Great White Throne Judgment

Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV)

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. 

It is daunting to write a few paragraphs about a passage that has been the subject of countless books and documents.  The great white throne judgment is the last judgment of God found in the Bible, but there are other judgments such as the judgment of the sheep and goats (Matthew 25:31-36) and the judgment seat (bema) of Christ (II Corinthians 5:10).  There is disagreement amongst Christian scholars whether there are three (or more) separate judgments or this one final judgment.  I am not a Bible scholar so I will simply focus on this one passage in Revelation. 

Note the following fascinating (and terrifying) aspects of this final judgment:

·  The “Him” seated on the great white throne is Jesus, not God the Father (read John 5:22-23).  “Great white throne” implies great majesty.

·  Earth and sky disappear (can you imagine that?). 

·  All dead people (and there likely will be some living people from the Millennium described earlier in Revelation 20) are brought before Jesus.  How terrifying it will be for those who rejected Jesus during their lives who now see Him as judge on the great white throne.

·  Whether people were great or small in this life on earth, it doesn’t matter on this judgment day; all will be standing before the throne.

·  There are many books opened, books containing records all the deeds of all people who ever lived.  There is one book called the book of life that determines whether a person will live with God forever or receive eternal punishment in the lake of fire.  Always keep strongly in mind that if you are a Christian—while your actions will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ---you are forgiven because of Christ and your name is written in the book of life.

·  All people will be judged for all their actions in their lives as written in the books.  Only the deeds of righteous behavior will survive the fire of judgment.  Any good deed done for selfish purposes—e.g. self-glorification (“look how good I am”), will be burned up. 

·  All people whose names are not found in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire along with death and hell.

There are many unknowns and many controversies about the final judgment.  It is so terrifying that many people just ignore it.  It is not that important to understand all the details of these judgments.  What is most important and the central question of all of life is this---are you certain that your name is written in the book of life?  You may be certain if you have confessed Jesus Christ as your Savior and committed your life in service to Him.  He does not want anyone to face the lake of fire (the word “perish” in John 3:16, Matthew 18:14, and II Peter 3:9 relates to the lake of fire).

The main point of Revelation 20:11-15 is not to frighten you, but to help you realize that the love of God desires that you never fear this judgment.  If you are not assured right now that you are saved from this judgment, confess your sins to the Lord and invite Jesus to come into your life; then begin the daily process of learning through His Word what you must do to follow Him as your Lord.  If you are assured of your place in the book of life, what about other loved ones in your life?  Help them to see their need for Christ.