May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Today, you are about to hear a powerful testimony of a man who once lived far away from God, came face to face with death, and experienced something that would change his life forever. By the grace and mercy of God, he was given another opportunity to live. And from that moment onward, his heart belonged to Jesus Christ. My dear brothers and sisters, may the peace of the Lord be with you all.
Today, I want to share a part of my personal testimony. I want to tell you about an extraordinary experience I had with God, an experience that transformed my life completely. I believe that as you listen, the Holy Spirit will speak to your heart. I want to tell you what happened to me when I was in a coma at the hospital, and what I experienced in the place I believe God allowed me to see. I will share the details of what I witnessed, what I felt, and what I learned through that experience.
My prayer is that this testimony will strengthen your faith and encourage you to draw closer to God. And if you have wandered away from his presence, remember this: as long as there is life, there is hope. Before I begin, I want to share a passage from the book of Revelation, chapter 21, beginning at verse three. The scripture describes a glorious time when God will dwell among his people. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, or pain, because the former things will have passed away.
What a beautiful promise. A place without suffering. A place without sadness. A place prepared for those who love the Lord and acknowledge the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.
Now, let me tell you what happened to me. When I was approximately 19 years old, I was living a completely different life. I was rebellious. I wanted nothing to do with God. All I cared about was going to nightclubs, attending parties, and enjoying the pleasures of the world.
I had long, thick hair that extended well below my shoulders. I wore 16 piercings, and much of my body was covered in tattoos. For a period of my life, I even worked as a tattoo artist. I lived without any commitment to God, and I had no interest in changing. Yet, throughout those years, people would approach me with messages they believed God had given them. They told me that God had a purpose for my life.
They said I had been chosen to preach his word, but I refused to listen. I rejected every warning and ignored every opportunity to turn my life around.
There was one person in our family who faithfully served the Lord. Her name was Lucenit. She was the only evangelical Christian in our family at that time. She regularly visited my mother's house to pray, sing hymns, and share messages of encouragement and faith.
But one Thursday afternoon, something happened that I would never forget. Our family was going through an incredibly painful season. We had recently lost my sister Beatrice in a tragic act of violence. Her death had devastated our family, especially my mother. Only about 15 to 20 days had passed since we lost her.
That Thursday, Lucenit came to our home to pray. As she prayed, she began speaking in tongues and delivering what she believed was a prophetic message. She warned my mother that if she continued refusing to draw closer to God, another of her children might face serious danger. My mother immediately responded that she would attend the Catholic church, but she did not want to attend an Evangelical church. What she did not know was that I would soon become the person at the center of that warning.
There were five daughters in our family, and I was the only son. My mother loved all her children, but she had a particularly special affection for me because she had long hoped to have a boy.
Then Lucenit approached me. She looked directly at me and began delivering a message. She said that God had chosen me even before I was born, and that one day I would become a preacher of his word. She warned me that a dangerous event was approaching. Within three days, she said, I would face a threat involving a knife.
But I did not take her seriously. I turned my back on her and walked into my bedroom. I told her not to come to me with prophecies and revelations in an attempt to frighten me. I was stubborn. My heart was hardened. But before leaving my room, she gave me one final warning. She urged me to seek God's forgiveness while I still had the opportunity. Those words stayed with me, although I refused to admit it at the time.
Later, my mother came to me and said, "My son, this Sunday we are going to church." I agreed. Despite the way I behaved outside our home, I always respected my mother. So I promised her that I would go.
But when Friday arrived, everything changed. I put on my clothes and went out to meet my friends. I had no intention of changing my lifestyle. I wanted to party. I wanted to enjoy myself. And I wanted to forget everything I had heard.
As I was leaving, a Christian woman who knew me approached and invited me to church. I refused. I pointed to my tattoos and told her that I was not dressed appropriately to attend a service. But she smiled and told me to come just as I was. She reminded me that God had transformed the life of the Apostle Paul and that he could transform mine as well. I laughed. I told her I did not even know who Paul was and I had no interest in finding out. She simply replied that one day I would understand. But I walked away.
