(Revelation 20:11-15) (Vs.11) “Then 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. (Vs.12) 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. (Vs.13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. (Vs.14) Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. (Vs.15) And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
The subject of coming judgement is not on the radar of the average person in the street today. It is also a subject ignored or avoided by multitudes of Churches within wider Christendom where the very idea of coming judgment and hell and preaching about it is considered rather ‘unfashionable.’ Some believe that when you die you cease to exist such as a professed Atheist. Others believe in a being higher than themselves but never really consider the matter seriously enough as they continue on in their daily lifestyle, pursuits, pleasures or in their chosen careers oblivious to the coming judgement.
Others believe that there will be some kind of reward in the afterlife but have no clue about what really happens and so focus on this life and the things it has to offer, and what they see in the physical and tangible world is what they believe in. Then you have those who also believe in an afterlife but are into New Age concepts where it is fashionable to accept everyone’s views and where there is no absolute truth required. Many in the New Age camp also have dreams and visions and so called ‘inner’ revelations and even mystical experiences, all of which are subjective and not based in reality. Then you have those who do believe in God, believe in His Word and know that there will be a last judgement for everyone.
The Bible speaks of two judgements. One is a judgement or assessment of those who have been saved based on what they did or didn’t do in this life which will occur at the judgement seat of the Messiah. The other judgement is for unsaved people who will appear before God at the Great White Throne for sentencing. Every born again New Covenant believer will be judged for their works done in this life but will not be judged for their sins because their sins were judged at the cross and they have, by repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus to save them, received redemption, forgiveness, imputed righteousness and cleansing from their sins by the blood of the Messiah. Hence they do not stand condemned (Ephesians 1:7) (1 John 1: 9) (John 5:24; 11:25).
This judgement seat, before which all of us as New Covenant believers must stand, is called the “Bema” in the Greek text of the Bible or “the Judgement Seat” of the Messiah. The Apostle Paul wrote; “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of the Messiah, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10). If you are a born again, blood washed New Covenant believer you will be judged on the things you said and did or failed to say and do in this life but will not be judged for your sin because the Messiah took care of that judgement at the cross and because His blood has fully atoned for your sin (Romans 5:10-11). You are a sheep belonging to the sheep fold of God but will still have to pass individually under the correction rod of the good shepherd our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, after He has come back to establish the Messianic Kingdom on earth.
The word “Bema” is the name used for the bench that you would have in the ancient sports arena where the athletes would compete to gain the prize for their efforts in the arena. The judges sitting on the bench would assess how the athletes had performed and reward them according to their efforts. Every truly born again believer will be assessed for works but not judged for sin.
However, there is the other judgement that will occur where unsaved people will stand before the Great White Throne (the word “Thronos” in Greek text) where they will appear before the ultimate judge of all men to stand before a tribunal of bench in a court of law to be sentenced. They will have been judged already because of their rejection of God’s provision of salvation through the sacrifice of His one and only begotten Son at the cross who was crucified for their sins.
As the Lord Jesus said; “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18). This is why it is written; “Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). As it is also written; “…man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27). Once you die and are still unsaved it will be too late!
In Revelation 20:11-15 we see this Tribunal overseen by the judge of all men at the Great White Throne. This will be a judgement of what they said and did in this life, but more so because of their rejection of the Lord Jesus through whom they could have been saved but have rejected His offer of salvation. The main focus of their sentencing is around whether their names have been written in the Book of Life. Now let’s look at these verses in Revelation 20:11-15 related to the Great White Throne and what will happen there beginning at verse 11.
(Vs.11) “Then 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.”
This final judgement will occur at the end of the 1,000 year reign of the Messiah on earth. The man of sin and his beast empire, along with the false prophet, will have already been cast alive into the lake of fire and all who followed them which will occur after the Lord Jesus has come back just before the 1,000 year Messianic age commences (Revelation 19:20). Satan will be imprisoned in a pit and chained and removed from all human contact for the thousand years of the Messiah’s reign on earth (Revelation 20:1-3).
At the end of the Messianic reign Satan will be loosed for a short time to lead the final rebellion which will be swiftly put down by the Messiah Himself and Satan will go into the lake of fire to join the man of sin, his beast empire and the false prophet for time and for eternity (Revelation 20:7-10). After this comes the transition from the old heaven and earth to the new heaven and earth. In this transition period the final judgement of all of the unsaved will occur. Now let’s look at this…
(Vs.12) 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.”
