There is a great white throne portrayed in the Book of Revelation. It is described in brief, yet quite precise, and in graphic terms. This is a real place and, eventually, every human being will stand before that throne and give a detailed account of their lives – both Christians and non-Christians – and face the judgement of the Lord.
Revelation 20:11-12a (NLT)
[John] “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.”
No person, living or dead, will avoid standing before the throne to answer to Him who sits on the it. All of us will give an account of our lives …
Hebrews 9:27 (NIV) “… people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, …”
All of us.
The issue then becomes, whether or not we will survive that judgement. Some will, some won’t. Some Christians will, some who think they are Christians will not - according to Jesus. No rejecter of Jesus will survive this judgement. John, the apostle, who is looking directly at that scene in a frightening vision is able to see that books were opened …
Revelation 20:12b-13 (NIV)
“… and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.”
In other words, everyone has a book … specifically about them. The record of their life. Their whole life. The Psalmist hints of this …
Psalms 139:16 (NLT) “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”
God has written a book about you. His purpose and plan for each person has been mapped out in advance. It is so important to know your book! Most do not. They wing it through life, or take a wild stab at it. But, at the great white throne, the judgement seat of God, these books are opened and read out. Everyone will be found to have not succeeded in living the life God had mapped out for them. Not one. Some may come close, perhaps. Others may have given it a good shake. Some won’t have bothered at all. But all will have fallen short … because of sin. We are all born into the sin condition, the rule of sin. We are all under sin’s curse and, as a result, will never be able to fulfill all that God has written in our individual life books. And we all know that, don’t we?
After these books are opened in readiness for each person’s judgement. John sees another book opened…
Revelation 20:12b-13 (NIV)
“Another book was opened, which is the book of life.”
This book is called the “Lamb’s Book of Life” elsewhere in the Book of Revelation (13:8 & 21:7). This book is owned by Jesus Christ, the Lord. So, books are opened – our books – and we will give an account for how we have lived. This is not the judgement, but the accounting, or reckoning. No one will have fulfilled what God has purposed for them. He knows this, of course. Which is why He sent Jesus into the world to fulfill what we could not. By His atoning death – His shed blood on the cross – our sins have been expiated, paid in full. His death also brought propitiation – which means that the wrath of God has been turned away from us. God’s wrath was poured out on Jesus who took our sins on His own body. He was our righteous substitute “lamb”. Our sins and the effect of sin were transferred to Him, crucified with Him. Even so, this did not mean that our individual life stories, mapped out by God, would ever be fulfilled. Not completely. We were still behind the eight ball. And so, one more thing was done through the death of Jesus. Our names, the name of every believer who has trusted in Christ and accepted the forgiveness of God because of Christ’s atonement, was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. At the great white throne, our books will be opened for all to see, and the result of God’s judgement for the way we have lived will be death – with ONE exception.
Revelation 21:27 (NIV)
Nothing impure will ever enter it [heaven], nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.”
If your name is not in this book, you are doomed to everlasting torment …
Revelation 20:15 (NIV
)“Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”
It doesn’t get more serious than this. It doesn’t. Yet, we can find ourselves falling into complacency with our discipleship journey. We lose focus. We lose urgency. Eternity seems so far away right now. It isn’t. It’s a heartbeat away. The distractions of this world so consume us that we rarely live each day with proper eternity focus, and what is left of our mapped-out stories seem to not interest us. We have so many other priorities. But our stories should be a major priority, because they now include an eternal redemption factor, and because, although they will still be judged and found wanting, we at least should want to live the rest of our redeemed lives honouring Jesus with all we have.
Our redemption, and what that means when we stand before the great white throne, should create in us an urgent gratitude that compels us to share our redemption story with others whose names are not yet written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. But if we lack the urgency to live as worthily of our salvation as we can, and honour our books as faithfully as we can, then we’ll never be concerned at any non-believer’s fate before the great white throne. Yet, this is the crucial way we give witness to the great commission – Matthew 28:18-20.
The apostle Paul summaries all this to the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 5:11 (NIV) “Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others.”
And there it is. The number one reason believers are disinterested in knowing and faithfully living out the book God has written for them, is that they have lost the fear of the Lord. His perspective and righteous intention for their redeemed lives is not valued, it is not a priority. But the great white throne is a coming reality that says otherwise, and that we should be ready, that we should regain a fear of the Lord that becomes so much a part of us that we become concerned for others whose names are not yet written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
1 John 4:17 (NLT)
“And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.”
Think on these things … please.
Ps Milton