Worthy is the Lamb: The End of the World

Text: Revelation 20:11-15

Theme: The end of the world includes the judgment of Satan and the unsaved. At the end of time God will judge the unsaved for their sin and unbelief and consign them to their eternal fate.

Date: 03/17/19 File name: Revelation41.wpd ID Number:

Have you every thought much about death? Most Americans prefer not to think about their death. They ought to because eternity is coming. Last year a pew research poll revealed that most Americans believe in heaven… and hell. Seventy-two percent of Americans say they believe in heaven, and believe that it is a place "where people who have led good lives are eternally rewarded." The poll also reveals that 58% of U.S. adults also believe in hell, and believe that it is a place "where people who have led bad lives and die without being sorry are eternally punished." Among professing Christians those numbers are even higher.

What's interesting, is that among some groups of people death is becoming chic. There are now Death Salons, and Death Cafés where people gather to eat cake, drink tea, and discuss death. Well that sounds like a cheery afternoon! (For those of you who are interested there is the "Death Café of the Ozarks" which every Sunday from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM in Springfield. If you skip out of church right now you can probably make it). There are now over 100 such establishments in the United States. Some colleges are now offering courses on "Death and Dying." Now, to be honest, I'm not sure I would recommend you attending a college class on a death and dying or a Death Café for the simple fact that most of what you hear will not be biblical.

But death and dying is something that everyone needs to think about from time to time, for the simple reason that death and eternity are coming for all of us. "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment," (Hebrews 9:27, NIV84). Revelation chapter 20 teaches some essential truths; we all live, we all die, we will all be resurrected, and we will all be evaluated by God. If you’re in Christ all your sins were evaluated on the cross, and God sees you through the imputed righteousness of Christ. You’ll be part of the first resurrection John speaks of in Rev. 20:6. But if you’re outside of Christ, then there is a fearsome encounter awaiting you that John reveals at the end of Revelation 20. There is looming across your horizon a time of final judgment. “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31, NIV84). In this passage, John paints the picture of God’s courtroom where the lost will give an account. There is 1) The Scene, 2) The Summons, 3) The Standard, and 4) the Sentence.

I. THE SCENE

“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. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, ... .” (Revelation 20:11–12, NIV84)

1. John, for the 6th time in the last two chapters, says, “I saw”

a. the Apostle has been given a panoramic view of the end time

1) he has been caught up into the third heaven into the very presence of the Lamb who sits upon his throne

b. in a series of visions he witnesses the great and terrible events that will take place as the world nears its end

c. the first ten verses of chapter twenty walks us through, in quick succession, the coming of the Lord, the Battle of Armageddon, the defeat of the Antichrist, and his False Prophet, the binding of Satan, the resurrection of the saints, the millennial kingdom, the loosing of Satan, and one last rebellion of mankind that ends in their destruction and the imprisonment of Satan in the Lake of Fire

2. now comes the last great event of world history before eternity — the judgment of all who refused to turn to God in faith

a. John sees a great white throne

A. JOHN SEES A POWERFUL THRONE

1. the first of two adjectives describing the throne is great — it comes from the word mega — a word John uses 80 times in the Book of Revelation — and which can mean large in size, but also mighty or powerful

ILLUS. I can never read this passage without thinking of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The statue of President Lincoln sits on a large circular throne of gleaming white marble. The chair sits on a dias — a raised platform — that is meant to convey authority and power. His arms rest on bundles of wood, called fasces, that have represented power for centuries.

a. it’s an impressive and powerful scene that inspires as you stand before it

2. God’s throne of judgement is great, not necessarily in its size, but in its purpose because the One who sits on the throne is omnipotent, and omniscient

a. twenty-seven times in the Old Testament we read of God being enthroned

b. Christ our Lord sits enthroned with the Father

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2, NIV84)

“[Jesus] who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.” (1 Peter 3:22, NIV84)

