After living a "decent" life, 
my time on earth came to an end.
The first thing I remember is sitting 
on a bench in the waiting room of what I 
thought to be a court house.
The doors opened and I was instructed 
to come in and have a seat by the defense table.  
As I looked around I saw the "prosecutor."  
He was a villainous looking gent who snarled 
as he stared at me. 
He definitely was the most evil person I have ever seen. 
 
I sat down and looked to my left and there sat 
my lawyer, a kind and gentle looking man whose 
appearance seemed familiar to me. 

The corner door flew open and there appeared 
the judge in full flowing robes. 
He commanded an awesome presence as he 
moved across the room. 

I couldn't take my eyes off of him.  
As he took his seat behind the bench, 
he said, "Let us begin." 

The prosecutor rose and said, 
"My name is Satan and I am here to show 
you why this man belongs in hell." 

He proceeded to tell of lies that I told, 
things that I stole, and in the 
past when I cheated others.  
Satan told of other horrible perversions 
that were once in my life and the more he spoke, 
the further down in my seat I sank.
I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone, 
even my own lawyer, as the Devil told of sins 
that even I had completely forgotten about. 

As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these 
things about me, I was equally upset at my 
representative who sat there silently not 
offering any form of defense at all.  
I know I had been guilty of those things, 
but I had done some good in my life -- 
couldn't that at least equal out part of 
the harm I've done? 

Satan finished with a fury and said, 
"This man belongs in hell, he is guilty of 
all that I have charged and there is not a 
person who can prove otherwise." 

When it was his turn, my lawyer first asked 
if he might approach the bench. 
The judge allowed this over the strong objection 
of Satan, and beckoned him to come forward.  
As he got up and started walking, 
I was able to see him in his full splendor 
and majesty. I realized why he seemed so familiar. 
This was JESUS representing me, my Lord and my Savior. 

He stopped at the bench and softly said to the judge, 
"Hi Dad," and then he turned to address the court.   
"Satan was correct in saying that this man had sinned, 
I won't deny any of these allegations.  
And yes the wage of sin is death, and 
this man deserves to be punished." 
Jesus took a deep breath and turned to his Father 
with outstretched arms and proclaimed, 
"However, I died on the cross so that this person 
might have eternal life and he has accepted 
me as his Savior, so he is mine." 

My Lord continued with, 
"His name is written in the book of life and 
no one can snatch him from me. 
Satan still does not understand yet. 
This man is not to be given justice, but rather mercy." 

As Jesus sat down, he quietly paused, 
looked at his Father and replied, 
"There is nothing else that needs to be done.  
I've done it all." 

The judge lifted his mighty hand and slammed 
the gavel down.  The following words bellowed 
from his lips... 
"This man is free.  The penalty for him has 
already been paid in full.  Case dismissed." 

As my Lord led me away, 
I could hear Satan ranting and raving, 
"I won't give up, I'll win the next one." 

I asked Jesus as he gave me my instructions 
where to go next,  
"Have you ever lost a case?" 

Christ lovingly smiled and said, 
"Everyone that has come to me and asked me 
to represent them has received the same 
verdict as you, Paid in Full."