Thursday, December 12, 2024

Revelation 20:11-15 - The Book of Life and Lake of Fire

Revelation 20:11-15

The Great White Throne Judgment

11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. 

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 

13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 

15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.


After our adversary and the deceiver of all mankind is incarcerated with an eternal life sentence of torment in the lake of fire, we all will see the great white throne of the Lord God Almighty before us in the resurrection of the just and unjust (Daniel 12:2, Acts 24:15) with no heaven and earth around us to run to or distract us from seeing Him as is presently the case.  John was shown what will take place at that time as everyone will stand in judgment before God, whether great leaders or great spiritual men and women, or whether the lowly and poor of no distinction or repute in their life.  All who ever lived who ever lived will stand to answer before Him for their lives and response to the gospel and the Son of God.  We evidently each have a book that records all we have done and thought in a way far beyond the mythical Santa Clause, for only God our Maker knows our hearts and sees our deeds with their motives and desires.  John also observed that as our books of thoughts and deeds are opened, there will be the Lamb’s Book of Life opened alongside ours.  We will be judged by what works are recorded in our individual books of our lives and those not found written by God in the Book of Life will be sentenced to the Lake of Fire as promised (Matthew 25:41) for not being found in the righteousness (Romans 5:17, 21, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 3:9) of Jesus Christ.  This second death after our mortal coil is shed is for all who die outside of Christ, those not written in His Book before the foundation of the world.  The eternal life of those in Christ, those found in His Book of Life to be lived forever in the presence of God are there by predetermined grace as demonstrated by our repentance and faith to trust in the person and work of the Son of God to cover our sins and invite us in.  We are still accountable for our thoughts and deeds as found in our own books (1 Corinthians 3:12-13, 14-15), yet we have the certain hope of redemption in Jesus Christ for a pardon from sentencing to the eternal torment of all who die outside of faith in God’s work.  The Book of Life is God’s pardon by the grace of His choosing us to not be sentenced to the Lake of Fire which we all (Romans 3:23, 6:23) deserve.  May we who know Him then live acceptable lives in response after trusting in the Son of God who accepts us by His death on the cross of our sin’s curse! 

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