Thank you for selecting this message by Dr. James Hoffman. Dr. Hoffman preaches verse by verse through the entire book of the Bible. From all of us at Living Water of Lapine here in Central Oregon, we hope that it will encourage you and feed you spiritually. And if you would like to leave a message after the sermon, our contact information is found on the sermon page where you found this sermon. Now may God richly bless you as you listen. Country music star Travis Tritt spent many years playing in out-of-the-way joints before he finally made it big in the music industry. He reports that many of the bars were dangerous places with drunk fans starting fights over the smallest matters. But Tritt found a unique way to keep the peace many of these situations. In an interview that I was reading, he said, Silent Night proved to be my all-time lifesaver. Just when Barfart, Barfight, and I was worried about pronouncing his name right, Just when bar fights started getting out of hand, when bikers were reaching for their pool cues and rednecks were heading for the gun rack, I'd start playing Silent Night. It could be the middle of July, I didn't care. Sometimes they'd even start crying, standing there watching me sweat and play Christmas carols. Christmas carries the message of peace and hope, doesn't it? Even in the strangest environments, the hardest of hearts can be softened by it. Author and pastor Tim Keller writes, years ago I read an ad in the New York Times that said, the meaning of Christmas is that love will triumph and that we will be able to put together a world of unity and peace. In other words, we have the light within us and so We are the ones who can dispel the darkness of the world. We can overcome poverty and justice and evil. If we work together, we can create a world of unity and peace. Can we? One of the most thoughtful world leaders of the late 20th century was Václav Havel, the first president of the Czech Republic. He had a unique vantage point from which to peer deeply into both socialism and capitalism. And he was not optimistic that either would by itself solve the greatest human problems. He knew that science unguided by moral principles had given us the Holocaust. He concluded that neither technology, not the state, nor the market alone could save us from nuclear degradation. Pursuit of the good life will not help humanity save itself, nor is democracy alone enough. Abel said a turning to and seeing of God is needed. The human race constantly forgets, he added, that he is not God. Well, that has been the theme of revelation that we have been studying here, the last book of the Bible. We've been studying this for the last six months, and we've seen that quite clearly, what has just been expressed. Man has chosen to not see and turn to God, and he will soon face God's divine wrath. Mankind has tried to replace God with such elements as human government, man-made religion, and an economic system. Recently, we have seen how God is gonna destroy all three of these, which are called Mystery Babylon in the book of Revelation. Nothing will help humanity save itself We cannot and never will overcome poverty, injustice, violence, and evil. There is no possibility that if we simply work together, we can create a world of unity and peace. No. God is needed. And this morning we are about to see how God will impact mankind with this truth. The events of our study this morning include a description of the only time the earth will have total world peace since the Garden of Eden. We will also see what is necessary for this to occur. This is a very forceful passage with many implications for us But it is also a very controversial passage. The 20th chapter of Revelation has been a major battleground of the various basic competing systems of biblical end-time prophecy, which we call eschatology. In general, The way in which this chapter is interpreted seems to determine how the entire book of Revelation and to a very large extent how biblical prophecy as a whole is interpreted. It is in this chapter that the record appears of a thousand year period when Satan is bound And the world is ruled in righteousness by Christ and the people of God. Now the theological debate rages over the question of whether and to what extent this record should be taken literally. Is it really a literal thousand years? Will the people of God really literally rule with Jesus who will literally rule from Jerusalem? for the entire world? Or is this all just symbolic of something else? Is Satan really gonna be imprisoned and powerless during a thousand years? Is Christ to reign in a direct sense over the earth on a literal throne? Or is this only a figure of speech referring to the eventual conversion of the world to righteousness through the work of the church and the preaching of the gospel? Now, although there are variants within each theological position, three major approaches to eschatology are as follows. Number one, we have premillennialism. which takes a fully literal approach to the interpretation of this passage, that it is as it appears of what is being said here. Premillennialism teaches that Christ's personal return to earth in glory will be just as it is described in last week's passage that we were reading in Revelation chapter 19 and it will be followed by a literal binding of Satan in Hades in a literal thousand-year reign of Christ along with his resurrected saints here on this earth. Well, second of all, there is post-millennialism which takes a partial literal approach, teaching that there will be a literal period of Christian righteousness on earth. Christ's reign, according to this teaching, will be spiritual through his church, which will have won the world to him through worldwide ministry of evangelism and teaching under the Great