY CLIENTS,

I AM UP AND RUNNING MONDAY.

THAT WAS MY IDEA, NOT GODS.

TERRY: SOMETIMES GOD SENDS

AN EARTHQUAKE TO GET OUR

ATTENTION.

HERE YOU ARE, YOU HAD THE

SURGERY, THE CORRECTION ACTUALLY

TOOK PLACE, 24 HOURS LATER THE

DOCTORS PULLED BACK THE SHEET,

VITAL SIGNS NOT GOOD.

WHAT DID THEY FIND?

I LOOK PREGNANT.

I WAS BLEEDING INTERNALLY.

WHEN I LOOKED DOWN, I REALIZED

NEEDILY SOMETHING WAS TERRIBLY

WRONG.

THE

TERRY: TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED

THEN, YOU WENT INTO THIS BLACK

OUT THAT WE HEARD DESCRIBED.

YOUR SENSES HEIGHTENED.

WHEN I LOOKED DOWN AT MY

STOMACH, I BEGAN TO DIE.

I KNEW WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

I KNEW I ONLY HAD A FEW SECONDS

LEFT OF CONSCIOUSNESS.

I REACHED UP AND GRABBED MY

WIFE.

I WANTED TO TELL HER HOW MUCH I

LOVED HER.

SHE IS AN INCREDIBLE PERSON.

I BEGAN TO RISE OUT OF MY BODY

UP INTO THAT ROOM.

I HAD NEVER BEEN MORE ALIVE.

TERRY: WERE YOU AFRAID?

NO.

THAT WAS THE INCREDIBLE THING.

I HAD NEVER FELT SUCH PEACE AND

LOVE.

I COULD SEE EVERYTHING DOWN

BELOW ME.

I SAID THIS IS VERY INTERESTING.

LEAVE IT TO A LAWYER.

[LAUGHTER].

TERRY: I WAS JUST GOING TO

SAY.

[LAUGHTER].

I WAS WATCHING EVERYTHING IN

COMPLETE PEACE.

THEN THE LIGHT ENTERED.

TERRY: TELL US ABOUT THAT.

BEGAN AT THE CEILING, TERRY.

IT FILTERED OUT.

I STRUGGLE FOR THE WORDS, IT WAS

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I HAD

EVER SEEN.

ONLY THING I COULD COMPARE IT

TO, YOU SEE THE SON'S RAYS AND

KNOW IT IS THERE.

MULTIPLY IT TIMES A THOUSAND.

INCREDIBLE.

IT BEGAN TO FELTER IN THAT ROOM,

COLORS CAME FLOODING OUT.

MY SENSES BECAME ENHANCED.

TERRY: WHAT WERE YOU

THINKING AT THIS POINT?

I WAS ABSORBING IT ALL.

I WAS ENJOYING IT.

I WAS IN COMPLETE PEACE AND

COMFORT.

I WAS OVERWHELMED BY WHAT WAS

HAPPENING TO ME.

THERE WAS NO PAIN AND NO FEAR.

NOTHING BUT SWEETNESS.

TERRY: WHERE WERE YOU AT

SPIRITUALLY?

I HAD BEEN A CHRISTIAN SINCE

I WAS A TEENAGER.

LOVED GOD.

HELPED SUNDAY SCHOOL.

I HAVE HAD A LOVE FOR GOD IN A

LONG TIME.

I NEVER UNDERSTOOD HOW MUCH HE

LOVED ME.

I HAD BEEN TOLD ALL ABOUT IT.

I READ IT.

TERRY: SUDDENLY, YOU ARE IN

THE PRESENCE OF WHAT YOU ARE

SENSING GOD HIMSELF.

WHAT DID THAT DO TO YOU AS A

PERSON, AS A CHRISTIAN?

AT THE MOMENT IT OVERWHELMED

ME.

HAD I HAD A BODY, I WOULD HAVE

GONE TO THE FLOOR.

NOTHING LIKE HAVING GOD POUR

INTO YOUR SOUL.

