God's courtroom

As I type this, the sentencing phase of the Letalvis Cobbins trial is talking place. If the system works as it should, he will receive the death penalty. Why? Because that is what he deserves for the crimes he has committed. They were heinous, barbaric, abominable, and not simply inhumane--but inhuman. And because of the inhumanity with which he and his accomplices acted toward Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom, they should all be removed from society and sentenced to death. (And before you say that the death penalty is "unbiblical" I would direct you to Romans 13:1-4).

Right now, his sister is pleading on his behalf, that he not be sentenced to death. She, along with the rest of his family, is pleading that the judge and jury spare his life. And they may succeed. They may play on the sympathies of the judge and the jury, or the judge and jury may be so soft-hearted that they will sentence Cobbins to life without parole. And as this unfolds, several thoughts come to mind.

First, is Letalvis Cobbins any worse than we are? Consider this for one moment. Letalvis Cobbins committed one of the most despicable murders in the history of Knoxville, or Tennessee, or the United States for that matter. But is that so very different from the ways we break God's laws? Without the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in those of us who know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior; without the Holy Spirit of God holding back the wicked hearts of evil men, there is not one person on the face of the earth--past, present, future--who has not been capable of doing everything Letalvis Cobbins did--and worse.

Second, as much as he deserves the death penalty for his crimes, are we any less deserving of eternal punishment for trampling over the laws of Almighty God? Which of us can say that we are "not as bad" as he is? We may not appear to ourselves or to other humans to be as bad. But who is the final decider on what and who is "good?" Which brings me to.........

Third. On the day when we stand before God to give an account, there will only be two possible scenarios for us:

1) We can stand there, alone, with no one to plead our cause. When the books are opened, and the charges read, we will not have an attorney. We will not have friends and family pleading with The Judge that we were a "good person." And even if our friends and family could stand there and plead for us, God will not see us as a "good person." Why? "No one is good but One, that is, God" (Mark 10:18). Our friends will do no good pleading our cause. Our family will do no good pleading our cause. Not even the Virgin Mary will do any good pleading our cause. Without the spotless Lamb of God, the Great Mediator (1st Timothy 2:5) and Advocate (1st John 2:1), then all the pleading on our behalf is useless. Because when God judges, He does not offer compassion. He does not offer mercy. If anything, when we stand there and beg for mercy, He will say, "I offered you mercy. I gave you My Son, and you wanted nothing of Him. Now, I want nothing of you."

And then what will they cry? "‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’" (Matthew 7:22). And they will cry, and they will weep, and they will gnash their teeth (Luke 13:28). All to no avail. For He will cast His fiery gaze at them and declare, for all to hear, "‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you worker of iniquity!’" (Matthew 7:23).

No mercy.
No compassion.
No retrial.

No appeal to a higher court. For there is no higher court than the one presided over by that Great and Perfect Judge, Almighty YHVH. And they will be cast into a Lake burning with fire and brimstone (Revelation 20:15), and their torment will be eternal, and the smoke of it will rise like incense to the heavens (Revelation 14:11), as a memorial to the perfect justice of a perfect and holy God. And His justice is perfect, because all men are judged by the same Law, by the same Judge, and with no respect of person (Romans 2:11; Romans 3:19-20; Deuteronomy 1:17; 2nd Samuel 14:14; 2nd Chronicles 19:7; Acts 10:34; Revelation 20:12).

So I ask you, my friend, who is pleading for you?
Mother?
Father?
Friend?
Priest?
Joseph Smith?
Your "good works?"

Unless it is the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord which is pleading to the Father on your behalf, be sure that you will receive nothing less than what you are due: eternal punishment for transgressing the eternal Law of an eternal God.

OR.........

2) As guilty and as heinous as the crimes committed by Cobbins et al, there is an even greater One who will plead for us to that eternal and Almighty God if we ask. The name of that advocate is Jesus Christ the Lord. If He is pleading for us, we can stand there, with our sins forgiven, having been paid for on the cross of Golgotha. Those who have acknowledged Christ Jesus as Savior AND LORD will have their debts wiped off the books. And when they stand before the Great and Almighty Judge of all, they can hear their final verdict read--"NOT GUILTY!!" 1st Timothy 2:5--For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. And that Mediator is seated at God's right hand, ever ready to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). And as many as He draws, and as many enter into Him for rest, and as many as He saves, He saves to the uttermost.

