This is the judgment where all the sinners will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and give account for everything they have SAID and DONE while they lived in this life.
Illus: Sometimes you will hear unlearned people pray in church and elsewhere, “Lord, as we all gather around the Great White Throne Judgment one day…”
Listen, we who are born-again Christians will not be there for this judgment.
• Christians are going to appear before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ. It is there we will give account for the GOOD and BAD DEEDS we have done. We will be judged for our REWARDS, not our SALVATION.
• The lost people will stand before the Lord at the Great White Throne Judgment. They have already been judged and are condemned.
Look at John 3:18, we read, “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.”
According to the Word of God, every lost person in this building has already been condemn to a devil’s hell.
WHY ARE THEY CONDEMNED?
Because the Bible says, “…because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
They are NOT going to a devil’s hell:
• Because they drink liquor
• Because they are a homosexual
• Because they gossip and tell lies
• Because they do not go to church
They are going to a devil’s hell because THEY WOULD NOT COME TO CHRIST and let Him save them.
If you are here today and have not come to Christ for salvation, you are already lost and waiting to hear those horrible words at the Great White Throne Judgment in Matthew 7:23, “…Depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
The time when every lost person will hear these horrible words will be at THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT.
• Many of the lost today would rather take a beating than attend the house of God. But one day they will be forced to stand before Him.
• They have mocked God, cursed God, and opposed God in every way they knew how, and did not want anything to do with:
1. HIS CHURCH
2. HIS WORD
3. HIS PEOPLE
But now they will be forced to STAND BEFORE HIM!
Like it or not, they are going to stand in His presence and see the POWER and the MAJESTY of the Lord Jesus Christ!
As we deal with the GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT, we want to look at four things:
I. THE MAJESTY OF THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT
II. THE MULTITUDES OF THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT
III. THE METHOD OF THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT
IV. THE MISERY OF THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT
In this message, we are only going to have time to deal with one thing. Let’s look at-
I. THE MAJESTY OF THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT
We need to look at several things, such as:
A. WHO WILL DO THE JUDGING?
Look at John 5:22-23 and verse 27, we read, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.” (Verse 27) “And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.”
Jesus is the Son of God, but also He is the Son of Man.
The SON OF MAN has been selected to deal with mankind, and He will render TRUE JUSTICE!
B. WHERE WILL THE JUDGING TAKE PLACE?
Look at Rev. 20:11, we read, “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.”
The Bible clearly teaches that when the Great White Throne Judgment takes place, “…the earth and the heaven fled away…”
WHY DO THE EARTH AND THE HEAVENS FLEE?
The Bible tells us why. When evil men appear before the Lord at the Great White Throne Judgment, it is going to be the most horrifying time in their lives. Naturally they would want to run and hide. But the Bible says that at this time, the earth and the heavens fled.
When this happens, notice, “…and there was found no place for them.”
So when the Great White Throne Judgment occurs, the earth and the heavens will flee, and they will have no place to hide. The Lord will create a specified place for the Great White Throne Judgment.
C. WHO WILL HE JUDGE?
Look at Rev. 20:12-13, we read, “And 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.”
Remember, this is a judgment for the lost. Every lost person who has ever lived is included in this judgment.
It does not matter:
• How wealthy they were
• Who they knew
• How famous they were
• If they were small or great
Every lost sinner will appear before the Lord Jesus at the Great White Throne judgment.
Rev. 20:13 says, “And 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.”
D. WHAT WILL BE THE STANDARDS FOR JUDGMENT?
Look at verse 12, we read, “…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.”
The Lord Jesus is the perfect bookkeeper, and he keeps perfect records of everything we DO and SAY from the time we are born until the time we die.
Every lost person is going to stand before the One who has the records of everything they have ever SAID or DONE!
They may deny things and say:
• “I did not do that.” The Lord will show them in His records, the day and the hour they did a certain thing.
• “I did not say that.” The Lord will show them in His records, the place, day and hour they said it.
These are the most thorough records that have ever existed.
Look at Matthew 12:36 we read, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”
But notice this also, in the earthly courts, evil man is judged by DEEDS and WORDS, but at the Great White Throne Judgment he will be judged by his THOUGHTS and MOTIVES as well.
E. WHAT WILL BE THE VERDICT OF THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT?
• If you are a Christian, you automatically will appear before the Lord at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The fact that you appear there, means that you are saved.
• If you are a Sinner, you automatically will appear before the Great White Throne Judgment. The fact that you are there, means that you are eternally damned.
Look at Rev. 20:15, we read, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
F. WHEN WILL THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT TAKE PLACE?
It will take place after the thousand year reign of Christ on earth.
