The Great White Throne Judgement Considered In Detail – Part 3 Of 4 Series

THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT CONSIDERED IN DETAIL – PART 3 OF 4

These studies open up the subject of the great white throne from Revelation 20. It is a terrifying time, so that the earth and heavens flee away. No Christian is judged at the great white throne though all the Church, the Bride of Christ, will be there with the Lord. This time we are going to look at what punishments will be given by the Judge on the Throne.

Let us look again at the Revelation verses we have done so far - {{Revelation 20:11-12 “I saw A GREAT WHITE THRONE and Him who sat upon it, FROM WHOSE PRESENCE EARTH AND HEAVEN FLED AWAY, and no place was found for them, and I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and BOOKS WERE OPENED, and another book was opened, which is THE BOOK OF LIFE, and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, ACCORDING TO THEIR DEEDS.”}}

[K]. DEGREES OF PUNISHMENT –

I now want to touch on a subject that has been occupying my mind for some time, and I hasten to say this is totally my idea. I have no evidence for it but I shall present my thoughts on it. Before I do so, I will list a number of passages, and AS WE READ THEM I WANT YOU TO SEE IN THEM, DEGREES OF PUNISHMENT.

(a). {{Luke 12:46-48 “the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. THAT SLAVE WHO KNEW HIS MASTER’S WILL AND DID NOT GET READY OR ACT IN ACCORD WITH HIS WILL, SHALL RECEIVE MANY LASHES, BUT THE ONE WHO DID NOT KNOW IT, AND COMMITTED DEEDS WORTHY OF A FLOGGING, WILL RECEIVE BUT FEW. From everyone who has been given much shall much be required, and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”}}

That Luke verse definitely teaches obedience and responsibility. There is no such thing as a blanket condemnation or punishment. It is apportioned according to light received and response to what is demanded of a person. God is consistent. He does not condemn all in one sweep, but all will be condemned according to deeds! God has commanded that all must repent, so to disobey, results in condemnation.

(b). {{Matthew 10:14-15 “Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet. Truly I say to you, IT WILL BE MORE TOLERABLE FOR THE LAND OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT THAN FOR THAT CITY.”}}.

In other words, in the judgement, Sodom and Gomorrah will fare better than those who rejected/reject the Lord’s gospel. The reason for that is light. Those who have had more light are more responsible. Sodom had less light and teaching about God than those towns visited by the Lord and His disciples. In our western world we have God’s word and some faithful preaching, so our generation has the light available and to refuse that is a solemn matter. Greater will be the judgement.

(c). {{Matthew 11:20-24 “Then He began to reproach the cities in which most of His miracles were done because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! for if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Nevertheless I say to you, IT SHALL BE MORE TOLERABLE for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you, and you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You shall descend to Hades for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. Nevertheless I say to you that IT SHALL BE MORE TOLERABLE FOR THE LAND OF SODOM in the day of judgment than for you.”}}.

This is similar to the previous one and touches on the matter of responsibility according to the light given. In a way this answers the question some love to ask, “But what about the heathen who have never heard the gospel?” Also God has given His stamp on creation and that will be used as a benchmark in the judgement in association with God’s revelation in Nature. {{Romans 1:19-20 “because that which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them, for since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”}}. Woe betide people like David Attenborough who have seen such marvels in creation but identifies himself as an atheist and a humanist, (or agnostic at best).