The Throne After The Second Coming Series

James O. Davis is the founder and president of Second Billion (TM). You are invited to learn more about Second Billion by visiting www.billion.tv.

INTRODUCTION

Our text tells us about the Great White Throne judgment in a message we call, “The Throne After the Second Coming.” This is the saddest & most sorrowful judgment of all. It is the frightening termination of God’s holy wrath upon those who have rejected His Son. It is the time when every person who has rejected Christ as Savior will be tried before the tribunal of heaven. There will be no plea bargaining, no insanity pleas, no taking the Fifth Amendment, and no mistrials. It will be the final judgment where evidence is presented, the facts are weighed and punishment will be meted out.

There are several interesting characteristics about the Great White Throne judgment that need to be understood by both saints and sinners. The first thing I believe we need to notice is that it is a fearful sight.

FIRST, THE GREAT WHITE THRONE IS A FEARFUL SIGHT

A) The Seat of All Power -- Verse 11 calls it “the throne,” the seat of all power. It is the throne of God, a place of intensity, with no place to hide. Guilty sinners are summoned to that throne. All the foolish delusions and statements people have used for not serving God will sudden have no value as they stand before Ruler of the entire universe. It is the seat of all power, where Christ rules and reigns.

B) The Source of All Power -- It is also the source of all power. The Bible says, “He that sat on it…” John sees Him and immediately recognizes Him to be the Lord Jesus. The nail prints are there, the scars, and the wound in His side. Sinful men had beaten Him, ignored Him, denied and cursed Him through the ages. They had refused to believe in Him, but now He is their judge. John 5:22 says that “…The Father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” It is Jesus with His Father at the Great White Throne judgment.

Jesus first came into the world wrapped in swaddling clothes; the last time He will be wrapped in the judicial robes of heaven. The first time He came to a manger; the last time will be to a throne. The first time He wore a crown of thorns; the last He will wear the crown as King. The first time He came with the shepherd’s staff in His hand; the last time He will hold the judge’s gavel. The first time He came as a Lamb to the slaughter; the last time He will come as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He came the first time as the Savior; He will come the last time as the Sentencer and Judge of the entire world.

C) The Sign of All Power -- Not only is the Great White Throne judgment the seat and source of all power, but it is also the sign of all power. The Bible says, “From whose face the heaven and the earth fled away.” No man has ever seen God in all His fullness and power. No man has ever seen Him in all His glory and majesty. What kind of judgment day will it be for those who have rejected, refused and refrained from accepting Jesus Christ into their personal lives?

The ungodly had spat in His face and wrenched the beard from its cheeks. Now they will surely gaze upon Him in fear and torment. Everything about their world that had been stable, solid and familiar will now have disappeared. Every landmark, stone, mountain, river, house, planet, and galaxy are gone because of the awesome-ness and power found in the face of Jesus Christ.

In Daniel chapter seven, the prophet saw two groups at this judgment. One group was serving Jesus and the other was standing before Him. The saints will have already been judged, but now it is time for the judgment of the unsaved.

SECOND, THE GREAT WHITE THRONE IS A FINAL SUMMONS

A) The Presence of the Wicked is Required -- I want you to notice in verses 12 and 13 that the presence of the wicked is required. The Bible says, “And I saw the dead. The sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them.”

There are some religious groups who advocate that once you die everything is ended. If you do go to hell, you are suddenly annihilated and that’s where it all ends. But, the Bible says that the unsaved dead that were in hell were brought out of hell to stand at the Great White Throne judgment to be judged for their sins. “And the sea gave up the dead.” All sinners that have ever died at sea, or anywhere else, will be resurrected to stand at the Great White Throne judgment.