The Final Judgment

 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 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."  (Revelation 20:11-15)
  This portion of Scripture is a sobering one indeed!! Here we see the final judgment upon all unbelievers (unsaved) and what they receive from the Judge himself. The Judge is Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul speaks of "Jesus Christ who is to judge the living and the dead" ( 2 Timothy 4:1).
  The unbelievers (all who have not trusted in Christ for salvation) will have every deed done in their life on earth judged by Christ. Every wrong deed done will be remembered and taken account of in the punishment meted out on that day, because "on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter" (Matthew 12:36). Every word spoken, every deed done will be brought  to light and receive judgment: "For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:14).
  We must realize that God is the one who "judges each one impartially according to their deeds" ( 1 Peter 1:17), and "God shows no partiality" (Romans 2:11).  For this reason, on the last day, "every mouth" will be stopped, and the whole world will be "held accountable to God" (Romans 3:19).
  The fact there will be a final judgment assures us that ultimately God's universe is fair, for God is in control, and he keeps accurate records and renders just judgment. When the picture of the final judgment mentions the fact that "books were opened" (Rev. 20:12), it reminds us that a permanent and accurate record of all our deeds has been kept by God, and ultimately all accounts will be settled and all will be made right.
  The Book of Life spoken of in verse 15 contains the names of all who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. The other books contained a detailed record of the works of the unsaved. No one who appears at this judgment is registered in the Book of Life. The deciding factor at this judgement is whether one's name is written in the Book of Life. 
   The question and concern should now become: "How do we escape this judgment and have our names written in the Book of Life?  God desires that no one has to face this judgment, it is written in 2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." Also "Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?"
  The answer to the above question is that we repent (turn away) from our evil ways and turn to Jesus Christ who has the power to forgive us freely of our sins and grant us eternal life. Jesus gives us this promise if we trust in Him: "He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels" (Revelation 3:5). So trust in Jesus today so "that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." Remember, every one of us stands guilty of breaking God's law (10 commandments) and will have to face His holiness. We cannot earn or merit our way into Heaven. It is only by grace through faith in Christ alone. No amount of church attendance, good deeds, etc. will help you escape. You must surrender and trust in the person and work of Christ alone on your behalf. Are you prepared?  Escape this final judgment while you have time!!       In Christ -Dustin