Judgment Day

(A Hypothetical Expansion of the Events in Revelation Chapter 20)

Principalities and Powers looked on, with every angelic eye fixated on the sight before them¹. I and the rest of the Elect stared in astonishment. Godly sorrow overwhelmed us knowing we could have done more. This is the first day of everlasting sorrow – no, not for those of us mentioned, but for those before us who awaited judgment.

Before us was a line of people placed in what seemed to me random groupings. The dense line stretched as far as the moon. Just moments before they had been miraculously resurrected to everlasting death². Every corpse knew that in a few moments, they would stand before God.

The books were brought out.³ There were so many of them that it was as though they could have filled the ocean twice. Each one contained volumes. All that these people had done in life was inscribed on their pages, written for this day, the day of Judgment.⁴ There was also another book called The Book of Life. In it was written all the names of the Elect, myself included. ⁵

There, at the head of the line, was a Great White Throne where the King Himself sat,⁶ but I could not understand His expression. It seemed to be mixed with both sorrow and gladness.

“RIGHTEOUSNESS IS TO BE FULFILLED!⁷" sounded an overwhelming voice so loud that it pushed us all back with its great power. As the voice filled our ears, a Great Lake⁸ thrust itself before us. The heat, even from where I stood, penetrated my heart. I could not contain myself and let out a wail as my inner being shattered.

At this time, an angel came to my side. His presence brought comfort⁹ as he took me under the largest of his six wings. ¹⁰ I looked up at his face – that of a lion,¹¹ with a tear and a smile. The look in his eyes brought back to my mind that justice is glorious. My heart felt at peace as I looked back at the scene before us all. Looking again to the face of the King, this time I understood His expression, feeling in myself what all of us knew, that judgment is both beautiful and heartbreaking.

The King, holding in His right hand a great and mighty scepter,¹² rose from His glorious throne. The multitude of us who looked on, as well as those in the line near the Lake, lowered ourselves to bow before the majesty that stood before us.

Another angelic voice shouted as loud as can be, “BEHOLD YOUR KING!” Then, all the angels in unison, sang the most beautiful song, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!¹³”

I then looked up with astonishment. There, in the enormous line, stood a few men. They were fierce with anger. Serpents spewed blasphemies from their mouths. The Mighty One, the King, held up His scepter and pointed at those who stood and all at once the angels who stood with us flew to these men to break their knees. Each one fell before the angels drew back to where we, the Elect, stood. Then, the most beautiful song came from the mouth of us all, words which I have read long ago, “Blessing and honor and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!¹⁴” I noticed even those who now bowed with broken knees sang this song with buckets full of tears running down their face. They looked to their Maker and their eyes had respect for the Holy One of Israel.¹⁵ Mercy was their plea, but none was to be given.¹⁶ It was too late.¹⁷

From where they stood, the Lake was so hot that it sucked the moisture right out of the mouths of many who waited in line. They cried for just a drop of water to wet their tongues.¹⁸ Then an angel, holding a bucket of sour wine, came to these men and filled their mouths with the dreadful taste so that they all spat, but nothing came out of their mouths. The angel reminded them that the One who died for them, whom they rejected, also asked for water and they had given him what they now received.¹⁹

I looked again, and saw angels bringing the first of the books to the King. At this time, levels within the Great Lake revealed themselves. The lowest and hottest level of The Lake was blue. There, I saw Satan, who had already received his due, along with his angels.²⁰ The middle level, though not as hot, was orange. Even still, this level was so hot it could lick up any watery lake in a moments time. The uppermost level was a fiery yellow. I sensed that this may be the reason for the random groupings within the line that I did not understand.

In the first group of these dead men were the vile kings of the earth who had set their hearts like that of Pharaoh in the days of Moses,²¹ to lay a heavy hand on the poor.²² Because of the hardness of their hearts, God gave them over to evil²³ and blotted out their names from The Book of Life²⁴ before they even died. To them the verdict was given that they should suffer with Satan and his angels in the lowest depth of the Lake, where the fire burned hottest. Suddenly, blue flames surrounded them and worms²⁵ sprang up from nothing to devour the immortal flesh of these brutal men.

At that moment,the words of my Savior were brought to my mind. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.²⁶” I stood in amazement at the fulfilled promise of God as I recalled the many times that I took matters into my own hands. Humbled, I silently prayed, “Thank you, Father, for forgiving me of all the times I forgot to step back and trust in Your unwavering Word of Promise. The Spirit, who was with me, spoke softly in my ear, “You are welcome, My Beloved.”

