Nine Days in Heaven: A True Story (27 page)
It was such a good idea to introduce that activity. The minds of the children had been highly exercised by the cataclysmic events, and they needed to be quiet and absorb what they had seen.
After some time had passed, a voice spoke, “Who could fail to praise God for His existence, for immortality, and for the joy of paradise?”
The children responded, lifting their hands.
“We will adore our heavenly Father. We will always speak the name of our Redeemer with love and reverence. We will cheerfully follow our guardian angels. And when we are ready, we will go out as servants of goodness, wherever the Lord our Redeemer directs us.”
Then each guardian gathered her group together, and all were ready to continue.
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1.
“‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood.’ ‘What is that to us?’ they replied. ‘That’s your responsibility’” (Matt. 27:4).
2.
“While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, ‘Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?’” (Luke 22:47–48).
3.
“When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders” (Matt. 27:3).
4.
Judas’s betrayal and remorse is described in Matthew 27:3–10 and Acts 1:16–19 and was prophesied in Zechariah 11:12–13.
5.
See Romans 8:7.
6.
Romans 3:9–18 states:
What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
And Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
A
VOICE SPOKE FROM A CLOUD FAR ABOVE
.
“Prepare to witness the last struggle of the Redeemer as He meets the destroyer in death. Let the sun be darkened and the stars be hidden. Let nature pause and heaven be silent. You seraphim and cherubim, lay down your musical instruments. You flowers, droop your heads; trees, hang down your leaves. Stand still, you waters; breezes be still. You birds, do not sing—while the Redeemer is suffering.”
Gradually the darkened mountain of Calvary appeared, etched in pale shadows. In the center stood three crosses on which were hanging human forms. A hushed crowd of people had gathered, and near them was a band of soldiers who had been gambling. But they too were now motionless, disturbed by the strange darkness.
1
Mournful, wailing cries could be heard from far off. They seemed to stifle the very spirit of life all around. A look of gloom, of utter despair, was visible on the face of every watching spirit.
Eventually a low whisper passed from angel to angel, murmuring, “Listen! Even nature is suffering! Can you hear that solemn requiem?”
Then all became still again. Not a sound or movement disturbed the silent gloom.
Gradually a pale light began to shine over Calvary. The three crosses became more and more distinct until the features of the three sufferers could be clearly seen.
“It is Jesus! Jesus is suffering! Jesus is dying!”
The words exploded from every spirit. A sudden shuddering seized them, and they bowed their faces, still repeating, “Jesus is suffering, Jesus is dying!”
As they spoke, a great cry burst from Jesus’s lips.
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
2
The spirits were completely awed. “Oh what love, what wonderful goodness!” they exclaimed. “He is praying for those who crucified Him! O Supreme Father, give us that same spirit forever.”
“H
E PRAYS FOR HIS CRUCIFIERS
.
G
IVE US
, O!
THOU
S
UPREME, OF
THAT SPIRIT EVERMORE
.”
The soldiers and rulers shouted over Jesus’s voice, “He saved others, let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”
3
This made the spirits lift their heads and stare at the scene in profound grief.
Near the cross a few of the friends of Jesus were standing. They were past weeping. Agony gripped them as death grips a pale corpse. In one of the little groups was Mary, the mother of Jesus. She seemed to be resigned to His fate, but she had remained close to Him each moment, suffering with Him as only a mother could. But even she could not save Him.
Jesus turned His gaze upon His grief-stricken mother and said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.” Then, addressing His disciple John, He said, “Here is your mother.”
4
Even in the depths of His agony He continued to show His compassion.
John moved to stand by Mary, who leaned against him as she looked on her Son in His last trial.
Then one of the criminals who were crucified with Jesus turned on Him, saying, “If you are the Christ, save Yourself and us as well.”
5
Jesus did not answer, but He looked at him with pity. The other criminal rebuked his companion, saying hoarsely, “We are receiving just punishment, but this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he turned and, in sincere tones, said to Jesus, “These people who put You here are rejoicing because they think they have defeated You. But I can feel there is something about You that is far greater than any man. I don’t understand it, but somehow I know that the essence of life exists in You. You are eternal.” He paused in his agony. “O Lord! Will You remember me when You come into Your kingdom?”
The Lord looked on him in his own anguish, and love from His spirit overshadowed and filled the man.
“Because you have asked from your heart, your prayer is answered. Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise.”
6
“I
NASMUCH AS THOU HAST FROM
THY HEART SOUGHT HELP, THY
PRAYER IS ANSWERED
.”
This reply was like life given to the dead. Even though he was in the agonies of death, forgiveness and freedom flooded the heart of the criminal, and he wept. He had been given a reprieve, but not from any earthly death sentence. He had been given heaven’s pardon, a release from the powers of sin and death. He lost his fears. In his last moments all heaven had been secured for him through Jesus. His physical sufferings seemed to ease his body to rest, while his soul shone in the darkness and hovered over the death-gulf, ready to exit from death to life, from mortality to eternity.
The significance of this incident was missed by the mockers around the cross, but the angels and infants watched every detail in wonder and gratitude as Jesus revealed His divinity in this forgiveness. The impression made was so deep that from then on, whenever the children talked about the crucifixion, they would mention the thief’s name and his prayer, together with the Redeemer’s response, by which all of heaven was given to the dying sinner.
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