The Twinkling of An Eye

Moment 1

I opened my eyes to a world I've never known. Every stone, every branch; all the same--and yet different. All glowing. I glanced up toward the sky and my ears beheld a cacophony of perfection as the Seraphim sang out with voices like bells forged from both steel and love. Their song pierced through the heart of the Earth itself as it began to shake with the violence of ten thousand storms. Mountains crumbled; valleys were filled with debris that once composed their upper walls; lightning came from within the Earth, cracking its crust in jagged striations. Shadows ceased to exist in the presence of the immense luminescence saturating the Earth. The Time had come...

Moment 2

A gust of air overtook me and as I looked to my right, I beheld my Guardian Angel kneeling in acknowledgement of the might and glory of God. He rose swiftly and gazed into my eyes. In his eyes, I saw the love of a parent; I saw supernatural joy streak through his face as his belled voice rang the sweet words "You Made It." This Angel had watched over me since birth; he had witnessed my sins and my repentance. He shed a tear of translucent crystal, and in that very moment, his eye twinkled. The twinkle grew into a flash of lavender light, brighter than my eyes could behold. My vision faded...

Moment 3

As my sight returned, I realized something had changed. The Earthly garments that clothed my body a moment ago were strewn across the grass in front of me. Upon my shoulder lay a gilded cloak, under which a creaseless robe rested. As I awed at the perfectly woven garment, my arms felt uncharacteristically stiff. I stretched them high above me--yet, my arms did not move. What then was I stretching?........WINGS! "My.....my God" I cried in a language never before spoken by my tongue. I stretched my wings out to their full length; their plumage was a bright scarlet with specks of white at the tips of each feather. "Scarlet, for the blood that Christ shed for YOUR chance at redemption" said the Guardian, answering my unasked question. My Guardian Angel touched the tip of his violet-plumed right wing to the tip of my scarlet right wing-- thus was my first heavenly greeting.

Moment 4

My Angel spoke his true name--a name that, when spoken in the bell-like language of the High Host, brought the smell of cinnamon to my nostrils. He looked around us and said "It is Time." I surveyed my surroundings, and was shocked at the Chaos that ensued. To my right, a human cried to the sky "I'm sorry Lord..." Behind me, a group of distressed women cried to the crumbling mountains "Fall on us." Two miles away, a minister sobbed "Where did I go wrong?" as his unclothed teenage mistress lay dead in his arms. All around, the fallen ones--now visible--stood helpless with rage and fear filling their eyes, for they knew their time was short...

Moment 5

With a mighty wing thrust, my Guardian launched himself into the air so quickly that time literally slowed down as I tracked him. As he leapt, his mind communicated to me "We travel at the speed of thought...Come!" I spread my scarlet wings and launched myself into the air. Elation! "Glory to God in the Highest, Glory to God in the Highest" I roared as I flew to meet my maker...to meet my God. The last of the angelic cloud rolled away, and then....then.....I saw His face and wept tears of crystal. I wept for the life I lived and for the death HE died. Such love, such compassion...in his face, I saw pure Righteousness. As I flew toward him, I was joined by others with scarlet plumage--my bretheren who had also made it through that Earthen struggle. Sobbing and smiling, we all joined the High Host in proclaiming the beautiful truth: CHRIST HAS RETURNED!!