The next group in line were evil and wicked men who heard the gospel many times, and resisted, with every intention of selfish motives. Within their midst were both religious men and those who hated religion. I could see regret in their eyes and turmoil within their soul. Unable to look up at the throne where the One they rejected stood, they went silently into the orange flame of the lake.

Within their midst, I saw a man that I had shared the gospel with. My eyes remained upon him as long as possible. I thought about how he didn't resist God when I spoke of Him, and even understood that God loved him. What held him back was the seared conscience²⁷ he maintained. He would not, no matter how much I tried, believe that God would judge him because he didn't think he was a bad enough person.²⁸ I knew he was also thinking about that very same conversation. I saw a tear sizzle and evaporate from his eye until at last, the flames engulfed him and he disappeared from my vision.

Then came the last group of those in line. It was certainly the largest, containing billions upon billions of corpses. These men seemed a bit apprehensive, unlike those who had gone before. The previous men seemed to know their fate, but these men believed they might be able to change the mind of the Great and Mighty Judge once they reminded him of the fact that they had never heard the gospel. Others among them also thought they could change His mind once they reminded Him of all they had done, much of which was in His Name.

The books were opened for these men, and they were allowed to make a defense. Those who had done much in His Name ran to the throne to speak first. “Lord, Lord,” they exclaimed with excusing hearts,²⁹ “have we not prophesied in Your Name, cast out demons in Your Name, and done many wonders in Your Name?³⁰” They quoted that which was written of their works in the books that lay before the Awesome Judge. But He knew their works very well,³¹ and had no need to read of them. He declared that their works were evil because, though they seemed good outwardly, these men ignored God's desire to wash the inside of the cup, and not just the outside.³² To their astonishment, their names were blotted out of The Book of Life.³³

With fiery indignation, holding His scepter high, the King screamed, “I NEVER KNEW YOU. DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS!³⁴” At this, Bishops, Elders, Deacons, Priests, and the many who were with them scrambled from before the Mighty One, knowing his wrath, and that if they were to lay another excuse before Him, they would go with those before them, to the lower depths of the Lake.

Hearing the voice of Justice on those who had done much in the Name of Christ penetrated the conscience of those who had never heard. It occurred to them for the first time that in life they knew that there was a God, that He was eternally powerful, that He was just in all His judgments, and that all they had done in life deserved death.³⁵ They should have sought a Savior, but they did not.

Therefore, without another excuse³⁶ spoken by a single soul, all the remaining dead walked in unison into the blazing fire. A yellow flame engulfed them without mercy. I heard shouts of terror and pain as they went.³⁷ At this I thought, who can escape the wrath of God³⁸?

The Spirit, who was with me, reminded me that I had escaped;³⁹ I was not now in the flames; I was free. At this, waves of thanksgiving came over my soul as I shouted aloud with the rest of the Elect, “Thanks be to the Lamb who was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we, like these men, have gone astray, we have turned, every one, to his own way, and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all!⁴⁰”

The books had all been read. There was not a single man left to judge. At the realization that all this had come to pass, both principalities and powers, and we, the Elect, stood in silence. Peace filled our souls and smiles came over our faces. No one, not an angel nor a man, could utter a word. This was the holiest moment of all. We looked upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against the Lord. Their worm did not die, and their fire was not quenched. They were an abhorrence to us all.⁴¹

Then, in an instant, came a flash of light from the throne, so bright and so brilliant that each of us quickly covered our eyes. Each man threw up his arm, and the cherubim masked their faces with their wings.⁴²

I then sensed that I was no longer in the same realm. Slowly, I let down my arm to behold the beauty that surrounded me. My angel friend who stood beside me still had his face covered. I jumped for joy. “Friend, friend! Show your face! Look around you and behold. We are in the kingdom of Jehovah!⁴³” He uncovered his face and with a gasp he beheld with me the most glorious sight.

“The streets truly are made of gold!⁴⁴” I exclaimed. Smooth jasper composed the towering walls of the city, so high I nearly couldn't see the top. Gold, gold! Clear gold was before us in the form of an enormous and beautiful mansion!⁴⁵ On the wall, near the entrance, was engraved a sign which read:

“I have prepared a place for you.

