THE FINAL JUDGMENT

Rev. 20:1-6, 11-15

We have been considering the sequence of prophetic events in chronological order from the day in which we live.

1. Today, we are living in perilous times.

2. Soon our Lord will come for His own at the Rapture.

3. The next event after the Rapture will be the Tribulation period.

- This will be seven years of great judgment on this earth.

4. At the end of the Tribulation period, the battle of Armageddon will take place.

5. At this time the Lord will come to this earth with His saints to set up His Kingdom.

6. At the end of the Millennium, Satan will be let lose for a season at which time he will rebel against God for the last time and be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.

The next event to take place after Satan has been cast into hell is

THE FINAL JUDGMENT.

1. It is at this time that the “second death” will occur. Rev. 20:5-6, 14.

2. The “second death” is the eternal lake of fire. v. 15.

3. The “second death” is not annihilation but an unending suffering in the lake of fire.

- This truth is illustrated in the account of the Beast and the False Prophet.

- After having been in the lake of fire for 1000 years, the Beast and the False Prophet are not destroyed. Rev. 19:20; 20:10.

4. This final judgment is also called the “Great White Throne Judgment”(Rev. 20:11).

Let’s consider some truths concerning this judgment.

I. THIS JUDGMENT WILL TAKE PLACE IN HEAVEN

- The courtroom is Heaven.

II. THE JUDGE WILL BE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

We are given a description of this Righteous Judge in

Rev. 1:12-18.

A. We first notice a GARMENT that extends down to His feet

v. 13.

1. This speaks of His priestly character.

2. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Great High Priest of Heaven to whom every person will give account.

a. He makes intercession for those who have believed on Him for salvation. Heb. 7:25.

b. He will judge those who have rejected him.

B. We see the GOLDEN GIRDLE. v. 13.

1. This designates Christ’s divine sovereignty and strength.

2. Gold is the metal of Deity.

- The Tabernacle and the Temple were full of gold.

3. The golden girdle emphasizes that the strength of God is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

C. Then we see the WHITENESS OF HIS HEAD AND HAIR.

v. 14

1. This reminds us of Daniel’s prophecy. Dan. 7:9-10.

2. Here we see Christ as the One who is eternal.

3. Again we are reminded of the fact that Christ is God.

D. Next, we notice His EYES ARE AS A FLAME OF FIRE. v. 14.

1. Fire represents God’s holiness.

2. In the Word, fire always speaks of holiness whether in relationship to the believer or the unbeliever.

3. Here Jesus is pictured as the Holy One whose eyes pierce the very soul of an individual.

- Nothing will be hidden from His eyes in that day.

E. We also notice Christ’s FEET described as BEING LIKE FINE BRASS. v. 15.

1. Brass represents the judgment of God.

2. The brazen altar was a picture of the individual under God’s judgment.

3. In that day, the Lord Jesus is going to walk in judgment.

F. Next, we HEAR HIS VOICE. v. 15.

- It is “as the sound of many waters…”

1. This reveals that it is a voice of power and authority.

- Niagara Falls would be a good illustration of this sound and power.

2. Unbelievers will tremble at the very sound of Christ’s voice.

G. As we continue, we see CHRIST’S RIGHT HAND. v. 16.

- This is the hand of ultimate authority holding the churches.

H. Out of Christ’s mouth we see a TWO-EDGED SWORD. v. 16.

1. This represents His Word.

2. The Word discerns and divides.

3. It is irresistible and in that day will discern between thoughts and actions. Heb. 4:12.

I. Christ’s FACIAL APPEARANCE is that of the BRILLIANCE OF THE SUN. v. 16.

- As one cannot look at the blinding rays of the sun, so the unsaved will be dazzled by the glory of Christ.

Here we see the Lord Jesus Christ as the Righteous Judge.

- He is going to judge the churches, individual believers, Satan, the world and the unsaved.

III. THOSE WHO WILL BE ARRAIGNED TO THIS

JUDGMENT

A. The LOST OF ALL AGES will be arraigned to this judgment.

B. No believer will be involved in this judgment.

- The believer has been judged already in Christ.

C. The SPIRITUALLY DEAD will stand before God at this time. Rev. 20:12-13.

1. John saw the “dead” before God. v. 12.

a. These are the spiritually dead, the ones who died lost. Eph. 2:1.

b. They have been raised from the grave.

(1) This is “the rest of the dead” that were not raised in the first resurrection. Rev. 20:5.

(2) This is “the resurrection of damnation”(Jn. 5:28-29).

(3) Their bodies come from the graves and their souls from Hell.

2. These people are going to be raised to stand before God in order to be judged for their sins. v. 12.

3. This is going to be a terrible sight.

4. These people are the ones who had rejected God in their lifetime.

5. All classes of people will be at this “Great White Throne Judgment.”

- The small and the great will all be there. v. 12.

6. They will be judged according to their record in the books. v. 12.

- There will be two kinds of books at this judgment.

a. There will be the books of works.

b. And there will be the Book of Life, which is the roll of the saved.

7. The unsaved will be judged according to their works. vv. 12-13.

8. No individual will be left unjudged or will be annihilated. v. 13.

D. This judgment involves all those who are dead in trespasses and sins, and have rejected Christ as their only Lord and Savior. vv. 14-15.

1. They will be sentenced to an eternity in Hell.

2. Our enemy death and the place where the souls of unsaved men go at death will be cast into the lake of fire. v. 14.

3. The lake of fire is the second death. vv. 14-15.

4. The lake of fire is a place of eternal torment. Rev. 20:10.

5. This is the final abiding place for all eternity for all those who die in their sin.

· All who refuse Christ as Lord and Savior will stand before the Lord Jesus Christ as their Righteous Judge at this judgment.

· Are you ready to meet Him?

· If He is not your Lord, then He will be your Judge!