in two languages. That's a perfect representation that people of all languages and tongues need the Lord. What a solemn moment it is when the jury files back into a courtroom to deliver the verdict. I've had the privilege of being on two juries, in fact was the foreman of both of those juries, when we had deliberated in one case for a solid week, five days, eight plus hours a day. In the second case, filing back into the courtroom and a couple's financial future was at stake. It was not a It was not a criminal trial. It was a civil lawsuit. And its stake was $18 million. And knowing that however we would decide, it would make things very, very difficult for one or the other. In some cases, it is a life sentence. In some cases, it's a death penalty hanging in the balance. Now even in those situations where you've got a courtroom scene and a jury verdict about to be delivered, there is still perhaps hope on the part of the accused that even if it goes against them, perhaps there will be some leniency on the part of the judge. Perhaps it could be appealed to a higher court. And even in that case, perhaps the laws will change. Maybe new evidence will come to the fore. But there's always a bit of hope, even in the most solemn of courtroom proceedings. But the courtroom proceeding we're going to see today, there is no appeal. There will be no changes in law. There will be no new evidence that will come forward. Everything will be set. The verdict will be eternal. It is what most Bible teachers call the Great White Throne Judgment. It is in fact the final judgment of mankind for all ages. it's when finally the judge of all the earth does what's right let's take a look at revelation chapter 20 and we'll begin in verse 10 revelation chapter 20 and verse 10 and the devil that deceived them, this is right after this millennial kingdom, remember this thousand year reign of Christ that we saw the first couple of verses of chapter 20, the devil at the end of that thousand years is released, he goes forth, he deceives the nations, they rebel, fire falls from heaven, the uh... humans that have joined with satan have been consumed in the fire and then burst and and the devil that deceive them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone uh... sulfurous uh... place where the peace and the false prophet are and bay that is the peace the false prophet The devil himself shall be tormented day and night, forever and ever. That's a significant verse. We're going to come back to that later. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it. And death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. And they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast. into the lake of fire and so certainly the challenge for us this morning is to ask this question are you prepared to meet the judge are you prepared to meet the judge of all the earth Hebrews chapter 9 verse 27 it says it is appointed unto man once to die after that the judgment. Romans chapter 14 in verse 12. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. You see, everyone will have to give an account. Now let me pause here for a moment. If you have trusted Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior, Yes, you will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ, but it will not be a criminal trial. It'll be more of like an awards ceremony. It's like when you were a kid at the end of the year, and you're sitting there, and the teacher's handing out the certificates. And it seemed like there was always one kid in the class that got like 15 of them. And you got class participation award. So everybody's a winner. But you know you're not a winner. You're just a loser, right? You couldn't even get perfect attendance. You just didn't get anything. Now, it's really sad when a young person realizes, you know, I could have attained or achieved that award, that prize. But I was lazy. I didn't apply myself. And there's some regret, perhaps. There's some sorrow. And what's interesting to me that the whole tears being wiped away from their eyes doesn't come until chapter 21. And I believe there is a sense in which even the Christian standing before the Lord may suffer loss. Paul tells us that in 1 Corinthians. And so, our salvation is not now a license to just live however you want. As though this life is just yours to squander or to live in selfish pursuits and ambitions. No. No, you have a wonderful gift from God. A life to impact others for God's glory. People need the Lord! And what are we doing to get that message out is the question. Will there be anybody else at that judgment seat of Christ that's there whom you shared the gospel with? Will you bring your sheaves with you? Will there be a time of wonderful rejoicing of how God in His grace used you to have an impact in somebody else's life? Will you stand there one day next to somebody that maybe you encouraged in the Lord? And just when they were ready to throw in the towel, so to speak, on this whole Christianity, you came along and you befriended them. Maybe as a teenager you looked and you saw a junior higher that was really struggling, nobody liked. And you reached down and you said, hey, let's do something. You wrote a note to them. It was just what they needed. And that young person went on to become a missionary, a pastor, a Christian school teacher, a faithful husband, wife, whatever. Will there be anybody at that judgment seat of Christ whom the Lord used you to be an encouragement to impact for Christ. And so it is that in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 10, this is the judgment for the Christian. It says, for we must all appear, that is, all Christians must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether they be good bad or worthless so what are you living for are you living