Or the subtitle of “THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT”
Welcome back! In this piece, we will consider what happens at the end of Christ’s 1,000 year rule and reign of peace on earth – called the Millennial Kingdom. In the last piece, we focused on what life would be like for those who live during this 1,000 year period. We also identified who would be on the earth during this time and what they would be doing, under the leadership of the Lord Jesus Christ in person.
The study today is labeled as the “5th leg” of the “6 legs” in our prophetic relay race to the end of time as we know it. As this 1,000 years of history draws to an end, some very significant things happen. These things are vital to understand, as the Lord transitions human life from what it has been in a temporal earthly existence to an eternal reality. Therefore, we want to address these two foundational concepts.
What actually happens at the end of the millennium?
~ And ~
Are there really two judgements in the Bible?
• One for unbelievers
• One for believers
The easiest way to understand these times and events are simply to view how the Holy Spirit outlined them for us through the Apostle John in Revelation 20 & 21. Therefore, I will copy and paste these verses in below from the NIV. Then, I will outline the obvious points John identified for us. Reading these verses is a must for us to grasp the significance of what is happening here. You sure don’t want to take my word for it.
Before we read and study Revelation 20:1-15 together, we need to let the prophet Daniel and the Apostle Paul introduce the scenes that unfold in Revelation 20, which also shows how the Bible is a single unified Book from God.
Note: Please, please take time to read these Scriptures. Without seeing them for yourself, you will miss the power of God’s Word and the purpose of this devotion.
Daniel 7:9-10: As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was as white as snow and the hair of His head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before Him. Thousands upon thousands attended Him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated and the books were opened.
Romans 2:5-9: But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil...
Revelation 20:1-15
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city He loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from His presence and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne 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.
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 according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. {Note: I believe “The Book of Life” referred to in this last sentence of the passage is referring to “The Lamb’s Book of Life”, which is explained below.}
Here are the points John identified for us in Revelation 20:
• Point 1: We addressed the actions in the first few sentences of this chapter in the last devotion – Leg 4. Remember how God gave one angel the power to literally grab Satan and all of his demons and throw them into the bottomless pit for the 1,000 year millennial kingdom of Christ on earth. After this mighty throw into the bottomless pit, the angel locks up this pit, so none of these evil forces could interfere with Christ’s rule of peace and righteousness. The devil’s deceptions and temptations could not be at work during this time.
• Point 2: At the end of this 1,000 years, God allows the devil and his demons out of the pit to do one more job for Him. When you get down to it, the devil is just God’s errand boy. Satan’s last job is gather to gather all of those, who had the chance to live during the 1,000 years, but never put their full trust in the saving/redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ, nor committed their lives to His Lordship. They simply gave lip service to Christ ruling in person for the 1,000 years.
Now, these people will be revealed, as Satan is allowed to travel around the world (called the 4 corners of the earth) quickly and stir them up to follow him in going after Christ reigning in Jerusalem. These unbelievers must be culled out before the GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT and believe it or not, there are multitudes of these unbelievers who would not bow their hearts to Jesus, even though they had a long time to observe Him, but they just would not do it.
• Point 3: I wonder if Christ will have a smile on His sovereign face, as He watches them come from all over the world and surround Jerusalem, which is the city He loves. This scene is so indicative of what is happening right now, with Iran and Hamas trying to destroy Israel, as we watch. I love the wording of how “these Satanic forces marched across the breadth of the earth”.
• Point 4: When these multitudes get to Jerusalem, things don’t go so well! Christ commands fire to fall down from heaven and devour them. Their feeble attempts at blaspheming the power and authority of Jesus Christ are over in a moment. Remember you and I, as resurrected believers serving Christ during the millennial kingdom, will be there to watch.
The physical bodies of these human beings, involved in this final rebellion, are consumed with fire...but the devil and his demonic spirits are immediately thrown in the Lake of Fire by Christ. He has had enough of them and it plainly states they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Their punishment and suffering will never end!
• Point 4: Now it is time for God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ to reveal their seat of authority in heaven. John wrote he could see the GREAT WHITE THRONE and He who was seated on it. Can you imagine? John said how the sight was so awesome and overwhelming, that the earth and the heavens fled from it and there was just no more place or purpose for them (the earth and the stellular heaven or the cosmos).
• Point 5: Now it is time for God’s history books to be opened and reviewed before all. A lot of people don’t think that God really keeps a journal, but He does and it is a very detailed record. In fact, He keeps two books or journals. One is called THE BOOK OF LIFE and the other is called THE LAMB’S BOOK OF LIFE.
Some believe that there is only one book, meaning that the Book of Life and the Lamb’s Book of Life are one in the same. I have always thought there are two books, which I will try to explain below, but I want to acknowledge, that many sincere Christians and scholars believe there is only one book.
