The Decision is Yours: Facing the Day of Judgement
Revelation 20:11-15
In Revelation 20, God gave the Apostle John a vision of the last judgement.
Who Will Be the Judge?
It may surprise you to know that Jesus Christ will be the Judge (see John 5:22). The Bible describes Jesus as a Lamb, but also as a Lion. You will meet Him as one or the other—as Savior, or as Judge.
“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).
Who Will Be Judged at the Final Judgement?
“I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened….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” (Revelation 20:12a,13).
There will be five categories of people facing judgement:
1. The Sinners
Those who hate God, hate Christ, hate the Bible, hate preachers, etc. They brazenly shake their puny fists at God, and say, “I will not bow.”
2. The Self-Righteous
They think the Gospel is for thieves, murderers, and drunkards, but not for them. They are nice people! These people strut to Hell, thinking they are too good to be damned (see Isaiah 64:6).
3. The Procrastinators
They know they need to be saved, and they intend to be…someday. But the Bible says, “You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away” (James 4:14).
4. “Church Members”
They joined a church, got baptized, etc.; they somehow have religion, but they do not have Christ. They have never repented of their sin and put their faith in Him. The devil would as soon send you to Hell from a pew as from a gutter.
5. Those Who Have Never Heard the Gospel
They do not know the good news about Christ—but they do have sin to condemn them.
“That servant who knew his master’s will and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few” (Luke 12:47-48a).
But you have heard the Word of God. Therefore, if you refused Christ, you would be the one who knew your Master’s will and did not do it.
What Will Happen at the Final Judgement?
What will happen to the unsaved in the final judgement?
The books are opened. What is the evidence?
Your deeds. Every lie, curse, and infidelity.
Your thoughts. You lusted; God wrote down adultery. You hated; God wrote down murder. (Read Matthew 5:21-22,27-28.)
Your influence. Whom did you influence to do wrong?
Your failure to do good. (See James 4:17.)
“Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14-15).
If you want mercy, grace, and forgiveness, you may have them! But you must have them now.
What will happen to Christians in the final judgement?
If you are a Christian, you will not stand before the great white throne. Why? Because your case was settled out of court. Christ has your heart, and on the cross, Jesus Christ took your sin and your judgement. Thank God—“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1a)! The fire of God’s judgement cannot come where it has already been.To read more on this topic, click here.