for things that have eternal value that will be worthwhile that have meaning that have impact for God's glory or basically is everything you do basically worthless the wages you earn you won't be taking that with you to heaven The cars that you drive and the houses that you live in and the vacations that you experience and the money in the bank, none of that you're taking with you. And if that's what we're living for, then it is worthless. But that judgment of Christians and the evaluation of their life and service for Christ is not what we're talking about in Revelation chapter 20. No, in fact, let's go ahead and turn the PowerPoint on. Last week, I appreciate... I don't know if it's Adam back there or whatever, scrambling to get the spacing back. And so we worked on it this week to make sure this was proper. But just to make sure that we have a correct understanding of the timeline of events, again, we're talking about this event right here, the Great White Throne Judgment, taking place at the end of the 1,000-year reign of Christ. And notice it's on the very precipice or the very threshold of eternity, the new heaven and the new earth. And you also notice that there is a thin red line here indicating those who appear before God at the great white throne judgment will be judged and then cast into the lake of fire. And so these events, new heaven and new earth, This lake of fire is for all eternity. Now we could just follow this green line down the side wall of the room on into Russia and eternity would just be beginning. And then so that we have a contextual understanding of what we're looking at. In Revelation chapter 20, in verse 5, it says, but the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. so up to this point all of these resurrections all of those who were dad and are raised from the dead and are with the lord that's all part of the first resurrection and even those who were killed martyred during the tribulation period revelation twenty verse four tells us those were beheaded for their testimony of jesus christ they would not worship the beast in the false prophets in the devil Those that were killed, slain for their relationship with Christ, they were raised from the dead. That's all part of the first resurrection. But these verses, verses 10 through 15 of Revelation chapter 20, is the second resurrection. Jesus in John chapter 5 said that there would be a resurrection unto life, and that there would be a resurrection unto damnation. And so the folks involved in our passage this morning are those who are resurrected, but they stand before the judge of all the earth. They're judged out of the books according to their works. And then, because their names are not written in the book of life, they are cast forever into the lake of fire. And so this morning, really, we're focusing on the second resurrection. We're focusing on the great white throne judgment. We're focusing on an event where those who through the millennia of human history, those who have not accepted God, his word, his promises, the Lord Jesus Christ, they will stand and now give an account and be sentenced. Think of it this way. We can go ahead and turn the lights back on. Think of it this way. When a person is arrested, do they go to the state penitentiary immediately? No. They go to the detention center. Have they been tried yet? No. Why are they at the detention center? Because they're there to await the trial and the sentence. When a person dies without the Lord now, Think of it as almost like going to the detention center. They go to Hades, if you will, to hell. The rich man in Luke chapter 16 is a good example of that. That's not their final destination, though. It's just the detention center. They're waiting for their day in court. This is the day in court. This is their time before the judge. This is the sentencing. and then they will be sent to the lake of fire. That's kind of like the state penitentiary, if you will. That's the final end of a man who does not accept Jesus Christ as his Savior. And so I want to focus on this event, the great white throne judgment. We can go ahead and turn that off. First of all, the courtroom scene is colossal. The throne is great. Verse 11, and I saw a great white throne. And the language of the Greek conjures up in our mind a picture of this gleaming, shining, perhaps almost so bright you can't even look at it directly kind of throne. And this throne dominates the landscape. In fact, we're going to see here also in verse 11, heaven and earth have fled away. And it's almost as though the entire universe seems that it can barely contain this throne. It's a great white throne. The whiteness always symbolizes the purity and holiness and righteousness of the verdict. In fact, Psalm 97, 2, righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His throne. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right, Abraham says in the very first book in Genesis, and the answer to that down through the ages has always been, yes! God always does what's right. That's a comfort, by the way, to His people. Do you know that God will always do the right thing? He always does what's right. Nothing's going to happen in your life that's wrong, because God's in control. He loves you. He always does what's right. Now, that doesn't mean that everything that happens is pleasant in our way of thinking, that we will enjoy everything. Yes, God allows trials and difficulties, hardships, pain, suffering. but he has a reason and he's working all these things together for good because he is the judge of all the earth and he always does what's right not only is the throne great but the judge is great look at this verse 11 and him that sat on the throne from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was no found no place for them