Sightings of Jesus have happened throughout recorded history. Even the Old Testament tells of visitations of Christ to earth. After this Jewish teacher and prophet was executed by Roman soldiers, many eyewitnesses claimed to see him in the flesh, alive and well. Others have seen natural and supernatural things that they believe reveal him in some form or other.
Some of the episodes are seemingly trivial. A person orders a pizza and opens the box to find the face of the Lord depicted in tomato sauce. Others see him in the clouds or in photographs of waves. Of course, it is easy to dismiss reports as imagination run riot or wishful thinking, emotional responses which cause the gullible to see more than what is actually there.
It might well be argued that things like this are way too trivial to be reminders of the man whose birth was heralded by an enormous star and whose teaching changed the world. However, many people who find such images also find a great deal of significance in them. Frequently, the images get displayed on internet sites that get many hits from people around the world.
Of course, other episodes do not depend on shapes in the clouds or stains on a piece of fabric. People who are dying often speak last words indicating that they are encountering Jesus, the son of God. Those who have what are called 'near-death' experiences, when they are clinically dead for a period of time but come back to life, routinely report visits with the Lord in what they believe to be heaven.
Dreams and visions are one way that people come to faith in a risen Christ. Even those of other cultures who have not heard the Gospel preached have reported divine visitations. People in dangerous situations often tell tales of being guided, sustained, comforted, and delivered by someone they know to be the Lord.
Such experiences are an integral part of the Christian faith. They also are part of folklore and of history itself. Joan of Arc led a rebellion based on her visions of her Lord. People in crisis situations often have tales of divine intervention to relate after they have survived the experiences.
Such experiences can be life-changing. Agnostics and atheists have found their beliefs changed by dramatic encounters with a living person so glorious and loving that they could not resist. People of various faiths have found that supernatural evidence of Jesus turns their lives around. Many people scoff at the accounts, however, and call them hoaxes or hysteria.
It is not hard to find accounts of sightings of Jesus. The internet is full of photos, book reviews, personal testimonies, and rumors. It seems that as the chaos in the world grows, with wars, extremes of weather, and financial upheavals, the reports of such things increase. Many hope that this is truly a move of God to reach out once more to human beings who may not know the blessings reserved for them by a loving father.
Some of the episodes are seemingly trivial. A person orders a pizza and opens the box to find the face of the Lord depicted in tomato sauce. Others see him in the clouds or in photographs of waves. Of course, it is easy to dismiss reports as imagination run riot or wishful thinking, emotional responses which cause the gullible to see more than what is actually there.
It might well be argued that things like this are way too trivial to be reminders of the man whose birth was heralded by an enormous star and whose teaching changed the world. However, many people who find such images also find a great deal of significance in them. Frequently, the images get displayed on internet sites that get many hits from people around the world.
Of course, other episodes do not depend on shapes in the clouds or stains on a piece of fabric. People who are dying often speak last words indicating that they are encountering Jesus, the son of God. Those who have what are called 'near-death' experiences, when they are clinically dead for a period of time but come back to life, routinely report visits with the Lord in what they believe to be heaven.
Dreams and visions are one way that people come to faith in a risen Christ. Even those of other cultures who have not heard the Gospel preached have reported divine visitations. People in dangerous situations often tell tales of being guided, sustained, comforted, and delivered by someone they know to be the Lord.
Such experiences are an integral part of the Christian faith. They also are part of folklore and of history itself. Joan of Arc led a rebellion based on her visions of her Lord. People in crisis situations often have tales of divine intervention to relate after they have survived the experiences.
Such experiences can be life-changing. Agnostics and atheists have found their beliefs changed by dramatic encounters with a living person so glorious and loving that they could not resist. People of various faiths have found that supernatural evidence of Jesus turns their lives around. Many people scoff at the accounts, however, and call them hoaxes or hysteria.
It is not hard to find accounts of sightings of Jesus. The internet is full of photos, book reviews, personal testimonies, and rumors. It seems that as the chaos in the world grows, with wars, extremes of weather, and financial upheavals, the reports of such things increase. Many hope that this is truly a move of God to reach out once more to human beings who may not know the blessings reserved for them by a loving father.
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