We will face consequences for our actions here on earth. But be assured, friend, that there is hope even for one like Letalvis Cobbins. And there is even hope for one like you.

The Reality of Hell--The Great White Throne Judgment (part 2)

We’re picking up where we left off last week. Revelation 20:11-15, the Great White Throne Judgment. This is where the lost, the wicked, will be judged one last time and be sent to their eternal destination. Every person who has ever lived who did not know Jesus Christ will none the less be judged by Him. Anyone who does not believe in Hell will still go there. This is what Jesus came to save us from. He did not come to give us some “Christ consciousness,” like what’s being preached in the church of Oprah. He came to save us from His judgment, because He is a judge who can not be bribed, cannot be fooled. His judgment is perfect.

Revelation 20:11-15—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. We’ll pick up where left off last week, verse 12.

…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. Books were opened. These are the books of people’s works. Every good thing and every bad thing they have ever done in their life. Make no mistake, there are people who do “good things” and yet they do not know Christ. There are people who take in foster kids and give money to charities and what not. Some would say, “There’s a special place in Heaven for that person.” Not if they don’t know Christ. Because at the heart of the gospel is the fact that man is a sinner. We are born with the stain of sin, and there is no amount of “good deeds” we can do to erase that. So all these “good people”—if there was such a thing, and there isn't—who did their “good deeds” and yet did not accept Christ as their Savior will be at this Great White Throne. And all those who stand there will have their entire lives laid out for them, and they were not, in fact, “good people.” Jesus said, “There is only one who is good and that is God” (Mark 10:18).

Those who never accepted Christ as their Savior, or those who claimed to be saved but never turned away from their sins—will stand before the Great White Throne, every evil deed they did, every evil word they spoke, every evil thought they ever thought will be brought against them. Matthew 12:36-37—“36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the Day of Judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Luke 12:2-3—2 "For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. 3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops." Hebrews 4:13—And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. Are there things in your past you're ashamed of? If you have been saved by the grace of God and the blood of Christ Jesus, God will never remember those things. But for those who do not know Christ, it will be a whole different story. Every time these people were alone, in the dark, committing their sinful acts, thinking no one would find out—every one of the acts will be broadcast on a screen that will make the JumoTron® at Neyland Stadium look like a pocket watch. You can only imagine what it’s going to be like. Every single charge against these people will be read. 7,000 counts of lying. 10,000 counts of murder by hatred. 5,000 counts of adultery by lust. And on and on and on. But you want to know the perfect justice of God? If a person stood before that Great White Throne with only one charge on their account, they would be worthy of eternal damnation. Make no mistake—there will be many “good people” in Hell.

And this is not like any human courtroom. There will be no lawyers. Scratch that. Their will be plenty of lawyers there. But they won’t be arguing any cases. There will be no “plaintiff” and “defendant.” Their will be no “motion to dismiss.” There will be none of the fancy technicalities and maneuvers that lawyers in our world like to use. There will be no appeals. There will be no overturning the verdict. There will be no “higher court” because there is no higher court than the throne of God. People like to say, “Well, when I stand there I'll make my case, and He'll just have to hear me!” No. Not at all. They will be picked up and flung into the Lake of Fire with no second thought, no hesitation, no mercy, no leniency. There will only be the perfect justice of God—and all those in Heaven will clap their hands and rejoice because God’s perfect justice will be done.

One question many people like to ask is “Well, what about people who never hear the gospel?” They will stand before this same Judgment. But, look at what it says. And the dead were judged according to their works… That little phrase according to means “in proportion to.” These people are receiving a due portion for the things they did in this life, based chiefly on the amount of truth they received. I truly believe from everything I've read that those who never hear the gospel will be judged less harshly than those who hear the truth and reject it. And I want to park on this subject for a moment.

