“For this they [scoffers] willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2 Peter 3:5-7.
Judgment Day, a day that everyone knows is coming, but precious few are preparing for. The average person thinks of it in terms of God weighing our good deeds against our bad, as on a scale.
Some conceive of a jolly senile old white bearded God on a throne before us on Judgment Day and as He looks us all over, a little tear comes to His eye and He says, “Oh, I just can’t stay mad at you. Come on everyone, let’s all go to heaven.”
Scenarios like this are not just trite but entirely unrealistic. The only way to find out what God is going to do is to hear what He says in the Bible. He says a lot; the main text we will be considering is Revelation 20:11-15.
But I would like you to read all of chapter twenty for context. At this point we find that the Satan, the beast and false prophet are already in the lake of fire.
“The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Revelation 20:10.
This would indicate that these three will not be present on judgment day. You will also notice that the Bible says of them that, “they will be tormented day and night forever and forever”, verse 10.
God does not mince words here. This is a simple statement of facts, men may not like them, but no amount of twisting or word play is going to change these events.
The best thing for anyone to do is acknowledge reality and follow the simple instructions as carefully as you would those on a bottle of potentially deadly medicine.
The instructions in John 3:16-18 are very clear and easily applied.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:16-18.
It is possible to know you are going to heaven right now and never again fear that you will have to stand with the condemned-on judgment day.
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.” Revelation 20:11.
This great white throne is known even by non-Christians. There is a cartoon of this scene showing God seated on the throne, you cannot see His face, but it is obvious who He is. Before Him stands a little naked man, making an obscene gesture at Him. The title of the cartoon is, “The ultimate defiance.”
You may be assured that this is not going to happen. God is the source of courage, so they will not have that. In fact, if it were possible, every one of these people would soil themselves out of sheer terror.
This is no exaggeration. We live our lives under the love of God and Scripture tells us that He is not happy with the death of the wicked.
In fact, He stretches out His hands continually to us, but men can reject Him so many times until the time allotted to them has expired.
“Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah Surely every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain [make an uproar for nothing]; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them.” Psalm 39:4-6.
“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12.
The unbeliever dies and then falls under the wrath of God. It is this that strikes such fear into their hearts. And it is more horrifying and palpable than all our worst nightmares together.
The Bible tells us to flee from the wrath to come. It is my sincere desire that everyone who reads this does just that.
Did you know that Jesus is the one seated on the great white throne? He tells us so in John 5:22 and 27.
“For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son…” John 5:22.
“…and [The Father] has given Him [Jesus] authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.” John 5:27.
God the Son is on the throne because He experienced this world as a man. From His childhood to manhood, He lived in poverty as a mere human.
When He sits in judgment, there is no one who can say, “You don’t know what I’ve been through!” He can simply hold up His hands and show the nail prints in them. At that no one will be able to claim that God is unjust, no one.
Now we see Christ on the throne, where is this taking place; on earth, in heaven, or elsewhere? The answer will surprise you.
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.” Revelation 20:11.
It is before the face of Christ the earth and heaven have fled. This is described in 2 Peter 3:7 and 10.
“But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word [God’s word, 2 Peter 3:3-6], are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2 Peter 3:7.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10.
We stand on the edge of eternity here. The earth and heavens are destroyed, there is a great noise, and the very elements are melted with a great heat. The description seems to be of one unimaginable nuclear explosion.
The Bible describes three heavens. The first is where the birds fly, the second is where astronauts fly and the third is where God resides.
The sky above us is often referred to as the heavens, which is also true of the many references to outer space as being the heavens.
Though it is unclear and might include the second heaven, we see in Revelation 20:11 quoted earlier that, “The earth and the heaven fled away” from the face of Jesus.
This description seems to indicate that only the earth and the first heaven are destroyed. That would leave us standing in space.
If these things will be so, try to imagine a huge crystal sea clear as glass miles across. Now see the great white throne sitting in the midst of this expanse.
Walk across this crystal stage; look down at your feet. What do you see? You see stars. Look at the vault above you. Stars without number everywhere you look.
God’s majesty displayed in clarity that you could only wish for while looking at them from earth. This is where the end of time begins, on judgment day.
“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God…” Revelation 20:12a.
To all of you who have been wronged somehow in life. How I wish I had the right words to reach your very heart and soul with two important truths.
The first is that God loves you more than words can express.
The second is perhaps harder to believe. God will judge the small and the great. No evil deed will be forgotten. You will be avenged whether you are saved or whether you stand among the condemned.
Among these will be the small and the great. It does not matter whether it is Hitler or Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, or a U.S. President.
Not even the greatest of philanthropists or religious leaders, none will escape if they rejected Christ as their Savior in life.
Some of the richest industrialists the greatest of kings will all stand before the great white throne as men deserving of the wrath of God.
All on the same level, mere men, laden with their own sin and deserving of eternal punishment. Men often cry out about inequality and social injustice. Judgment Day will be a level playing field.
Another fascinating thing about this day is that except for the beast, false prophet, and Satan, everyone will be there.
Scripture tells us that Christians will judge fallen angels so the saved will be there. The angels will be there. Every person in all of creation will be there.
All the universe emptied and in one place. Try to imagine this on earthly terms. You can leave your purse on the dining room table and the front door open. You can leave your keys in your car or the money in the cash register and the store unlocked.
Yes, this is silly, but it emphasizes how empty the cosmos will be. Every person, every thought, every deed will be concentrated in this one place. This is more than the mind can take in!
Jesus Christ will be seated on the great white throne of judgment, all the ungodly will stand before the throne, and all of the heavenly hosts will be arrayed beside and behind Jesus, and the books will be opened.
Judgment Day, Part 1 taken from godisrevealed.com posted on 6-28-15, updated on 10-28-23.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.