I’m going to tell you something that might be hard to believe. But it’s the truth—and almost certainly the most supernatural experience I’ve ever had while fully awake and on my feet.

In an earlier blog post, I shared a story titled “That’s not how to talk about Jesus.”, from a period in the early 1970s when I was witnessing daily near the University of California at Berkeley campus. This experience took place during that same time.

My friends and I would take our converted “hippie bus,” which we’d turned into a kind of mobile coffeehouse, and park near the campus. Each day, we’d break into pairs—just like how Jesus sent His disciples out “two by two” (Mark 6:7). Everyone would head off with guitars and Bibles to witness to the students, as well as the many dropouts and travelers who filled the area back then.

Since I was one of the “older ones” in the Lord—already in my early twenties—I stayed behind with the bus to watch over it and hand out sandwiches to anyone who asked.

That’s when this “person” came up to me. He looked to be around my age and size, with long red hair and a red plaid shirt. At first, nothing seemed unusual. But things quickly took a turn into the extraordinary—something unlike anything I’ve experienced before or since.

Let me share a verse that’s key to understanding what happened: “You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13). While someone might harm our physical bodies, and the devil may tempt us fiercely, the truth is that we belong to the mighty God. If you are one of His, your soul and spirit are sealed and no one can enter in except the Lord Himself, or one of His messengers.

As I began talking with this “man”, something shifted dramatically. Though we spoke English, the depth and weight of his words began to penetrate and elevate me—as if I were being carried up in a spiritual elevator. Every time I spoke, he would respond with something far deeper, drawing me up into layers of spirituality that are hard to describe.

I wish I had written it all down immediately after it happened. But the experience was so overwhelming, I don’t think I could have. It was as if language itself began to fall away, and we were communicating on a level beyond ordinary words—more heavenly than human.

It was unnerving. I realized I was in the presence of a being far more powerful than I was—someone who could see through me entirely, easily breaching any defenses I might’ve put up. And yet, despite the awe and fear I felt, I knew this being was benign, not malevolent. He was not there to harm, but he was deadly serious. It was a moment of immense spiritual weight.

I’d had spiritual experiences before, even encounters with demon-possessed people. But this was something else entirely. I could have walked away—I wasn’t being held there—but I didn’t. What happened next was unlike anything I’ve ever known. It was, quite simply, an energy transfer.

Though the being didn’t look like the stereotypical angelic depictions, the power and solemnity he carried felt consistent with how angels are often described. He never touched me, but it felt like he reached into my soul, gripped it, and poured a surge of spirit and energy into me. It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t tender. It was serious. And it was holy.

The message, if there was one, seemed to be this: You have seen much. You know much. And you are very accountable for it. The sense was clear—walk soberly, walk worthy (Ephesians 4:1), and do not treat lightly what God has done for you. There was no rebuke, just the overwhelming presence of God’s seriousness and the fear of the Lord.

Words fail to truly capture what happened. It was mid-day, in a parking lot near Berkeley. I felt that this being could have tossed me into the air or struck me dead if that had been God’s will. And yet, it was a “clean fear” like a post I wrote “Fear God“, about “the fear of the Lord is clean”. (Psalm 19:9). Nothing harmful occurred—only the destruction of any shallowness or wavering within me. Any complacency was burned away. I hadn’t thought of myself as shallow at the time. But the Lord was making it unmistakably clear: total commitment and focus were non-negotiable.

I was just weeks away from leaving the U.S. to be a missionary in Europe. In hindsight, it seems this visitation was God’s way of preparing me—strengthening and sobering me for the challenges and spiritual battles that lay ahead.

It was almost like a spiritual umbilical cord. The “man” never touched me, but his words and presence bypassed my intellect and infused my very spirit and being. It reminded me of that scene in The Matrix where Neo gets a data upload directly into his brain—but this was no fiction. It was real time on the street, face-to-face, spirit-to-spirit. His presence left a deep imprint I’ve never forgotten.

Then he was gone. I was shaken, but not harmed—in fact, strengthened. I’ve never had an experience like that again. I’ve had one or two other angelic encounters, and I’ll try to share those in future posts.

If I were reading this story, I might wonder, Is this guy making it up? But I’m not. This happened to me.

Angels are out there. “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7) They help guide and guard us, especially when we’re being called to a higher level of service. Still, experiences like this are difficult to put into words. They transcend our usual understanding and vocabulary.

But I share this because I believe someone needs to hear it. Maybe it’s you.