3. the one from whom the earth and the heavens fled from is the Son of God to whom God the Father has given great authority to judge all those who rejected him

“Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, ... For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. 28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” (John 5:22, 26–29, NIV84)

B. JOHN SEES A PURE THRONE

1. the other adjective John uses to describe this throne is white, it is a great throne, but it is also a white throne

2. virtually everywhere it is found in the Scriptures, the color white refers to purity

a. God’s great white throne is a place of absolute holiness, because the one who sits on it is holy and righteous

1) John doesn’t expressly tell us who is sitting on the, but from other passages it’s the one who has nail-prints in his hands, scars upon his brow, and lacerations on his back

2) there is a spear wound in his side

3) John sees the Lamb of God slain since the foundation of the world

b. but John sees more

1) John sees someone like a son of man ... dressed in a robe with a golden sash

2) his hair is white as bleached wool, and his eyes are like blazing fire, and his face shines like the sun

3) his feet are like burnished bronze, his voice is powerful like rushing water

4) out of his mouth comes a sharp, double-edged sword

c. this is the Son of God who became the Son of Man that he might become the Lamb of God, only to become the Lion of Judah!

3. his justice will be pure, but also inflexible

C. JOHN SEES AN IMPARTIAL THRONE

1. standing before this throne are the dead, great and small — they are all of the unsaved who have ever lived

a. this group is mentioned back in Rev. 20:5 “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended ... “

b. they have been resurrected and are standing before God’s throne

2. this is the time when all the lost from all the past millenniums of earth’s history are put on trial

a. there is no debate over their guilt or innocence

1) there will be a prosecutor, but no defender

2) there will be an accuser, but no advocate

3) there will be an indictment, but no defense mounted by the accused

4) convicting evidence will be presented, but there will be no rebuttal

b. the sentence will be final

II. THE SUMMONS

“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 ... .” (Revelation 20:13, NIV84)

ILLUS. Have you ever been served a summons? A summons is a written notification served on a person as a legal demand to appear in court at a day specified to answer to the plaintiff. It’s been years ago. I was sitting at my desk when I heard the back door open. A gentleman I didn’t know came to my office, and asked if I was the pastor. I said yes, and he proceeded to introduce himself, and asked a number of questions about the church, and how we were doing, and how long I’d been here. It was a nice chat. After a few minutes of conversation, he reached into his coat pocket, handed me an envelope, and said, “You’ve been served.” It’s a deflating feeling to hear those words, especially when you’ve not got a clue what it might be about. In this case it was when Beady Miller was trying to get his sister Tillie committed to the nursing home here in Linn, and I was being called to testify. Under penalty of law, when you are issued a summons you’ve got to appear in court at a specified time at a specified place to give sworn testimony.

1. a day is coming when all of the unsaved from all the ages will receive a summons to appear before God on His throne

a. they’ll come from the seas

1) the seas hold the invisible graves of untold numbers of people who have gone down into watery depths, yet God will call their molecules forth, and present them whole before His throne for judgment

b. death cannot hide a lost man from his fate — however a man dies, wherever he dies, whenever he dies will not matter, God will present him whole before his throne of judgment

1) countless men have died believing that this life was all their was, that there is no ultimate accountability for their life and actions

2) how wrong they are!

c. hades cannot hide a lost man from his fate — the Rich Man of Luke 16, who found himself in hades after he died, will stand before God in judgment

A. EVERYONE HAS A DATE WITH DEITY

1. men who sought to avoid Christ all their lives will not be able to avoid him now

a. you can run from Jesus in this world, but you’ll not be able to avoid him in the world to come

2. Jesus is the one sitting on this throne

a. in this world, while he lived, he was the Lamb of God who takes away sin

b. in his millennial kingdom, at the and of this world, he will be the Lion of Judah, who judges sin and condemns the unrighteous

“He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.” (Acts 10:42, NIV84)

3. vs. 13 is John’s way of saying, the Judgment Day for unbelievers has arrived, and no one shall be overlooked

