Nine Days in Heaven: A True Story (36 page)

“A
GAIN
I
SAW THE SEPARATE TISSUE
,
APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM OF ORGANS
OF THAT INFANT, AND LO! ALL WERE
DISSEVERED
. T
ELL ME, HOW SHALL
THESE SO VARIED, COMPLICATED, AND
DERANGED UNITE IN HARMONY
?”

For my answer I was once again surrounded by light. It revealed the many functions of the infant’s spirit responding to the touch of an invisible power so that they blended and adapted to each other in perfect harmony. When they joined together, they lost their separate identities and became a single being, full and perfect.

Unconsciously I uttered the words, “Praise God for His mighty works,” for I was now looking at an infant restored, a spirit in all the perfection of angelic life. Looking up into the face of the angels it smiled. I reflected on my first sight of the child, scarred by the effects of the sin-cursed world, and then looked again at this brand-new life. I remembered the Bible text, “Do not be surprised that I said to you, you must be born again.”
3
I felt also the force of David’s words in the Psalms: “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
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Turning to my guide I asked, “Is this real? Is this the redemption of a spirit?”

“Yes,” said my guide. “What you have seen has really taken place. It is the work of grace on a spirit corrupted by sin.”

She paused and choked on the words, “Sin, that violation of the law of God! Marietta! The quality that was lost in this infant because of sin could not be restored simply by things like light descending from angels or by their beautiful music. The guardian angels could not supply it either. They can only give support during the process.

“The only one who has the power to do this work of restoration is the Redeemer. He tunes each fiber of the infant’s being, purifying and breathing the life of holiness into the soul to give new life, health, energy, will, and love. He then brings this new being into a perfect life. So now you see a spirit made complete by redemption.

“A
ND NOW THOU BEHOLDEST A SPIRIT IN
THE CONSUMMATION OF REDEMPTION
.”

“Marietta, treasure this in your heart. Remember too that this is only one infant of the many you have seen in this nursery.”

A wave of sound caught my attention. “Now listen, Marietta. Can you hear those angels? They are singing praises to God and the Lamb for redemption. There are multitudes of these spirits, and they always thank God like this when a newborn spirit is brought into heaven.”

I looked up, and my spirit caught fire as the song rose, wave after wave in ascending praise, adoration, and glory—inexpressible and divine! As John said in the Book of Revelation, it was like “the roar of rushing waters.”
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It seemed that the whole city became one voice of praise.

“So this is heaven!” I exclaimed.

It must be wonderful to be considered worthy of entering the city of God! And if this is only the infant paradise, if this is only the song for the restoration of infant spirits, how much greater will the praise be when the redemption of all mankind is complete! How wonderful that day will be! All of the redeemed—the bride of the Lamb
6
—will take up golden harps to praise Him as they rise from the great marriage supper in heaven.
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The happiness I experienced was so uplifting that I attempted to join in with the beautiful songs of praise. But as I did, memories of my unworthiness overcame me, and I fell into the arms of my guide.

Infants Worship at the Cross

Looking up into the face of my heavenly guardian, I saw an expression of deep emotion sweep over her. Her eyes were fixed earnestly above, and her lips moved as if in prayer. At first she looked so sad that I thought she would weep, but I could tell that tears would have been only a poor expression of such deep and profound feeling. I wondered to myself, “Is it possible that angels can grieve? Can sorrow enter this Holy City?”

The music stopped, and its echo faded slowly in the distance. Silence reigned over the vast area. I did not dare to move. Then a light from above shone on my protector with increasing brilliance. Her eyes were still fixed, but her breathing became deeper, her lips still, and her glowing face took on an expression of deepest reverence. I was so awed by her emotion that I did not notice the cause of it until, without turning her eyes, she gently touched my head and pointed.

With utter astonishment I took in the scene before us. There! Oh! I wish all the world knew it! There, hanging on the cross, bleeding and dying—my Lord and Redeemer! Oh! That sight! No human heart can know how it affected the spirits who serve in the infant paradise. The crown of thorns, the nails, the mangled form, the flowing blood, the look of compassion, all were so plainly revealed to me. They told of the most intense and excruciating suffering.

…
THE LOOK OF COMPASSION, WERE
SO PLAINLY MANIFESTED AND
COMBINED, AS TO CONVEY TO THE
SOUL AN IDEA OF SUFFERING, THE
MOST INTENSE AND EXCRUCIATING
.

From every part of the city guardian angels with their infant spirits were gathered around the cross in deep humility and holy reverence. The angels held out the infant spirits in their care, showing them the cross and the Sacrifice. Then an angel descended, clothed in bright garments. He moved around the cross, holding his glittering crown in his hand. Then, bowing, he worshiped in silence like all who had gathered there.

Turning to the guardian angels he said, “Adore Him, because He is the Redeemer of a fallen race. Let all heaven adore Him!” He lifted up his right hand, and I saw in it a little book. Following suit, all the angels did the same, each holding a book of similar size.

At this point a choir of angels appeared. They had palms in their hands, and with one voice they sang praise to God and to the Lamb. I could not understand the first song, but they finished with the words that the Redeemer spoke long ago: “Let the children come to Me. The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. God has ordained that little ones will bring Him perfect praise.”
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Amen, alleluia, amen!

Then the guardian angels drew closer to the cross. Presenting the infants in their care, they were addressed by the angel with the glittering crown, but the message was entirely beyond my understanding. Following this, each infant was touched with a stream of light. They smiled and bowed their heads and held up in their tiny clasped hands the image of the cross that the angels had given them.

Once again they were cradled in the arms of their protectors, and the choir sang another anthem. The surrounding spirits joined in, filling the city with the sound. Then the cross and the Sacrifice disappeared, and the angels returned to their places.

During all this my guide had not moved or spoken but seemed to be totally absorbed in what was taking place.

After a while I asked, “Can heaven exist without the cross and Sacrifice? I am learning that the cross is at the center of everything here. Every spirit reveres it, and each hymn of praise mentions the name of the Sacrifice.”

“C
AN HEAVEN EXIST WITHOUT THE
C
ROSS AND
S
ACRIFICE
? I
AM LEARNING
THAT THE
C
ROSS IS AT THE CENTER
OF EVERYTHING HERE
. E
VERY SPIRIT
REVERES IT, AND EACH HYMN OF PRAISE
MENTIONS THE NAME OF THE SACRIFICE
.”