you don't need to turn there but let me read this passage from Daniel chapter 7 now we're going way back in the misty distant past of human history this is hundreds of years even before the time of Christ and Daniel records this I beheld till the thrones were cast down. And the ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as a burning fire, and a fiery stream issued and came forth from before him. Thousand thousands ministered unto him, and 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him. And the judgment was set, and the books were opened. See, all throughout human history, mankind has known that one day there will be an accounting to be given. One day we will have to answer for our lives. Now, some might argue that the ancient of days in Daniel chapter 7 cannot include Jesus Christ. Who is it that's actually sitting on this throne? Well, I submit to you, it's not a question of either or. I think really both and here. First of all, is Jesus ancient, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting? In Revelation chapter 22, verse 1, And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. the lamb, clearly a reference to Jesus. Revelation chapter 3 verse 21, Jesus says, to him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my father in his throne. And so it's almost as though as we look through scripture, particularly in the book of Revelation, that this one who sits on the throne is God, the Trinity. And what's fascinating to me that, in particular, the member or the person of the Trinity who is responsible to give the final sentencing is, in fact, Jesus himself. In John chapter 5, verses 26 through 27, It says, for as the father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the son to have life in himself, and hath given unto the son authority to execute judgment, because he is the son of man. In Revelation chapter 22, verses 12 through 13, Jesus says, and behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me to give every man according to his work. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. And so in essence, yes, this is God sitting on the throne. In particular, it's Jesus who is giving out the verdict, the sentencing. And what's interesting here is that the heaven and earth fled away. This picture's a violent and sudden termination of the material universe as we know it. In other words, what we see, this earth, The sun, the stars, the planets, all of that is gone. I have other scriptures that corroborate this. 2 Peter 3, verse 7, but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. Later on it says that the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. It's almost as though God removes the constraints upon the atomic elements and those protons and electrons scatter. And you have a universal atomic explosion that completely wipes out the material world as we know it. Even in the Old Testament, we catch a glimpse of perhaps what is taught here. In Psalm 102, verse 26, the psalmist says, they, that is the heavens and the earth, shall perish, but God shall endure. All of them, all of what we see around is going to wax old like a garment. As a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed. When it says that they fled from the face of the Lord, where do you go where God is not? And so we see a complete dissolution of all that is material. And perhaps there in the inky blackness of nothing, the courtroom scene takes place. But not only is the throne great and the judge great, but the number of the guilty are great. Because notice what it says in verse 12. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. See, it doesn't matter a person's financial standing, social standing. You will have slaves of the lowest social class, all the way up to kings and emperors and American pop stars. standing there. Verse 13, And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. And so it is, it doesn't matter if a man was buried in the earth, if a man was lost at sea, all men of all ages will be resurrected. And I believe that's what this expression here, death and hell. By the way, the word hell here is the word Hades. It's not so much the place that's pictured as a place of burning. That was Gehenna, or eventually Lake of Fire. Hades was the place where departed spirits went. Death is the grave where the body went. And so it is that body and soul come together, reunited, resurrected to stand before their judge, and then that resurrected person, body and soul, will be cast into the lake of fire. And it doesn't matter where that person lived, how that person died, it doesn't matter their standing or anonymity, They must give account. The courtroom scene, it is colossal. Oh, my friend, do you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you will not be there at that judgment? Number two, the recorded evidence is compelling. Notice in verse 12 again, It says, and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And then in verse 13, and they were judged every man according to their works. It's very clear in these verses that it's not a group judgment scene. The Bible tells us every individual will stand before God and give account it'll be just the person and the judge and the person may say well you know I really was a pretty good person okay bring the books and the books are open and every man will be judged according to every thought, every word, every action that was ever committed by Him. What are these books? Well, could it be that God has created a little black box right here that records everything? I really feel that my problem is not that I don't have enough information. My problem is accessing it. The file drawers get stuck. The older I get, the harder it is to get those file drawers open. I've got it there. It's there somewhere. Usually accessed about 3 o'clock