The clearest passage on this is Romans 2:12-16—12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law 13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; 14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

Let's break down this passage. 12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law—those who died not knowing the commandments of God, never hearing the gospel will be judged even though they never heard. ...and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law—those who do know the gospel and reject it will be judged by that Law. 13 (for [it is] not the hearers of the law [that] are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; and watch this—14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves—in other words, even though there are people who never hear the Law of God, they do have a sense of right and wrong, though it is diminished somewhat. They don’t know that the Law of God says “thou shalt not kill,” but they do know it’s not right, and that little spark of “goodness” carries the same weight as the whole Old Testament Law, 15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) their conscience tells them, “Hey, this isn't right.” But they do not acknowledge that the law against it comes from God. 16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. What all this means is at this Great White Throne, Jesus will judge and condemn sinners to that level of Hell their works make them worthy of. Those who do not hear the gospel will be judged less harshly. Those who do hear it and reject it will be judged more harshly.

Verse 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. Remember the rich man we talked about a couple weeks ago? Him. He is still in Hades. He is still in torment. Sodom and Gomorrah. They are still in Hades. Herod, the king who wanted Jesus dead. Still there. All those who are alive at the end of all things will be brought before the throne. Those who died in the depths of the sea. Those who are in their graves. Will be reunited with their souls. And if someone has been cremated, then they will get a new body just for this judgment.

John 5:28-29—28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. Look at that. They will ALL come forth. They may not want to. But they will come. Philippians 2:10-11—10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. EVERY KNEE will bow. EVERY TONGUE will confess. THIS IS FINAL! I wish we had a word in the English language that could convey the sense of finality. See, in this life, things end, but life goes on. Once this judgment is complete, that's it. That is it. After all of these stand before the throne, after their sentence is read, after the docket is cleared, after all of this, all the books are closed. The final judgment of God has been rendered. The courtroom is adjourned, and the judge calls for an eternal recess.

Then, to get rid of the last reminder that these people even exist. To do away with the last vestige of all rebellion against God and to purge it from the sight of God, Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. The Lake of Fire is the place Jesus referred to as Gehenna, from the Hebrew Ge-Hinnom, or “Valley of Hinnom.” The Valley of Hinnom was an area outside of Jerusalem that was, basically, a garbage dump. It was where all the people took their garbage and just dumped it in a pile. But that wasn’t the worst part of it. In the Valley of Hinnom pagans would sacrifice their children—they would offer their children to the pagan god named Moloch or Molech—they would burn their still-living children and throw the dead bodies on the pile like so much garbage. Today we have abortion clinics. Same difference.

2nd Chronicles 28:1-3 speaks of one of the more wicked kings in Israel, a man named Ahaz. This guy made Saddam Hussein look like a Boy Scout. 1 Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king… and he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD…For he…burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. He burned his children to worship this pagan god. We suck them out of the womb. Think God ain't ready to judge this nation?

There is an eternal Gehenna for those who die without Christ. Just to give you an idea of what Gehenna was like. Back home I used to live next to a field that was owned by a local farmer. And one year he had the bright idea to plant cabbage. It was OK during growing season. But they harvested. As the months went by, those cabbage plants started decomposing. I think you get the idea. How about the smell of the rotting corpse of some critter? A raccoon or a deer? Have you ever put some raw chicken in the garbage, and left it for a couple days? Now, multiply that by a humongous number. Also, any criminals that were put to death in Jerusalem—where did their body go? You can imagine what rotting corpses smell like. Especially in the heat of a Middle Eastern desert. You didn’t have to get very close to smell it. So in order to keep the pile under control—and to get rid of some of the stench—there would always be someone there to set the pile on fire. So it was always burning.

The word Gehenna is used 12 times by Jesus Christ in the gospels. In Matthew 5 and 18, Jesus tells us that it is better to go into Heaven lame, or blind, or maimed, than to be cast whole into Gehenna. Matthew 10 and Luke 12, He says “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” And of course, with garbage you get flies. In Mark 9, He adds, “Where their worm dieth not and their fire is not quenched.” Worm is probably better translated “maggot.” So after these people have spent thousands of years in conscious, physical and mental torment and fire in Hades. Then one day they will stand before Christ and be judged and cast into this place of rotting flesh and fire and worms. Have you ever been in a situation that seemed hopeless? No you haven’t. This is hopelessness.

Look back at the first part of this passage in Revelation 20:11—Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. These people have nowhere to go except before this throne. And it doesn’t say so specifically, but there are probably going to be angels there keeping everybody in line. Not that there will be a big rush to get to the front. But I dare say that nearly everyone there will be trying to escape to somewhere. And they will standing there knowing their turn is coming. And they will more than likely be wishing they could be back in Hades. But what’s going to happen to Hades? Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. They won’t even be able to get relief in Hades, because it’s going to be destroyed!

