The Final Judgment
Unveiled Hope • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 42 viewsThe Final Judgement is the focus of this passage where John sees clearly the end of the end as all unbelievers will be punished in the lake of fire. Sadly, there are some who believe in what's known as annihilation which is that all or some unbelievers do not experience a conscious eternal hell. They ignore the plain teaching of the Scriptures. In this message Pastor David endeavours to clearly articulate the clear teaching of what the Bible says about Hell and the final judgement of all unbelievers.
Notes
Transcript
Revelation 20:11
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.
Revelation 20:12
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.
Revelation 20:13
13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.
Revelation 20:14
14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:15
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Matthew 25:46
46 And these will go away into eternal (ionios) punishment, but the righteous into eternal (ionios) life.”
“Born Once…Die Twice Born Twice…Die Once”
Grab your Bible please and find your way to Revelation 20 the theme is The Last Judgment
Revelation 20:11-15 is the MOST SERIOUS, TRAGIC & SOBERING SCENE in the Bible…
It is the LAST JUDGEMENT…for every unbeliever…
Revelation 20:11-15…only 5 verses…you will notice it is…plain & straightforward…
There is no embellishment…no gory details …just the bare basic facts of what will happen.
It is a courtroom scene…but not a courtroom to determine innocence or guilt…
But rather it is to SENTENCE the guilty…that's why I say it's a very sobering scene.
[TIME LINE PIC] Let’s remember where we are in our TIMELINE…
The RAPTURE has happened…
The TRIBULATION is over…
The SECOND COMING of Christ has already happened and…
We have been RULING & REIGNING with Christ for a thousand years.
All that is in the past…this is now the END OF THE END…
Before the earth & heavens are annihilated by God and He creates a new Heaven and a new Earth so it is the end of the end.
Remember there are 2 RESURRECTIONS… Revelation 20:4-5…
v.4b…FIRST resurrection…those who lost their lives for Jesus…reigned with Christ for 1000yrs.
v.5…tells us that “the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.”
Note…this is NOT a resurrection to eternal life…it is a resurrection to eternal condemnation.
Daniel 12:2 says the same thing: “…those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt…”
READ: Revelation 20:11-15
Many Misconceptions/Misunderstandings/Mistakes People Make…ABOUT HELL…
Last October, at a banquet…conversation with a woman across the table…I find the judgment of God very disturbing.” I said: “Me too. Why do you find it disturbing?” Because He sends people to Hell.”
From the very beginning…throughout history Satan has been DECEIVING people about the reality of this event…and he has managed to do it in a number of ways. Such as:
He TRIVIALIZES the idea of Hell…Hollywood has helped 700+ movies with Hell in the title.
He has sold the idea that he is in charge of Hell. He is not.
Hell is often spoken about conversationally/lightly/flippantly/expletive…no idea what they say.
Surely they don't mean the place of punishment for the wicked after death?
What will the Last Judgment for the unbeliever be like?
The JUDGE…v.11 The ACCUSED…v.12 The JUDGEMENT…v.13 The PUNISHMENT…v.14-15
1. There will be a…JUDGE… Revelation 20:11
a. WHAT IS THE THRONE?
This scene is known as…the great white Throne judgment
The word “throne” appears approximately 50x in Revelation.
Revelation 4 When John was caught up into heaven “At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne…that is the throne in view…the great white Throne
b. WHY IS IT CALLED GREAT?
not just because of its size…It is called “great”
because sitting on that throne…He is the One …It is called “great”God is the Onejudging
God is the ONLY ONE qualified to preside over what is happening.
OMNISCIENT…He knows every thought, action & motive of every person.
OMNIPRESENT…He is present everywhere…the supreme eyewitness to every single event in history
OMNIPOTENT…He created the earth, the people, heaven and yes He even created hell
He's the only one qualified…
because of …every decision from the throne is .It is called “great”its AUTHORITYfinal & absolute.
Please know…this is the FINAL END of all unbelievers throughout all history who are now resurrected and now they stand before this great white throne.
c. WHY IS IT WHITE?
“white”… represents God's complete & utter purity & holiness.
Please get this: God’s judgment is ALWAYS tied to His…HOLINESS.
God must judge because He is Holy, Holy Holy (See: Isaiah 6) The only attribute referred to this way
Never: loving, loving, loving…merciful merciful merciful…gracious gracious gracious…though all those are true…He is first and foremost HOLY HOLY HOLY…God is really really really holy!
d. WHO IS ON THE THRONE?
He is not named but Jesus Christ, second person of the Godhead…is the One on the throne judging
Scripture teaches over and over that it will be… Jesus on the throne. Two examples:
John 5:22 Jesus said “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.”
