The Final Judgment

“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. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” Rev. 20:11-20.

God keeps very accurate accounts. Jesus said we must even answer for every idle word. Each of us writes a book with our life. Everything we do is recorded in our memory. In reality, we don’t forget anything. There are many things we have seemingly forgotten; but someone can remind us of a situation. If we still do not remember, he describes some details, and suddenly the whole episode comes back to us. Imagine what it will be like when God begins to page through our memories.

If we have committed sin, it is good to make it right as soon as possible. Then it can be cleansed away and cast into the sea of forgetfulness, so that later we will only have to give account for good works. The names of all those who receive eternal life are written in the Book of Life, even those who have been plucked as a brand from the fire. 1 Cor. 3:15. On that day, that final day, all people and all nations will be resurrected. “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.” Rev. 20:13.

“All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.” Matt. 25:31-46.

All the heathen people will be there too. Millions of them have been ignorant of the law and of the gospel, yet some of them have done by nature what the law required. The words of the law are written in their hearts, their consciences bearing witness and their thoughts either accusing or excusing them “in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my [Paul’s] gospel.” Rom. 2:12-16. These are sheep who would have let themselves be led, if they had only been given a chance to hear.

Then Jesus will say, “For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.” They will answer, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?” Matt. 25:35-37. They have been unaware that it was Jesus they had blessed. They had no idea that the good they did was for Jesus’ sake, but they had a sincere care for their fellow men. “Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.’” Verse 34. This was their reward for being faithful to the law that was written in their hearts.

“But glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.” Rom. 2:10-11.

“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” Matt. 25:41. They had not understood to do anything for Jesus’ sake; they didn’t have a heart for that. Their hearts were hard and closed to their fellow men. “Tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek.” Rom. 2:9. “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matt. 25:46.

“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.” Rev. 20:14-15. No wonder Jesus said that we should rejoice because our names are written in the Book of Life.

All the nations will be judged at this time. The bride and all those who were resurrected and who reigned with Christ in the millennium will not go through this judgment. Their accounts will have been settled long ago. We could call the sheep on His right hand “the thirdfruits.”

The accounts are now settled, and everything has been put in its rightful place—a complete reformation. Sin and death are finally gone forever. Out of all the affliction and misery and in spite of Satan’s deceptive power, God, by His wisdom and might, has created a bride for the Lamb (the firstfruits) out of a sinful, fallen people. He has created kings for the new earth (the secondfruits) and nations to inhabit the new earth (the thirdfruits).

We can use an example from everyday life. When a cabinetmaker has made a fine, polished piece of furniture, we don’t just see the finished product; there is also a pile of sawdust, shavings, and scraps. The furniture could not have been made without leaving behind such a pile, which is then swept up and burned. Likewise with this tremendous work of God, there is a great “waste” of human life. God could not do anything with these people. They will be gathered up and cast into the lake of fire.

This is unspeakably serious, a seriousness that Jesus constantly reminded His listeners of. Several of His parables end like this: “Enter into My glory”; “Cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” After sharing many such parables with them, Jesus said to His disciples, “‘Have you understood all these things?’ They said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord.’” Matt. 13:50-51.

It is also my longing that anyone reading this book will also be able to understand it. There is still time for you to be taught and disciplined by grace. If this fails, the wrath of God will chasten you. If you then harden your heart, you will simply become waste material, ready for the lake of fire.

People stand and admire a fine, polished piece of furniture and extol its maker without even noticing the pile of waste or giving a thought to what was consumed by the fire. In the same way, God and the Lamb will be praised for all eternity, and the ungodly will be remembered no more.