He Was Guilty Before Heaven's Court

After living what he felt was a 'decent' life, his time on earth came to the end. He found himself sitting on a bench in the waiting room of a court house. The doors opened and he was instructed to come in and have a seat by the defense table. As he looked around he saw the Prosecutor, who was a villainous looking figure who glared at him. He looked to the other side and there sat the defense Attorney, a kind and gentle-looking man whose appearance seemed familiar, somehow he felt he knew him. The courtroom door flew open and there appeared the Judge in full flowing robes. He commanded an awesome presence. As he moved across the room the defendant shuddered. The Judge took his seat behind the bench and said, 'Let us begin.' The Prosecutor rose and said, 'My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this person belongs in hell.' He proceeded to tell of the multitude of lies that had been told, things that the man had stolen, times he had cheated others. Satan told of the man's horrible perversions and the more he spoke, the further down in his seat the defendant sank. He was so embarrassed that he couldn't look at anyone, not even at his own Attorney, and just trembled as the Devil told of sins that the defendant had even completely forgotten about. As upset as he was at Satan for telling all these things about him, he was equally upset at his Attorney who sat there silently not offering any objection or any form of defense at all. He knew he was guilty of those things, but he had done some good in his life too - couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm he'd done? No, he realized, not now. Not here. Satan finished with a fury and said, 'This person must be sentenced to hell. He is guilty of all that I have charged and there is not a person who can prove otherwise.' When it was his turn, the defense Attorney first asked if he might approach the bench. The Judge allowed this over the strong objections of Satan, and beckoned the Attorney to come forward. As he got up and started walking, the defendant was able to see him in his full splendor and majesty. Then he suddenly realized why he seemed so familiar - this was Jesus Christ representing him, his Lord and his Savior!!! The Attorney stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, 'Father,' and then he turned to address the court. 'Satan was correct in saying that the defendant has sinned, I won't deny any of the allegations. And, yes, the wages of sin is death, and this person deserves the death penalty.' Jesus took a deep breath and turned to his Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, "However, I died on the cross in his place so that he might have eternal life. I received in myself on the Cross all the judgment due him. He has accepted me as his Savior, so he is mine." He continued, "his name is written in the Book of Life, and no one can snatch him from me." Jesus sat down, he quietly paused, looked at his Father and said, 'There is nothing else that needs to be done. I've done it all.' The Judge lifted his mighty hand and slammed the gavel down. The following words bellowed from his lips... 'The defendant is free. The penalty for his sins has been paid in full. Case dismissed.' As the Lord led the defendant away, he could hear Satan screaming, 'I won't give up, I will win the next one!' The defendant asked Jesus, 'Have you ever lost a case?' Christ lovingly smiled and said, 'Everyone who has come to me and asked me to represent him has received the same verdict as you: Paid In Full.

-Anonymous