John's Story:
I died. I went through the darkness to the light and was before the throne of judgement. Looking around I saw my Guardian Angel, instantly recognizing him, although this was the first time I had ever laid eyes upon him. I turned to my left and saw a hideously deformed creature that had nothing by hate and evil in his eyes, especially directed at me. For the first time since I had breathed my last breath, I was afraid. There was someone else there also, a woman, I didn't immediately recognize. I knew where I was, I was at my judgement, and that scared me even worse.
I hadn't lived the best life, I wasn't really nice to people, kind of selfish really, even in my own family. Even when I was near death I didn't want to give anything to anyone, not even very many kind words. Being given a time to die was a great gift, because, although I wasn't a perfect saint, I did have a chance to repair some damage I had done in my family and with God, but as I breathed my last I wondered if it would be enough?
Standing before the Throne of God, I could feel all of my sins in the light of that perfect love that is God. I cannot even tell you how painful this was. Every thing I had ever said, done or thought was before the Holy God, and how black was my sin. Yes, some sin was not there because it had been repaired, but not all. This is when the demon stepped up and made quite a list of my sins before God, claiming me for his kingdom because of them.
You can't understand how painful it is to have sin on you and go before a Holy God who you know loves you so much. The pain is so terrible, you just want to run from God with your shame of sin that is on you. Even though I knew the demon was right, I wanted God's mercy but didn't know if I could have it.
Then a voice spoke, "Lord, will you be merciful to his soul? Lord, please spare him." I looked around and saw the woman pleading to God on my behalf. She was crying, begging God to spare me from hell. Wait, how can that be, I thought there were no tears in heaven?
Then galaxies collided as God spoke to me, "She is not in heaven, she is on the earth, pleading for you." I got up the nerve to ask, "Lord, who is this woman?" The Lord did not speak but showed me who she was. I had met her in passing at a gas station, I had bumped into her, and even though it was my fault, I called her stupid and clumsy and as I bent down to pick up my keys that I had dropped. I heard her whisper, "One day by the grace of God your eyes will be glad to see me." No one else heard her but myself. I just thought she was crazy and went on my way never to think of her again.
My thoughts were racing, "Why would she intercede for me, I was cruel to her, why would she do that for me?"
The Lord answered my thoughts, "Because she loves Me, and because of her love for Me, she also loves those I love, which includes you."
Silence. It seemed like eons passed.
Then the Lord answered the questions that I still wanted answers to.
"Because of her love, she has asked for the grace to plead for souls at their judgement that would otherwise face hell even though she is still on the earth. She offers her tears in supplication to Me so that souls will not be lost."
It was at this moment that demon was sent away empty handed, and I felt God's mercy wash over me because of this woman's love for God, I realized what she said was right. My eyes where glad to see her.
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The story you have just read is a fiction, but the prayers are real. We should pray constantly, and one great way to do it is in your normal routine. You go to the grocery, there is an old woman ahead of you looking for her checkbook. Instead of getting frustrated, say a prayer for her, "Lord, please be merciful to this woman at her judgement."
The judgment is the last stop. At this point, the soul does not have any more chances to repent, but that doesn't mean that God cannot show mercy. We must fight for our brethren till the last possible moment so that God may show a soul mercy.
If you saw someone hanging off a cliff, and you knew you could help them, wouldn't you? Would it matter if you knew them or not? What rejoicing you would have with this person after they were safe! Later would come the exchange of names, etc.
God is not bound by time, and even though we are, we can take God's timelessness for our brothers and sisters and seek God's mercy at their judgement. This is no guarantee that the soul will not face Hell, for God has the final say, but we must make every effort and ask God's mercy always.