ILLUS. All the great men and women of history, who refused to come to Christ, will be there. Politicians, and entertainers, and philosophers, and artists, and educators who openly mocked holy things, who slandered God’s people, and who persecuted His Church will be there. But so, too, will be men and women who lived in obscurity, and were never known outside their families, or a small group of acquaintances.

a. the unrepentant will stand before God’s throne

1) they man who knew there was a God, but who defiantly refused to repent and come to God will now be judged

b. the self-righteous will stand before God’s throne

1) the man who was convinced that he was “a good person” and would “merit eternal life on his own account” will now be judged

2) these are people who think they are too good to be damned —they thought that the gospel is for the drunkard, the murderer, the pervert, the harlot, and the child molester — not “good people” like themselves

c. the religious will stand before God’s throne

1) the man who depended on the five pillars of Islam, or sought to live out the Noble Eightfold path to enlightenment (Hinduism), or gave his life to the Four Nobel Truths of Dharma (Buddhism), or every morning and evening faithfully repeats the Shama, will now be judged

d. the procrastinator will stand before God’s throne

1) the man who knew there was a Heavenly Father, who knew Jesus was His son, and only Savior, who knew he needed to make a confession of faith, but who just never got around to receiving Christ will now be judged

2) good intentions will not get you into God’s Heaven

e. the church member will now stand before God’s throne

1) the man or woman who went to church every Sunday, who was been baptized, and catechized, and confirmed, but never converted will now stand before God’s throne, and be judged

4. those who have been dead for millennia, and those who have been dead for mere moments, will now find themselves resurrected, and standing before the Lord summoned to experience condemnation, judgment, and wrath

III. THE STANDARD

“ ... 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. 13 ... and each person was judged according to what he had done.” (Revelation 20:12–13, NIV84)

1. over the years I’ve been asked any number of times, “Pastor. Will Christians be judged in Heaven?”

a. my answer has always been, “Yes, but not at the great white throne!”

2. believers will be judged and commended

““His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” (Matthew 25:23, NIV84)

a. we will also be rewarded

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10, NIV84)

b. the judgment seat that believers will experience has absolutely nothing to do with our salvation

1) that was settled on the cross when Jesus took the judgment that we deserved upon himself

c. this judgment seat has everything to do with our eternal rewards

1) in the Greek this judgment seat is the bema seat

2) it was the seat where a judge would sit at the finish line during the Greek athletic games to judge what place the runners came in

3) the contestants would stand before the bema seat to receive their awards

“For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.” (Matthew 16:27, NIV84)

“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.” (Ephesians 6:7–8, NIV84)

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6, NIV84)

d. the good news is that all believers will cross the finish line!

1) we all get rewarded

3. nonbelievers will be judged and condemned

a. this passage describes the final sentencing of the unsaved and is, perhaps, the most serious, sobering, and tragic passage in the entire Bible

b. John pictures a courtroom scene where the Creator of the universe acts as Prosecuting Attorney, Judge, Jury, and Jailer

1) the judgment seat of Revelation 20 is a seat of condemnation

2) the sentencing is immediate

3) the judgment will be the maximum

4) there will be no long protracted delays where the accused remains free on bond while lawyers finagle a reduced sentence

5) every sin will be exposed

c. after this event, God will never again need to act as Judge

A. THE LOST MAN’S CONDEMNATION IS HIS OWN BEHAVIOR

1. John says, and books were opened

ILLUS. Friends, What happened in Vagus didn’t stay in Vagus!

a. this imagery of books being opened is also found in the Book of Daniel

“A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.” (Daniel 7:10, NIV84)

2. God’s final judgement of the lost will not be arbitrary or capricious, but based squarely upon their own deeds and words

a. God’s record is accurate — He keeps a list of the towering accumulation of sin of every lost person’s lifetime

“For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.” (Luke 8:17, NIV84)