Acts 17:31 Paul stood in the Areopagus, Athens warning the philosophers of the City: “God has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a Man whom he has appointed
So Jesus is the one on the throne executing this final judgment
This presents us with a number of facts:
FACT 1: One day you will meet Jesus face to face…either rapture first or second resurrection…but I promise you…you will meet Him one day.
FACT 2: Did you know that Jesus spoke more about HELL than any other person in the Bible?
FACT 3: Jesus spoke more about HELL than heaven…not just referring to it but describing
Luke 16 Jesus said it's a place of eternal torment…
Matthew 13 Jesus said it is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth…
Luke 16 Jesus said…it is a place of no return…
Matthew 25 Jesus described it as “…a place of outer darkness…”
Mark 9 Jesus describes it as a place where the worm does not die and fire is not quenched…
Matthew 25 Jesus said it is “…a place prepared for the devil and his angels…”
FACT 4: Hell was created to punish Satan & his angels…Jesus described it as “…everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Hell was not created for man…God never meant for humans to go to hell…
However, it is people have chosen to go there and God will respect their choice.
2. The ACCUSED… Revelation 20:12
a. WHO ARE THE ACCUSED? The unsaved dead…remember this is judgment of unbelievers only
They were dead physically…now they have been resurrected and they have been dead spiritually
NOTE: NO BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN will be at the great white Throne judgment
Believers are already resurrected at rapture earlier on & ruling & reigning with Christ for a 1000 years
Why will believers not face this judgment? Simply because Someone else took their place…JESUS
JESUS took the Judgment of God upon Himself at the cross.
Jesus said in John 5:24 “…whoever hears My words and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life."
So these are the unbelieving dead now resurrected to stand trial before God and
b. HOW ARE THE ACCUSED DESCRIBED?
Great and small…kings, queens, vagrants, down and out…rich & famous, poor & obscure…
All unredeemed people…everyone who died in their sins…apart from trusting Christ
Very simply…if they didn't believe in Jesus Christ they will be part of this court scene.
The PERVERSE…these are the outright sinners, God haters & rejecters of the Lord Jesus.
The PIOUS…self-righteous…these who trust in their goodness/good works to get into heaven.
The PRETENDERS…unsaved churchgoers…members…thought it was enough to get to heaven
The PROCRASTINATORS…they know they need to be saved…but they kept saying “Not yet.”
c. What Are they Doing?
They were dead…but now resurrected and standing before God to receive their sentence.
“sea gave up the Dead who were in it…Death and Hades delivered up the dead that were in them
BTW…death and Hades…means the same…death is the condition…Hades the destination
Hades…NT = OT word sheol…both refer to the dwelling place of all the dead… so the spirit of the unbeliever will reunite with the resurrected body a body suited to endure the torments of hell forever
Please know Hebrews 9:27 “…it is appointed for every man to die once and after that comes the judgment.” But until we die every day is an opportunity to be saved.
3. The RULING…Revelation 20:12b-13
It is clear that God is keeping books…a record…that’s how the verdict will be rendered
It will be according to the books …it will be fair….because it will be based on a record.
What are these books? We are not told specifically. But consider these Scriptures:
Ecclesiastes 12:14 God will bring every deed into judgment, every secret thing whether good or bad
Luke 12:2 Jesus said Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known
Matthew 12:36 Jesus said “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give an account for every careless word they speak.”
b. What is the other book?
v.12 This book is named it is The Book of Life (8x in NT)…the record of all who are saved.
ARE YOU SAVED? If so..Your name is in the Book of Life.
If your name is not in the Book of Life sadly Jesus will say Matthew 25 “…depart from Me you cursed ones into the Eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels
Can you imagine hearing that from the lips of Jesus having that ring for eternity in your ears on and on… “I never knew you I never knew you I never knew you I never knew you…”
4. The PUNISHMENT…Revelation 20:14-15
“Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.” “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
This is the final outcome after the RULING after the sentence is given…now the execution comes
a. Death & Hades Thrown into the Lake of Fire…
Death…no longer cause heartache & fear…death does not have the final say…finished forever!
“Hades…the place of the dead…OT equivalent Sheol…the temporary place of punishment.
“lake of fire” is a metaphorical term for a place of eternal torment…don’t think of a lake with water and fire dancing on top…from shore to shore it's everywhere…it’s a lake of fire…it is the final hell.