The next day, another Christian woman approached me and spoke about repentance, eternity, heaven, and hell. I challenged her. I asked whether she truly believed she could speak to God. When she said yes, I told her to deliver a message on my behalf. I said that if heaven and hell truly existed, then God should allow me to see them for myself. Because at that time, I did not believe in either.
To me, heaven and hell were simply experiences people had here on Earth. Good experiences were heaven. Bad experiences were hell. And when a person died, I believed everything ended. That was my understanding of life. But I had no idea how dramatically my beliefs were about to change.
Friday passed and Saturday came. I continued spending time with my friends, going to parties, and drinking. Then Sunday arrived. The very day I had promised my mother that I would go to church. But I did not return home.
Deep inside, I kept remembering my promise. It was as though a voice within me was urging me to go home, be with my mother, and attend church that evening. Today, I believe that voice was the Holy Spirit trying to reach me. But I ignored it.
As night fell, I went to a place where my friends had gathered. We sat together, talking and drinking. At approximately 11:00 that night, a young man approached our table. He was someone I considered a friend. He knew my family. We had spent time together, played video games, and gone out on many occasions. He often praised me, calling me the king of money, women, and the streets.
But that evening, something about him seemed different. He appeared troubled and restless. He would approach our table, stay for a few minutes, and then leave. A little later, he would return. Sometimes he would embrace me as though everything was normal. I had no idea that, according to what I later came to understand, he was planning to harm me.
At approximately 11:40, I told my friends that I was going to another nightclub nearby. One of my friends, Robson, decided to accompany me. We walked together and entered the nightclub. There were not many people inside. After about five minutes, I decided to return to the others. I asked Robson to come with me, but he preferred to stay. So I left alone.
And when I stepped outside, I saw that same young man waiting nearby with his bicycle. I called out to him. I asked whether he could give me a ride back to where my friends were gathered. He agreed. I climbed onto the bicycle, sitting on the front bar while he rode.
But instead of taking the usual route, he turned into a dark alley. I asked him where he was going. He casually replied that he was taking another way. I trusted him. I had no reason to believe that someone I called my friend would betray me.
But in that dark alley, everything changed. He suddenly attacked me with a blade. I was completely unprepared. I could hardly understand what was happening. I turned toward him and cried out, asking why he had done such a thing. I told him that I had never done anything to hurt him.
At that moment, I experienced something I could not explain. When I looked at his face, I believed I was seeing something terrifying and supernatural. Today, I understand that moment through my faith. I believe God intervened and prevented the attack from going any further.
I managed to get away. As I walked, frightened and seriously injured, I saw a police vehicle approaching. The officers stopped and asked what had happened. I explained that someone I knew had attacked me. But I was left there without the urgent assistance I needed.
My strength was fading. My vision began to grow dark. I could feel myself becoming weaker with every passing moment. I walked toward a nearby tree and leaned against it. And then something extraordinary happened. It was as though an enormous screen had opened before my eyes.
Scenes from my life began passing before me. I remembered the people who had spoken to me about Jesus. I remembered the Christian women who had invited me to church. I remembered the messages I had rejected. And finally, I remembered Lucenit standing in my mother's house, warning me about what was coming. Her words returned to my mind. For the first time, I began to understand how many opportunities I had been given to reconsider my life.
There, leaning against that tree, I prayed. It was not a long prayer. It was not an eloquent prayer. But it was the most sincere prayer I had ever spoken. I asked God to forgive me and give me one more opportunity. Just one more chance. I wanted to live. I wanted to change. I wanted to make things right.
After praying, I decided to walk toward the nightclub hoping someone would help me. But I was growing weaker. When I finally reached the entrance, I collapsed. People gathered around me. I could hear their voices, although they seemed increasingly distant. Someone tried to help me. Others called out in alarm. And then, as I lay there, I began to experience something unlike anything I had ever known.
The sounds around me faded. Everything seemed to change. Suddenly, I felt as though I had risen from where I was lying. I looked around and saw the people gathered nearby. I tried to speak to them. I told them I was all right. But nobody responded. Nobody seemed able to hear me.
