WEEK 43
“The Great White Throne Judgment”
Date: July 9, 2003
Place: Allendale Baptist Church
Text: Revelation 20:11-15
Introduction
In these five verses describe for us the final judgment of all unbelievers of every age.
In John 5:29, Jesus referred to this event as the “Resurrection of condemnation”.
Many misunderstand this time of judgment and mistakenly call it the “general judgment.”
Remember we said last week that all who have been saved have been raised in the first resurrection.
This is the second resurrection in which the lost are raised to be given a fair and just evaluation of their works in respect to their salvation, which they do not poses.
Dr. J Vernon McGee best describes this Great White Throne Judgment of Christ rejecting world this way; “The other day our little grandson brought to his grandmother some flowers that he had picked. I want to tell you, they were a sad looking bunch of flowers. With great pride he gave them to his grandmother, and she patted him on his head and thanked him for the lovely flowers. As I looked at that scene, I could not help but smile, but I also immediately recognized how solemn it is going to be when a lot of these goody-goody boys stand with their little, bitty bouquets in the presence of a Christ whom they have rejected. They expect the He will be like a grandmother who will pat them on the head and say, ‘What a smart boy you were!’ This is solemn and serious.”
Many folks like to compare ourselves to other people, and say well I’m not as bad as so in so. Well maybe not. But God does not judge us by another’s standard, He judges one’s life compared to Jesus; the ultimate standard.
So let’s begin in
Verse 11
“Great White Throne”
Some 50 times throne is mentioned here in the book of Revelation.
This throne is seen as great, elevated, pure and holy.
“And Him who sat on it”
I have to say this the one who is seated on this judgment throne is the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 5:22, 26-29 says; “For the Father judges no one, but He has committed all judgment to the Son…For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”
“From whose face the earth and heaven fled away”
This statement indicates that this judgment takes place in eternity, after the destruction of the present creation.
John is a witness of this sin contaminated universe goes out of existence.
Verse 12
“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God,”
John MacArthur comments on this verse; “In a judicial sense, as guilty, condemned prisoners before the bar of divine justice. There are no living sinners left in the destroyed universe since all sinners were killed and all believers glorified.”
These are those that are spiritually dead; without Christ.
I am so thankful for God’s grace, aren’t you?
I’m so glad I don’t have to stand before God in my own righteousness; I stand before Him in the righteousness of His Son Jesus Christ.
These dead are described as small and great. All lost will stand before The Lord.
“And books were opened”
It is very self explanatory what these books are and what they contain.
I believe it is described to us that every thought, every word spoken and every work of sinful man is recorded by God.
This will provide the evidence for eternal condemnation.
“The Book of Life”
I believe this is the same book mentioned in Revelation 3:5.
This is the divine journal of those who have received God’s forgiveness.
The fact that a person’s name is missing condemns them.
“And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”
Again we see here that their thoughts, their words and their actions will be compared to God’s perfect, holy standard and will be found wanting.
This verse also implies that there are degrees of punishment in hell.
Some may disagree with ma about this statement referring to degrees of punishment in hell, but one thing is certain hell will be a place of eternal suffering.
The greatest point of suffering will be the separation from God.
In my mind one of the sufferings that will constantly go through a person’s mind in hell will be each and every opportunity the had to receive Christ but rejected.
Verse 13
“Death and Hades”
These are both terms used to describe the state of death.
This verse very clearly tells us that all unbelievers will stand before this great white throne judgment; none will escape.
Verse 14
I cannot help but to repeat myself here but to say this verse speaks of an actual, eternal separation from God in conscious, never-ending torment.
Verse 15
As I read these last two verses there is no indication that that anyone escapes the judgment at this great white throne.
The cause of their casting away; not because they did not accumulate some seemingly sufficient good deeds; because again apparently there was evidence of good deeds recorded.
Their eternal punishment is because their names were not found written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
This leaves no one out.
I have had the opportunity to be in a courtroom, not on trial, but to see others stand before the judge. But my friend this will be nothing like a modern court case. At the Great White Throne there will be a Judge but no jury, a prosecution but no defense, a sentence but no appeal.
No one will be able to defend themselves or accuse God of unrighteousness.
But as I read and study this book and teach of this final judgment, I am reminded of John 3:16; “For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting, eternal life.”
Romans 5:8 says; “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 10:13 says; “For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
