Why I Believe in the Need for the Great White Throne Judgment
The Great White Throne Judgment is a very scary topic. I was thinking of the reality of this trial. I was thinking about the time when I used to read Chick Tracts and one of the tracts was called "The Star". Although I no longer subscribe to Chick Publications - the tract itself had some good material. Now, it's time to consider the verses that talk about the Great White Throne Judgment!
Revelation 20:11-15
11 And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
This really scared me back when I was not yet saved and still a Roman Catholic. I wanted to become a Buddhist at some point because I got too sick of family hypocrisy. Thank God He found me and Jesus is way more wonderful than useless Buddhist chanting. So, the whole issue of Revelation 20:11-15 is really about? Is it about works salvation? Once again, think again because God's mercy is what's needed for salvation and not your individual effort. I don't offer an apology if you're offended by the truth you need to hear. The problem today is that we're deceived into thinking that God will certainly let us into Heaven with the way we live rather than His mercy that changes the way we live. It's one thing to do good works to try to win God. It's another thing to do good works because God has changed you and you're grateful for it.
J. Vernon McGee writes these powerful words which I'd say really shows the purpose of the Great White Throne Judgment:
Yes my friend, you will be able to get a fair trial there. Your life is on tape, and Christ happens to have the tape. When He plays it back, you will be able to listen to it, and it is not going to sound good to you, by any means. Are you willing to stand before GOd and have Him play the tape fo your life? I think He will have it on the television screen so that you can watch it, too. Do you think you can stand the test? I do not know about you, but I could not make it. Thank God for His grace - "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8)
Isn't it that most world religions today teach salvation by works? Buddhism teaches salvation by the eightfold path. Unfortunately, Christianity teaches that salvation by works must follow the tenfold path yet nobody can keep it. James 2:10-11 says you can't even work for your salvation. Do you know how high God's standard of holiness is? A hundred years of good works will be dismissed by one more moment of sin. A man may never cheat on his wife but the moment he lusts after another woman not his wife - he has broken God's high standard for adultery. A man may not even act on that sinful thought but at the moment he's resisting - he's already sinning in the process! Even the most faithful husband awardee here on Earth won't make it on judgment day without Christ. That's just how severely serious the holiness of God is.
You wanted a fair trial, right? Then every person who thinks their own works will save them is in for a very rude awakening. It's because they will find out that they have entered Hell and God didn't make a mistake. I think one reason why God gives no second chances in Hell is that people there are still unrepentant. Remember the story of the rich man and Lazarus? The rich man only showed regret but not repentance. I think a lot of lost people in Hell today are screaming, "God, you're unfair! You're making a mistake! I was a good person! I did this and that!" Some of these people may be philanthropists and active in charity work. Hell right now isn't only filled with the worst criminals who deserve it but also the kindest, nicest unbelievers who have died without Christ. That's why I question the validity of Roman Catholicism not especially after the Vatican II Council said anybody can make it with a good life. Peter in his epistles never said that.
Matthew 7:21-23 comes to my mind here. Some translations say the wonderful works are miracles. A miracle is a highly improbable or extraordinary event. Although I use this verse to shoot down any Antinomian with their false sense of security yet the same crowd also involves those in the salvation by works crowd. Wondrous works? Well, I don't think this is limited to just casting magic. Remember, the context here is about false prophets yet we can also tell a person's salvation is genuine or not by the fruits that are produced. False prophets are among the crowd. I believe that many people who are actively doing charity will be there. It's considered a miracle every time a billionaire is active in charity. It's not easy to give even a portion of one's hard-earned billions. We seldom use the word miracle with anything you don't expect. It doesn't have to be the lame walking again. Sometimes, we call it a miracle when somebody who used to be lazy is now working hard or when a bad student gets a high grade. I heard of Buddhist and Hindu charities going on. I heard of Roman Catholic charities. Unfortunately, all these as Isaiah 64:6 says are filthy rags. They may be involved in every charity work or living decent lives but no idolater can enter Heaven. Many religious today may teach you a lot of stuff in the Ten Commandments while breaking the first two commandments. You have them worshiping another god and breaking the rules concerning graven images. Believing all religions today worship the same God is an absurdity when you put in the light of God's Word!
