CHAPTER 1

The Last Great Day

"HELLO, HELLO, IS ANYBODY home? Hello."

"Yes, I'm here."

"Why don't you come over today so that wecan enjoy the day together."

"Okay, I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Hi and welcome to you."

Everything seems normal. The sun comes up. Birds sing. Thesky is partly cloudy. The season is fall. A crispness is in the air. Ilook over to you and say, "What a great day to be alive. Let's dosomething special today."

And then it happens—a very loud noise, so loud we have neverheard a noise like this before. It seems like many thunderclapsbooming. We run to the window to see what is happening. Scared,uneasy, and beside myself, I view the sky rolling back like a scroll.At this moment, I know instantly what is happening. As all thepast teachings cross my mind, it becomes very clear. The end hascome!

A feeling of doom starts to come over me! My mind startsto race oh-so-fast. Am I ready for this day? I ask myself. I neverintended to be lost. Maybe God would be merciful, even thoughI did things as I wanted to. I glance over at you, and you lookterrified. I must ask, "What's wrong?" You are speechless, andas words refuse to come out, I glance toward the window again.Celestial beings are coming out of the sky. I think I have just seenJesus. Is that God Himself way in the distance? The face of Jesuslooks very angry. Now I remember from my teachings how Jesuswould come back to judge the earth. All the love and kindness,gentleness, and forbearance would cease. Judgment would be realand forever. Only those who repented of their sins and acceptedHis atonement and followed in obedience would be saved!

A supernatural power begins to move us outside. There seemsno way to resist. Though I want to stay in, I can't. I begin to realizethat I am losing control and that we don't have the power to makeour own choices anymore! Finding ourselves out on the grass,looking up and around, we come to know many of the things theBible said would happen.

Down the road at the cemetery, graves open up. People emerge,some shouting, many asking for rocks and mountains to fall onthem, wanting to be covered back up instead of facing Jesus thejudge. This is so surreal. How can this be? I think. All at once, Ihear your voice. "Where are the sirens? Where are the police? Isn'tanyone going to do something?"

I look up again, and for the first time, I notice that the sun hasbecome dark and the moon is the color of blood—as the Bible saidthey would turn. Every once in a while, there seems to be a flash ofbright light as someone ascends upward toward ... where? Heaven?Somehow, a multitude of people gathers together, multitudes andmultitudes coming together for what? Their judgment? And thenI see her, your mother! She goes past us. She's ascending upward!Do you see how her face shines? Look how bright she is! Then witha terrible cry, I hear you say, "Mom, wait for me! Mom, please waitfor me! I want to go with you! I can't stay here!"

Tears run like a fountain. Joy seems like it happened yearsin the past. All the while, your mother keeps ascending, and youcome to realize that she is not coming back.

Heartache, crying, pain, and misery are all around, and yeta quiet, subdued seriousness has everyone spellbound, wonderingwhat will come next. The realization that our bodies have changedhas just became apparent. You remember the Bible said that inthe twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet would sound(remember that terrible thunder's blast?), we would be changedfrom corruptible to incorruptible and from mortal to immortal.

A young man appears. He is completely beside himself. Hesays that he and his brother had been sleeping in their beds whenall at once, his brother was taken. An extreme force moved thebrother through the house and out of the door, he says. As he ranto see what was happening, he caught a glimpse of his brothersteadily advancing upward. He watched until he could see thebrother no more. It was a very troubling experience for him.

Another woman approaches us. She and her friend had beengrinding flour at the mill. As the great noise subsided, her friendalso began rising! She tells us her friend was saying somethingabout going to be with Jesus. She says a very happy look ofrejoicing appeared across her friend's face. She's so upset that itseems nothing can comfort her.

As if these two experiences aren't enough, we behold withour own eyes two men working in a field nearby. One of themis making a terrible commotion. We look just in time to see theother man rising into the sky to be with Jesus in heaven. His bodyand face shine brightly like the sun. I can't help wondering why Iam not rising up and what this means for me.

Jesus is arranging many books. The books contain all thedeeds of the unforgiven—those who never repented of their sins.As the Great White Throne appears, the judge of all the earthprepares to sit upon His throne. A separation is underway andwill continue as the Good Shepherd divides His sheep from Hisgoats, with the saved (sheep) going to heaven and the lost (goats)going to hell.

As far as we can see, people are still gathering. They comefrom every tribe and nation. Those who ascend from the earthseem to be fewer and fewer. Way over yonder, a line is forming,and it looks like we'll have to take our turn meeting the judge.With a slim hope, there's a way out. Maybe God will grant me aplace on the right-hand side. I encourage you to hold up and hopethat somehow we'll make it through.

We wait for a long time; although, as you say," we don't knowhow long". The clocks have quit working. No one knows the time.It seems like days have come and gone, though darkness hasn'tovertaken us yet. Our neighbor is trying to start his car, but tono avail. Some are trying to go back...