in the morning when you wake up. Oh, yeah, that was the guy's name. Perhaps that's the books. But somehow God has recorded everything. The books of works are consulted. Scripture makes a consistent reference to a register of human actions, all the way from Genesis, from Deuteronomy chapter 32, the law. You see it in the prophets. You see it in the Psalms. You see it in the Gospels. And you see it even reflected here in the book of Revelation, the fact that man's works are recorded. And if a man is judged solely on his works, that's not a good thing. Because Paul tells us, as it is written, there is none righteous. No, not one. Romans chapter 3 and verse 19 says that we now we know what things whoever the law saith it said to them that are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. In other words, God has given us his law so that when a man stands before God at this great white throne judgment, he will have no answer. He will see himself as guilty. Before God. No man will be able to say, God, that's not fair. No man could say, you don't have all the evidence. No, he does. And the evidence will condemn us. You see, God is not asking us to be just a little bit better than that guy. God's asking us to be holy as he is holy. And when we judge ourselves based upon what God expects, then we have no other option than to be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity. For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. No man can be declared righteous based upon his works. Now, I believe that there are degrees of punishment, just like when a man, by the way, at the detention center, everybody's in the detention center. Then they're brought before the judge, and then sentences are given. And there's varying degrees of punishment based upon the crime committed. And so it is in Luke chapter 12, verses 47 through 48, And that servant, Jesus says, which knew his Lord's will and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whosoever much is given of him shall be much required. And to whom men have committed much of him they will ask the more. And so it is that a man that has sinned much, given much opportunity, rejected God much, there will be much required of him. What about the person that's never heard the name of Jesus? They're still accountable. God's given them creation, given them conscience. But I believe God in His mercy has allowed some to not hear His name, knowing that they would reject Him, so that they would not be held as accountable. But my friend, you are sitting in a church, hearing the Word of God. You're given an invitation today to accept or reject the truth of this. We are without excuse if anyone here today were to stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment, perhaps even this morning service would be brought to your attention and you would be asked, why didn't you respond? Now this is going to be the last time the word judged occurs. You will not find it in chapters 21 and 22. This is the end of judgment. Now, you see the books of works referred to here, but there's also another book. Look at verse 15. We didn't read this earlier, just now, but it says, and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. And so we see that, yes, there are these books of works. But really, the key here is whether your name is in that book of life. Now, if your name is in that book of life, then you're not cast into the lake of fire. But if your name's not there, then you're in trouble. One commentator stated this way. This book of life originally contained the names of all for whom Christ died. That is, the whole world. But at the judgment of the great white throne, many blank spaces will signal the removal of many names who never believed in Christ or salvation. And I can't be dogmatic on that. But I do know this, and I can be dogmatic on this. I know how you can know if your name's in that book. I can be dogmatic on that. John 3, 16. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life, everlasting life. 1 John 5, 12. He that hath the Son, Jesus Christ, hath life. 1 John 5, 13, the very next verse. These things have I written unto you, the Apostle John says, that you believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life or that you might know that your name is in the book of life. So the key is, have you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ? If you have Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have life. Your name is recorded in the book of life. You will not stand before the judge at this great white throne because your sins will have been prejudged. They will have been paid for. Jesus Christ bore those sins for you. courtroom scene is colossal the recorded evidence is compelling you will be these people here before the great white throne will be condemned out of their own mouth their own thoughts their own works and the final sentence is chilling the inmates are fearsome who is in this lake of fire well look at verse 10 and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are." Have you ever seen mug shots in the picture of criminals who've been arrested? And you say to yourself, man, I'd hate to meet that guy in a dark alley somewhere. Just the hardened, evil look that's there. Well, imagine if you were arrested today for something you didn't do and you're sent to the state penitentiary and you're locked in a little four by eight cell with one of those guys for the next 30 years. I've had occasion to visit the state penitentiary up in Hagerstown. It's not fun. In fact, it's a little creepy in a way. I'm so glad when I can walk out of there But imagine being thrown into a place where the devil and the Antichrist and the false prophet and the Hitlers and the Stalins of all the ages are confined. People who could not control their anger, their