This is where the acid test kicks in. It's amazing that centuries in Hell does nothing to lead them to repentance. Rather than repent, they are still adamant as ever. I think a lot of people will soon brag before God on the Great White Throne judgment. A false sense of security in Antinomianism is a sure road to Hellfire. What about people who lived their best they can? Surely, they will make it, right? Unfortunately, God has every sin recorded. A pagan may be living so well and honest life but when God plays the part that he or she was praying to idols - that's more than enough to damn the person to Hell. I could imagine a Hindu or Buddhist philanthropist will say, "But God, I gave a lot to charity!" However, God will say, "Depart from me you worker of lawlessness!" and point out to the philanthropist worshiping idols and rejecting the message of salvation. Others who think they are so righteous while living wickedly will be exposed together with the most moral but unsaved man as workers of wickedness. Maybe, the kind person didn't reject the Gospel of Christ rudely but even the most polite rejection of it is still abhorrent to God. That's how serious God's holiness is. I don't care if people have different religious beliefs. If they reject Christ then they are heading towards the Great White Throne judgment for a fair trial. I can respect them as persons but how can I respect the beliefs that are sending them to Hell?
I was thinking of Thomas Brooks' little short essay called "A Cooler Hell". The following lines will really ring true on Judgment Day:
Well, sirs, remember this—though the moral man is good for many things—yet he is not good enough to go to heaven! He who rises to no higher pitch than civility and morality—shall never have communion with God in glory. The most moral man in the world, may be both Christless and graceless.
Morality is not sufficient to keep a man out of eternal misery. All morality can do, is to help a man to one of the best rooms and easiest beds which hell affords! For, as the moral man's sins are not so great as others—so his punishments shall not be so great as others. This is all the comfort that can be given to a moral man—that he shall have a cooler hell than others have. But this is but cold comfort.
Why cold comfort for those who are moral but unsaved? It's because a cooler Hell will still have not one drop of water. It would really feel unfair if a pagan philanthropist will ask for a bucket of water and won't get any. Sure, he had certainly helped give drinking water to a lot of people but he never received the water of life, Jesus Christ! A cooler Hell will still have neither electric fan nor air conditioner for the less sinful people. A pagan philanthropist may have opened a world-class non-profit hospital with the best airconditioning system for the sick or offered his airconditioned hotel as a shelter for victims during the time of disaster. The sin he commits is that he becomes selfless in hopes of attaining salvation - that little pride is more than enough to damn his soul! However, that counts to nothing during the Great White Throne Judgment. That pagan philanthropist may be asking God for an air conditioner because he helped others by donating them for unfortunate people or gave one to his pagan temple for the comfort of others. However, for God, those donated air conditioners that the pagan philanthropist gave are but filthy rags before him. Sure, there is less punishment but it's still weeping and gnashing of teeth is present. It's better to be in the lowest Heaven than to be in the highest Hell! I think the trial is also meant to determine the degree of punishment they will endure for all eternity. I believe Satan and his demons will be at the deepest part of the Lake of Fire because they led the whole world astray. Meanwhile, some people won't get punishment as great as others but it's still very sad to think about that!
The saddest fact that when I reveal my Christianity - people tend to say, "Well, you believe in a bigoted religion. We heard your Gospel many times!" That's what's going to further damn these people even more than the obvious sins. Sure, the rapist and the murderer are obviously degenerate but even the most moral man needs salvation as much as they do. Jesus had offered forgiveness to repentant wanton people such as two adulteresses, a prostitute named Mary Magdalene, and a thief on the cross who eventually came to repentance. The Pharisees were the most moral people in Jesus' day were offended when they were told that they were sinners. Many people keep hearing the same salvation message over and over again. I even have relatives who died without Christ who had heard it over and over again before I got saved. That's the saddest part that they were warned but they never listened.
Meanwhile, I think of great comfort here. Jesus will wipe away the tears of the audience. I think believers will recognize their loved ones there. It's saddening especially if they had the failure to witness or when they witnessed but that person never listened. The worse part is in this day and age - Gospel preaching is becoming more and more aggressive in the midst of the Laodicean church age. There will be many who will be preached to but only a few ever respond. I think this is why I'm now more prone to have a reformed stand as a Baptist. Baptists weren't originally Protestants since they emerged during the Dark Ages before the Reformation. However, later Baptists embraced Reformed Theology thus the later batch is considered Protestant. I think I can now consider myself a Protestant if I go by the Reformed. However, we do still have moderate fundamentalists like David W. Cloud who embraces Calvinist Christians and non-KJV Only as family members in Christ.
How do I think life goes on for eternity after the Great White Throne Judgment. The late Robert C. Sproul Sr. was also asked that question. I was thinking about the answer he said, "You will be so sanctified that you will be able to see your own mother in hell and rejoice knowing that God’s perfect justice is being carried out." This is really something to think about that Christians today are still subject to their fallenness. They won't cry for long for loved ones in Heaven but they will cry missing loved ones in Hell. I still miss loved ones in Hell especially those who were part of my childhood. Yet, the big question is do I love them more, or is God's love greater than their love for me? I think about the dread of it daily yet there's the comfort that God's glorification will really be in full agreement with God. Right now, all Christians can do is witness to the lost and nothing more.
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