⇒ THE BOOK OF LIFE (natural life or biological life) contains the names and every single thing that anyone who was ever conceived in the womb did...if they were privileged to survive birth and then live long enough to grow up, etc. This Book will contain every detail of the life they lived. Even if a pregnancy miscarried or there was an abortion, that person is known by God and his or her name is placed in the BOOK OF LIFE. Every single person ever conceived is named in this Book. This is God’s genealogy.
Psalm 139:15-16: My frame (physical frame) was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place (his mother’s womb), when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body and all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Isn’t it interesting how God knew how many days you would live before you were born? But, the reason for the unsaved having to answer for their works is because there are degrees of punishment in the lake of Fire - for those who died without Christ.
Those who know the truth, but reject it and sin against the truth and the light they had, are more responsible than those who sin, having known lesser of the truth and light (Luke 12:46-47). Some will be beaten with “many stripes” and some with “few stripes”.
This is one of several places in Scripture indicating how there will be degrees of punishment and suffering in hell, but just to be in hell forever and ever is bad enough.
Therefore, God keeps this “Book” or “Journal” that has all of their thoughts, motivations, attitudes, actions, deeds, etc... recorded in it. Nothing in their lives will be missing in this Book. For whatever time each one gets to live, each and every thing they do is added to their record (under their name) in this Book. WHAT A BOOK! All of these things are referred to as their “works” or their “deeds”.
Matthew 12:36: But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.
Luke 12:47-48: The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Romans 2:12: All who sin apart from the law (without knowing the law) will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law (knowing the law) will be judged by the law.
Romans 14:12: So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
⇒ The Lamb’s Book of Life: When a person meets Jesus Christ in the experience of salvation, he/she is born-again spiritually into the family of God. At that point, his/her sinful nature is put to death and the nature of Christ is placed in his/her “spirit” and all of his/her individual sins are forgiven.
That person is cleansed by the blood of Christ and made pure in the sight of God (what a day). At that moment, his/her name is placed or recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life, as one who has eternal life. Their name can never be removed from the Lamb’s Book of Life – Halleluiah!
It is possible that at this point, his/her name is removed from the general Book of Life (that all unbelievers will be judged from) and now – is only found in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Revelation 13:8: All…whose names ARE NOT written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
Revelation 17:8: They….whose names WERE NOT written in the book of life from the foundation of the world...(the Lamb’s Book of Life).
Revelation 21:27: Nothing impure will ever enter it (the new Jerusalem), nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
• Point 6: Right before the Book of Life is opened, there has to be a physical resurrection of every unsaved person (who ever lived), so they can all stand before God at His judgement seat. Their bodies will be raised up from wherever they died or were buried, including the sea (shipwrecks, etc...), excursions on the mountains, from plane crashes, from fires, and from all the other natural ways to die and be buried in the ground.
At the same time, their physical bodies are brought back to life, the soul and spirit of each will be brought back from Hell (i.e. death and hades) and reunited with their bodies.
So...here is each of these people, standing before God Almighty, as “the complete un-believing human being (body, soul, spirit together)” they were when they died. They never thought this moment would happen. Can you imagine the atheist or agnostic standing there and what they might be thinking, if they have any time to think?
- The Atheist: “This just cannot be happening, because I always said there was no God!”
- The Agnostic: “This just cannot be happening, because I was never able to really know if there was a God or not!”
- The Scoffer (Mocker): “Oh man, this is just poppycock!”
Why does God bring these people from all of history before Him? John wrote, “To judge each one according to what he or she had done in or through their life.” God allows each to see the record of his/her thoughts, motivations, attitudes, actions, deeds, etc... recorded in His Book.
Each will know they have no excuses, no invented explanations, and no rationalizations. There will not be any negotiations or arguing back and forth with God, whether this thing or that thing was true or not.
God shows them their lives (as unbelievers without the righteous covering of Christ) and declares their judgements and places them into the eternal Lake of Fire (where the fire is never quenched – Mark 9:48), according to the level of eternal punishment He sees as just. Assigning these positions or levels in the eternal Lake of Fire, is done through His perfect, holy, and righteous eyes...as their creator.
As soon as this is done, He also literally casts death and hades into the Lake of Fire. Once “HADES” and “DEATH” are banished, the concept or experience of physical death will no longer exist for those human beings destined to spend eternity with the Holy Trinity.
1 Corinthians 15:26: The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Revelation 21:3-5: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
• Point 7: As this passage ends, stating how anyone whose name was not found written in The Book of Life will be thrown into the Lake of Fire, I believe this is referring to The Lamb’s Book of Life. All unbelievers, without that personal relationship with Christ, could not be found in The Lamb’s Book of Life (showing they were never saved).
