Final Judgment

Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged 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 anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. ~Revelation 20:11-15

This passage is a particularly vivid description of the events on the coming Judgment Day. For many, this is a terrifying scene ... and rightfully so. Being cast into the lake of fire is surely not going to be pleasant. Look carefully at the description of the Judgment and the contrast that is outlined.

First, it says "books" (plural) were opened. Next a "book" (singular) is opened. We find the content of these books as the passage moves on. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books...the "books" contain the deeds of the individuals and are the basis of their judgment. ...and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire... the "book" is here further described as the "book of life" and it is made clear that this "book" contains names. The dead are judged based on their deeds, and if their name is not in the book of life, they are then cast into the lake of fire.

It's interesting that the text declares that everyone being judged is cast into hell, except for the individuals whose name is written in this "book of life." It's not on the basis of deeds that they are spared, but on the contrary, it's on the basis of deeds that they are damned. Whoever has their name written in the "book of life" is spared in spite of their damnable deeds.

Many attempt to paint the God of the Bible as some sort of monster ... but if He didn't have a "book of life" then all would be cast into the lake of fire on Judgment Day. It is only by God's grace that any are saved from this fate. But why only some? Well, Scripture declares God's desire.

The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. ~ 2 Peter 3:9

God doesn't want you to perish, that's why He made a way for forgiveness and why He has warned you in advance.

"I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." ~ Luke 13:3, 5

He has commanded you to repent.

Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent ~ Acts 17:30

The results of unrepentance are clear.

He who believes in Him [Jesus] is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God...He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. ~ John 3:18, 36

The Day of Judgment is rightfully a terrifying thing for any who have not repented and trusted Jesus for their salvation. The good news is:

...if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." ~ Romans 10:9-13

If you've never done this, it's not too late. If you refuse, understand that your sentence is already defined and the result will be your desire...not God's.

Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead. ~Acts 17:30-31

The war on Truth rages at this very moment. Moral relativism and Universalism are deadly lies spreading through our culture like a disease, poisoning the minds and hearts of men and women wherever it spreads. The word of God tells us that God is now declaring that all men and all people everywhere should repent because He has fixed a Day of Judgment that is coming. But if morals and truth are relative, and if all paths truly lead to God, then what need is there of repentance? If all paths are equally valid and my truth is not your truth, then where is there room for absolutes? What precisely is this "righteousness" which God will judge us in and who is the Man appointed to judge us? Can there be a judge if I make my own rules?

The Truth is that moral relativism and universalism cannot be true at the same time and in the same sense as the declaration of the Word of God. At least one (perhaps both) is wrong or a contradiction is true and this cannot be so. While one may make us feel better, our feelings are not a reliable arbiter of Truth. Sometimes, the truth is the thing that we would least like it to be (just ask someone whose spouse just cheated on them, or who lost a child to some terrible accident or disease).

So how can we decide what to believe? Is God really coming in righteousness to judge us or is whatever feels right to us the truth for us? Is there only one way to heaven or do all paths ultimately lead to "God"? Are we ultimately sinners who are worthy of eternal conscious torment in hell or are we all basically "good" and ultimately headed for heaven?

Scripture tells us that God has furnished proof to all men by raising Him [Jesus the Christ] from the dead. Fortunately, we do not need to grope about in the dark or merely hope that we guess correctly. Instead, God has furnished proof for us by raising Christ Jesus from the dead to validate His claims of deity. The resurrection was a historical event that has had a greater impact on our world than any other event. The resurrection and ensuing events are documented in history by both biblical and secular witnesses. God wanted us to know that our faith in Him and His word was well founded so He provided proof by doing the impossible: raising this Jesus on the third day after His crucifixion.

And what was the response to the apostle Paul when He proclaimed this truth? Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, "We shall hear you again concerning this" (Acts 17:32). Even when faced with such convincing evidence, some still merely sneer and refuse to repent and turn that they may be healed. While the news may seem grim that God is coming in righteousness to judge us, the good news is that what Christ was doing on the cross in the first place was paying the fine that we owe for breaking God's law so that His sinlessness (righteousness) could be credited to us through faith.

God has shown universalism false and proven there is only one way to Him.

And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. ~Acts 4:12

We are drowning in our own unrighteousness and God has thrown us a life preserver in Christ Jesus. Instead of flailing about and asking why He has only thrown one life preserver, we would be wise to reach out and take hold of the one He has sent to us.