Though he was being burned at the stake on the order of Spanish authorities, Antonio Herrezuelo’s pain was in his spirit. He realized his wife had renounced her faith in Christ to escape a similar death.
Antonio could have also saved his life and received life in prison like his wife. Perhaps he would have someday been pardoned and been reunited with his wife.
But he would not recant. The last words he uttered, before soldiers gagged him, were pleas for his wife. “Please return to Christ and be forgiven. We will be united together in heaven. Please return!” he yelled to his wife. Although he had no earthly hope of reunion, he wanted to be with her in eternity.
After her husband’s death, Mrs. Herrezuelo was brought back to the prison to serve out her life sentence. For eight years she wrestled with God and her own spirit. She could not find peace about her fateful decision.
Finally, she publicly returned to faith in Christ, taking back her previous denial even as the sixteenth-century inquisitors threatened her. A judge sentenced her to death at the stake—now for the second and final time.
She was eager to die and be reunited with her husband. Mrs. Herrezuelo, though dying, was again at peace. Her first words would be to tell him of her return to the faith.
What a marvelous reunion heaven will be! All those who suffered and died for their faith in Christ will shine like beacons of his grace and mercy. Families who were separated by evil regimes will be gathered together once more. Husbands and wives. Mothers and daughters. Friends and neighbors from entire countries that were rounded up and exiled will see each other again. Underground church members and congregations from persecuted nations will be there with their tales of angelic rescues in tow. The stories alone could take eternity to recount—testimonies from generations of martyrs about God’s faithfulness. Will you be there in heaven to listen? Better yet, will you have your own story to tell?
