Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Comment: In this short passage we have the ending of all judgements. How can this be done in such a short passage? It certainly doesn’t read as if God waves His hand over the whole sea of all the people of all ages and says I just give all of you a Presidential Pardon! There is one book, the Book of Life’ which if we have read our scriptures well has in it the names of all those who are going to enter into God’s Heaven. All those whose names are not written therein are eventually off to hell – no purgatory, no second chance! But before that book is opened the other books with a record of all of our lives and we are to be judged ‘according to what they/(we) had done‘. I think that this is a double judgement. Double because of both the things which we have done wrong and the things which we have done right. Fortunately if there has been true repentance (not merely sorrow) and true faith in God’s Provision of Grace in Christ we are forgiven. For the unrepentant the sins of mass killing and gossip are not of equal value. For the repentant have their lives been ones of obedience and service or of self indulgence. So many think that they don’t need to think about this sort of thing because the future is a long away off, but it’s not and it lasts a long time – the rest of eternity! So my thought for the day is wake up and face reality!
Prayer: Father I don’t want to judge Your Word but rather let it judge me!
As I read it! 