My Day in Court

No, I didn’t do anything wrong to be in court. A few months ago, a man drove through our neighborhood and destroyed both our mailbox and the mailbox of our  next-door neighbors. He had a record, so the policeman asked my neighbor and I to appear, basically as witnesses to the damage. (The picture is of a courtroom in the same building and looks just like the one I was in yesterday.)

Yesterday was my day to appear, but it’s not the case I want to talk about. Rather, I want to share some things I saw that made me think about another day when I will be “on trial.”

I was amazed by the mass of humanity in this one place. Of course, being a fairly large city, there were many people in the courthouse. The line in our particular courtroom stretched into the hallway with those on trial, those with them, witnesses and workers. It was a zoo! Babies were crying, people were talking about all sorts of things (I got a true education!), and others were obviously nervous.

On the Judgment Day, that crowd will look tiny. All those who will have ever lived will be present. No matter how many people constitute the largest crowd you’ve ever been in, it will pale when compared to the crowd on that day.

When the judge walked in, we were told to rise. The room fell silent and we listened to our instructions. While not everyone was perfectly still, it was amazing to watch it all come to a halt due to the one who had the power.

On Judgment Day, we won’t just fall silent. Every knee will bow! Jesus, our great Judge, will demand and get all respect and honor even His enemies can give.

As the day wore on, some took plea deals and were given a warning of what would happen if they repeated the offense. I was amazed to hear some, as they left, basically “laughing off” their sentence and its punishment. They knew they had gotten a deal.

On Judgment Day, no one will be able to say, “See, I have earned heaven.” But many will still hear the great word: “Forgiven.” We won’t laugh off that gift. We will fall to our knees in appreciation for the Lamb.

Others (including the man in whose case I was involved) didn’t get off so easy. They were sentenced to jail or another punishment. As I watched, I couldn’t help but notice how many basically expected it to come. They weren’t surprised. Some were upset, but most seemed to know that they were getting what was due to them.

On Judgment Day, there will be no surprises. Many will hear, “Depart,” and will be sentenced to an eternity that is far worse than any jail cell. Hell will be the punishment, and the gnashing of teeth will begin.

There was one major difference in yesterday and the Judgment. When the trial I was supposed to be involved in was over, I just walked out. I went down the elevator, down and across a street, and four levels of parking spaces below the city of Nashville to my car. I got in, started up, and drove to my office.

On Judgment Day, we won’t leave. We will either be there prepared for an eternity in heaven, or we will be sentenced to an eternity in hell. There will be no going back into our lives to try to “do better” or “live on probation.” That will truly be sentencing day.

Are you ready?