Finally, verse 15. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Albert Barnes put it this way: “All persons, of all ranks, ages, and conditions. No word could be more comprehensive than this. The [only thing that] would save any from being cast into the lake of fire, is that they are “found written in the book of life.” [Anyone who is not found in the Book of Life, whether] princes, kings, nobles, philosophers, statesmen, conquerors; rich men and poor men; the bond and the free; the young and the aged; the frivolous, the vain, the proud and the sober; the modest, the humble will be doomed to the lake of fire.” Anyone not found in the Book of Life.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 25 that He will separate the sheep from the goats. Matthew 25:32-33, 41, 46—31 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left…41 Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." He says in other places that “There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” This will not be a party by any stretch of the imagination. There are people who think it’ll be cool because all their friends will be there. Well, they got part of it right. Their friends will be there.

I don’t know exactly what these levels will look like or how they will be divided. But I think it is clear from Scripture that some will be judged less harshly than others. And that there will be some who will suffer at a level that we would not even want to imagine. Who do you think will suffer the worst? I believe—and I ain't gonna take a bullet for this—but I do believe that the lowest, hottest, most painful places of Gehenna will be reserved for those who pervert the gospel—who made people think they were pleasing God when they were actually blaspheming Him. Joseph Smith. Charles Taze Russell. The “prophet” Mohammed. Galatians 1:8--even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be ACCURSED. "May that person be damned by God." And also I believe there will be a place for those who pervert and twist the Word of God. And I say based on Scripture. Psalm 138:2—You have exalted Your word even above Your Name. Think of how holy the NAME of YHVH is. The third commandment. "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD your God in vain." He considers His word as being even higher and more worthy of reverence and respect and awe than even His name. And when Satan invents a false religion, what is the first thing he attacks? "Hath God indeed said?"

The Great White Throne is where God’s perfect justice is rendered. The Lake of Fire is where all traces of sin and evil are destroyed with an everlasting destruction. It was prepared by God for Satan and those who follow him. And many people don’t even know they're headed there. A place of eternal torment that is just as real as this building we’re in. A place that Jesus came to rescue us from. Are you rescued?

The Reality of Hell--The Great White Throne Judgment (part 1)

Today we are going to begin a two-week look at the Final Judgment. This will be the judgment of sinners, those who died without submitting to Christ, without confessing Him as their Lord and Savior. These will be cast into the Lake of Fire—Jesus calls it “Gehenna”—and will suffer there for all eternity. We’ve been looking at Hades the last couple weeks—that temporary place where the wicked go to await their final judgment. Before we begin, though, I’d like to clear up a couple of misconceptions the world has about Hell. Satan is not in charge of Hell. In fact, Satan is not even IN Hell right now. A lot of people don’t realize that. Satan is just as free to walk upon the earth as you and me. And he does. Isaiah 14 says He was cast out of Heaven. But when he was cast out of Heaven, he was NOT cast into Hell—yet. Because we see in Job 1, that Satan is just roaming all over the place.

Another question. Who will be the first two beings that will be cast into the Lake of Fire? The Beast of Revelation—the AntiChrist. And his false prophet. Revelation 19:19-21—19 And I saw the beast—the antichrist—and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse—who’s that? Christ—and against His army. The final battle. You’ve heard of “Armageddon.” This is it. And another shot I’ve got to take at movies—no human being is going to kill the AntiChrist. He will be defeated by our Lord Jesus Christ at this battle of Armageddon and thrown into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. In fact, in the very next verse it says Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. Let me make this abundantly clear right here right now—I do not know who the AntiChrist will be or the mark of the beast. To be perfectly honest—it won’t matter to us because we won’t be here.

Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet…These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. Christ will ride into the Valley of Megiddo—Har Megiddo—on a white horse. The beast, the false prophet, and all their armies will be ready to make war against Him. The beast and the false prophet will be caught, they will be taken to the Lake of Fire—wherever it is, that’s another thing I will never lay claim to knowing—and they will be thrown in. They will not go to Hades, they will not die a physical death, they will not pass “Go,” they will not collect $200. They will go directly to eternal jail. 21 And the rest—those who worshipped the beast and took his mark—And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse.

