One of the promises of God that has not yet been fulfilled is that of the Great White Throne Judgment described in Revelation 20. After the 1000 year reign of Christ, two events will take place one after the other: i) The final battle (Rev. 20:7-10), and ii) The Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).
1. What is the Great White Throne Judgment? The Great White Throne Judgment is the time when the dead people that did not live during the 1,000 years that Satan was inside the bottomless pit will come back to life and will be duly judged by Jesus Christ according to their deeds using the 66 books of the Bible.
2. What is the purpose of God for the Great White Throne Judgment? The purpose of the White Throne Judgment is to settle all the rebellions against God’s righteousness.
3. Where will the Great White Throne Judgment take place? The Bible does not specify where the Great White Throne Judgment will take place. However, it will not be in heaven of on earth.
Apostle John said, “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them” (Rev. 20:11).
It cannot take place on earth because at the appearance of the Lord, the earth and the heaven will fly away. And it cannot take place in heaven because no sinner will enter the presence of God. So the Great White Throne Judgment will take place somewhere between heaven and earth. Perhaps on some distant planet we do not know about, but it will take place.
4. Who will be the Judge at the Great White Throne Judgment? He is non order than the Lord Jesus Christ.
“And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away…. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God…” (Rev. 20:11-12).
We also find this in Jesus’ own words, “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: …27 and (the Father) hath given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man” (Jn. 5:22, 27).
Paul wrote to the Romans saying, “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel” (Rom. 2:16).
In Acts 10:43, Peter declared saying, “Jesus Christ was ordained by God (the Father) to be the Judge of living and dead.”
Christ is the Judge of the living at the BEMA Judgment when Born Again believers will come before Him after the Rapture.
However, Jesus Christ is also the Judge of the spiritually dead at the Great White Throne Judgment. Jesus Christ did all that He should do to redeem humanity, and if anyone rejects His finished work on the Cross, that person will face Jesus on that dreadful day at the Great White Throne Judgment.
5. What are the documents that will be used at the White Throne Judgment? Present at each hearing is the "Book of Life" and "Books" which contain the record of our works (deeds).
The Bible tells us that the “books” will be opened. Only one of these books is named and it is called the “Book of Life.” I don’t know all the books that will be used that day, but I am sure of a few that will be opened, and these include:
a) The Bible. Jesus Himself reminded us that we would be judged out of His Word (Jn. 12:48). This Bible that sinners mock and refuse to heed will be used to render judgment upon their lives that day. Better to believe it now and go to Heaven than reject it and then face it in judgment and go to Hell!
b) The Book of Deeds. In Heaven, a record is being maintained of the deeds of all men. One day, every lost person will stand before the Lord and hear the record of the things he did in his life time read from the throne.
Every deed, both good and evil will be mentioned. Every sin will be read aloud: Sins of commission, sins of omission, flagrant sins, secret sins, sins of the heart and sins of the mind. All will be brought out into the open on that day. Revelation 20:12 makes it clear that the lost will be judged according to their works.
A man can either choose to stand on his own record and face God in his sins, or he can come to Jesus and have his ungodly record cleaned up by the blood of Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ wipes our record clean. It replaces the record of our sins with the record of His righteousness. When our book is opened all it says is, “See Calvary and an empty tomb - This man’s record is clear!”
c) The Book of Life. The names of every person who would ever be born is in this book (Rev. 3:5; Rev. 17:8). When a sinner dies without trusting Christ as his Saviour, his name is removed from this book. While your name remains in the book, there is hope for you, but when you die, or you reject Jesus for the last time, you are numbered with the spiritually dead and there is no more opportunity for you to be saved.
d) The Lamb’s Book of Life. This book contains the names of those who are redeemed by the blood of Jesus. When a sinner repents, his name is written in this book. This is the reason Jesus told His disciples to rejoice (Lk. 10:20). This book records who has and who has not accepted Jesus as their Saviour. When the Great White Throne Judgment comes, both this book and the book of life will match perfectly! You need to be sure that your name is written in the Lamb’s book of Life.
6. Who are the people that will be at the Great White Throne Judgment? All who died and departed from this earth without putting their faith in the finished work of Christ will be there. This also will include people who put their faith in Christ, but did not live a life of holiness (Heb. 12:14).
The Bible describes all such people as “spiritually dead.” Revelation 20:12 reads, "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God."
Will Born Again Believers be found in the White Throne Judgment? No! Not even a single Born Again believer who walked in righteousness and holiness while on earth will be found in this group.
Why won’t Born Again Believers be in the White Throne Judgment? This is because Christ’s own righteousness has been credited to every Born Again believer (2 Cor. 5:21).
And because we have the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the Bible says, “There is therefore, now no condemnation (judgment) to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the (suggestions of Mr.) Flesh, but after the (suggestions of) the Holy Spirit…” (Rom. 8:1-2; Jn. 3:17-21).
This is true because the Bible tells us that we who have trusted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour have “passed from death unto life” (Jn. 5:24). We have been given eternal and abundant life through the blood of the Lamb and can never lose that or be dead again spiritually forever.
God will call the bodies of all the spiritually dead people from the ground and their souls from Hell (Dan. 12:1-2). He will reunite them in a pitiful procession of anguish and hopelessness, everyone standing on his own.
Here is the truth: You'll not be standing in a crowd, you'll not be standing with your community, you'll not be standing with your drinking mates or your football team pals. You'll be standing on your own!
Revelation 20:13 reminds us that all who died without Christ, regardless of where they died will appear before Jesus in judgment on that day.
Even those who are in Hell will be brought out for this judgment. Every sinner from Cain to the last sinner slain in the Tribulation will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ! This horrible assembly will stand trembling before the Lamb of God. They will see the nail prints in His hands. They will see Him as He is and they will be filled with fear!
None will be left out! The kings, the paupers, the generals, the foot soldiers, the masters, the slaves, the borrower and the lender will all stand before God.
Preachers, deacons, church members, popes, priests, nuns, choir members, drunks, whores, drug addicts, drug pushers, grandmothers, grandfathers, teenagers, moms and dads, will all stand together with Cain, Judas, Hitler, and every other person who chose wickedness over righteousness, before the throne to face their judgment!
7. What will be the Sentence? The sentence will thunder from the throne of God, "I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." Revelation 20:15 says, "And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."
In Proverbs 1:24-29 God said, "Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out My hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at naught all My counsel, and would none of My reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity…"
Those who have rejected the love of God through the person of Jesus Christ will be cast into everlasting lake of fire with Satan and His demons of Hell!
Your sins have already been judged on the Cross of Jesus Christ, once and for all. If you are without Christ, you are lost, and there is no exemption for anyone who rejects the Son of God.
For those of us who are Born Again Believers, the righteousness of Christ covers us. Your sins have already been judged on the Cross of Jesus Christ, once and for all.
For everyone that is not yet Born Again, time is running out. The only way to be protected from this terrible judgment that will come upon the world and from eternal punishment in the lake of fire is to place your full trust in the finished work of Christ at Calvary. Please do not delay. Do it today even right now!
Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!
Your friend, I. I. MADUBUNYI (Head Pastor)
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