Then I turned around. And what I saw left me overwhelmed. I could see my own body lying on the ground. I could see the people surrounding it. I could hear their conversations. Yet I could not communicate with them.
At that moment, everything I had once dismissed about life after death came rushing back into my mind. I began to question everything I had believed. Was there really life beyond this world? Were the things people had told me about eternity true?
I cried out to God again. I begged him to allow me to return. And as I struggled to understand what was happening, a brilliant light appeared around me. It was unlike any light I had ever seen. It surrounded me completely. And then I felt myself being drawn upward.
I could not resist it. I could not hold on to anything. The light became brighter and brighter, yet it did not hurt my eyes. Instead, I felt an overwhelming sense of peace. And as I passed through that extraordinary brightness, I found myself entering a place of indescribable beauty. A place that would forever change my understanding of heaven, eternity, and the mercy of God.
As I passed through that extraordinary light, something wonderful began to happen. It felt as though everything connected to my old life was being left behind. When I looked around, I could no longer see the sun, the moon, or the stars. There was only a magnificent radiance surrounding me. A light so beautiful and powerful that no earthly words could fully describe it.
And within that light, I felt something I had never experienced before. An overwhelming love. A peace beyond human understanding.
When I looked at myself, I noticed that my appearance had changed. My hair was no longer long. The piercings I had worn were gone, and I no longer looked the way I had looked on Earth. I seemed to be covered in a spiritual garment. It was as though I had been given an entirely different appearance.
My brothers and sisters, I wish I had the wisdom and the words to describe everything I witnessed. Even today, I struggle to explain the beauty of that place. But I know what I experienced. And I want to share it with you.
As my vision became clearer, I found myself standing in what appeared to be an enormous garden. I cannot say with certainty that I had entered the very center of heaven. To me, it seemed more like a heavenly garden, perhaps an outer part of that glorious place.
Before me stretched a landscape of breathtaking beauty. There were magnificent plants and flowers of every kind. The garden seemed endless. No matter how far I looked, I could not see where it ended. Above it, I saw a rainbow filled with extraordinary colors. But this was no ordinary rainbow. Its colors seemed to move and shimmer with life. And flowing through the garden was a river of crystal clear water.
The water was so pure and transparent that it reflected everything around it. I stood there, overwhelmed by the beauty. And as I looked at that wonderful place, I began to feel like a little child again. I remembered being 6 years old, longing to be held in my father's arms. That was exactly how I felt. Safe. Loved. Protected. Completely at peace. There was no fear in my heart. No anxiety. No sorrow.
Only an indescribable joy. I did not want to leave. I wanted to remain there forever. Then suddenly, a brilliant light approached me. Within that light, I became aware of a figure standing beside me. The figure appeared to be approximately 2 m tall. I understood that this was an angel. An angel who had come to speak with me and reveal certain things about the place I was witnessing.
As I continued looking around, I noticed something extraordinary about the plants and flowers. They were not like anything we have here on Earth. They seemed to be alive in a way I cannot fully explain. And when they moved, they produced beautiful musical sounds. Imagine standing in a garden where the movement of every flower creates music. Where the plants themselves seem to participate in a magnificent symphony. The sounds reminded me of musical instruments, but they were unlike any instruments I had ever heard.
There were tones resembling guitars and other stringed instruments. Yet the music was far more beautiful than anything human hands could produce. As I listened in amazement, the angel explained that even the plants and flowers were praising God. Every movement of the garden seemed to produce another beautiful sound. The entire atmosphere was filled with harmony.
And then I noticed the river. As its waters flowed, they too produced music. Not the ordinary sound of a river moving over stones. It was something entirely different. A sound of extraordinary beauty. Something I had never heard during my earthly life. It was as though all creation was united in worship. The plants, the flowers, the waters. Everything seemed to glorify the creator. And the peace I felt was beyond description.
I remembered the words of 1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 9, which speak of the wonderful things God has prepared for those who love him. Things beyond what human eyes have seen, ears have heard, or hearts have imagined. Standing in that garden, I felt as though I was witnessing something connected to that promise. But what happened next amazed me even more.
