Let There Be Light (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Sol experienced a near-death situation after his drunk driving crash, remaining clinically dead for about four minutes. During this time, he found himself in a surreal tunnel of light where his deceased son David appeared. David's apparition urged Sol to open himself to divine love, telling him 'Let there be light.' While doctors explained the vision as an adrenal brain surge triggered by trauma, Sol interpreted it as a genuine spiritual encounter with his son.

• near-death experience
• David
• vision
• afterlife
• tunnel of light

The near-death experience itself planted the first seed, but Sol's conversion crystallized after meeting Vinny, a pastor who had been a former mob member. When Vinny shared his own resurrection story, Sol experienced a profound epiphany. This conversation, combined with the emotional impact of seeing his son and the presence of his ex-wife Katy, led Sol to seek baptism and fully embrace Christianity.

• atheism
• faith
• conversion
• Vinny
• baptism
• Christianity

After gaining national attention through a Fox News appearance with Sean Hannity, Sol launched a global peace initiative called the Let There Be Light campaign. The concept urged people worldwide to shine their lights toward the sky at night simultaneously, creating a visible symbol of global unity and shared faith. The collective light was even visible from space, representing transcending borders, creeds, and divisions.

• campaign
• global unity
• peace
• lights
• worldwide
• Sean Hannity

Katy revealed earlier in the film that she had terminal cancer, with treatment offering little hope. Despite Sol's renewed faith and their rekindled romance culminating in marriage, her condition worsened. She died in Sol's arms during the night of the global lighting event while they sang Christmas songs together outside their home. Her death was a poignant moment that tested Sol's newfound faith.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, doctors gave Katy a terminal cancer diagnosis with little hope for treatment.

• Katy
• cancer
• death
• terminal illness
• dying

After waking from his near-death experience, Sol was deeply torn between the scientific explanations for his vision and the transformative emotional impact it had on him. The presence of his Christian ex-wife Katy in the hospital prompted him to seek spiritual guidance. He visited a church and met Vinny, a pastor who shared his own powerful story of transformation from mob member to man of faith, which resonated deeply with Sol.

• Vinny
• pastor
• church
• spiritual guidance
• mob

Sol attended a party celebrating his successful debate against a Christian leader, where he was perceived as winning and received significant media attention. He drank heavily at the party, trying to persuade his girlfriend to come home with him, but she refused. Feeling rejected and intoxicated, he got behind the wheel and crashed into a construction site, nearly killing himself.

• drunk driving
• accident
• party
• girlfriend
• construction site

Sol Harkens, a vocal atheist, participated in a high-profile public debate against a charismatic Christian leader. He presented his atheistic arguments with confidence and was perceived as winning the debate. This victory boosted his public profile significantly and generated media attention, setting the stage for his subsequent media appearances and book promotion.

• debate
• atheist
• Christian
• public speaker
• media

Katy was Sol's Christian ex-wife whom he had divorced years earlier. After Sol's near-death experience and revival, she appeared at his hospital bedside. Her presence during his moment of spiritual crisis prompted his turn toward faith. Over time, they rekindled their relationship and decided to rebuild their family with their two surviving sons.

• Katy
• ex-wife
• reconciliation
• family
• sons

Sol remained clinically dead for approximately four minutes after his car crash. During this time, he experienced a surreal, carnival-like tunnel of light representing the boundary between life and death. In this otherworldly space, he encountered the apparition of his young son David, who had died from cancer years earlier. David urged Sol to accept divine love and told him to 'let there be light' before Sol revived.

• clinical death
• four minutes
• tunnel of light
• near-death
• David

As a scientist and vocal atheist, Sol's entire identity was built on rational, empirical explanations. His medical team explained his vision of David as an adrenal brain surge caused by trauma, essentially a neurological phenomenon. However, the emotional reality of seeing his deceased son and the transformative nature of the experience left him deeply conflicted. He ultimately chose faith over his scientific worldview.

• science
• faith
• brain surge
• beliefs
• atheist
• conflict

Vinny was a pastor at the church Sol visited seeking spiritual guidance after his accident. What made Vinny significant was his past life as a mob member, a dramatic transformation that mirrored Sol's own journey from skepticism to belief. When Vinny recounted his own resurrection story, it resonated deeply with Sol and became the catalyst for his own epiphany and baptism.

• Vinny
• mob
• pastor
• transformation
• baptism