The Great White Throne Part 3 of 3

by John Lowe
(Woodruff, S.C.)

The second book opened will be the Bible. John 12:48 says, “…the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” This Bible I hold in my hand is the standard by which all the lost will one day be judged. Two books are open now and they stand in contrast to one another.

“All have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” is a verse that comes to mind. Most of us don’t realize how sinful we are until we compare ourselves to God’s righteousness. The lost will see from the Bible how sinful they are, and how perfect a plan God had for them, and they rejected it. But, they will come to know why justice will be served by their going to hell.

God’s standard of righteousness is perfection! If you were hanging from a cliff by a chain that had 10 links, how many would have to break for you to fall? Only one! Rev. 21:27 says, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Nobody’s perfect but Christ, and that’s why we have to receive salvation from Him as a gift! I got saved in 1951, and God made me a trade: my sin for HIS righteousness!

The first book opened is a book of works, the 2nd book is the Bible and the third book is found in Revelations 20:15: “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” You cannot enter into heaven unless your name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. This is the final nail in the coffin. If you’ve been saved, your name is written there, and if not, then it’s not! You see, ultimately, there’s only one sin that will send you to hell; the sin of unbelief. The unpardonable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is carried out by rejecting the promptings of the Spirit to put your faith in Christ for Salvation! If you fail to get saved, your name isn’t written there, and on that day it will be way too late.

These 3 books tell the story. Book one says, “this is your life”, book 2 says, “here’s my plan”, book 3 says, “you didn’t do anything about it!” That’s the evidence; then comes the opportunity for a defense.

5. The Defense

There will be no defense! What can you say? I mean, there it is in black and white, there’s no denying the evidence. You’re guilty! Some may say, “I’ll throw myself on the mercy of the court, and say, ‘I believe now, Jesus, please forgive me and save me now!’” But Hebrews 9:27 says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” I see no mercy in this verse or in Revelation, only judgment! If you want grace, you can have it now, but not after you die. If you want mercy, forgiveness, and salvation, you can have it now, but not after you die. Next comes:

6. The Verdict

Guilty! The lost will hear this word, “GUILTY.” Matthew 25:41 says, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” All that remains is:

7. The Sentence

Verse 15 gives the sentence: “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Is it a literal Fire? Every shred of evidence in the Bible says yes. Liberal preachers say it’s symbolic, not literal. But Jesus called hell a place of fire and torment where people die forever and yet never completely. I’ll take Jesus’ words over any preacher; no matter how many degrees he has, he has no idea the degrees of the flames of hell. I’ll stand on this fact no matter how politically incorrect it becomes in the future, that it’s literal fire, as God said it. I’ll gladly take my chances on standing before God one day and hearing Him say, “Tom, you took my Word too literally”, than to hear the words, “Tom, you explained it away too easily.”

Luke 16 tells of a man in hell who said, “I am tormented in this flame.” But, just for sake of argument, let’s suppose its not actual fire, but that it’s symbolic of something else, although I don’t believe that. Even so, isn’t that symbolic fire something awful, since it is pictured by fire? Of course! We’re mostly Christians in this room, so let’s make an application to us, even though you won’t be at the Great White Throne Judgment if you’re saved. Can this teaching help you? Certainly!

What are you doing to keep people out of hell? Yes, you’re concerned about people you love, but what about people you don’t even know?! Have you witnessed to anyone lately? Did you invite anyone to church? Who do you wish you had here for this message today? Do you know by now that if you bring them that I’ll give them the truth? Are you thankful that your sins have been judged? Have you thanked Him lately for His perfect plan to save us?

We’ve seen the courtroom, the judge, the accused, the evidence, the defense, the verdict, and the sentence. Now, what will we do?

INVITATION!!!