Nine Days in Heaven: A True Story (26 page)
“S
INNER, FOR THEE
I
FREELY
SUFFER; FOR THEE
I
ENDURE THESE
AFFLICTIONS, YEA
, I
ENDURE THEM
THAT THOU MAYEST BE SAVED
.”
After repeated futile efforts to force Jesus to carry the cross alone, the soldiers ordered a man called Simon, from Cyrene, to carry it for him.
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As they continued again toward Calvary, a group of women approached the priests who had led the terrible action against Jesus. They bowed before them, raised their hands, and earnestly pleaded for Jesus’s release. Their sorrow was great, their cause just, and their request humble and urgent. But all to no avail.
“He will die,” said the priests, and the crowds shouted again, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Test Him! If He is really the Son of God, let Him save Himself from the cross!
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That will reveal His foolishness and blasphemy!”
Support From
the Word of God
1.
“
…He Himself is giving it up
.” John 10:17–18 says, “…I lay down my life…. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” Jesus chose to die—without that no one would have the power to kill him.
2.
This
strongman
is Satan. See Matthew 12:29.
3.
See 1 Peter 2:24.
4.
“
…Lion…Morning Star…
” These are titles of Jesus given in Genesis 49:9; Revelation 5:5; 22:16.
5.
“
…will shall be done…
” This is taken from the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:10).
6.
This prophecy concerning the Messiah is found Isaiah 52:14.
7.
See Luke 23:26. Cyrene is a city in Libya.
8.
“‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him’” (Matt. 27:42).
T
HE SCENE CHANGED AGAIN, AND THE
J
EWISH
S
ANHEDRIN WAS
before us. As religious leaders of the people, they showed nothing of the humility and servanthood you would expect from such a high office. They were proud and overbearing, ridiculing the solemn issues at hand. They reveled in their triumph of “truth over error” and of “common sense over fanaticism,” and they congratulated themselves on the prompt and efficient steps they had taken to put down the “impostor” Jesus.
While they were celebrating, Judas rushed in shouting wildly, “I have sinned! I have betrayed innocent blood.”
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“What is that to us?” they scoffed back at him. “That is your own business.”
Taken aback, Judas cried out, “You promised honor and friendship to the one who led you to Jesus. Didn’t I do that and give Him to the soldiers?
I betrayed my innocent master for you. What is more, it was for your sakes that I sealed my treachery with a kiss!”
2
He looked down in remorse,
3
then spoke more slowly. “When I betrayed Him, He just looked at me in love. I can’t forget that look. I can still feel its power. I have betrayed innocent blood.”
He flung down the silver. “You can have it back! I don’t want it! It’s the price of my Lord! It has cost me my peace forever!”
A priest considered the silver scattered on the ground before them. “Yes, that is the price we paid for your services. But we don’t want it either.
4
It is yours. We have no more need of you. Get out before you suffer His fate as well. It seems that you consider this outlaw Jesus to be king. Get out, or we will have the guard take you to Calvary too.”
At this point a mighty angel drew near to the children and said, “Did you notice how the men behaved here? Their hearts are hostile to God,
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so they sought their own welfare, ignoring the needs of others. Earth’s history tells us the same thing over and over. It is witnessed in the tears of servants, slaves, and the oppressed. You will find it in the writings of philosophers, poets, and the wise. They all say it—the heart of man is depraved!
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“L
ET THE TEARS AND THE SORROWS OF
THE DEPENDENT, THE SERVANT AND
THE SLAVE UNITE, AND THEY SHALL
RELATE THE SAD STORY OF HUMAN WOE
,
WHOSE SOURCE IS FOUND ALONE IN THE
PERVERSION OF THE HEART OF MAN
.”
“Look at Judas again! He betrayed his Lord. He traded justice and goodness for money. He showed that he had the same depraved and unholy desires as the rest of mankind, only to a greater degree. He sacrificed his greater good, his best friend, for gain. Men will often do this. They trade friendships and abandon their brothers. Even though some of earth’s philosophers would like to hide it, too often a man will betray his friend for personal gain. Whose painted walls and costly curtains are not tinged with blood? Whose luxuries may not be traced to the sacrifice of fallen, helpless friends?”
Then another angel approached and said, “Make these truths plain so that the children can understand clearly.”
Immediately a series of scenes from earth passed before us. We saw brothers betraying brothers for personal gain, parents betraying children, husbands betraying their wives, and friends exchanging each other as mere commodities. Nation betrayed nation in piracy and war, devastating the poor and helpless. As a result, multitudes of human beings could be seen suffering in the lowest degradation, living and dying without hope. Mothers convulsively pressed their dying babies for the last time to their breasts. Husbands looked on in despair at their maltreated wives and heartbroken children. Poverty, oppression, pain, anguish, rape, and murder were all revealed.
In the midst of these scenes there were a few people who tried to help the oppressed. They tried to take the whip from the scourger, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the brokenhearted, change war into peace, cultivate true friendship, introduce true religion, enlighten the bigoted, and prevent persecution. They tried to establish universal freedom and peace, founded on justice and mercy. Their efforts were limited, but they did not give up.
Then a light shone down from above, revealing a guardian angel over each one of those involved in this rescue work. Appointed by heaven and full of the Holy Spirit, the angel encouraged and inspired them in their work. As this took place, another light filled the heart of each rescuer who was serving in the name of the cross.
…
A LIGHT DESCENDED FROM SOME
INVISIBLE SOURCE, WHICH PERVADED
THE HEART OF EACH MORTAL, WHO
,
IN THE NAME OF THE HOLY RELIGION
OF THE
C
ROSS, WAS STRUGGLING
TO LEAD THE FORLORN RACE
.
“This light is the Spirit of God,” the angel explained. “He inspires all who are born of God so they may work continually to rescue people from sin and its misery and bring them to heaven.
“However, to redeem man requires goodness far beyond human understanding. Only God can do it, because He is love and He is all powerful.”
The attending angels then responded. “Yes, we adore God for revealing His love to man. We praise Him for giving help through Jesus, who is mighty and well able to save. We will praise Him forever. Yes, forever! Amen!”
At this point the chief guardian spoke, “It’s time for you children to rest. Relax together for a while.”
Then, addressing a company of spirits at the right, the angel said, “Bring flowers from the holy plains, and let their fragrance refresh the young spirits. Spirit of holy quiet, fill them with your everlasting peace.”