JUDGMENT #7 -- THE WHITE THRONE -- REV.20:11-15 - 9-6-08
Today we’ll conclude our study of the 7 judgments that we started 7 weeks ago. Today we’ll think on "THE WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT" the judgment of all lost sinners that died in their sin, Jesus paid for every ones sins but the sad fact is most people will not receive His payment for their sin, He paid the sin debt once and for all, and its paid in full to all that will receive Him. That took place at Judgment #1.
Let me give you the names of these 7 judgments once again.
#1-{the judgment of sin,} this took place on the cross of Christ.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,
#2- {self-judgment of our daily sins} after we were saved.
1 Corinthians 11:31-32 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.
The other 5 judgments are after the rapture of the Church.
#3- {the judgment seat of Christ}, this is where all that are saved will be judged for our stewardship, our works after we were saved and thus rewarded accordingly.
2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
And #4-{-the judgment of Israel, Jacobs Trouble, Jer. 30:7, “name-Gen.32:28--35:10” and this has to do with the Tribulation period. The Tribulation is “Jacobs trouble”. But it will affect all the earth.
Jeremiah 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it--
That is the 1/3 that is not destroyed.
-#5-{the judgment of the nations}, this takes place after Christ returns and has defeated His enemies at Armageddon, at the end of the 7 year Tribulation, “Rev.19:” but just prier of Him setting up His Kingdom, the 1000 year reign of Christ. MATT. 25:31-46
#6-the judgment of the fallen angels}- 1 Corinthians 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels?
And #7 is of coarse, {the White Throne judgment}, this is when all the lost souls are brought out of hell and judged according to their wickedness, and according to the degree of their wickedness be tormented in the lake of fire, there are not any saved people judged at this judgment, these are all lost. Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Listen as I read today’s text found in REV. 20:11-15
11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Again, every person who died in their sin is still in hell, but will be brought out of hell at the Great White Throne of Judgment.
Let me remind us once again that "hell" and the "lake of fire" are two different places, realize that "hell" is the holding place for the lost, waiting for the G-W-T- judgment. If it was the same place we’d be told that they’d be cast into hell, but it says that their judged of their wickedness and according to the degree of their wickedness be cast into the Lake of Fire.
There’ll be different degrees of torment in the lake of fire, if all lost sinners were tormented with the same torment there would be no need for the books of their deeds, the books are record books of all the wicked deeds each individual has committed.
Vs. 12-- and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Have you ever thought about the fact that there will be good people there in hell, that is morally speaking, the little old lady that may live down the street from us, she was so good about helping people in the neighbor hood, she never talk about any body, she was always doing good deeds for everybody.
Or the old gentleman that was so nice to people, he seemed to be one of the best people you may have ever known, but the sad fact might be that although they did so many nice things for people, they died in their sin, they never received Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It’s so sad to think about this sad fact.
John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
1 John 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
And let me point out that there are multitudes of people that set on Church pews week after week that think their alright as for as being in good standing with God. Many people that go to Church houses never hear a message about hell and the Lake of fire because the preacher is afraid he might offend some one, these churches the Lord referrs to as the Laodicein Church there in Re. 3:
They say they have need of nothing.
Revelation 3:17-18 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: 18I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
It’s much the same way when God was dealing with Israel; HE SAID IN
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;--
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:--
Ezekiel 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
The GREAT WHITE THRONE judgment takes place at the close of the Millennial reign of Christ, if a lost person dies today and the rapture of the True Church should happen tomorrow, that poor lost soil would remain in hell for at least 1007 years, because there’s the 7 year Tribulation and then the 1000 year reign of Jesus in His Kingdom here on earth, their brought out of hell long enough to be judged at the W.T.J. and then even worse than hell, cast into the lake of fire.
Listen as I read our text once again:
11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
Sitting on this G.W.T. is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice;
from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
The poor lost people are standing out in the vastness of nothing, their not standing on any thing, their there before The Lord as He sits as their Judge, not as their Savior, the earth and the heaven has fled away;
When this Judgment is under way, the earth is being burned up.
2nd peter 10-13 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; ***and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,** according to their works.
13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
Let me say right here to do with-- death and hell*** delivered up the dead which were in them:
"death" is a reference to the grave, these lost souls will unit with their old sinful bodies as their standing at the W.T.J., think of the site that will be, they’ll not be in glorified bodies, you and I that are saved will receive a glorified body at the rapture, but these poor souls will not be given a glorified body to go to the lake of fire.
Can you imagine how some of the people will look, the many who were killed in car wreaks, their bodies torn to piece maybe, other that died of some bad disease, what a horrible sight it will be.
14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
As I have mentioned before, all these poor people are lost, no one at this judgment is saved or can be saved.
You maybe saying; brother Brown your trying to scare me, well if I could scare you into being saved I would, you don’t realize what great danger your in, the rapture could happen now at any time, it’s a very foolish thing to keep rejecting Jesus, how can you not love Him after all that He’s done for you? How many people do you know that would lay down their life for you? There may be some but not many.
Romans 5:6-9 For when we were yet without strength, in due time ** died for the ungodly. 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Sinner friend won’t you realize that your going to have to be saved if you want to stay out of hell and the lake of fire, why continue to keep swinging out and back over hell on a shoe string so to speak, if you continue to reject Jesus as your Lord and Savior you’ll surely wind up with the damned.