I have come back to receive you to Myself,

that where I am,

there you may be also – FOREVER.⁴⁶”

Excerpt from Before the Throne

of God Above:

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,

My perfect spotless Righteousness,

The great unchangeable I AM,

The King of Glory and of Grace.

One with Himself I cannot die,

My soul is purchased by His blood,

My life is hid with Christ on high,

With Christ my Savior and my God,

With Christ my Savior and my God!

*Disclaimer: I have not seen a vision. This is my imagination mixed with scripture. Sorry my Charismatic Brothers and Sisters.  : )

** Please read the application after the notes.

Notes:

1. 1 Peter 1:12
2. John 5:28, 29
3. Revelation 20:12
4. Revelation 20:13
5. Revelation 20:15
6. Revelation 20:11
7. Romans 8:4
   *This verse speaks of the Righteous law being fulfilled through Christ's imputation of righteousness. The righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled this way in believers. However, righteousness must be fulfilled in unbelievers as well. The way this is done is through judgment.
8. Revelation 20:15
9. Hebrews 1:14
10. Revelation 4:8
11. Revelation 4:7
12. Hebrews 1:8
13. Revelation 5:12
14. Revelation 5:13
15. Isaiah 17:7
16. James 2:13
17. James 4:14
18. Luke 16:24
19. Matthew 27:33, 45; John 19:28-30
20. Isaiah 14:15; Revelation 20:10
21. Exodus 8:32
22. Exodus Ch. 5
23. Romans 1:24, 26, 28
24. Exodus 32:32, 33; Revelation 3:5
25. Mark 9:48
26. Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19
27. 1 Timothy 4:2
28. Romans 3:23
29. Romans 2:15
30. Matthew 7:22
31. Hebrews 4:13
32. Matthew 23:26 ff.
33. Exodus 32:32, 33; Revelation 3:5
34. Matthew 7:23
35. Romans 1:20, 32
    * All men know these four things concerning God. Even if they do not hear the gospel they are rightly judged because according to what their conscience tells them, they should have sought a Savior.
36. Romans 1:20
37. Luke 13:27
38. Isaiah 2:10-22; 13:6-16
39. Romans 5:9
40. Isaiah 53:5, 6
    * Not an exact quotation.
41. Isaiah 41:24
    * Not an exact quotation.
42. Isaiah 6:2
43. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
44. Revelation 21:21
45. Revelation 21:18
46. John 14:3
    * Not an exact quotation. 

Application:

To the unbelieving:

It's likely you are in shock or disgusted. You probably wonder how someone could believe in a God as vindictive as what is portrayed above. Let me explain.

Just as the level of the intensity of care taken to heal an illness increases with the seriousness of the illness, the level of intensity of the punishment increases with the level of the intensity of the crime. If you don't think that anyone could do something to deserve the punishment portrayed above, you have a serious problem. Your view of God is too small. I would like to help you receive a better understanding of God's importance.

Ask yourself, how important is a single human life? It cannot be measured! If a single human life is so important that it cannot be measured, how important is the One who created that life? When someone does something to hurt God, that person deserves a serious punishment.

The Bible maintains such a high view of God that it tells us that what you read above is what every man deserves. No other book, sacred or otherwise, upholds God as this important because man cannot conceive the importance of God without the help of God. The only reason why the Bible upholds God as this important is because God inspired what is written in the Bible. I urge you to believe what it says.

As I said before, the level of intensity of care taken to heal an illness increases with the seriousness of the illness. The illness we all have is that we have fallen short of the immeasurable glory of God. But God has created a remedy. That remedy is through His Son, Jesus, who bore for us what is elaborated above. He took the punishment of death and then defeated it by rising from the grave. On this day of Judgment, you can be in the stands with the angels and the rest of the elect of God. Believe that Jesus did this for you, and the righteousness of Christ will be yours in the moment of faith.

My prayer is that you would confess yourself in need of a substitute and find peace for your soul in Christ's love for you, shown by what He endured on your behalf. Call upon the Name of the Lord and you will be saved. (Joel 2:32)

To the Believing:

Meditation on the wrath of God reveals His love for us since Jesus took that wrath for us. Stand amazed!

The Christian life is a life of amazement. It began with an amazement at the wrath of God which Christ bore for us on the tree of Calvary, and of the love of God which compelled Him to send Christ to fulfill all righteousness on our behalf (Romans 8:4). It then continues in an amazement of both the wrath and love of God.