Commission. His personal return to earth will be at the end of the millennium. This one teaches when the new earth will be established. But before he returns, of course, the church will have ministry and will win the entire world to Christ through the gospel. Things are just going to get better and better and better. Well, as you can imagine, since World War I, there had been fewer and fewer people who hold to this theology. They have seen that we're not getting better. And then we had World War II, and then we lived through the 60s, and here we are. And number three, generally speaking, if people are not pre-millennial today, this is what they are typically, all-millennial. Now, amillennialism takes a full allegorical approach to this passage we're about to study. Saying it's all symbolic. It equates the millennial age with the church age that we are right now living in. Christ's kingdom was established in a very figurative sense on earth when Satan was defeated and bound by the Lord's substitutionary death, resurrection, and ascension. And with his personal return to earth scheduled at the end of the church age for final judgment. Now, There are people who are a lot smarter than I am, who have studied the scripture a lot longer and more deeply than I, and they hold one of the other two positions that I do not hold. So I want to be very careful and explain my position on this very controversial chapter. And there are two points I want to make before we delve into it. Number one, these different views about the millennium need not cause division and controversy in the church. Because each view acknowledges what is most crucial to Christianity. Christ will return, defeat Satan, and reign forever. Whatever and whenever the millennium is, Jesus Christ will unite all believers. Therefore, we should not let the issue divide us. Number two, as I explain the theological side of the fence that I am on and why I've landed there, I'll be seeking something far greater than scoring points against the other two positions, as if to win an argument and bring others to the same conclusion. Rather, my prayer is to lead you to a worship filled perspective about God's justice. And if I can help resolve an issue that many believers and non-believers struggle with, the issue of how can a loving God send anyone to hell, then our time spent in this passage this morning will be well spent. In Scripture, there is more prophecy concerning the millennium than any other period. The millennium was the frequent theme of Old Testament prophets and psalmists. Many details about it are given to us, but it's not until we get to Revelation chapter 20 do we learn that it's going to last for a thousand years. The Old Testament prophets and psalmists use several names for this very same thing. But context of them all reveal that it is the same time period that's being described. Often it is referred to as the kingdom. Sometimes it's referred to as the holy hill. Other times we'll see it referred to as the mountain of the house of the Lord. And theologians and scholars today will simply call it the messianic kingdom, if they're not referring to it as the millennium. Now, before we look at Revelation 20, let me have you take a look at some of the Older Testament passages so we can gain some understandings and perspectives before John writes about it here in Revelation chapter 20. In Isaiah chapter 2 verses 2 through 4, it says this, it shall come to pass in the later days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of mountains and shall be lifted up above the hills and all the nations shall flow to it. And many people shall come and say, come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord. to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways, and that we may walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Now that passage shows us some of the characteristics of what the millennium will be. It's going to be universal world peace. Differences will no longer be settled by military conflicts. but only by the word of the Lord from Jerusalem, where he will be reigning and the nations will be coming to him there. And the art of warfare will be forgotten. Here's another passage from the older Testament, Micah four verses one through five. It says this, it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains. And it shall be lifted up above the hills, and people shall flow to it. And many nations shall come and say, come, let us go to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways, and that we may walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between many peoples and he shall decide for strong nations far away and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore, but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree and no one shall make them afraid for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. For all the peoples walk each in the name of its God, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever. Now in Micah, we see that the entire world is gonna be focused on Jerusalem, just as we saw in our earlier passage in Isaiah. But we also see that the kingdom is gonna be characterized by messianic teaching that'll be going forth from there. Jesus is not allowed to be taught in our schools today, is he? But during this period of time, he is going to be the center of all teaching as it comes out of Jerusalem, the center of all learning. Micah also adds that it's going to be a time of personal peace and prosperity, each one under his own vine. Now, two more, although there is a vast number of other Older Testament passages, it's all through the Old Testament. This next one might be somewhat familiar to you, but maybe you've thought of it a little differently than what the verse actually says. This