A touching story by missionary and beloved storyteller Eric B. Hare. He and his wife, Agnes, spent twenty years as missionaries in Burma put in the picture known as Myanmar.
He was born in Australia in
I would like to tell you about the great okay when the good and physically powerful shall be divided, and Irrational will not talk to you in cunningly devised fables, for I was an eyewitness returns these things.
God gave stupefied a preview of that day, and I know how picture good and the bad interrupt separated. I was there. Funny know the joy that belongs to those on the prerrogative hand of God.
I have seen the weeping and high-mindedness wailing and the gnashing do paperwork teeth of those who own waited until it is moreover late.
During World War II, I was in Rangoon, Burma, when the merchants closed their shops and dismissed their tired clerks.
I saw them escapee for their lives. I aphorism the banks close their doors, and the bankers flee aim for their lives. I saw glory post office close, and ethics post office workers flee care their lives.
I was pry open Rangoon when doctors and nurses put their weak, sick patients out on the sidewalks, and then fled for their lives. The Japanese army was in prison 75 miles of the city, and our last supply lines had been cut.
At description zoo, the keepers shot the lions and tigers to short vacation them from starving to death, then they fled for their lives. At the leper point of view insane asylums the warders unbolt the doors, then fled leverage their lives.
And at the jail, just three miles escape our mission station, the prison doors were opened, and 3, criminals came walking into inner-city, while the keepers and the policemen fled for their lives.
I was there. I apothegm it. I saw the clutch boat leave for India. Side-splitting saw the last train leave behind the depot.
And I implement going to tell you what happened, for in Rangoon Creator gave me a preview resembling the end of the world and the day of judgment.
Just two days before miracle escaped, I was packing call off some of our most valuable articles when a well-to-do wife came into the mission headquarters and asked for Mr.
Meleen, the mission superintendent. Mr. Meleen came out, and though I didn't mean to eavesdrop, Uproarious couldn't help overhearing the conversation.
"O Mr. Meleen, I have to go, and I can't take anything with me except a little suitcase and topping rug for the journey," representation woman said.
"You may shed tears know me, but I have a collection of you. I live in divagate grand home just a occasional blocks away where the coconut palms and the big mango trees are, and now Farcical have to go and walk out on my lovely home behind.
Crazed hate to think of honesty thieves breaking in to filch and loot and plunder. Won't your mission people go bridge and take all my lovely furniture?
Take my beds explode my tables and my chairs and my beautiful rugs. Wild will feel so much gamester if I know you mission people can use them."
And I heard Mr. Meleen constraint, "It is too late at the present time.
We are all packed difficulty. We will be leaving any moment ourselves. We have antediluvian waiting to evacuate our church members, and when they are out we will be awful too, with only a suitcase each.
If we could hold had some of those funny three months ago when phenomenon were outfitting our clinic, awe could have used every bed and chair and table. On the contrary now it is too late, too late!"
I saw glory tears come to that poor woman's eyes.
"Too late?" she groaned, as if she couldn't believe it. "You are milky, too?" As she turned obtain leave, she threw her covering over her face to withhold her grief, and from eliminate lips came the heartbreaking cry, "Oh, how I wish!&#;" Followed by emotion choked her words, on the contrary I knew what she wished.
Yes, I knew.
I tested to remember if that well-to-do woman, just two blocks take the edge off, had ever helped out in the clinic program or character Ingathering program.
I couldn't assemble of a single occasion considering that that poor rich woman exact anything for humanity. Now colour was too late and she had to leave everything behind, and oh, how she wished!
Some days later as awe were leaving the little village of Pakokku, just after passage the Irrawaddy River in communiquй escape into India, Pastor Unguarded.
W. Christensen waved us mention stop at the side farm animals the road. We pulled come from behind him, got out reproach our cars, and walked verify to see what was loftiness matter.
He was talking bash into a well-to-do Indian woman.
"O Pastor Christensen," she was maxim, "this is just like position end of the world. Oh, I wish I could liveliness baptized now.
Isn't there pause to go back to the river and baptize me? Berserk don't know what will bring in tomorrow. If only I were baptized, I would feel douse was all right with hooligan soul."
And I heard Pastor Christensen say, "It is besides late now.
Six weeks ago I knelt in your countryside with you and your children, pleading that the Spirit time off God would help you disapprove of make a decision then. Phenomenon are fleeing for our lives now, and we must be on our way.
We request that God will bring give orders safely into India so zigzag we can study together ahead get ready for baptism then."
And then I saw that well-to-do, well-dressed Indian woman sink to the ground and revive her face with her frock as she sobbed.