I wrote to the unbelieving that they must increase their view of the majesty of God if they are to agree that man deserves what is written above. However, once we believe, we are not to stop increasing our understanding of the majesty of God. (2 Peter 3:18)

I fear that because we have stopped increasing our understanding of God's majesty, many of us stopped growing in our walk with God shortly after we were saved. But it is through looking into our salvation that we understand God's majesty displayed both in wrath and in love. It's so amazing that the angels desire to look into these things and so increase their understanding of the majesty of God. (Ephesians 3:10, 1 Peter 1:12)

That is also why, on judgment day, we will all be compelled to watch the horrific sight written above. It's not that we rejoice in the sufferings of others, but that we rejoice in God's perfect balance of both justice and love. As we stand amazed and rejoice through meditation on these things, we will automatically live out this balance of both love and an understanding of true justice in our daily lives, and so become sanctified. In this way, meditation on our justification is the means of our sanctification.

Therefore, when you are discouraged, stand amazed, and when you are happy, stand amazed. Surprisingly, the latter can often distract us from God more than the former because it is when we are happy that we do not feel as much of a need for Him. This is often when we stop growing in our walk with God, because the attractions of this world squeeze out our amazement of God's majesty displayed through our salvation.

The world is our enemy so long as the weakness of our flesh, energized by Satan, causes us to become distracted from the salvation we possess. For this reason, the Christian life is a battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. The cure is to stand amazed, and so grow in our understanding of God's majesty displayed in our salvation.

Because we are more apt to feel a need for God when we are discouraged, the discouragements we face in this life can be viewed as grace from the hand of God rather than His heavy hand. They lead us to find peace in Him through our salvation to escape the discouragements we face. We do this by standing amazed.

Having said all this concerning both the times when we are happy and discouraged, I urge you to grow in your understanding of the majesty of God through further meditation on the salvation you have received. Rear up your sword and stand amazed! (Ephesians 6:17)

What's the Big Deal About CHURCH?

Half way through Bible School, in the middle of my training to be a church leader, I found myself asking this question. It seemed odd to me that out of all of the opportunities I could choose to pursue with my life, I would choose to be one of those guys who puts together a two hour service where people come once a week to sing songs, listen to me talk, and then talk with one another before going home again. I asked myself the question, why is this so important?

It's easy to fall into the mental trapping that this is all that church is about. We get so busy with life that it is easy to simply go through the motions of each week without thinking about what we are doing. It's hard to remember what “religious” people have died for in the past, and why still more choose the same fate today.

When I was a little boy, I would often think about what I wanted to be when I grew up. At first, I wanted to be a veterinarian because I love animals, and wanted to help them. As does every little boy, I also toyed with the idea of being a policeman, or a firefighter, though I knew that neither of those were my taste.

As I grew older, I realized that there is more than what is before me in the physical realm. I understood the concept of God, and that He lives in an eternal realm where people never die. My understanding of eternity was fuzzy as a child, but as I grew older, I found myself more and more fixated on these ideas of God and eternity.

At a young age, there was something within me that lay hold of the need to live for purpose, which was the reason I wanted to be a veterinarian, but as time passed, I began to realize that though animals are important, people are more important. I wanted to live for people.

Once I understood this, I could not let go. I was captured by God, with the need to help others. Around this time, entered a dramatic shift in my life.

I grew up in the religion of my father, and my mother was not religious. Had you asked me what do people believe who are not from your religion, I would have probably answered that they would be like my mom, who believed in God, but didn't know much about Him. Then came the day that my mom became religious. She began going to another church, which confused me because I didn't even know there was another church. Interested, I went with her.

I remember well the first time I entered another church. Everything was so weird and seemingly out of place. I was a bit frightful when they began to play the music because it was so loud and different from what I was used to. What scared me the most was that they sang about the blood of a lamb. I wondered what my mom was doing, going to a place like this. Despite the insecurity and questions I had, something compelled me to keep going. So I began switching between my parents churches on Sunday.

Eventually, my brother and sister, who are older than me, began to come with my mom too. With this began the battle that has not stopped ever since (though we have become wiser in our approach). My brother and sister, were confused like me, and in their confusion, many fights broke out. These fights were not about church, but about God, and what my brother and sister had learned in these conflicting churches. I, being the youngest, did not fully understand what was being said and kept silent.

