Today’s episode concludes the sixth basic principle of Christianity spelled out in Hebrews 6:1-3, Eternal Judgment. Keep in mind that we will only able to give a brief overview covering a subject that many have spent their entire lives understanding and explaining.
There are two significant judgments that every Christian should be aware of, the Bema Judgment and the White Throne Judgment. In the last episode, I briefly covered the Bema Judgment. The Bema Judgement is the Judgment that all Believers in Jesus Christ will experience. Show More
It will not be a judgment for salvation, but a judgment of the Believer’s works done on earth. Good and bad. Salvation was accomplished when you, by faith, put your trust in Jesus Christ and what He accomplished on the Cross of Calvary for you. While you can be secure in your salvation the Bema judgment is for rewards that can be gained or lost.
The White Throne Judgment mentioned in particular in Rev 20:11-15, is a judgment for those who have denied or rejected Jesus Christ.
In John 3:16 God the Father states His love for mankind, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”.
Verse 17 shows that God does not condemn the world, but instead proves His love by sending Jesus for mankind. Verse 17 states, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved”.
In verse 18 God makes it clear that a person condemns himself when they refuse to believe in Jesus the Son whom the Father has sent. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”.
Jesus is the expression of God’s love and to reject Him is to reject the love of God and condemn oneself to eternal separation from God, or Hell.
In Matt 25:31-46 illustrates that God will separate those who belong to Him from those who don’t. He likens it is separating the sheep from the goats. The sheep or believers on His right hand, and the goats or non-believers on His left. Each group is identified by how they lived their lives in Christ. The righteous believers live their lives motivated by the love of God demonstrated by service to those whom God loves, mankind. The unrighteous live their lives for themselves, not ever seeing or caring to demonstrate God’s love to the needs all around them.
That is why God says in Matt 25: 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”. This is the White Throne Judgment.
The scriptures that speak directly to the White Throne Judgment are found in Rev 20:11-15. This period of time represents the end of time and human existence. The entire world is judged. Those who are saved have already been found innocent and righteous and are not subject to this terrifying moment. These are the ones whose names are written in the “Lambs Book of Life”.
One can only imagine the horror of those lost souls who rejected God and, at that moment, realize the catastrophic mistake they have made. But it will be too late!
Rev 20:13 says, “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”.
Just as a side note the lake of fire is where the Devil, the beast, and the false prophet are: Rev 20:10 says, “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever”.
The lake of fire is not for those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. The second death is for those who have not been Born-again. Those who have not been born-again spiritually will experience death twice. Once a physical death, then a total separation from God into total darkness, the second death.
That is why it is so important to share the Gospel the, good news, with as many as possible. We are the representatives of Jesus to a lost and dying world, hoping to “snatch” as many as possible from the jaws of hell to populate Heaven. Where only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will enter (Rev 21:27).
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