After the last army of men gather themselves in rebellion against the city of God and are devoured by fire from heaven in (Rev 20:9), there will be the final judgment concerning the wicked dead and the children of disobedience just as it was revealed to John on the isle of Patmos, as the GREAT WHITE THRONE judgment (Rev 20:11-15). Men and women from the beginning and from every walk of life, both small and great (Rev 20:12), that rebelled in their heart and remained in unbelief will stand before God for this final judgment when the books are opened and also the book of life (Rev 20:12-15).
Those that have been covered with God's robe of righteousness (Is 61:10, Rev 7:14, 19:8), that was given to them by the Lord through His great mercy when they believed and were washed by the blood of the Lamb, will be present in heaven as God's redeemed to witness this great and final judgment. As each of those who are to be judged pass before the great Judge of all the earth one by one, the redeemed will see family members, relatives, friends, neighbors and so many others both small and great they will have what one preacher has exclaimed, their last thoughts, last words, and last looks.
Can you imagine what that scene will be like knowing that those who are judged at this GREAT WHITE THRONE will be cast into the lake of fire forever and ever, being the second death and will have no other chance to believe and repent of who they had become (Rev 20:15). I want to say something about the love of God. There was no greater expression of the love of God toward sinful man as when God sent His only begotten Son to be the sin offering for all the wicked sins and iniquities of men (Jn 3:16,17). There was no greater act of love then when He shed His own blood on that tree (Lk 22:20), no greater justification for man's sin then when He rose from the dead having put away sin (Rom 4:25). This is the gospel that we are to preach to the lost, who have been blinded by the God of this world (2Cor 4:4), because it is the greatest love that God exhibited toward the entire world and human race of sinners (1Jn 2:2).
But at this GREAT WHITE THRONE judgment it will not be about God's great love, and those that face God will be facing Him not because their sins were not dealt with, for the blood of Christ took care of that. They will not be there because they were not loved by others, for Christ loved them when He died on the cross being judged in their place for their sins and sinful lifestyle. They will not be there because they had a bad upbringing or because they had some traumatic event happen to them that they had never fully recovered from. They will not be there because they were raised without a father who abandoned them as a child and they grew up a rebellious teenager. They will not be there because they were rejected or bullied in some way by others in the society and culture they were raised.
THEY WILL BE THERE because God is JUST and all His JUDGMENTS are RIGHT (Ps 89:1, 119:75), and they grew up as a worker of iniquity (Lk 13:27, Mt 7:23), living in the flesh according to the dictates of their wicked and deceitful heart (Jer 17:9, Mt 15:18-20) and rejected the love of God that was offered to them through Jesus Christ and the blood of the cross (Col 1:20). LOVE is not the issue at this judgment, JUSTICE is the issue and God's JUSTICE is PERFECTand will be meted out accordingly(Gen 18:25, Deut 32:4, Rev 20:12-15).
Those that have been covered with God's robe of righteousness (Is 61:10, Rev 7:14, 19:8), that was given to them by the Lord through His great mercy when they believed and were washed by the blood of the Lamb, will be present in heaven as God's redeemed to witness this great and final judgment. As each of those who are to be judged pass before the great Judge of all the earth one by one, the redeemed will see family members, relatives, friends, neighbors and so many others both small and great they will have what one preacher has exclaimed, their last thoughts, last words, and last looks.
Can you imagine what that scene will be like knowing that those who are judged at this GREAT WHITE THRONE will be cast into the lake of fire forever and ever, being the second death and will have no other chance to believe and repent of who they had become (Rev 20:15). I want to say something about the love of God. There was no greater expression of the love of God toward sinful man as when God sent His only begotten Son to be the sin offering for all the wicked sins and iniquities of men (Jn 3:16,17). There was no greater act of love then when He shed His own blood on that tree (Lk 22:20), no greater justification for man's sin then when He rose from the dead having put away sin (Rom 4:25). This is the gospel that we are to preach to the lost, who have been blinded by the God of this world (2Cor 4:4), because it is the greatest love that God exhibited toward the entire world and human race of sinners (1Jn 2:2).
But at this GREAT WHITE THRONE judgment it will not be about God's great love, and those that face God will be facing Him not because their sins were not dealt with, for the blood of Christ took care of that. They will not be there because they were not loved by others, for Christ loved them when He died on the cross being judged in their place for their sins and sinful lifestyle. They will not be there because they had a bad upbringing or because they had some traumatic event happen to them that they had never fully recovered from. They will not be there because they were raised without a father who abandoned them as a child and they grew up a rebellious teenager. They will not be there because they were rejected or bullied in some way by others in the society and culture they were raised.
THEY WILL BE THERE because God is JUST and all His JUDGMENTS are RIGHT (Ps 89:1, 119:75), and they grew up as a worker of iniquity (Lk 13:27, Mt 7:23), living in the flesh according to the dictates of their wicked and deceitful heart (Jer 17:9, Mt 15:18-20) and rejected the love of God that was offered to them through Jesus Christ and the blood of the cross (Col 1:20). LOVE is not the issue at this judgment, JUSTICE is the issue and God's JUSTICE is PERFECTand will be meted out accordingly(Gen 18:25, Deut 32:4, Rev 20:12-15).