And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, 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. Each person was judged according to what he had done. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 12, 13b, 15, NIV 1984).
My Musings – Jesus Christ will judge these unsaved people based on the evidence and testimony that is recorded “in the books.” There are at least three books.
God’s Word (The Standard). “The Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day,” (John 12:48, NIV 1984). Every sinner will be held accountable for the truth he or she has heard (and rejected) in their life. One must remember, the Word declares that the truth has “been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse (Romans 1:20, NIV 1984).”
A Book of Works (How They Measured Up to the Standard). A book containing the works of the sinners being judged will likely also be there. This is not to suggest that a person can do good works that are sufficient to outweigh the bad works and so enter Heaven (Ephesians 2:8–9; Titus 3:5). Why, then, will Jesus Christ consider the good and bad works of the people who come before the Great White Throne? It is likely to determine the degree of punishment they will endure in Hell.
All lost people will be cast into Hell. Their personal rejection of Jesus Christ having sealed their fate. But Jesus is a righteous Judge. He will assign each sinner the place that he deserves. It appears that there will be degrees of punishment in Hell (Matthew 11:20–24), some that “will be more bearable” than others. Each lost sinner will receive just what is due him. No one will be able to argue with the Lord or question His decision. God knows what sinners have done (or left undone), and His books will reveal the undeniable truth.
The Lamb’s Book of Life (Did They Accept Christ’s Substitution?). This book, containing the names of God’s redeemed people, entitled to enter Heaven will be there (Philippians. 4:3; Revelation 13:8, 17:8 and 21:27). No unsaved person will have his or her name in the Book of Life. Only true believers are recorded there (Luke 10:20). If your name is not on the list, you will not get into Heaven. Rather you will be cast “into outer darkness.”
After the evidence and testimony, God’s verdict (which was never in doubt) will be handed down. The lost will not be given an opportunity to appeal their case. With the books opened and the facts revealed, they will stand speechless before Christ (Romans 3:19). God will not weigh the good against the bad for purposes of determining the final destiny of the lost. He will pronounce every lost sinner condemned. All those who share in the second resurrection must face the second death—eternity in Hell.
Following the Great White Throne Judgment, all the lost will be sentenced. They will be cast into Hell (the lake of fire) to join the anti-Christ, false prophet, Satan and his demons who are already there. This is the second death. Many people reject the Biblical doctrine of Hell as being unchristian and inconsistent with God’s character of love. Yet Jesus clearly taught its reality (Matthew 18:8; 23:15, 33; 25:46; Mark 9:46). A sentimental humanistic religion rejects the reality of this kind of judgment, but rather teaches that God is a god of love who welcomes everyone into Heaven and sends no one to Hell.
My Advice – If you knew what to do to avoid disastrous consequences, don’t you think it would be wise to do it? Pretending, or hoping, that it can otherwise be avoided makes no sense at all given that the solution is “clearly seen.” If you have not taken that step of faith, there is no better time than now to take it.
Resources:
Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 620–621). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
Wiersbe, W. W. (1992). Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (p. 855). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
The Brew Is A Musing 