Jesus Sightings

[Jam2b40]

I hope this doesn't turn into a weird discussion.

I have heard of people claiming to have seen Jesus in everyday life, or at times of great distress or trauma. I was wondering if any of you have information about this, or believe the stories.

I had always believed that Jesus is in Heaven preparing and will not come back until His triumphant return. However I experienced something about five years ago that just seemed odd to me. I asked someone if they thought it could have been an angel, and the person said they thought it could have been Jesus Himself. I'll share the story if you are interested, but there aren't many details to share. It was just an unusual experience, mostly because of the way it felt.

 

Since then I have heard of stories where people claim they have seen Him. In one in particular He identified Himself as Christ when asked if He was. I've heard that these Jesus sightings are converting non-believers to believers, and that there is a larger number of reports of this occurring in the middle east.

So, do you guys think He makes visits?

[Justin Adams]

I have also read of such happenings.
One was in the darkest and mostly unreachable parts of Africa. I did read and understood it to be as it was described. A visitation.
Smith Wigglesworth, on occasion had a similar visitations or visions. I believe his accounts as well.
Personally, I was 'abstracted' during a horrible and soul-destroying time in my life - I felt, really felt The Gentleness of the Lord just walking along with me for a few hundred feet as I agonized over things.
I remember it so clearly that I believe that this really happened as well.

[GandalfTheWise]

One story from people I know personally and find credible.  (This has been nearly 30 years ago so my memory is foggy on the details as I heard them.)  Some friends of ours in church had a sister (that knew a lot of people in our church) who was dying at a young age.  She'd been a nominal Christian for years but seriously recommitted her life to Christ.   She was in a hospital that had a range of religious art throughout the building.  There was a painting in her room of Jesus as the good shepherd holding a small lamb.  At one point, she had told someone that she wished Jesus would hold her like that.  Near the end, she was unable to speak.  At some point, when surrounded by Christian friends praying, she started to get alert and excited.  They tried to figure out what was happening and she started pointing to that picture.  They asked if she needed anything (assuming something was wrong) and she kept pointing toward the painting.  Someone asked if she had seen Jesus and she nodded her head.  After this, she was smiling and quite peaceful. She passed a short time later.

I also heard a story from a man (about 20 years ago) who said he twice had a vision of Jesus while he was addicted to alcohol and drugs.  His wife had recently become a Christian.  The first time he chalked it up to being drunk and tried to forget it.  The second time he got very serious.  During this time, she and her church had been praying intensively for him and he had left her and was living by himself.  Shortly after this, he became a Christian.  Comparing time lines of her life and his, it was at times when her church had a nightly prayer meeting in which he was being prayed for that this happened.  I didn't personally know these people very well (though I heard the story from them), but they didn't strike me as people prone to making stuff up.