I don’t have an exhaustive knowledge of the exact order that things will occur. But here’s a thumbnail. First, the rapture, in 1st Thessalonians 4:16-18, when Christ descends with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise…then we who are alive and remain will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then will come the 7-year tribulation, with all of its judgments and plagues, the Beast and False Prophet. After the tribulation comes Armageddon when the Beast and False Prophet are cast into Gehenna (Revelation 19). Satan will then be cast into a bottomless pit (Revelation 20:1-3) which will be covered with a stone and sealed with the seal of God—this is not the Lake of Fire, or Hades, but a bottomless pit—and Christ will return and set up His 1000-year reign on earth (Revelation 20:4-6). After the 1000 years, Satan will be loosed for a while, he will make one final rebellion, then he will join the Beast and False Prophet in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:7-10).

So, what’s next? There will be two great resurrections with their judgments. First, the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is for believers only. And it has nothing to do with judging us for salvation. If we are standing before the Judgment Seat of Christ, it means we were saved. This is about handing out rewards to those who have kept the faith, those who were saved by their faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior. All the saints will receive the reward for our works done on earth for the glory of God and His Christ. 2nd Corinthians 5:9-10—9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. “Good or bad” does not refer to morality or sinfulness. “Good” means those works that glorified God. “Bad” means those works that we did looking for the approval of men for our own glory. Matthew 6, Jesus tells us that if we do good deeds to be seen by men—that’s our reward.

1st Corinthians 3:11-15—11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. Notice what it says at the end of verse 13. Does it say WE will be tested by fire? No. It says that it is our works that will be tested by fire. Those things we did that brought honor and delight to God will be like gold, silver and precious stones—they will survive, and the fire they go through will make them even brighter. But those things we did that were done out of pride and selfishness will be like wood, hay and straw and they will be burned. This is the first resurrection, the first judgment, the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Then after this, we get to our subject today, which is the Great White Throne Judgment. And this is the resurrection to death of the lost. The resurrection to death. Jesus tells us in John 5:28-29—“28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” Revelation 20:6—Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
Before we go any farther, I need to point something out here real quick. And I know it may seem like we’re going around the block to make a left-hand turn, but bear with me. When we read the Bible, the same rules of grammar apply to the Bible that apply to anything else we read. If we are talking about 2 people, we need to use pronouns like “they” and “them.” But watch this: The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him… If Christ and God are separate from each other—if Christ is a created being like the Jehovah's Witnesses teach, then shouldn’t this read they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with THEM.

The subject of the deity—or “Godness” of Christ is a subject I will drive home every chance I get. It is a doctrine that is under attack in this country like never before—even in many so-called “churches.” And it is the most important doctrine we have. If we are wrong about who Christ is, then nothing else you believe, no matter how spotless and flawless the rest of your theology is—if you do not believe in the true Christ, nothing else you believe matters. And yes, it is possible to believe in another Jesus. 2nd Corinthians 11:4—4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached…you may well put up with it! Galatians 1:8—But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. That word “accursed” means “damned.” Paul is saying that if anyone preaches a gospel that contradicts the one he has preached--even if it is him preaching this other gospel, or any other person, or even an angel (perhaps an angel named, oh, I don't know, Moroni, maybe?)--then may God send that person to eternal damnation.

What is this second death? Our text today, Revelation 20:11-15—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.

This is the final judgment. The Great White Throne Judgment. Those who take part in this judgment are condemned to the Lake of Fire forever. A lot of churches don’t like to talk about this. Makes people feel uncomfortable. It might offend them. But if we do not teach about Hell, then we cannot say that we teach the justice of God. This is where His justice is made perfect. This is where the lost, the unbelievers will stand and be judged for their works. We who know Christ as our Savior and Lord will not face this judgment. These people will stand before the Great White Throne and be judged by their works. And their works will judge them. If we are saved, how many of our sins will we take with us to the Judgment Seat of Christ? None! They're gone! They were done away with at the cross. At the cross! At the cross! Where I first saw the light/and the burdens of my heart rolled away/It was there by faith I received my sight/and now I am happy all the day! Psalm 103:12—As far as the East is from the West… Romans 4:8—Blessed is the man whose sins God will not remember. If we are saved, God has put our sins on Christ, and has given us Christ’s righteousness. But those who are not saved....