is Isaiah 11, verses six through nine. It says this, the wolf shall dwell with the lamb. And the leopard shall lie down with the young goat. And the calf and the lion and the fatted calf together. And a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze. Their young shall lie down together. And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the whole of the cobra. And the weaned child shall put his hand in the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain. for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Universal peace will not only extend to us humans, it's gonna be extended throughout the entire animal kingdom as well. All animals will return to how they were in the Garden of Eden before the fall. There will be no more carnivores, animal eating other animals. And then finally, Isaiah 65. For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. but be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people. No more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days or an old man who does not fill out his days. For the young man shall die a hundred years old. And the sinner, a hundred years old, shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit. They shall not plant and another eat. For like the days of a tree shall be the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the Lord and their descendants with them. Before they call, I will answer. While they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, says the Lord. So millennial earth will be renovated. Jerusalem itself is gonna have drastic change. Infant mortality will no longer exist. Everyone will live to at least 100 years old. And those who die at 100 is because they are rebelling against God. Those who don't live to the end of the millennium are the rebellious ones. Death is only for the unbeliever during this period of time. But you might ask, who would rebel? Who would think that it could be better? This period of time will be the utopia that man has always sought since they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Wouldn't they have irrefutable evidence the first time you saw somebody at the age 100 die and it was made clear that it correlated perfectly only with those who were rebellious? Wouldn't that be a signal? I better not rebel. Well, the answer to these questions reveals a significant purpose for the millennium. We're gonna see it as we move forward in our passage in Revelation today. Now, before utopia can be created, there has to be three important things that take place. They must first happen. We'll see them in the opening verses of Revelation chapter 20. First of all, there can be no millennium until Satan is removed from the earthly scene. You cannot have an ideal state down here as long as Satan is running loose. In the second place, the curse of sin must be removed from the physical earth before a millennium can be established. We just saw how people are going to be living a lot longer and only the rebellious will die at age 100. And so we know that there has to be something dealt with about the curse that we are currently experiencing here on earth. In the third place. The resurrection of the Old Testament saints must take place at the beginning of this thousand years. The Lord is not going to raise them until the tribulation is over. Daniel is the one who makes this very clear to us. In Daniel chapter 12, verses 1 and 2, it says, At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble such as never has been seen since there was a nation till that time. But at that time, your people shall be delivered. Everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall await. Some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Daniel's audience was the Jewish nation. This is talking about Israel. Believers will already have been raptured. They're already with Christ. Following the great tribulation period will be the resurrection of the Old Testament saints that Daniel is writing about here. Now let's read about these preliminaries as we see them in Revelation chapter 20, verses one through three. Revelation chapter 20, verses one through three. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years and threw him into the pit and shut it and sealed it over him so that he might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be released for a little while. You'll notice that the thousand years are mentioned twice in verses one through three here. They're mentioned a total of six times in Revelation chapter 20. Now it is true that the millennium is only mentioned in this chapter of the Bible. It's the only place you'll find that. The millennium is mentioned. as that word. It is not found anywhere else, only in Revelation chapter 20. And those who hold the positions of post-millennialism and amillennialism will offer this as the support of their position. This is the only place to find it, only in this chapter. But God mentions it six times. times here. How many times does he have to say a thing before it's true? He mentions it more than he mentioned some other things that people emphasize and think are important just because they occur twice in scripture. Six times the thousand years are mentioned. It is as though John and the Holy Spirit wanted us to know as emphatically and as plainly as possible that Satan was to be bound and Christ and the saints are to reign on this earth for a real chronological period of a thousand years. Postmillennialism and amillennialism both declare that this part about Satan being bound already happened. It happened at Christ's victory at the cross, they say. This is not some future event, according to them. They believe Satan has been defeated. He was bound by Christ at Calvary. Well, that sounds good. Until we think about it for just a moment. It