Part four, the prayers rising toward heaven. While I was standing in the garden, listening to the beautiful sounds of nature, I began to hear something else. At first, it sounded distant. Then it grew stronger. I could hear voices. Voices singing praises to God. The sound seemed to enter the garden from somewhere beyond my sight. And as those praises filled the atmosphere, I noticed something extraordinary. Beautiful golden spheres began appearing. They were brilliant, radiant, and shining like precious gold. They moved past us and rose upward, higher and higher. I watched them in amazement.
They seemed to be traveling toward a place far above me. But when I tried to look in that direction, I lowered my head. I felt unworthy to look toward whatever was above. I could sense that something incredibly holy was there. Then the angel spoke to me. He explained that the shining golden spheres represented the prayers and praises of God's people on earth. They were the worship of those who sincerely loved the Lord. The prayers of believers. The praises of the faithful. The worship offered by people who sought God in spirit and in truth. And those prayers were rising toward him.
My brothers and sisters, can you imagine what I felt at that moment? Throughout my life, I had heard people pray. I had watched Christians worship. I had seen people lift their hands and cry out to God. But I had never understood what those prayers might mean in the spiritual realm. Now, in this vision, I was seeing something that changed my understanding of worship. According to what the angel showed me, sincere prayer was not something insignificant. It was precious. It was meaningful. It was reaching toward heaven.
And as I stood there watching those golden lights rise, the angel spoke again. He called me by name. "Luciano, look at the earth." Immediately, my vision changed. It happened so quickly that I can only compare it to a flash of lightning. One moment, I was standing in that beautiful garden. The next, I was seeing the earth. And what I saw astonished me.
The earth appeared to be covered in darkness. A deep darkness seemed to stretch across the world. But in the middle of that darkness, I could see points of brilliant light. Some were shining intensely. Others were faint. And some places appeared completely dark. I asked what those lights represented. The angel explained that the shining points were churches on earth. They represented congregations where people were sincerely worshipping God. From those bright places, I could see golden lights rising upward. They resembled the beautiful spheres I had seen earlier. The angel explained that these were the prayers and praises of believers ascending toward heaven.
But then he directed my attention to other churches. These places had no visible brightness. Their lights appeared to be extinguished. I did not understand. After all, they were churches. They were places where people gathered in the name of God. Why were some shining while others remained dark? The angel explained that not every congregation was worshipping the Father in spirit and in truth. Some had lost their spiritual light. But others were alive with genuine faith. And in the midst of the world's darkness, they continued to shine.
I began to understand the meaning of the words Jesus spoke when he called his followers the light of the world and the salt of the earth. In that vision, I saw the difference between outward religious activity and sincere devotion to God. The angel was showing me something I would never forget. It was not enough simply to gather inside a building. What mattered was the condition of the heart. True worship came from people who sincerely loved God and sought his presence. And that worship, as I understood it, was precious in heaven.
Then, just as suddenly as my vision had changed, I found myself back in the beautiful garden. The golden lights surrounded me once again. The extraordinary music filled the atmosphere. And the overwhelming peace returned. But the angel still had more to show me.
Part five, the souls resting in the heavenly garden. As I returned to the garden, I noticed the ground beneath my feet. It was unlike the ground we walk upon here on earth. It seemed almost alive, as though it moved beneath me. Then, in the blink of an eye, my vision shifted forward. Suddenly, I could see another beautiful landscape. And there, stretched across what appeared to be a vast garden, were countless people lying peacefully.
The grass beneath them was unlike anything I had ever seen. It had a greenish appearance, but its color was different from the green we know on earth. A beautiful light covered the people. It shone gently over them as they rested. I could not clearly see their faces, but I could sense the extraordinary peace surrounding them. They appeared to be sleeping. Yet somehow, even in that deep rest, it seemed as though they were worshipping God.