Jesus used a word in the NT 11x to speak of hell…Gehenna…the clearest picture of the Lake of Fire
Gehenna…was the city dump
What is called the valley of gehenna or in Hebrew was the Valley of the son of hinnom
The Jerusalem garbage dump…gehenna…this dump was a place of perpetual burning
In it was sewage, human waste, place of child sacrifices…dead animals were burned…sometimes criminals were thrown in gehenna…its fires burned perpetually…foul-smelling smoke came from it…a place ridden with maggots
So that makes sense…Jesus described hell…where the worm dies not and the fire is not quenched
People who heard Him describe it that way…knew what He meant…gehenna that was the dump
So understand that Hell is God’s eternal DUMP for every unbeliever.
There are UNTRUE & UNBIBLICAL BELIEFS about Hell…
Many have personal problems with Hell…they prefer an untrue & unbiblical called UNIVERSALISM
Universalism says: “God is too loving to let anybody go to hell so every person will go to heaven.”
That is complete ignorance and a pile of crock.
Annihilationism…the belief that God will completely destroy you…you go into non-existence as if you never existed in the first place.
The only problem with that is we have a thing called the BIBLE…and the BIBLE tells us about the reality of Hell. We don't get to decide what we want about the after life.
So when Jesus spoke of Heaven & Hell he described it with the same word
“ionios” …perpetual…eternal…ongoing…never-ending
He said in Matthew 25:46 “And these will go away into eternal (=ionios) punishment but the righteous into eternal (=ionios) life …same word life to describe heaven & hell
Eternal Heaven eternal hell…= Hell will last as long as Heaven lasts.
Heaven is eternal…hell is eternal…will last as long as God lasts because God also is ionios eternal.
So there is no escape from Hell…there's no probation in hell…and there is no purgatory from hell
Again we have we have a problem… it's this Book…that doesn't say it
The second death is eternal…it is the forever death if you go to Revelation 21:7-8
Born Once…Die Twice…Born Twice…Die Once
If you're only born ONCE…you will die TWICE…you will die physically and you'll die spiritually
But if you are born TWICE…you're born physically but then you're born spiritually…you’re only gonna die once physically… born Born Once Die Twice…Born Twice Die once
I wish there wasn't a hell… but there is…I wish there wasn't sin but there is
Hell is real…Hell exists…but thank God there’s also a Heaven and God does not want you in hell.
v.15 “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Do you realize the implication of this verse?
It implies that if your name is written in the Book of Life you will not be cast into the Lake of Fire.
God does not want you in hell…He is not willing that any should perish.
Only Satan wants you in hell…misery loves company…his lifelong ambition to get you there.
Please understand in closing:
John 10:10 Jesus said: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I (Jesus) came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Understand Jesus Christ took all your hell on Himself…He became guilty of the sins we committed
2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake, He (God) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God.”
Romans 8:1 That’s why when He looks at you if you've received Christ he says “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…”
In other words, you will not stand at the Great White Throne Judgment…because your name is in the Book of Life you will have already been resurrected
Born once…you will die twice…
Born twice…you will die once.
Born once…I know you were born once because I can see you…you had a physical birth…
But if you are only born once…you will die twice…you’ll die physically and you will die eternally…the second death
But if you're born twice…born physically…& born spiritually born from above born again you will only die once and when you die your last breath here will be your first breath there and I think your reaction will be WOW AWESOME!
Fellowship!! Does this excite you? Think of the adventure that awaits!!
We will one day be raptured…meet the Lord in the air…and forever we will be with Him!
We will one day return with Him…when He ends the battle at Armageddon! He sets up His Kingdom
We will then rule and reign with Him for 1000 years! Wait it gets better!
Then everything will be destroyed…and we get a new heaven and a new earth!
Born Once Die Twice…Born twice only die once.
Today is the day of salvation. Do not waste it.
Maybe you're an out & out sinner…or a procrastinator… “One day I'll do it!” or pious… “I’m good enough I think I can manage the great white throne judgment…that’s just dumb.
A better plan is to just STOP…TURN AROUND (repent) change direction change your mind.
Put your trust in Jesus today! He will save you from the wrath to come.
This is not religion…not self-righteousness…it is a simple, true, honest authentic faith in Jesus
Do not put your faith in a church…a pastor or in Christians…they will fail you every time.
PRAY…
Father, thank you for the clear unmistakable words of Your Word, the Bible.
As we look at each verse by verse chapter by chapter…we get the picture of the future…what the last days will be like.
We see the signs of your coming they multiply…in our own day and age so when we read about these things we see how real they are.
Your coming is corroborated by the OT… it is corroborated by the Epistles…by the Lord Jesus Christ's own words…the vision you gave to Daniel…the vision you gave to John it's a reality
So Father, I pray for anyone who is yet to make that decision…Lord, today…this is the day of opportunity…death hasn't happened yet…it will one day…and for some of us it will happen one day soon Lord Jesus, I pray that each of us here this morning…would be ready. Amen.