Therefore, they are without personal salvation and the only thing left for God to do is judge them according to their own works recorded in THE BOOK OF LIFE (natural life or biological life). In their un-saved, un-redeemed condition, they cannot spend eternity in the presence of God and His holy angels and His purified believers (His children...cleansed by the blood of His own son).
At this point, all evil beings and all of the evil things they have done or could ever do are confined to the Lake of Fire for the rest of eternity – never to be heard from again. This includes the devil and each of his demonic fallen angels and it includes every unsaved person from all of history. PRAISE GOD!
Matthew 25:32-46: All the nations will be gathered before Him and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father and take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in. I needed clothes and you clothed Me. I was sick and you looked after Me. I was in prison and you came to visit Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You?’ The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.’ Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat. I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after Me.’ They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help You?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’ Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.
Revelation 20:10: And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Mark 9:42-48: If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.
Revelation 21:6-8: He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this and I will be their God and they will be My children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.
There is an old saying, which has been around for so long, but it is still so true.
“Those who are born twice, will only die once, but those who are only born once will die twice.”
What does this mean? Everyone who has ever lived has experienced the first birth, referring to our physical birth. There is no other way to get into this world. But, once you are here, will you experience the 2nd birth before you die, which is the spiritual birth? This is the only way to get into the eternal kingdom of God.
In John 3, Jesus told the respected Jewish Rabbi named Nicodemus that he would never see (be a part of) the kingdom of God, unless he were born-again spiritually. This did not make sense to Nicodemus, even though he was recognized as a man of the Word, so Jesus took the time to explain.
John 3:3-8: Very truly I tell you Nicodemus, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. Nicodemus asked, “How can someone be born when they are old? Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. Nicodemus - you should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.
Therefore, being born once refers to our physical birth. Being born twice refers to also experiencing the spiritual birth. Jesus called this “being born-again”. One is born-again when he or she acknowledges their sinfulness to God and asks Jesus Christ to save them.
So...just as there can be two births, there can also be two deaths. The first birth is physical and second birth is spiritual. The first death is physical and the second death is spiritual. Jesus warned that every person should want to experience the two births, but should fear and avoid the second death (by believing in Him and trusting in Him for their salvation).
1 John 5:12-13: Whoever has the Son has life. Whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
Outside of Enoch and Elijah and those who are raptured, everyone will experience the first death (physical death), but not everyone will have to experience the second death, which is the spiritual death – the experience of being judged and cast into the Lake of Fire. If you asked Jesus Christ to forgive you and cleanse you and save you, you will never experience the second death.
You will be one of those who are born twice, but only die once! If you are alive at the rapture, you would not even die once.
John 3:36: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Revelation 22:12: Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me...to render to every man according to what he has done.
So, please join the community of believers, who will be rejoicing together before the Lord, after the GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT is completed. For then comes our time, when we all get to stand before the Lord Jesus, at the JUDGEMENT SEAT OF CHRIST...referred to by Paul as the BEMA. He mentions the BEMA in 2 Corinthians 5:9-10 and in Romans 14:10-12.
2 Corinthians 5:9-10: So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Romans 14:10-12: You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God. So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
In our next devotional/commentary, we will study the BEMA, the New Heaven & Earth, and the beginning of our eternal life with the Godhead and all of the other children of God.
"Th-Th-The, Th-Th-The, Th-Th...That's all, folks!"
Yours in Christ,
Gene
Do you have some thoughts, feelings, or questions about what you read today in this specific devotional/commentary?
If you will submit those using the form below, Gene can read them, study them, and reply to them just as soon as possible.
Appreciate all your time here. I just don’t think the Sovereign Lord will have a smile on His face as those people face judgment. He’s not willing that any should perish.
Nancy,
I was not thinking that Christ would be smiling at His having to judge those coming for Him.
My thought was that He as God, would chuckle in His own perfect way, that He could be overtaken by creatures He created. Scripture is specific when it says He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked.
Gene
Thank you, Gene.
What a marvelous Daniel picture – the exciting, fiery glory.
I’ve always had an abhorrence of beheading passages. Whether from the French Revolution or in Scripture. Though, actually such a death is quick and slick compared to the awful tortures endured through the centuries by martyrs.
And I can still remember reading Revelation and discovering fir the first time that – contrary to what many people believe about the/a final battle – there is no final battle. The army of the enemy is gathered – then is destroyed by the Lord.
The Revelation throne image, of course, reminds me of Isaiah’s throne image.
Praying for your health, Gene – signs and wonders and miracles work of God on your behalf – Margaret Ann +
Yes!!! Let’s get on with it! Come Lord Jesus come!
I know the Lord Jesus does not get anxious, but from His human perspective and emotions, I bet He is ready! Gene