When a youthful boy perished in a vehicular mishap, he asserts to have traversed to paradise. Following his revival, he carries a profound message bestowed upon him by Jesus and earnestly desires for all to heed it before it’s too tardy.
During the fateful incident on October 19, 1997, Landon Whitley was in transit from church alongside his parents in the rear seat when calamity struck. “I couldn’t discern the subject of his vehement shouts. I remained oblivious to the oncoming ambulance, yet his cries reverberated within me,” recollected Julie Kemp, Landon’s mother, during an interview with Fox News. The “he” she refers to is her husband, Andy, and the ambulance she alludes to collided with their vehicle at an intersection.
Landon, a mere eight years old at the time, suffered the consequences when the ambulance en route back to the station forcefully collided with their family car. His father met an instantaneous demise. Rescuers promptly attended to Julie, unaware of Landon’s presence in the vehicle. “Due to the severe damage on the driver’s side of the car, they couldn’t catch sight of his physical form,” elucidated Julie. “Landon was situated behind his father.” Upon spotting Landon’s shoe, the rescuers commenced their search for a child’s lifeless body, as relayed by CBN.
Landon was eventually discovered, but his breath had ceased. Immediate resuscitation measures were undertaken, and he was swiftly airlifted from the scene. He encountered death twice more on that fateful day. Each time, he was revived, but his situation remained precarious. “They informed me that if he managed to survive, which seemed unlikely, he would be akin to an 8-year-old infant,” recollected Julie. “Due to the brain injury, he would be unable to walk, speak, or feed himself.” Yet, Julie was willing to embrace this prospect out of sheer desperation. She yearned to have him back, for he was all she had.
While her son fought for his life, Julie had to bid farewell to her husband and lay him to rest. She candidly confesses that during his funeral, she felt forsaken by God. “My heart was shattered, and I was filled with disappointment.” At that moment, I cried out to God, questioning the reasons behind this tragedy. “I couldn’t fathom why He hadn’t sent His angels to protect us.” Yet, in the next breath, I found myself fervently praying to God, with all the intensity I had ever mustered, for Landon’s survival.
Despite the severe head trauma Landon endured in the accident and his subsequent coma, reliant on life-sustaining machines, the boy stirred from his slumber two weeks later, a testament to Julie’s prayers being answered. Astonishingly, he exhibited no signs of brain damage. Amidst the elation that her son had finally regained consciousness, Julie realized she had to share the heartbreaking news of his father’s demise. “His face bore scars, and his mind was burdened with pain. I couldn’t bear to inflict further distress upon him,” recollected Julie. “Thus, I gently asked Landon, ‘Landon, do you know where your father is?'” ‘Yes, I know where he is,’ he replied. ‘I saw him in heaven,’ I shared with him.
That was not the sole revelation Landon encountered within the realms of heaven. Alongside departed family members, he beheld unfamiliar siblings he had no inkling about. “He turned towards me and uttered, ‘Oh, Mom, I forgot to inform you…'” ‘I saw your other two children.’ I stood there, bewildered, unable to comprehend his words. Prior to Landon, we had experienced two miscarriages,” elucidated Julie. “He witnessed them in heaven, despite us never disclosing such information to him. He had no knowledge of our prior loss of two children.”
“Even though no one had ever shared this with me, I instinctively knew they were my siblings,” Landon expounded. “Simply by being in heaven, I suppose you possess an inherent awareness of everyone’s identity, or at least your own.” Landon asserted that with each of his near-death experiences, he encountered distinct encounters within the heavenly realm. He attested that during his third sojourn, he communed with Jesus and was entrusted with a profound message and an assigned purpose.
“Landon expounded, recounting the appearance of Jesus to him, and the divine instruction he received to return to Earth as a devout follower, spreading the message of Christ to others. “My sole desire is for people to grasp the reality of Jesus, the existence of heaven, and the presence of angels,” Landon emphasized. “Furthermore, to abide by His teachings outlined in the Bible, for in the end, life does indeed improve.”
Embracing Jesus’ directive from that pivotal day, Landon and Julie now utilize their profound encounter to assist those grappling with grief and seeking solace. “I am aware that my purpose lies in serving Jesus,” Landon added with conviction. “I am certain of His existence, the presence of angels, and the existence of heaven. I have personally witnessed Jesus, and I know He is here with us. He has entrusted me with this task, and I am devotedly fulfilling it.”
Julie reflected on her past perplexity regarding why God had not dispatched an angel in 1997. “Yet, I am cognizant that angels were indeed present, and we were divinely safeguarded, faithfully fulfilling His plan for us,” Julie expressed. “Rather than succumbing to immobilizing grief or harboring resentment towards Him,” she continued, “I have been able to employ our story to guide others, encouraging them to persevere and maintain faith throughout their own journeys of grief.” Julie added, “It is an immense blessing to witness my child passionately spreading the word of Jesus to others. He eagerly imparts the truth about the existence of heaven because he has personally experienced it.”
Praise God! What a beautiful testimony!