In time, I began to understand that this fight was not just because my brother and sister wanted to argue. They were sincerely seeking to know what was true. I eventually understood that I too must enter the ring and make a decision about what I believed. This scared me.

My story plays well into this question about why church is so important because although it is easy to go and sing a few songs, learn how to stay still while a guy talks for an hour, and tell a few jokes with friends before you leave, this is not what church is about. The church was established to exalt truth. According to 1 Timothy 3:15 the church is a pillar and ground of truth.

When I asked myself in Bible College why I chose church to be the pursuit of my life, I stepped into a snare that captures many people. Engrossed in the programs, I forgot what church is about. I lost sight of the fact that church is not about wowing people with great music, with excellent speaking abilities, and with the funniest jokes, it's about God and our purpose in life, to glorify Him through building up others in truth.

The way that I escaped the snare of misunderstanding church as an end itself rather than a part of the path by which we pursue the God truth, I had to refocus my attention on what led me to Bible College in the first place.

As I said, it scared me to be faced with the fact that I had to choose sides. I didn't want to disappoint anyone, or play favorites. Because of this, I put off making my decision for some time. However, God moved in me to bring me to the point where I had to make the decision. This is how He did:

I mentioned earlier that something within me lay hold of the need to live for purpose. I believe that was God. He used this desire, to live for purpose, to bring me to the place where I had to decide what I was going to believe.

As a child, I didn't understand a lot of what was being spoken by the pastor, but I did understand that he was helping people, not only in this life, but in eternity as well. The thought of God and eternity captured me, along with the desire to live for purpose, and help people. All of these virtues find fulfillment in ministry. I could not deny it – God was calling me to this. I wanted to be a minister.

The question of how could I minister without knowing what truth to minister to people was brought to me at once on the night I received Christ as my Savior. I put all these thoughts together, and realized I had been putting off the all important decision of which church was true.

At that time, God gave me confidence that I could make my decision in peace, because when I am in line with truth, nothing can raise up against God's arm which protects those who administer truth. I knew what was true. All I needed was a push, and confidence to make it personal. God guided my thoughts that evening, and I could not delay any longer. I marched into my mothers room and said, “Mom, I want to accept Jesus as my Savior!” It was such a relief to no longer worry. I had peace with God.

God has set forth His church to be the main vehicle through which He brings peace to the world. Once I recaptured that event, which brought the peace of God overwhelmingly to my soul, I remembered what the big deal is about church, and why it has become the pursuit of my life. If God decided to use science as the main vehicle to bring peace into this world, I would be a scientist – no doubt.

When most people think of church they think of a building, but this is not church. Others think of events, but this is not church. Others think of the Sunday morning service, but this is not church. Still others think of a sermon, or lesson, but none of these are church.

Notice, in my story, God used some of these programs to bring me into the peace of God, but these programs do not make up the church of God. The church is people. When my mother believed in Christ, she became a part of the church. She brought me to “church” – that is to say a program in a building where we sang songs and heard a guy talk for an hour, but this is not what the big deal is about church. The church is the people who were there, the one's who sang the songs, listened to the sermon, and told the jokes. The church is the people of God, who use these programs to administer the peace of God, in an official capacity or not.

It was when I got caught up in the many programs that I asked the question, What's the big deal about church? There are a lot of these programs in some of our individual churches that have no purpose, and these should be cut out make room for what is important, which is to bring people into the peace of God. The writers of the book, The Trellis and the Vine, said it well when they said that we use programs to give us opportunity to speak the Word of God to one another when we cannot do it organically. That doesn't mean that we have to quote it. It simply means that we speak the truths of the Bible to one another and so encourage one another, and that we love one another in truth, whether that be through jokes or tears, in the structured programs or organically. Beyond that, programs are meaningless because it is the truths of Bible that will pierce our hearts to bring us to conviction and ultimately peace. (Hebrews 4:12)

I pray that we, the church, will not forget that it's not about programs, events, or anything else. It's about diving deeper into the peace of God as we love and encourage one another with the Word of God and in so doing fulfill our purpose in life, to serve God through serving people. All of us can do this, whether we are a leader in the church or not. You are the church! Fulfill your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:5)

But you are a chosen race,

A royal priesthood,

a holy nation,

a people for God's own possession,

so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him

who has called you out of darkness

into His marvelous light.

(1 Peter 2:9)