Chapter 11 – THE JUDGMENT
Duration: Unknown
Timing: After the millennium
Key Scriptures: Revelation 20: 11-15
After the final rebellion has been dealt with at the end of the millennium, the Lord will be ready to judge the nations one last time. This is the final judgment, when Christ will sit on His great white throne and finally give all sinners what they rightly deserve. This will include the ones who have rejected His plan of salvation for them. Oh, but for the grace of God, I would be one of them too.
The punishment that comes from this could be referred to as God’s eternal wrath, which should not be confused with His temporary wrath, discussed earlier in The Wrath of God.
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Revelation 20:11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Isaiah 2:12 For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low.
Obadiah 15 As you have done, it shall be done to you.
We should also note that Paul was referring to this eternal wrath when he wrote the following:
1st Thessalonians 5:9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.
This distinction between God’s eternal and temporary acts of wrath is important, given the use of this passage by many opponents of the posttribulational view to try to discredit it.
There really isn’t much to say about the final Judgment of God. Whoever rejects the cross of Christ may go to eternal punishment; whoever accepts it in humility will go into eternal bliss and fulfillment. Is there another option?
It is my hope (not hard and fast dogma) that all who stand before the Great White Throne of Judgment will have at that time the ability to accept Christ one last time, based on His righteousness and propitiation, and their humility and repentance. After all, He preached to the dead once before, during His mortal body’s internment in the tomb. (1 Peter 3)
[ONLINE EDIT: Again, I now see the Nations as a kind of safety net “salvation lite” for mortals. It isn’t the way I would want to live forever, but it will be a whole lot better than being on This Broken Planet. We’re like trapeze artists wanting to be caught by the Savior. If our faith doesn’t let us take the leap, there’s the net to catch us, IF we have been good to God’s people. Matthew 25 gives us the recipe for this kind of salvation from destruction.]
Preface/Introduction
Ch 1: Ezekiel’s War
Ch 2: The Tribulation
Ch 3: 3rd Temple Built
Ch 4: The Great Tribulation
Ch 5: The Wrath of God
Ch 6: The Return of Christ
Ch 7: The Resurrection of the Dead in Christ
Ch 8: The Rapture
Ch 9: Armageddon
Ch 10: The Millennium
Ch 11: The Judgment
Ch 12: The New Creation
Ch 13: Conclusion
Ch 14: Summary
Glossary