hardly squares with what we just read. All throughout the more than 2,000 years of Christianity, it would seem that Satan has been very active Attempting very often successfully to hinder and thwart the preaching of the word and the strengthening and the spiritual growth of God's people. The two views of the millennium that say it will not be a literal thousand years of Satan being bound. That he was already bound by Christ at the cross. They have great difficulty explaining to me 1 Peter 5, 8. You remember what that says? It says, be sober minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. More than one author that I was reading as I was studying this said, well, If Satan was chained, if he was bound at the cross of Calvary, it's gotta be a long, long chain. Peter says that Satan is not bound right now. He prowls about. Peter's warning surely gives no suggestion that Satan is presently bound and powerless. And neither does the Apostle Paul, when he gives us his warning in Ephesians 6, verses 11 through 13, that we are to stand against the wiles of the devil. Another problem, perhaps the most significant, that the other two views about the millennium have, is to explain the last part of verse 3 that we just read here in chapter 20, verse 3. Satan will be released for a little while. If the binding of Satan is speaking of what Christ has already accomplished on the cross, if it is not a literal binding for a thousand years that is yet in the future to happen, then the unleashing of Satan in this very same context here has to mean the victory of Christ at Calvary is going to become defeat again. That the victory of Christ wasn't complete. I don't buy that. If you believe the non-literal views of the millennium, this can only mean the victory of Christ must become defeat again. And that to me is totally unreasonable. Christ has obtained complete victory, folks. Take that to the bank. But just as this says at the end of what I believe is a literal millennium, Satan will be released from a literal binding because the people who are born during that period of time must be tested. We'll see why in just a few minutes. It's gonna make sense, folks. Now, let's read about the millennium in our passage. The description of it starts with verse four. Verses four through six. Then I saw thrones and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God and those who 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 for 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 is the one who shares in the first resurrection. Over such, the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. The millennial kingdom will consist of three kinds of people who rule with Christ. Number one, the Old Testament saints. We saw that when we were looking at Daniel 12, just a few moments ago. They'll be raised right after the tribulation. And number two, believers who comprise the church and who return with Christ when he comes back. We saw that in the passage we studied last week. I showed you what the Apostle Paul wrote when he was encouraging the church at Corinth to settle their disputes in taking others to human courts. Paul made this point, 1 Corinthians 6.2, he said, or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? So we're gonna be reigning with Christ during this period also. Do you remember the parable of the talents that Christ told? Matthew records it for us in Matthew chapter 25, verses 14 through 20. And I believe Matthew chapter 25 is a picture of how it will be determined who's gonna be in charge of what during this period of time, during the millennium. It's being determined right now what you will be in charge of during the millennial period. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 25. Let's take a brief look at that right now. Matthew chapter 25. Starting with verse 14 here, Matthew chapter 25, starting with verse 14. For it will be like a man going on a journey who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also the one who had two talents made two talents more. But the one who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward bringing five talents more, saying, Master, you delivered to me five talents. Here I have made five more talents. His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. And he also, who had the two talents, came forward, saying, Master, you delivered to me two talents. Here, I have made two talents more. His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours. But his master answered him, you wicked and slothful servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers. and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the 10 talents. For to everyone who has will more be given and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. The entire chapter starts off saying the kingdom of God will be like. And I think that's a description of how it'll be determined. How you're going to serve the master in the millennial kingdom. It's being determined right now. This is how it'll be determined. What our responsibility and authority is going to be in the millennium. Now there's going to be a third group who's going to be ruling with us, and they've invested quite a bit. The master is very well pleased with them. The third group will be the persecuted saints who were martyred during the tribulation. Many are going to die for Christ in the great tribulation period, but they will live again and reign with Christ for a thousand years. The tribulation saints are gonna trade in three and a half years for 1,000 years. I'd say they're getting a pretty good deal. Those three and a half years will be rugged and terrible, but the 1,000 years are gonna be wonderful as they will be included in the reigning with Christ. And that's what we just read in the first verses