lust, their pride, and you're locked up with them forever. The inmates are fearsome. My college professor said this, Satan will sink into the center of that ball of fire where the heat and pressure are most extreme. Where the stench of burning sulfur is most foul and there he will be imprisoned forever. There he can ponder how well the universe can get along without him. The word torment informs us that spirits can suffer. For a spirit who delighted to cause pain and suffering to people, it is appropriate that he be afflicted with suffering equal to that of billions of human beings that he deceived. But notice also the conditions are fiery. It's called the lake of fire. Fire and brimstone, or fire and sulfur, It must be a foul-smelling place as well. In places it's called outer darkness, there will be no daylight there. Wailing and gnashing of teeth, unquenchable fire, fire and brimstone. Some people say, ah, this has got to be figurative. All right. Let's just, for the sake of argument, say that all of this description of this place is figurative. then the reality is worse. Because the symbolism is trying to give us a picture of the reality. And if this is just merely figurative, then what's the reality? That doesn't give me great comfort. No, I believe this is actual literal. And the length is forever. Look again very closely at verse 10. There are many people today that say, oh, God would never. put somebody in hell forever. They're just burned up. They're annihilated. But notice in verse 10, Satan is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and they shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. Now, when were the beast and the false prophet thrown into the lake of fire? 1,000 years before that. They're still there. And then a thousand years later, Satan is thrown in and he joins them. And their torment is day and night forever and ever. And if that's not eternal, I don't know how else you could describe it. Revelation chapter 14 and verse 11. and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." You say, how in the world could somebody last for ever and ever being burned up? Well, there was a bush that was burning that didn't get consumed. Remember in the Old Testament, Moses said, wow, what is that bush doing? It was a literal bush on fire, not consumed. That's not a problem for God. So, the comfort here in this. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 and verse 26 that the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Because death and hell are cast into the lake of fire, there is no more death. That's because sin has been dealt with once and for all. And so for all of eternity, for those that have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, there's no more sin. There's no more death. Therefore, there's no more pain or suffering or sorrow. Death, the last and greatest enemy of all, is vanquished once and for all. Every human being will get exactly what he chooses. God or sin? God's will shall be done perfectly in each case. Now how human responsibility and divine sovereignty all work together, that's a mystery. And let me just say, too, that if man can rebel against King Jesus after a thousand years of living in a perfect environment, And what's to say that man might not rebel against God after a million years, or a billion years, or a trillion years? Sin is eternal and must be punished as such. And so the warning for us, Hebrews chapter 2, verses 2 through 4, how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Here's also a sobering truth, that there will be many that will stand before Jesus, perhaps at this great white throne judgment. In fact, it says here, Jesus tells us, not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. But he that doeth the will of my Father, which is in heaven, many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And here are people standing before this great white throne. Lord, Lord, haven't we prophesied in your name? And in your name cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works. And the judge of all the earth will look at them and say, I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Well, seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, Peter says in 2 Peter 3, verse 11, how ought ye? to be living. What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?" See, the great white throne judgment is coming. Now, if you've put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, asked Him to forgive you and save you, and He's your Lord and Savior, then you don't have to stand before this judgment. Now, you will have to stand before the Lord. There will be an accounting. And, oh, we ought to be redeeming the time because the days are evil, Scripture tells us. But here's also another question to ask yourself. What about the people that God brings into your life? Family members? Coworkers? Friends? Are they going to have to stand before this judge? We have an obligation, do we not? To warn them? To give them the good news? The Bible says, Jesus says, He that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven, that's who I know. You know what God's will for your life is? that you would humble yourself, repent of your sins, ask Jesus Christ to forgive you and save you. That's his will. The Bible says that as many as receive him, Jesus Christ, to them gave he the power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on his name, trust in his name. You see, you can't trust in God in your works. you know baptism confirmation church attendance none of that put you in good standing with god those are just works now you have to put your faith and trust in what christ has done friend is your name written in the book of life if not it will be a fearful thing to stand before the Living God. Are you prepared to meet God?