Shocked, They Still Shall Be

I don’t know your opinion on visions or pictures or revelations from the Lord. But whatever your thoughts, I want to just ask you to consider this for a minute. I remember driving into the Bay area over the Benicia Bridge one particular time and seeing something. Something I had never noticed before, and that the naked eye would not recognize. I saw people. I looked at the city that I was approaching and I recognized that it was full of people. My eyes lead me beyond that city and I saw the neighboring cities and the neighboring multitudes of people.  But then I realized I was not looking at people at one given time, but multiple generations. Generations of people long past.  I realized in a moment that I was looking on the crowds and throngs of that day when all will stand before the throne of God. Imagine. It is going to be incredible; the world’s population a thousand times over; plus angels and demons.

More recently though, I thought about what those people and myself will feel and experience as we enter the throne room that judgment day. We will we be shocked. I’m not talking a feeling of  “awe,” here, but truly SHOCKED; shocked at who people truly are inside. I think we will be in more shock, and disgust with human kind, on that day, then we could ever be while living a day here in this mortal life. I pictured this:

             I’m entering the throne room of the Most High. It is beautiful, and radiant, streaming with light. I walk down the long glistening isle leading to the prosecution bench. I look out into the crowds and around; seeing the faces of every person I have touched in my life, back when I lived in a land of sunrises and sunsets. I see the ones I loved the most and those I shunned because I thought them not worth my time. I walk on, continuing forward. I am almost in a state of serial and I feel numb with the size of the room. Then, I see Him. I want to run. I want to stop. I want to laugh and dance and point and say to every one “ look! There He is!” I also want to cry, to hang my head and weep bitterly. Never in my days on earth had I felt such an emotion.

It is my turn to be tried. I look out from the bench raised above the chattering crowd. All of the most beloved and dear to me from life, seated in the front pews.

I can barley breath and heck no; I cannot turn my face to look at my King, My God, my First Love. There is then a motion to have my charges read to the crowd. As they begin, my gut leaps into my throat.

This can’t happen! NO!

 I can’t bare to hear those things again that I regretted, and tried to forget, or hide. Now they will all know. It is ALL there. Every lie; every curse; every lustful thought; every slap in Jesus face; every person I rejected; all of the un-pure thoughts and actions; every thing is out. And the people watching and listening in the crowd will be shocked.

They will all look at me wondering how or why. Why they where the object of my malice, or lust, or gossip. Or some will be wondering how I could have hid that information from them. Some will look at me in disgust. Mom will be crying right in the front. Her head bent. Weeping into her hands. Dad will be sitting in his seat; leaned over looking at the floor with his hands grasping his temple. I will be alone in the throngs of a multitude. My heart will regret again.

 In that moment, I will have nothing and no one to stand beside me. And every heart apart from mine will be shocked.

 The One who is Judge over us begins to decree the sentence that is due me, but is suddenly interrupted, “She is mine, Lord! She is mine.” The voice so familiar and sweet, and turning I see a face I know and love. “This child accepted Your Gift to her, Father. She shall walk with me in Your Kingdom.” Then to me he will turn and say, “Your sins are forgiven because you believed in My name. Well done my child. Well done.”

And again the throngs in the crowd will be shocked. They new, that is what Jesus does. Yet shocked, they still shall be.