Awakening, The

Smiling, the attractive blonde with a body that would stop traffic
looked up and said, "I'm sorry Sir, but we don't accept money or credit
cards."

The man replied angrily, "Well, what the hell do you accept?
Rocks?"

Waving her hand over the stand of luscious fruits and pies, she
answered, "No Sir. Everything is free. Please help yourself."

The angry man grabbed two pies and two apples. He was starving. It was
like he hadn't eaten in a week and all these people crowded together in
one area made him nervous. When he was nervous he ate.

"What the hell!" The man said as he bit into one of the pies. It
tasted like dirt. In fact, sand started to pour out of the pie.

He walked back through the crowd to the snack stand.

"Lady, you have some nerve selling this crap! What are you trying to
do kill me?"

"Sir, I'm sorry that you cannot enjoy the food. You're only here for a
few hours. In fact, the Judgment is about to start."

There was a loud trumpet blast and the crowd fell silent. All eyes were
fixed on the White Throne down front. A brilliant figure appeared upon
the throne. His face shone brightest of all. Too intense to look
upon.

Rippling through the air like thunder the voice rocked the place. "Do
any of you have something to say before judgment?" Its effect piercing
like an arrow straight into the minds of the crowd.

The angry man saw some hands from the huge crowd rise up. He mustered
his courage, dropped the foul snacks, and raised his hand as
well.

The voice boomed with authority, "You in the back will go first. For
it is written, 'The first shall be last and the last shall be
first.'

Suddenly, the angry man was directly in front of the throne. He looked
around at the people and they were slowly backing away from him. The
angry man risked a quick glance at the blazing figure upon the throne.
Immediately, he returned his gaze to the floor before him. Gold. The
floor was gold.

"Where am I? Could it be true? Was my grandmother right all along?" He
thought to himself.

"Your grandmother was right. She is here in heaven and will not face
this judgment."

"My Lord, I went to church! I gave to the poor! I even worked at the
shelter occasionally. Am I so bad that you judge me?" The angry man
said.

"It is not for your good deeds that you stand before me. It is for
your evil deeds.
You rejected my Son. Therefore, I must reject you." The voice thundered
in the man's soul.

Suddenly, a curtain of space was ripped open next to the throne.
Through the opening, all could see far below the blazing lake of fire.
The crowd stepped back from the terrible vision.

"Lord, pleaaase, nooo?." The angry man moaned as he realized he was
doomed to this fiery place.

"I will change! I will do better! I'll go to church more! Where's
Jesus? Surely he will help me?" The angry man said as he was picked up
by some unseen force and guided to the hellish exit.

"No, please, no!!! The angry man screamed as he approached the gateway
to hell.

James Roth woke with a jerk. His heart was racing, and the perspiration
made his bed clothes cling to his body. He ripped off the sheets and
tore himself out of the bed.

"Water?I need water," he mumbled to himself as he staggered to the
bathroom.

He took a long drink of cool water and concentrated on calming his
heart, which was still racing from the horrible nightmare.

"I really need to call grandma and tell her about the dream. Of
course, she will say it was 'a sign' and that I needed Jesus in my
life," he thought as he inspected his face in the mirror.

He noticed something about his eyes. They had changed. He moved his
face closer to the mirror for a better look. His eyes looked distant
somehow. They looked straight ahead as if they were not his own. They
were dull, lifeless eyes.

He waved his hand in front of his face. His eyes didn't blink!

"What the hell?" The angry man shouted into the mirror.

Suddenly, the bathroom burst into flames and the demons reeled with
laughter and delight at the trick they had played on the new human.