Revelation 20 the Great White Throne and Judgement

Revelation 20:11-15 – The Great White Throne and Judgement

The fear of God is necessary to become a Christian, however it is not necessary to live as a Christian. You see there has to be an ultimate authority. The Christian knows this and understands that this ultimate authority is Jesus Christ. The unbelieving do not see the truth in this, but they will. Scriptures tells us that all will kneel and confess that Jesus Christ is LORD (God). This passage we will discuss today is not concerning the believer in Christ. It is concerning the final judgement of those who we call the lost. Scripture calls them “the dead”.

11 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.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Ill: Describe a the appearance and solemn atmosphere of a courthouse and the importance of justice and the importance of the written laws that are the basis for finding a verdict.

In this courtroom.

· It is called “great” mega in Greek, because it is the highest court in existence. Higher than the Supreme Court

· It is called “white” because it is absolutely pure, holy, and righteous.

Him that sat on it..

o his verdict is without question,

§ without appeal,

§ is absolute in justice,

§ and is without bias.

o His judgement on this is based upon what is written in the books, and the Law.

§ His knowledge of the Law is complete, for he is the Word of the Law.

§ He is the one who gives authority to the law.

o His judgement is absolutely fair, giving a just reward for a just word, thought, or action

Many would like to think that there is no judgement coming. They deny God, or question his authority. They tell themselves lies about his benevolence. They say that he accepts their sin, or that they are a good person. They are unrepentant. Scripture tell us something different about the unrepentant.

I. The Scriptural Evidence for a Final Judgement

a. Paul in Acts 17:30-31 - And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

i. God says that the time of IGNORANCE is gone

ii. God says to REPETENT NOW!

iii. God says that he has appointed a day of JUDGEMENT

iv. God says that he has appointed a JUDGE who will JUDGE IN RIGHTOUSNESS

1. This judge is the one who he raised from the dead – Jesus Christ

2. His resurrection is the sign we can trust in that God will Judge

b. Paul in Romans 2:5-6 - But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

i. Your own hatred and choice to ignore God brings you to judgement

ii. The judgement of God reveals his righteousness, he cannot be a righteous God if he does not judge evil

iii. Everyman will get what he so richly deserves

c. Jesus in Matthew 10:14-15 - And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

i. Rejection of the Grace of God in Jesus Christ is what condemns a man

ii. Refusal to come to the light (John 3:19)

d. Jesus in Matthew 12:36-37 - But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

i. Even as the mouth confession is made unto salvation – so are the words of an evil heart recorded against a man. He is saved by confession, or condemned in rejection of Jesus Christ.

II. The Examples of Judgment of God

a. The Garden of Eden

b. The Great Worldwide Flood in the days of Noah

c. The Dispersion at the Tower of Babel

d. The Destruction of the Cities of the Plain (Sodom and Gomorrah)

e. The Judgement of the Angels

f. 2 Peter 2:4-6 - For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

III. The Nature of the Final Judgement

a. V.11 – So He sat on the throne and heave and earth fled and there was no place for them

i. All the glory and magnificence of the heavens and the earth could not stand in comparison to the glory of the King of Kings.

ii. All the principalities and kingdoms of the world were powerless before him who sat on the throne.

iii. All the money, precious gems, and fine linens could not buy the opinion of this magistrate.

iv. There was no place left to hide from the righteous gaze of the Word of God.

v. All is vanity says King Solomon… vanity of vanities!

b. V.12-13 - And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works

i. There were none that were not present. No one could miss this appointment.

1. Solomon said - This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. (Ecclesiastes 9:3)

2. Paul warns - And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)

3. Here in this passage all of the dead from the beginning to the end of time are assemble

a. Great and small

b. Rich and poor

c. Buried in the Ground and in the Sea

d. Those of the dust and the ash

ii. The Books were opened

1. one on what a man had done and said in his life

a. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 - Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God

b. Galatians 5:19-21 - Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

2. One on the written Word of God through the Law, and the Prophets

a. Romans 3:20 - Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin

i. The law was to point out our sin, not justify us

3. One on what Jesus had done in his life

a. Peter tells us, “The Lord is… not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

b. John 1:17 - “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

c. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved). Ephesians 2:4-5

d. But those who are at this seat are not obtaining mercy. They are receiving the things they have done in the flesh because they loved the darkness rather than light. (John 3:19) They have rejected Jesus Christ. So the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the suffering of the saints will be called as a witness against these wicked, idolatrous, unrepentant souls.

IV. The Verdict and Sentence (vv.14,15)

a. Guilty –

i. Psalm 14:1 – “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds;

ii. Psalm 14:3 – “They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt; There is no one who does good, not even one”

iii. The apostle Paul echoes the same to the Roman church. Romans 3:10 – “There is none righteous, not even one”

b. Sentence -

The penalty from this Judge will be the harshest sentence ever carried out in eternity. The guilty will be cast into the lake of fire

i. 2 Thessalonian 1:8-9 - In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

ii. Revelation 20:10 - And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

iii. Revelation 21:8 - But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

iv. Matthew 25:41 - Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

V. But today there is still a hope in the Grace of God through Jesus Christ.