The Return Of Jesus: A Shining Sun In Our Christian Sky Series

When talking about a vision from God, we have to understand that we can't take it at the same level as scripture. It's a testimony, a vision, something we test against the word of God and prayer. But I sensed God asking me to share a bit of this testimony.

I had a vision from God when I was twenty years old. I was addicted to drugs, totally lost, and did not believe in God. Many were praying for me. So I believe God was giving me a warning. I saw myself seeing a bright shining glorious nexus, it was God’s presence and power and glory. And then I saw myself drifting from it. I had missed it. And I found myself in hell. I saw this in a vision from God. I was in hell. And I was being tormented. Yet even from hell I could see above the glory of God, everything I had missed. I had sinned. And I had lost everything.

I gave that testimony a few years ago, and shared it on a video online. And I watched it a few times, and I saw the way it was recorded, behind me was the big light in my kitchen, and it showed me as I watched the video, that I was now with the light, the light was with me, in me, and I now have the hope of salvation.

God had warned me that I was headed in the wrong direction. But praise God he has brought me to that bright shining light of hope and salvation.

We’re talking about the bright shining hope of every Christian who is alive today and every Christian who has ever lived. That is the return of Jesus Christ.

The world lives in the fear of death. I recall being afraid of death. I remember how empty it felt. I remember how scary it seemed. When you know that you’re really all alone, well, that’s terrifying.

But, we are not like the world. We have a great and powerful hope.

In 1st Thessalonians 4 it says in verse 13, “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.”

The scripture talks about those who sleep in death. This is a picture that Jesus gave us, when speaking about Lazarus. He said Lazarus is sleeping, but I will go and wake him up. His disciples were confused, they asked him what he meant. He said Lazarus is dead. But Jesus would raise him from the dead.

The word tells us not to grieve for the dead in Christ like the rest of the world. Because though the world doesn’t have hope, we have an eternal hope.

It’s bright and it’s shining, it’s strong and consistent, much like Earth’s sun. It shines day and night. Whether we see it or not, it keeps shining. At night it keeps shining. During the day it shines. We don’t worry that it will run out of fuel. We don’t worry that it won’t shine. It always shines. It burns brightly in space.

What is this eternal hope? It’s the Return of Jesus. He will come again. He will not leave us as orphans. He has gone to prepare a place for us. And he will return to bring us there. God doesn’t lie. If he says it, it’s true. You can take that to the bank.

In verse 14, “For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”

We know for certain two key facts: One, Jesus died. He was crucified. Second, Jesus rose from the dead.

And Jesus will bring back those who died in Him.

Jesus said, “Lazarus, come out!” And Lazarus rose from the dead. Jesus spoke to Jairus’ daughter, she was dead, and then she was alive.

Since God made the universe, since he placed the sun burning at the center of our solar system, since he placed planet earth here, also, God is able to raise the dead and bring them back to life. One of my favorite Christian apologists Prof. Frank Turek often says, if God made the universe from nothing, is it really so hard for Him to raise Jesus from the dead? Not really. If God can make space, time, reality, and the human race, it can't be too hard for Him to raise Jesus from the dead.

So when considering this bright shining hope that we cling to, this sun in our sky, of the return of Jesus, it includes a formula that we believe that Jesus died, and Jesus rose from the dead. Those facts, those historical truths are things we remember when considering the fate of the dead.