02.62. LECTURE No. 62 -- Rev_20:11-15
LECTURE No. 62 -- Revelation 20:11-15
Satan’s Last Rebellion - The Last Great Work of Judgment Will Be the Judgment of the Great White Throne - Men Need to Be Instructed Concerning God’s Work of Judgment Whether They Want to Hear It or Not - God’s Work of Judgment Has Been and Still Is Progressive in Character - The Seven Phases of Judgment Are Revealed in God’s Word - None of the Wicked Will Escape the Judgments of God - If Men Only Knew What Awaits Them
Satan Shall Be Loosed for a Little Season OUR last lesson was based upon Revelation 20:7-10, where it says,
“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” The Great White Throne Judgment
Now let us advance in our study by reading and considering what is written in Revelation 20:11-15, where John said,
“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: 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.” The Doom of the Unbelieving Dead
These rather unusual words introduce to us the last judgment, which will be the judgment of the great white throne and they reveal to us the doom of the unbelieving dead.
I must confess that the theme of judgment is not a very pleasant one, nevertheless it is very necessary that men everywhere should hear and understand these things, which God has recorded in His Word for our instruction.
Before we can understand the full significance of the judgment of the great white throne, it will be necessary for us to give to you somewhat of an outline of the work of judgment as given in the entire Bible. A Mistaken Idea
Some people have the idea that the Millennium is to be ushered in by the preaching of the Gospel and that after the Millennium, Christ will return, at which time there will be a general resurrection of all the dead. They have the idea that such a general resurrection will be followed by a general judgment, but a careful examination of the scriptures will reveal that this is not the truth as presented in the Word of God. It is very unfortunate that such a doctrine has ever been taught. It goes without saying that the idea of a single resurrection and a general judgment is at once confronted with many mental and scriptural objections. The Work of Judgment Is Progressive As we approach the subject of judgment, we discover in the scriptures that the judgments of God are progressive and are in perfect harmony with the unfolding of the dispensational plan of redemption. In our study of the scriptures, we usually speak of seven dispensations; namely, innocence, conscience, human-government, promise, law, grace, and the kingdom age.
We haven’t time to make a study of each of these seven dispensations in our lesson, but we have named them so that when we mention the seven judgments, which are brought to our attention in the scriptures, you will see that there is a reason for doing so. The Seven Judgments The seven aspects of God’s great work of judgment, as revealed in the scriptures are usually mentioned as follows:
(1) The judgment of the believer’s sin (2) The judgment of the believer self, or self-judgment.
(3) The judgment of the believer works.
(4) The judgment of the nations.
(5) The judgment of Israel.
(6) The judgment of fallen angels
(7) The judgment of the wicked dead
Understanding these things, it is not difficult to see that the scriptures themselves refute the idea of a general resurrection and a general judgment. The Judgment of the Believer’s Sin Now let us speak briefly concerning the judgment of the believer’s sin.
The judgment of the believer’s sin was accomplished for us by Christ when He suffered and died upon the cross. It therefore belongs to the past. We know this is true because in 1 Peter 2:24 the Apostle, in speaking of Christ, said “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness.”
That our sins were actually judged; that is, have gone before us unto judgment, even the judgment of the cross, is confirmed in Romans 8:1-2, where the Apostle said,
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”
In John 5:24, Jesus also said,
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation (or judgment) but is passed from death unto life.”
Therefore, the work of Christ upon the cross was not only a sacrifice, for sin, but it was also a work of judgment.
A believer’s sins, therefore, are gone on before him into judgment-even the judgment of the cross-and being judged by the work of Christ upon the cross, they are atoned for, forgiven, cancelled, blotted out, and forgotten, and the believer is saved and free from present condemnation and free also from fear of any future judgment at the great white throne after death. The Believer’s Self Judgment
We next make mention of the judgment of the believer’s self, or self-judgment.
This judgment is now in progress. What a man thinks of himself is of far greater importance, if he only knew it, than what others may think of him. In Romans 12:3, Paul said, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”
In the plan of redemption, two things are of vital importance; namely, what a man thinks of himself and what he thinks of Jesus Christ. The parable of the Pharisee and the publican well illustrates this point. From this parable, which is familiar to all of us, we learn that the more a man thinks of himself the less he thinks of Christ. The more a man thinks of Christ, the less he will think of himself.
In order that men might judge themselves, Jesus instituted the Lord ’s Supper. In 1 Corinthians 11:26-28, He said,
“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.”
Also in 1 Corinthians 11:31 it says, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”
Indeed, my friends, there is need for self-judgment and if we desire to escape the future judgments of God, we must judge our own selves here and now and confess our sins so that they may be forgiven. The Judgment of the Believer’s Works
We must mention also the judgment of the believer’s works.
In 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, the Apostle Paul said,
“Wherefore we labour, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that, he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
Thus judgment of the believer’s works is yet future and will not take place until after the resurrection and rapture of the church. It will not be a judgment unto condemnation but will be solely to determine the rewards which shall be meted out to those who are saved.