Remember that at the beginning of the Millennium, the Lord Himself is going to cast Satan in the Bottomless pit ( Rev. 20:1-2).
He will remain there for almost a thousand years. At the end of the thousand years, he will be released for a short time to test the people who were born during that thousand years.
The first generation of the millennial people who have believed in Christ have survived the Great Tribulation period. When God pours out His more severe judgments during the latter part of the Great Tribulation period, the antichrist will have lost much of his power.
Illus: In the book, “A Pictorial Guide To Bible Prophecy,” the author, Paul Lee Tan, says, “Thus, the millennium will begin with all righteous Jews and Gentiles, aside from glorified Christians. The second generation of Millennial people will be born and have sinful natures. They need to be saved. They will choose or reject the Messiah in their hearts, although any outward display of rebellion will mean immediate punishment.”
Remember, the Lord is going to rule with a “Rod of Iron” during this time. He is not going to put up with any foolishness or rebellion.
During the Millennium, the form of government will be a Theocracy. This means:
• The Lord Jesus will make all the laws and decisions
• The Lord Jesus will hand pick those who were faithful to Him to enforce the laws and decisions He makes
During the Millennium, the promises and covenants that were made to Israel through the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic, and New Covenants will be fulfilled in the Jewish Remnant.
But once Satan is released from the Bottomless Pit, he will be going about doing what he has always has done. During that short time after he is released, he does not waste a second before he starts recruiting people.
Literally millions will be deceived by him during this short time.
There will be so many, that they will be the ones who make war against God at the battle of Armageddon.
Many will follow him, but some will not.
Look at verse 4, we read, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which HAD NOT worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”
During the tribulation period, because of the two witnesses and the 144,000 Jewish missionaries, many will not take the mark of the beast.
• Some will flee to the mountains and hide to survive
• Some will have their heads chopped off for refusing to take the mark of the beast
Those who refuse to take the mark of the beast, will be allowed to live and enjoy the thousand years with the Lord during the Millennium.
Look at verses 4-6, “And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”
Illus: Dr. J. Vernon McGee, says it this way, “Many are going to die for Christ in the Great Tribulation Period, but they will live again and reign with Christ one thousand years. The tribulation saints are going to trade in three and one half years for one thousand years. I would say they are getting a pretty good deal!”
But notice, he repeats himself when it concerns Satan being released at the end of the tribulation for a short time.
Look at verses 7-8, we read, “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.”
Notice, the Bible does not tell us how long this short period will be when he is released. But we do know this, he does not waste one precious moment in getting the multitudes to follow him in rebellion against God.
Satan has always been successful in recruiting others to follow him.
1. He was successful when he got one-third of the angels in heaven to follow him in a rebellion against God.
2. He has been successful in getting millions and millions to follow him in the path of sin each day.
3. He will be successful at the end of the Millennium, when he will be released from the bottomless pit for a short time.
The Bible says he will be so successful in recruiting people to follow him, that they will be as the “Sand of the sea”.
Notice, even though Christ has reigned on the earth, there will be multitudes who will choose to follow Satan.
Some people are like Satan, they never seem to be able to learn.
WHY IS SATAN RELEASED FOR A SHORT TIME?
The Kingdom children that come through the tribulation period, have never been tested. Even though multitudes lived with King Jesus during the Millennium, they still had a wicked heart, and the Bible said that the Lord had to rule with a “Rod of Iron” to hold them in line.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER HE IS RELEASED?
Once Satan is released for a short time, millions will follow him in rebellion.
They were tempted by Satan and given a choice, and they made the wrong choice.
God never has and never will force anyone to be saved.
Even tonight, if you do not want to give your heart to the Lord, that is your choice.
But when you are cast into hell, you will be there because you chose to go there, and you can not point your finger in the face of God and blame Him.
Look Matthew 8:11-12, we read, “And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
God gives them a choice, they have been exposed to the leadership of the Lord Jesus Christ, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob during the Millennium, but they still choose Satan over all these.
During this short time, the devil is able to recruit millions to follow him. But when he and his army make war against God, God stops him in his tracks.
Look at 9-10, we read, “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
God is love, and is patient, but there is coming a day when His patience is going to run out, and His love will be turned to anger, and He is going to send fire down from heaven and consume the wicked who rejected His beloved Son.
They can mock Him, curse Him, and rebel against Him all they want to. But one of these days, the ungodly will stand before HIS MAJESTY and see Him eyeball to eyeball, and they are going to recognize what fools they were in this life.
Conclusion:
Today we have looked at:
I. THE MAJESTY OF THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT
Next:
II. THE MULTITUDES OF THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT
III. THE METHOD OF THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT
IV. THE MISERY OF THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT
