Kingdom Testimony: Walking in the Kingdom of God

Rebecca ("Bertha") goes to see Mrs. Wickham and has a lovely visit. During that time, Rebecca is told to wait by herself and she is paid a visit by who she thinks is St. John. As she talks with him, it is revealed it's actually The Master, Jesus, that she is blessed to visit with. He tells her many mysteries and instructions and then leaves. She is clearly changed by this experience. When she comes back to her house and meets up with Frank, one look and he can clearly see that she has had her initial visit with the Savior. No need for words. The chapter ends with them singing praise in the house with other heavenly voices chiming in.

In this somewhat lengthy chapter we see Bertha meet up with Mae, an acquaintance whom Bertha knew that was very young and frail on earth before her death, but now had the wisdom, beauty, and depth that only time with the Savior and Master brings. Bertha wants to go to the river, as she takes a dip every day (which further removes more of the earth-life) but Mae introduces to her that there is a much better way to swim and that is either at the lake or at the sea. They decide on going to the lake first.  The scene is so glorious and breathtaking to Bertha that when she first sees it she has to cover her face. The swim is heavenly, of course, where they neither sink and can float mid-current. Angels praising fly overhead and the multitude in the lake and on the banks answer their "Glory and honor!" with a resounding, "Dominion and power!" Mae points out that distance is not a problem in heaven, they can come and go at will. They also hear a bell and Mae explains that it is the call to duty, at which many of the people there depart when they hear it. Bertha then sees her beloved Sport, the dog she had when she was young. She recalls that he was a very faithful pet, once saved Will's life. Mae tells of a very young child that arrived with no one to greet her and Jesus bore her up in His arms and brought her to the other children to play, where she met up with her kitten that had died several weeks before her.

I realize some of this may sound a bit strange, even maybe "New Age". I don't believe that was a thing in 1898, but like I said, take all testimonies to the Father and Jesus in prayer and examine scripture to see if it settles with you wrongly or if it may be a little of Bertha/Rebecca's teachings of the times mixed in? We don't know. All we know is that this is her testimony of her near-death experience. (I am not endorsing it as scripturally sound. It is for enlightenment and food for thought. We'll all find out later if it was true.)

"Bertha" (as the author Rebecca is called) gets to visit with her nephew in heaven who died very young. Her nephew is patiently waiting for his mother to arrive, as he is building a home for her. In this home there is a fireplace, but it isn't needed to provide warmth, just beauty. Bertha wants to learn to make elaborate draperies to assist him with his work. Her nephew laments that he'd like to go back to earth for a year to teach his friends in Sunday School more about the Lord, since on earth young people don't talk about what they learn every Sunday. 

This chapter is a short one so Chapter 7 will follow for tomorrow. I am trying to upload at least two episode chapters per week. 

Frank takes Rebecca (for some reason referred to by her friend as Bertha) to earth to comfort her son and her husband as they prepare to bury her. She is allowed to spend time now and then comforting her husband, it seems for a few months. She says how thankful she was she got to "taste the blessed life" or else she wouldn't have been able to calmly handle all those "trying scenes" of her son and husband. We have a discussion about this, the ministering spirits (angels or messengers?) with reference to Hebrews 1:13-14 at the end of the episode.

Rebecca goes to see her parents' home and learns more about the duties given in heaven. Her father, one who won souls to Christ on earth, continues similarly by instructing those arriving who've had a "death-bed repentance." Rebecca meets up with her brother and aunt and family, and then is led back to her home to rest. Her brother-in-law, Frank, returns from his mission, which turned out to be comforting his brother (Rebecca's husband) on earth as he heard the news of his wife's passing. When Frank returned, he finds Rebecca resting and lifts her up and is carrying her back to earth for a "trial", for which the rest he was adamant about her getting would be needed.

Rebecca is taken to her own private study by her brother-in-law. It is beautiful, as well. Then she goes out onto the terrace where she sees fruit trees and is able to taste the fruit. Some of the juice gets on her white dress but it does not stain; in fact, there is none on her hands or dress at all. Frank asks her who she wants to meet the most and she answers her father and mother. They come in with her little sister and there is a joyous reunion. Frank has to leave for some duties but he feels assured he can leave her with her parents and sister for the time being. He also tells her that rest here is just as important as on the earth.

Frank, Rebecca's brother-in-law, takes her to show her the house he has built for her and his brother. She describes the scene, including the live roses embedded in the floor and walls and the library he built for his brother whom has not come yet. Their conversation reveals the continuity of this life with the heaven life; thoughts, ambitions, and aspirations carry over if they be of the noble sort that are of value there. She also sees a dear friend who passed before her, but their rendezvous has to wait until Frank has completed his duty of her introduction to this new life.

Rebecca is a young married mother. She is very ill and far from home. Weary from her sickness, she longs for relief and passes away. Her late brother-in-law Frank comes to get her to take her to heaven. In this chapter she describes the scene and what it feels like to go through The River, that washes away "the last of the earth-life." 

Whether this really happened or not, only God and Rebecca (and probably those she visited there then) knows. We'll be able to compare our journey to heaven when we go also. I pray that you have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ so that you, too, will be able to go to this wonderful destination. Enjoy!

This book, published in 1898 and in the public domain, is a gem! I will be going through it in the next few weeks; but first I wanted to share with you what I wrote in the Professing Christians Wordpress post last week on Heaven and Hell. (Because it's relevant.) Last week on that blog I shared Jane Lead's Eight Regions of Heaven and Hell as she was shown them. Jane Lead was a Christian "mystic" from the 1600s. She has written sheer volumes on revelations she has received and as far as I or anyone can discern, it is scriptural. The same goes for Rebecca in Intra Muros. The things seen and witnessed are so majestic and 'next-worldly' that we can only pray over them and use the Holy Spirit as discernment. As we get closer to the end of this world, it behooves us to prayerfully consider what the next one will be like and what our destination truly is. 

In 2 Kings 2, Elijah is taken up by a whirlwind to meet the heavenly chariots of fire. Elisha is well aware of what is about to happen, as are all the prophets, not surprisingly. But what does it all mean? And what a sight that must have been! This story, as well as all of the Old Testament, relates to the end times events that will soon be unfolding on the earth. It even relates to the rapture of the church before God pours out His wrath on mankind. We also look at these events in a new, but still scriptural, light.