No one knows the day or hour....

The room is crowded and the line is endless. I choke on the thick damp air. My feet and back are sore and it seems I have been standing for an eternity. Everywhere people fidget and shuffle about; to say this is uncomfortable would be an understatement. The process is excruciatingly slow. All around me people are on edge. Some are excited and anxious, others are dejected and horrified. Some seek comfort in loved ones and some are stone face independent. Prideful unto the end.

All mankind is here today. This is Judgment Day.

The battle is over; the war has been won. It's either in or out. It’s either eternal life or an eternity of wishing for death. There really was no middle ground, you were either hot or cold. You either stood up for Him or you stood in the shadows. It is too late for any repentance.

The Angel has the chain and holds the key. Our fates have been sealed.

The Throne radiates like the sun from the front of the room. High above the massive line it sits; able to see all those waiting their turn. Lives are played back like movies and judgment handed down accordingly. Trials are scored; the path less traveled rewarded. Fruitless trees discarded; a poorly built house crumbled. It seems this was no fable, no fairy tale. To the right are the angels and the path to the Gates of Heaven. To the left a band of demons and a path smothered in smoke. The last sounds you will hear are of rejoicing, but which side is it coming from?

Angels stand anxiously awaiting the homecoming of the Saints. Their task has been completed. The table has been set; the preparations have been made. The kingdom shall be full; the last puzzle pieces are being laid. For them this is the beginning of a most glorious time. Eternal bliss and true peace realized. The lost have been found and are now home.

Demons greedily grab their victims. They squeal and clamor at their new inhabitants. The treasures they have coveted since the garden are finally theirs. They escort their inmates down the dark path that seems to have no end. Their greatest feat accomplished. The biggest prank complete. They fooled mankind into believing they were just a myth.

It looks like there really were monsters lurking about.

The gavel thunders; another soul is measured. The line inches closer. People’s faces reveal their fate. The believers lunge at the chance to move the line. The non-believers stubbornly lift their feet; to them they clearly know which path is theirs. Those unsure souls are an interesting sight. Their body language screams run but being overcome with fear they cannot move. The choice was our’s to make; a simple task really. The sentence was avoidable. The hard work was done for us.

Life on earth was the test. The exams were our trials. Our lessons were our daily lives. The text given to us, but did we take the time to learn? The answers in plain site, no trick questions. Believe and follow and you are in. The prize was life eternal. A prize we could not earn, it was given. A debt we could not pay, it was paid in full. I close my eyes and breathe deeply. Scenes from my life flash and I revisit the past. Did I pass? Did I have the courage to stand for him when it mattered?

Time seems to pass rapidly and I open my eyes. The line is now short. I look about and realize that no one has been behind me. I am the last? Is this truly the end? Soon it will be my turn and I am excited. It will be my turn to place my life on the scales and see how I measured. Will I rejoice forever or did I make my own prison?

I am next on the docket. My name has been called. My life is the testimony, all the evidence I can show. There is no rebuttal; no excuse will lessen the sentence. I lay it all before him and it is considered. Anxiously, I await the verdict. The pause leads to concern. The Angel moves closer. He passes by me. My heart sinks into my chest.

My Lord, Is my name not in The Book?

Behind me the Gates of Hell creak shut. The Angel weaves the chain and fastens the lock. The sentence of The Damned complete. The Angels and Saints await their last soul. I join the fold.

The room is crowded but not all mankind is here.