I WAS OVERWHELMED BY IT.

YOU ARE IN THIS AMAZING

PLACE, FEELING AND SEEING

EVERYTHING.

HOW DID YOU WIND UP GOING BACK

INTO YOUR BODY?

DURING THIS PROCESS, GOD

INFUSED A NUMBER OF THINGS INTO

ME.

I HAD A FLEEDING THOUGHT, WHAT

ABOUT MADELINE, MY WIFE.

WHAT ABOUT MY SON?

IT WAS A FLEETING THOUGHT.

I WANTED TO BE WITH GOD, BUT I

HAD A FLEETING THOUGHT.

GOD SAID YOU ARE GOING TO GO

BACK.

WHAT DID YOU FEEL THEN?

MOST IMMEDIATE THING THAT

HAPPENED, EVERYTHING STOPPED

BELOW ME.

WHAT ABOUT MADELINE AND WILL.

IT WAS IF SOMEONE PUT A PAUSE

BUTTON.

EVERYTHING WENT SILENT.

IT WAS COMPLETE PEACE.

I SHOT BACK IN MY BODY LIKE I

HAD BEEN HIT BY A LIGHTNING

BOLT.

THE DOCTOR WAS SAYING I HAVE TO

GET HIM BACK IN SURGERY.

HOW AM I GOING TO GET CONSENT.

HE SAID YOU CAN GIVE CONSENT.

TERRY: YOU TALK ABOUT GOD

INFUSING THINGS.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

GOD LOVES YOU MORE THAN YOU

HAVE EVER KNOWN.

HE LOVES YOU BEYOND ANYTHING WE

HAVE EVER KNOWN.

IF WE FULLY UNDERSTOOD THE LOVE

HE HAS, WE WOULD WAKE UP WITH

DIFFERENT PRIORITIES.

TERRY, I USED TO WAKE UP WITH A

KNOT IN MY STOMACH.

I WAKE UP WITH JOY IN MY HEART.

I HAVE TO BECOME A BETTER

PERSON.

BECOMING A BETTER PERSON DOESN'T

GET YOU TO HEAVEN.

YOU GET TO HEAVEN THROUGH CHRIST

AND HIS BLOOD.

WHEN I WAS PLACED UP TO GOD'S

LIGHTED, I REALIZED ALL THE

TIMES I COULD HAVE HELPED OTHERS

AND BROUGHT THEM TO CHRIST AND

FAILED TO DO IT

TERRY: WHEN YOU FEEL HIS

INTENSE LOVE, IT MAKES YOU WANT

TO LIVE DIFFERENTLY.

HOW DO YOU THINK THIS CHANGED

YOU?

I WAKE UP WITH PEACE AND JOY.

MY CAREER IS NOT EVERYTHING.

TERRY: YES.

MY GOD IS.

TERRY: YES.

IT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

YOU THINK AND FEEL DIFFERENTLY.

I LOVE WHAT I CAN DO.

I HAVE AN INCREDIBLE FIRM I WORK

WITH.

THE PEOPLE I WORK ARE WONDERFUL

LOVING PEOPLE.

WE LOVE WORKING TOGETHER.

I STILL LOVE WHAT I DO.

NOTHING SWEETER THAN GOD'S LOVE.

TERRY: THAT IS AN AMAZING

POWERFUL PICTURE OF GOD DROPPING

HIMSELF INTO THE MIDDLE OF

SOMEONE'S LIFE JUST TO SAY I

LOVE YOU.

IT IS INCREDIBLE.

TERRY: WE HEAR THAT OVER AND

OVER AGAIN JEFF, EYE HAS NOT

SEEN, EAR HAS NOT HEARD THE DEEP

LOVE.

THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR

STORY.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HEAR MORE

OF JEFF'S STORY, ALL YOU HAVE TO

DO IS LOG ON TO CBN.COM.

WE HAVE THE COMPLETE STORY AND

VIDEO VERSION.

YOU'LL HAVE THE CHANCE TO LISTEN

TO WHAT JEFF EXPERIENCED.