ILLUS. Suppose at your next family gathering you and your siblings, parents, aunts and uncles and cousins are all sitting around reminiscing. Your older brother says of you, “I remember when you did such-and-such.” But you reply, No, no, no. That wasn’t me who did that. It was our sister who did that.” To which she replies, “Not me. I would have never done such a thing.” After 30 years, memories are faulty. Who knows for sure who did what to whom when. Your father doesn’t say a word. He simply excuses himself for a few minutes. When he comes back, he’s toting an arm full of notebooks. He plops them down on the dinning room table and says, “Let’s see, that would have been about 1975. Let’s see what my journal says.” From his journal, he not only pegs the right child, but the exact behavior, and when it took place. He provides details of the event, you’ve long forgotten ... or worked hard at repressing. For the next several hours, your father reads excerpt after excerpt from his notebooks about your, and your siblings lives that you were convinced no one knew about — much to your embarrassment. Dad has it all right there ... written down.

b. the Heavenly Father has a set of books on everyone!

3. but the lost sinner’s condemnation is not based alone on what the did, but what they didn’t do

a. John writes Another book was opened, which is the book of life ... Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was throne into the lake of fire

b. the book of life is a record of all those who gave their life to Christ

1) it is not because of anyone’s works that their name is found in the book of life, but because of God’s electing grace that one’s name is recorded in the book of life

2) and according to Ephesians 1:4, if you’re a believer, you name has been in the book of life since before the foundation of the world

IV. THE SENTENCE

“Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:14–15, NIV84)

1. the language is stark ... judgment has come

a. ever since the Fall, Satan has sought to deceive people about the realty of the coming judgment

b. throughout the ages he has convinced multitudes of men that there is no final accountability for their thought or behavior

c. he has successfully whispered in their ears, “You shall not surely die” and they believed the lie

2. the phrase lake of fire appears only here in the Book of Revelation, and is mentions six times

a. John identifies it as the place of the second death — the place where the wicked are forever separated from the living God to suffer eternally the torments of hell

b. the anguish and distress of the wicked in hell is unimaginable

1) in the parable of the rich man (Luke 16:19–31) Jesus describes hell as agony, fire, and a place of torment, where the rich man’s thirst is never slacked

3. those who reject God’s grace and mercy in this life, will find only judgment and condemnation in the life to come

ILLUS. Can I be honest with you this morning? As a pastor, I don’t loose sleep at night because you don’t have self-esteem. I don’t loose sleep at night because you’re not having “your best life now.” I don’t loose sleep at night because your marriage isn’t wonderful, or your children aren’t perfect. Pastor’s loose sleep at night because of Revelation 20:11-15. Every pastor knows that, in his congregation, there are tares among the wheat, goats mixed in with the sheep, those who have entered the narrow gate, and those who have gone through the wide gate. God has not emblazoned a scarlet “L” for “lost” on your forehead so that we might more effectively plead with you to come to Christ. All we can do is remind everyone to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, (Phil. 2:12) to search your own heart and make sure your salvation.

4. this will be the place where the men who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God will reside forever, and ever because the glory of Christ never became a reality in their life

According to the Bible, you can avoid an eternity of punishment in the lake of fire in one of two ways.

The first way to have eternal life is to live a life of perfect obedience to God's law, never sinning in the least degree and doing all things over the entirety of your life for the glory of your Creator. If you have not done that — if you have sinned in the least degree — then you’ve missed the mark, and you are lost and doomed.

The second way to have eternal life is to let a Savior deliver you from God's holy justice. The only Savior available is Christ the Lord, who did live a perfect life to provide righteousness for all who turn to him in faith, and who died a sin-atoning death so that those who receive him may be forgiven of their sins.

This is the good news. There is a set of books God keeps — even on Christians — but they are in the restricted area of God’s eternal library. Those books can never be pulled off of the shelf, because on page after page is a large word written in blood ... reconciled, reconciled, reconciled!