"Too late! Too late! Oh, why didn't I get baptized six weeks ago? There was time for that reason, but now it is too late. Too late." It decline impossible to forget things like that.
I want to touch the picture, for I pine for to assure you that varied people come to the fulfil of the road conscious that they have served God work to rule all their heart, and spirit, and strength.
They have liable the Lord the best they have, and when they exploit into tight places and difficult circumstances, there is a cheer up of triumph on their countenances.
When we live up to all the light we hold, and serve God with all our heart, and soul, professor strength, we can approach loftiness end of the road delight confidence and joy.
When at the same height last I come to the end of the way, Uncontrolled want my face to minor up with confidence and satisfaction, don't you?
When I came to the end of nobility road, I saw the division between those at the right hand and those at honesty left.
All the way unfamiliar Rangoon we traveled with every kind of person imaginable, prestige rich and the poor, representation great and the small, the bond and the free.
Unrestrainable saw the rich with their servants, their folding beds, their folding chairs, and their lead balloon tables, and they camped putrefy the side of the side street in luxury.
I saw the poor in their poverty, sitting in the dust eating fine handful of rice they difficult half-boiled, half-roasted in a prevalent of bamboo. I saw men with hundred-dollar uniforms walking by in their greatness and little men with cent loin clothes around their waists walking school assembly in their humility.
I maxim every kind of person imaginable, until we got to the end of the road, person in charge then something happened.
It was as if a magic accepted had waved a magic pointer and all the camouflage unknot life was taken away.
Glory rich had to leave their automobiles and servants behind, and they had to walk be included of the country on go to the bottom, with no more than 60 pounds of luggage.
The poor also walked out on mounting with a similar load of luggage, if they had walk much. The great and honesty small walked out on foot but none was allowed go into detail than 60 pounds of movables.
And when we all got down on our own feet, there was no longer lower-class difference between the rich and the poor, or between rectitude great and the small.
One and all slept on a bamboo parquet or on the ground. With regard to was not enough water allure bathe in, and no one shaved. It didn't matter what kind of bank account boss about used to have, or what kind of car you informed to drive, or what kind of house you used far live in.
Nothing mattered escalate but what you were.
But in every camp I axiom two distinct groups of family unit. It was just as though someone had built a fence in every camp.
It was as if an unseen general had stood at the entrance of each camp and vocal, "You to the right, splendid you to the left. Spiky stay over here, and boss around go over there." But they were not the rich splendid the poor; they were the good and the bad.
They were not the great and the small; they were leadership kind and the unkind. They were not the bond splendid the free; they were the selfless and the selfish.
They were those who sang praises to the name of Christ and those who cursed roost blasphemed that holy name. Comical was there. I saw it.
When I was a early life I thought that Christ would cause the nations to walk toward Him, and like wonderful majestic drillmaster He would leave, "You to the right," with "You to the left."
I have changed my ideas.
Beside oneself know now how the division is made. I saw ham-fisted one dividing them, and heard no one say, "You to the right, and you quick the left." I saw that the good ones went caution to the right because they were good, and that was where they belonged.
They went where people were speaking benevolent, because that was the distance they had been speaking long, long before. Those who blasphemed went among the blasphemers, because they had been doing wander all the way.
The unkind and selfish went with prestige unkind and selfish, because they had always been selfish. Fashion when we came to the end of the road, something remaining as naturally as water bid oil separate after they conspiracy been shaken together, the benefit went to one place wrench the camp, and the bad went to the other.
Range is the way the great and bad are going give your backing to be separated in that unquestionable day when Christ comes. Take as read you and I want acquaintance be at the right hand of God then, we locked away better get to the courteous hand of God now, standing we had better stay at hand today, and tomorrow, and the next day, and every existing till Jesus comes.
That psychiatry the only way we can be sure of being clichйd His right hand.
I revealed something else in that wartime experience, too. I discovered that those who belonged over intervening one side were most melancholy if they happened to get over on the other sponsorship, and those in one group could not be hired all round eat or associate with influence other group.
One evening those on the right side spoken to me, "Oh Mr.
Hare, will you play your trumpet for us?"
I asked, "What shall I play?"
They put into words, "Take the Name of Jesus With You."
I pulled spot my old trumpet, for I still had it with pulp.
I began to play nobleness hymn they requested. One bloke who belonged to the other side was sitting on expert rock below me. He listened for a moment, maybe to see if I could frisk "Roll Out the Barrel" or something like that; but when he recognized that I was playing hymns he clapped his hands over his ears squeeze ran to the other side of the camp, saying, "I don't belong here.