At this last and final judgement we see the record books opened including the Book of Life. This is the Lamb’s (the Lord Jesus’) book of life and His personal record of all of those who have been saved (Philippians 4:3). The Lord Jesus, being the good shepherd, knows each of his sheep individually by name and their names are recorded in His book (John 10:3-4) See also (Malachi 3:16) (Hebrews 12:23) (Revelation 3:4-5). The real issue is whether one’s name is in the Book of Life? Everyone who has died in this life will be resurrected. The saved will be resurrected to eternal bliss while the unsaved resurrected to eternal torment (Daniel 12:1) (John 5:28).
Every careless word spoken, every secret thought entertained and every deed done by the unsaved will be brought out into the open and assessed on the basis of what has been recorded in the books (Matthew 12:36-37) (Ecclesiastes 12:14) (Romans 2:16) (Luke 8:17) (Proverbs 26:26) (Matthew 10:26) (Mark 4:22) (Luke 12:2). This is an appointment that cannot be avoided and that will be kept. But let’s continue…
(Vs.13-14) “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire” (Vs.15).
Hades (Hell) is not the lake of fire. Hell is a holding place, a prison cell under the earth where the souls of all who are unsaved in this life go to when they physically die (Luke 16:23) See also (Isaiah 14:9-11). Hell is a real place of endless torment and, as a well-known evangelist has said, “Hell is the Devil’s best kept secret.” There the unsaved are imprisoned and in torment and I would say anticipating the sentencing to come being the lake of fire.
At the Great White Throne judgement everyone who has physically died and whose souls have been imprisoned in hell, will also be raised physically to appear before the tribunal for sentencing, even the sea itself will give up its dead. After the sentencing has finished death and Hades (Hell) will be thrown into the lake of fire forever and those who are not saved also thrown alive into the lake of fire where both their soul and their body will be tormented forever. This is the second death (Revelation 21:8). it will also be the lot of everyone who worships the man of sin, who willingly submits to the mandates of his beast empire and takes the mark and personal ID number of his system of government. This will be a choice everyone still living will have to make. Worship is also involved (Revelation 13:8,12; 14:9-11).
Those who are marked with the brand of ownership by the beast system of government cannot be saved. They will go into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever (Revelation 14:9-11). As it is also written in the prophet Isaiah; “And they (the redeemed of all the ages) will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against Me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind” (Isaiah 66:24).
This present life compared to eternity can be likened to a very small drop of water in the open sea. We were born to live forever because God has set eternity in the heart of man (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We see this in every culture on earth where men make idols to be worshipped signifying an awareness of the eternal unseen realm and a higher power in the heavens. They worship created things rather than the creator because of sin (Romans 1:18-23). Finally we read…
(Vs.15) And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
It may be you are reading this right now and you have never availed yourself of the salvation provided for you in the Messiah our Lord Jesus, the only one who can save you from the power of sin, deliver you out of this present evil age, and save you from hell and ultimately from being physically thrown alive into the lake of fire. You realise that you have never repented and believed on the Lord Jesus as your sin bearer and received His free gift of eternal life which will continue on into eternity. Unless you are spiritually reborn from above you will never know that eternal bliss experienced by all whose names are written in the Messiah’s Book of Life (John 3:3). Instead you will be alienated from the life of God, still living under the power of sin, and headed for hell and ultimately for the lake of fire, knowing now that your name is not recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
In this life we can never be free of our sinful nature or from temptation but through the power of the Messiah’s blood, the Word of God and the Holy Spirit we can be free from its power over us in this life. The only power that can break the power of sin is the blood of the Messiah (Revelation 1:5b) (1 John 1:7-9). Also it is the blood of the Messiah our Lord Jesus that can protect you from the day of God’s fiery wrath at the end of this present age (Romans 5:9). If you become a New Covenant believer, through saving faith in the Lord Jesus, then your sins recorded will be blotted out (Hebrews 8:12). Your name will appear in His Book of Life and you will never stand before the Great White throne for sentencing.
The apostle John writes concerning the Lord Jesus; “Whoever is believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever does not obey the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him” (John 3:36). As Isaiah the prophet also writes; “Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).
The question remains. Is your name written in the Book of Life? If it is then you will never stand before the Great White Throne where unnumbered multitudes will appear before the judge for sentencing because they will have already been judged!