As a matter of reward, the scriptures mention a crown of life, a crown of righteousness, a crown of glory, an in-corruptible crown, and a crown of rejoicing. The Judgment of the Nations
There is another aspect in the great work of judgment, which we sometimes fail to take into consideration; namely, the judgment of the nations. The history of the nations is very interesting when considered from the Bible point of view.
A study of this point will reveal that nations as well as individuals, are responsible to God for the way in which they accept or reject the plans and purposes of God, as set forth in His Word. The time and place and the manner in which God will judge the nations is set forth in Matthew 25:31-34. It says,
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, (that is, after the tribulation period) and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them, one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”
Please notice this passage refers to the judgment of the nations rather than to individuals.
The passage is very clear. The time for the judgment of the Gentile nations will be at the revelation of Jesus Christ which will occur at the close of the tribulation period. The Judge will be the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, spoken of in this passage as “The Son of Man.” The Judgment of Israel
We next make mention of the judgment of Israel. This seems to be necessary because the children of Israel are under covenant relationship with God as no other race or nation of people have ever been.
No one can doubt but what God has a controversy with the children of Israel because of their unbelief and their disobedience.
That Israel is hastening on to a time of impending judgment is confirmed in Jeremiah 30:7, where it says,
“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble but he shall be saved out of it.”
There is much that could be said concerning the impending judgment at God upon Israel, but space will not allow it in our present discussion. The Judgment of Fallen Angels We next mention very briefly this judgment of fallen angels.
That special judgment will be meted out to fallen angels, is confirmed in 2 Peter 2:4, where it says,
“For God spared not the angels that sinned but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.”
Also in Jude 1:6, it says:
“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”
Therefore, the judgment of the fallen angels is just as sure as the judgment of fallen men and women. Judgment in either case will be the result and consequence of sin. The Judgment of the Wicked Dead
We now come to the last of the seven aspects of judgment; namely, to the judgment of the wicked dead, which is the subject and burden of our lesson text in Revelation 20:11-15.
In Revelation 20:11 it says,
“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.”
There is no question but what the throne will be set for the judgment of the wicked dead. It is a fearful scene for us to meditate upon, because the judgment of this throne is final, for all those who will be judged at that time.
Before this judgment can take place, however, a resurrection of the unrighteous dead must occur, for in Revelation 20:12, it says,
“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.”
Please remember that the righteous dead will have been raised one thousand years before this judgment occurs. We learned this in our recent study of the first resurrection. The Dead Will Be Resurrected
It is a scriptural fact, however, that the wicked dead will also be resurrected to a resurrection of damnation and that is the event which we have set before us in our lesson text, even the wicked dead will be raised and brought before the judgment of the great white throne, at which time we are told the books will be opened.
From that book men will be judged upon a basis of their works. It is reasonable to believe this, because many people today, instead of trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, are trusting in their good works to save them. Having rejected the blood of Christ, and having trampled the mercy of God under their feet and having died in their sins, how terrible it will be when these people are raised from the dead and are judged according to their works.
Then it will be discovered by each and every one of them that salvation is not of works left any man should boast. Paul says, “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
They will discover this, but it will be too late, for the record of their lives will already have been written, and when they are brought before the judgment of the great white throne, they will merely be receiving the judgment written. Because their works will condemn them before God, they will then be rejected and cast into the lake of fire.
None of the Wicked Dead Will Escape That none of the wicked dead will escape this judgment is confirmed in Revelation 20:13, where it says,
“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.”
We must not fail to speak of the Book of life, which is mentioned in this same passage.
Since this is to be primarily a judgment of the wicked dead, there is only one reason I can see why the book of life should be opened, and that would be, to convince and to show every man who is judged that his name is not written there and that he, therefore, has no right to eternal life, along with those who have been saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 20:14 of our lesson text says, “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”
Without taking time to enlarge upon these words, they certainly indicate that the judgment of the great white throne is a final transaction, and that it will be the end of God’s work of judgment so far as man is concerned.
In Revelation 20:15 of our lesson text it says, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” An Interesting Quotation In his book on the Apocalypse, Seiss says,
“Yes, O man! O woman! whoever you may be, your biography is written. An unerring hand has recorded every item, with every secret thing.
“There is not an ill thought, a mean act, a scene of wrong in all your history, a dirty transaction, a filthiness of speech, or a base feeling that ever found entertainment in your heart, but is there described in bold hand, by its true name, and set down to your account, to be then brought forth for final settlement, if not clean blotted out through faith in Christ’s blood before this present life of yours is ended.
“And if no other books are to be thought of, the book of your own conscience, and the book of God’s remembrance, will then and there attest your every misdeed and ill-desert. Think, ye that fear not God, and make nothing of trampling His laws, how your case will stand when those books are opened!”
~ end of lecture 62 ~