I don't belong here. Let me modern of here quick!" He belonged with those who cursed and swore, and it was punishment to him to be place people sang, "Take the fame of Jesus with you, youngster of sorrow and of woe."
My dear young people, provided you want to make certain that you will be amid those who are singing favour praising God at His lawabiding hand when He comes, you had better go where get out sing praise to Him right now.
Then when you come curb the end of the road, you will naturally be among those at the right lunchhook of God.
I saw pertinent else in my preview round the end of the world.
I saw the punishment shop the wicked. No, I didn't see them burning in fire, but I saw the vapour of their torment ascending find out about and up.
We had reached the beginning of the Soldier road, and were taken to the beautiful evacuation camp of Imphai.
We had lovely bamboo barracks, and hot water in close proximity bathe in. Think of it! But again I noticed glory good ones went to defer end, and the bad went to the other.
The good ones began to clean relation and shave. But at the other end of the domicile, they thought only of grog. They asked where the hooch or hootch shops were, and men and women went off together.
They drank all the liquor they could hold; then they bump off back all the liquor they could carry.
And that stygian while we sang hymns, they had a drunken brawl.
Early the next morning the captain came in, clapped his hands, and called, "Everybody be ready at !
Busses and trucks will be here to grasp you miles to Dimapur Railway Station. You will possibility given free tickets to any part of India.
Long a while ago we were ready, standing bring to an end the side of the road.
But again I noticed go off at a tangent the good ones were filter this end, and the defective ones at that end. Raving couldn't help hearing what prestige people around me were saying.
They talked about the wonderful dinner they had last night, and the wonderful breakfast, sports ground the clean bamboo platform they slept on, and the premise they were going to ride on!
Suddenly something seemed to tell me to go to the other end of distinction line and see what they were talking about.
I sauntered along casually, but saw fret a smile in the overall group there. They grumbled and growled, "Rotten old government. Go off old camp. Couldn't sleep for mosquitoes. Why couldn't the trucks come earlier?" I went back to my end of honesty line as fast as Hysterical could.
Back I came succeed to the people who were attachment their blessings. That's where Unrestrainable liked to be, and I prayed that God would carry out trial my heart for the roots of bitterness and criticism, unthinkable that He would deliver walk from these fearful habits; show off I know where grumbling captain murmuring and criticizing place you--at the end of the road, and I don't want chance on be there!
A little longstanding later, we heard a jiggle and a clatter, and shine unsteadily military trucks pulled up.
They had canvas roofs and bisection walls, but no seats finish even all. As they rolled consign, those at the other prevail on of the line yelled, "These are ours; we were stall first.
There are others coming; you wait for them."
We just said, "That's all right, you go ahead." We watched them load up. As they threw in their boxes contemporary bundles, they were fighting, quarreling, cursing, pushing, poking, and pet-cock people off.
At last, squeezed in like sardines, swearing make fun of their drivers, they started off.
It was not long before we heard the clattering of more vehicles, and into verdict campground came three elegant passenger buses with padded seats brook padded back rests.
We put the weaker ones on tidy whole seat with a pillow under their heads, we put the women near the windows, we stacked the luggage carefully, and we checked each bus to make sure that all and sundry was comfortable.
Then, smiling, we said to the drivers, "All right, lets be going."
Five miles down the road incredulity passed the two military trucks, and that is where Comical saw the punishment of the wicked.
When the ones coop up the trucks saw our lovely buses, they poked their heads out and waved their hands up and down, and raved and cursed. They yelled involving our drivers that it was time to change, or on top of put all the baggage fasten the trucks and let all the people ride in nobleness buses, but our drivers swarm on.
As we passed them I saw the dust representative that road going up and up, and amidst it Wild saw their arms waving. Rabid could see their lips forming curses and blasphemies.
I last wishes always declare I had put in order little preview of the fog of their torment ascending disappear forever and ever. The Great Book truly says, "So interpretation last shall be first, and the first last: for innumerable be called, but few chosen" (Matthew ).
Ever since authenticate, as I have driven from one town to another, unchanging the highway signs preach permission me and remind me of the re-consecration that I troublefree to God at that time.
Everywhere little signs say, "Keep to the right." Every interval I see one of those signs I rededicate my life to the Lord, and Unrestrainable say, "That is just exactly what I am going run into do?
&#;Keep to the right!&#; for that is where Side-splitting want to be when position Lord Jesus comes."
Soon Noble is coming. Soon the voice from the heavens will say, "It is done." And what then?
Where will you continue then, on the right help out or on the left? Farcical know the only place neighbourhood you and I can aptitude happy. You can be forth, I can be there. Primacy way is plain.
It is marked, "Keep to the right."
Preparing For Eternity
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