Verse 11. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it… Who is it that sits on the throne? This will be God the Son. Jesus Christ. He will judge all those who never knew Him. Some will try and tell you that it is the Father who is on the throne. No. You have to do some pretty wild mental gymnastics to believe that. Listen to these words of Christ, concerning His judgment of the world. Matthew 25:31-46—31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:…41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels…46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’” The Son of Man, the Son of God will do all the judging. He will separate the saints from the sinners. And no matter what Billy Joel thinks, is he’s with the sinners—he won’t be laughing.

Besides, Jesus tells us that without Him, no one will see the Father. John 14:6—“I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.” The only ones who will ever see the Father will be those who are saved! And because Jesus is doing the judging, He receives the same honor and glory as the Father. John 5:21-23—21 “For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” Now I want you to notice something here. I know this may sound like beating a dead horse or preaching to the choir. But this is another passage that illustrates the Trinity. Look at verse 23. “…all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.” Does God share His glory with angels? Who does God share His glory with? Isaiah 42:8—“I am YHVH, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to carved images.” Jehovah's Witnesses will tell you that Jesus was simply an angel. The honor that is due only to Him—Is God going to give it to an angel? A created being? Another example of the Tri-Unity of God. The saints will be judged to see what rewards we get. The lost will be judged to see what part of Hell they will go to. We’ll look at that later on. But who will be judging? Christ.

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. I don’t know exactly what this scene will look like, but if you think you have ever been in a hopeless situation, think again. There will be billions of people who will be standing there, before the throne of God. And everything they ever knew everything they thought they could trust will vanish away. …the earth and the heaven fled away. Ran as quickly as they could to get away, because they knew what was coming. Don’t believe me? Romans 8:21-22—21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Even all of creation is waiting for this day when it will be rid of sin and corruption. These people will be surrounded by nothingness all around them. There will be no place for them to go.

Think about that. This is the FINAL JUDGMENT. The rich man we looked at the last couple weeks. Guess what? He’s still in Hades. And he will be until this final day. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Goliath. All those who died in the Great Flood. The Pharisees. The Sanhedrin who sent Christ to His death. The soldiers who drove the nails. Many people we’ve known. People we went to school with, worked with. They will stand before the throne of God the Son. Earth and heaven will run away from them as fast as they possibly can. They will not want anything to do with them. There will be no place for these people to go but to their judgment. They will stand before Him with nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. They will know their judgment is soon. They will have no choice but to appear before His throne and throw themselves at His mercy. He will have no mercy on them. They will be judged.

And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God… There are a lot of people who think that just because they're not as bad as Adolf Hitler or the guys that blew up the World Trade Center that they're in pretty good shape and they’ll slide on into Heaven. Muslims believe that they are judged “worthy” or “unworthy” by their works. That if their “good works” are more than their “bad works” they will go on into their “Paradise.” Mormons believe they are saved by grace “after all that we can do.” The Roman Catholic Church teaches that we are saved by grace and works. All these, and every other belief system on the face of the earth teaches that we can be good enough in God’s eyes—or the eyes of whatever it is they worship. There is no amount of “good works” we can do to make ourselves “good enough.” Because we can never be “good enough.” Jesus said in Mark 10:18, “…No one is good but One, that is, God.” What John is writing here when he says he dead, small and great, is that no matter whether someone was a Hitler or a Jim Jones or David Koresh. Whether they were a murderer, or adulterer, or if they simply did not confess Christ as Lord and Savior and they lived their ordinary lives without ever receiving forgiveness for their sins—they will all stand before the throne of Christ and be damned.

The dead, whether they died 3000 years before Christ, or whether they died 3000 years after Christ. Whether they were kings or princes, whether they were rich or poor, whether they were American, Asian, African, Indian. Young, old, tall, short, rich, poor. There will even be many who will stand before that throne to be judged and damned who spent their entire life in church. Or they taught Sunday School. There will be preachers, there will be choir members, there will be pastors. There will be many “good people” standing before the Great White Throne. Why? Because their names were not in the Book of Life. And only those whose names are written in the Book of Life will see the eternal kingdom of God and the New Jerusalem that comes down out of the sky. We’ll pick up here next week, and learn some more about the place Jesus referred to as Gehenna. The Lake of Fire. The final destination of those who do not know Christ.