four and five here. Old Testament saints, the church and the tribulation saints make up the first resurrection. Christ went first and we follow him, the first fruit of the resurrection. However, there's going to be a period when there will be no more resurrections for a thousand years. First resurrection is going to come to an end, but after the millennium another resurrection is going to occur. The second resurrection. We're going to see the purpose of that now. Starting with verse 11. We'll see the purpose of what the millennium is. I already gave it away because I pressed the screen too early. You saw it. I saw some of your responses. Not only will the saints reign a thousand years, but also they will be his priests, verse six tells us. Thus directing both civil government and spiritual instruction during the millennium. You may be an instructor, you may be a governor of some sort, in both the teaching and the governing of his administration. Christ is the high priest, king of kings, All the resurrected saints are going to exercise various religious and political functions under his supreme command throughout the millennium in accord with the faithfulness of your service in this present life. Now, who are the ones that we're going to be helping Christ rule over? Answer? Those who make it through the tribulation still alive. And those who are gonna be born to them during the period of the tribulation. Wait a minute. If all the Old Testament saints are included in this, and all Christians over 2000 years worth of Christians, And the multitudes of tribulations, isn't this going to be billions and billions of people ruling with Christ? And didn't we see earlier in our study in Revelation that one third of the population only is going to make it through the tribulation? Billions and billions of administrators administrating a million? Tempted to make a comment about government here. Our common government today, all the administrators we see. Well, that doesn't seem to make sense, does it? Well, at first we are going to outnumber them, but stop and consider something. We already saw, as the Older Testament was telling us, that there's going to be a renewed earth, and there's not going to be any sickness, and there's going to be a lot longer lifespans, and there's going to be more people giving birth all throughout. How long do you think it's going to take before this earth gets really populated under ideal circumstances and no war or anything else? No sickness, no war, no death? This earth will populate itself very, very quickly. So at first, we probably will outnumber them. And everybody's gonna be living through the millennium unless they're part of the rebellion. Now let's get to why. Why the millennium must happen. Here's the reason, verses seven through 10 now. And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are the four corners of the earth. Gog and Magog to gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." It's apparently for such reasons that the devil and presumably his hosts must be released for a little season. All these millennial generations, all of which are living, must be confronted with a clear-cut choice. They will trust their great savior and king in Jerusalem, or they will, when finally they have the opportunity, choose sin as their lifestyle and Satan as their God. This will be mankind's last and greatest test. In former ages, men had used their environmental problems such as poverty, pornography, war, intellectual pressures, and sickness as excuses for rejecting Christ. But with all these suppressed for almost a thousand years, There is no more excuse. But there's sinful hearts. And these must be exposed. The millennium is the final testing of man under ideal conditions. This is the answer to those who say, There's nothing wrong in man in which circumstances and conditions cannot change. Let's just throw more money at it. Man is an incurable and incorrigible sinner. Even at the end of the millennium, he is still in rebellion against God. The rebellion in the human heart and the depraved nature of man are impossible for any man to comprehend. If you and I could see ourselves as God sees us, the sinful side of our human nature, we couldn't stand ourselves. We think we're pretty good. We think we're pretty nice people. Of course God saved me. I'm a pretty good guy. The millennium is going to show us a lot different. It's going to show what human nature really is. The millennium is the final testing of mankind before the beginning of the eternal state. And I think we need to see that it's pure grace, folks, pure grace that gets us into glory. We don't deserve it. None of us do. The rebellion following the millennium reveals how terrible the heart of man is. Jeremiah said, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? Jeremiah 17, nine, you and I do not know how vile we really are by our human nature. Now Gog and Magog is mentioned again here. It simply means those who choose to reject Christ are going to gather in the region where Russia is now located. We've seen Gog and Magog before. Ezekiel prophesied about a different war in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 when they come down and invade Israel. And we know that these are two different wars. Because in Ezekiel 39 verse 2, we find it says there that a sixth of Gog and Magog are going to be spared. But in Revelation 20 verse 9, we just read none of them in this battle will be spared. So they can't be the same. The war in Ezekiel happens before the tribulation. This one happens after the tribulation at the end of the millennium. And there are two different wars. The millennium is necessary before God's final throne of judgment because it allows no excuse. It shows that everyone who is sent to hell is sent there for a