I turned to the angel and asked, "Who are these people?" The angel answered, "These are those who are dying in Christ." I began to understand that, according to what I was being shown, these were believers who had departed from earthly life in faith. They were resting while awaiting the great day when God would reveal and judge the works of his people. I remembered the teachings of scripture concerning those who belonged to Christ and the promise of resurrection. I also remembered the biblical descriptions of the rewards God has prepared for his faithful servants. That multitude was resting in peace. And I understood that more people were arriving.
My dear brothers and sisters, many people ask when Jesus will return. Some say they have heard about his coming for many years. But I believe we must always remain spiritually prepared. The question is not simply when Christ will return. The question is whether our hearts are ready to meet him. I understood that those who belonged to Christ have the promise of rest in his presence. And what I was witnessing reminded me of the place scripture describes as Abraham's bosom. A place of rest. A place of peace. A place where God's people await the fulfillment of his promises.
Then something happened that I did not expect. A beautiful hymn began filling the atmosphere. The music grew stronger. And as I listened, the angel spoke directly to me. "Luciano, you need to return." I looked around at the beauty of that garden, the shining river, the magnificent flowers, the moving rainbows, the glorious light, and the overwhelming peace. I did not want to leave. I pleaded with the angel, "Please, let me stay here."
I felt like a little child resting safely in his father's arms. There was nothing in that place that I wanted to escape from. Everything was beautiful. Everything was peaceful. I wanted to remain there. I knew I was Luciano, but the troubles of my earthly life no longer seemed to weigh upon me. The suffering, the anxiety, and the painful experiences of the world felt far away. I remembered the promise in Revelation that God would bring an end to sorrow, pain, and suffering. And I longed to remain in that peace.
But the angel spoke again. This time, his voice carried great authority. "You must return." I continued pleading, "Please, let me stay." But the answer did not change. Then, for the third time, the angel commanded me to return. And in an instant, everything changed.
Part six, my return to the ambulance. It happened as quickly as blinking my eyes. One moment, I was standing in that magnificent garden. The next, I was back in the physical world. I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was the flashing emergency light of an ambulance. I was inside a SAMU emergency vehicle. My breathing was extremely weak. I could barely understand what was happening around me.
But then I heard something familiar. A man inside the ambulance was singing a Christian hymn near my ear. He was someone who knew our family. He later explained that he believed God had instructed him to sing that hymn to me. The hymn was about being touched by an angel and receiving God's blessing. And when I heard it, I remembered the beautiful worship I had heard in the heavenly garden. The man continued singing as the ambulance carried me toward the hospital.
According to those who were present, I had been lying outside the nightclub for approximately 20 minutes before receiving emergency care. My friends had feared that I would not survive. But there I was, breathing again. The man singing beside me noticed that whenever he stopped, I seemed to struggle. He later told me that I whispered to him, asking him to continue praising God. So, he continued. He sang as the ambulance traveled through the night.
Meanwhile, news of the attack had reached my family. My sister Lucenita remembered the warning she had delivered days earlier. She began praying for me. She reminded God of the message she believed he had given her, that my body would be harmed, but my soul would be protected. Throughout the night, she prayed for my life.
When the ambulance reached the local hospital, the medical staff examined my condition. My injuries were serious, and the doctor recommended transferring me to the base hospital in Brasilia, approximately 50 km away. I was frightened. I felt that I was being sent farther away when I desperately needed help. But the ambulance team prepared me for the journey. Medical equipment remained connected to me as we traveled. My sister Cida was following in a police vehicle. And the Christian man continued singing.
Then, as we approached another area along the route, my condition suddenly worsened. I began struggling to breathe again. The ambulance team became alarmed. They decided to divert toward the hospital in Planaltina, in the Federal District. A message was sent to the people traveling with my sister. They were told that I had died. My sister was devastated. She began to cry. Believing that I was gone, she returned home to inform our family.
But my testimony was not over. Because during that second crisis, I experienced something completely different from the beautiful garden I had seen before. The first time, I had felt myself being lifted upward into a glorious light. This time, there was no beautiful light drawing me toward the heavens. Instead, I experienced something terrifying. And what happened next would
