And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. Revelation 20:11-12b
Throughout the week during our Bible study, we have been discussing the truth that each of us will stand before God one day and be judged. Followers of Christ will be judged and rewarded based on how they honored God with their lives. Those who chose not to place their faith in Christ and spent their lives pushing away God will spend eternity away from His presence. This truth should motivate us to share Christ with everyone around us and never to stop praying for those who are lost.
Revelation 20 describes the final judgment for those who refuse to place their faith in Christ and follow Him. In this chapter, John describes a vision he had of the future, in which everyone who has passed away will stand before God and give an account of their life. During this judgment, the Book of Life will be opened. According to John in this passage of Scripture, "anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire" (verse 15). The Book of Life is a record of all the people who have placed their faith in Christ. What we learn here in this passage of Scripture is that all who place their faith in Him will spend eternity with God, and those who reject Christ and do not place their faith in Christ will spend eternity apart from Him. That is the reality. Everyone on earth has an opportunity to accept or reject Christ, and they will be judged based on their answer.
Our time on this earth is short. It seems that with each passing day, time passes more quickly. We must make the most of our time, friends. We can either spend our lives focusing on things of this earth that will one day fade away, or we can spend our lives living for Christ and His kingdom that will last forever. Let’s make the most of our time, refusing to waste even a moment. Let’s reach out to those who are lost, destined for an eternity apart from Him. Today is all we are guaranteed. Will you commit to making Christ known all around you?
One way to reach out to the lost is by inviting them to attend church with you. Who in your life is in need of the hope of Christ? Reach out to them today and invite them to join you this weekend at one of our services. Your invitation could be the turning point that leads them to commit their lives to Christ.
1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. 2 He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. 3 The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while.
4 Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5 This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.) 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.
7 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. 9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them.
10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
11 And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave[b] gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. 14 Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