very good reason. They chose it. They don't want God. It's not because they are underprivileged. Being underprivileged and disadvantaged has nothing to do with man choosing his own way. So the question really is not, would a loving God send anyone to hell? It is rather, would a loving God force anyone who doesn't want him into his heaven? That's the question. The answer is no, he will not. So for those who insist on doing things their own way, God will judge them on that very basis. He will judge them by their own works and they're not gonna like the results. God is going to open the books. J. Vernon McGee wrote, this is the second resurrection in which the lost are raised to be given in a, to be given an equitable, fair, and just evaluation of their works in respect to their salvation. A man on his deathbed said to me, Preacher, you just don't need to talk to me about the future. I'll take my chances. I believe God is going to be just and righteous and let me present my works. I told him, you're right. He is just and righteous and he will let you present your works. That is what he says he's going to do. But I have news for you. At that judgment, nobody is saved because you cannot be saved by your works. When you stand in the white light of the righteous presence of God, your little works will seem so puny that they won't amount to anything at all. I heard an illustration about a man who appeared before the judge. His crimes was rape and murder and all kinds of heinous things. Despicable. We don't even want to think about it. But here this murder, this rapist stood before the judge. He was found guilty. And he appealed to the judge. He said, but judge, okay, I'm guilty. How about if I just come wash your car this week and I clean your house and I just do little things and wash your windows and clean your toilets? Will that be enough? Of course not. That's too puny. But isn't that like several people are going to choose to bring their good works before the Lord? Isn't this enough? Now, let's read to the end of the chapter here. Important stuff. Picking up at verse 11. 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. 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. 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. 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. There are two types of books that are mentioned here. One doesn't have a name that's given to us here, but It appears as if it has everybody's actions written in it. So we'll call it the Book of Deeds. Every thought and deed, good or bad, is all there. And there is another book that's mentioned. It has a name that's given to us, both here and other places of scripture. It is the Book of Life. We first see it in Exodus chapter 32 and verse 33. It's mentioned in two other places of the Bible besides here, Psalm 69, 28 and Revelation 3, 5. Now from each of these other passages, we can deduce that this book contains the names of everyone who has ever been granted by God life. Any person who's ever had a heartbeat has their name written in this book. But as we read these Bible verses, we see that once it becomes clear that the person rejects God and his provision for them, once they show rebelliousness, their name is blotted out of this book. Most of the names that are written in it will be blotted out. But as we read our passage in Revelation, it's clear that some won't. He's looking for the names that are still in it. Those names, those people will not be condemned into the lake of fire we see. Now, that's not gonna be the Old Testament saints. They were part of the first resurrection. We're dealing with the second resurrection here. So we're not dealing with the Old Testament saints. We're not dealing with the church. That's part of the first resurrection. We're not dealing with the tribulation saints. So who is it? What names would be in the book of life? The names that are not blotted out. I'm gonna make some conjecture here. I don't have a scripture verse to give you on this. I wish I did. But here's my conjecture. This is just my thinking of what it might be, folks. My belief is that these are going to be the infants and children who die very young before they have a chance to respond to God's provision for them or to rebel against it. They die before the age of accountability and these will not be cast into the eternal lake of fire. That's what I believe. But you see, God is just and his judgment is fair. And he offers salvation as a free gift to anyone who places their faith in Jesus. Those who refuse this provision, who rebel against it, will be judged by their works. You see, there are two ways the Bible says you can try to get to heaven. Plan A is to turn to God, to trust Jesus Christ when he says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes into the Father but by me. He is the only perfect person who ever lived because he is God. He came so we would know what God is like and for us to have a relationship with him. But many people don't want a relationship with God. And so God gives them another option. Plan B. It's to try to earn it without God. This I call the performance plan. And to earn it, you only have to do this. Just be perfect. Never sin. and always do what's right for the entire time of your life. Now, since none of us qualify for plan B, plan A is the only means we have for eternal life. Plan B will result in life without God every time. and it involves the unthinkable punishment for rejecting him. God is loving. God is fair. God is just. Those who don't want him don't have to have him. But why would anybody refuse him? If you've never made that choice, to trust Jesus Christ and not your own works. I pray that you make that decision today. Jesus is the only way, the truth, and the life. Put your faith in him. Let's pray.