The great white throne judgment will occur at the end of Jesus' thousand year reign over the earth. At the end of Jesus' thousand year reign, the time will come for those who wait in the balance to be judged. Everyone who has ever come into existence, will come before the throne of God and will give account for what they did with their existence. Every created being was created to be eternal. A God whose whole essence is the eternal life, cannot create a being that does not have eternal life. All the angels were created to have eternal life, but a third of them surrendered that life when they chose to rebel and follow after Satan. The result of their rebellion was that they surrendered the eternal life for eternal death. Since they are eternal beings, they cannot cease to exist. Therefore they will be cast into the lake of fire, where the beast and the false prophets and then Satan will be cast after his final rebellion. This is the lake that burns forever and ever. This was not God's plan for them. It was the result of their own doing and choice. This lake of fire was never intended to be the destiny of the souls of men. When man was first created, Adam and Eve were created eternal beings. They were living beings with living souls. God gave them one commandment and that was that they do not eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. God told them this, as recorded in the book of Genesis, Chapter 2, verse 17;
"But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in
the day that you eat from it, 'you shall surely die'."
They did eat from the tree, but they did not die, or did they. Something died. Before they ate of the tree, they were living beings that had living souls that had eternal life. After they ate from the tree they were still living eternal beings, but the life part was gone. Because of their rebellion, they surrendered the part of themselves that had the existence of eternal life. They ceased from having living souls and became fallen beings who no longer had living souls with the life of God in them. God in His eternal life nature could not create anything that did not have eternal life. So without having to create such a being, they now were coming into existence though the now fallen beings, Adam and Eve. This was God's plan before the foundation of the world. God, knowing all, knew that Adam and Eve would eat from the tree and become fallen beings. Therefore it was God's plan to have fallen beings, but why? God was doing a new thing. Every being that had come into existence, was spoken into existence through God. They had no choice. This is why the angels that fell, did not appreciate their Creator. They took Him for granted and followed after their own lust and desires. Their result was that they became fallen angels, known as demons. They surrendered the life part of themselves and now were destined for eternal death.
With Adam and Eve now existing in a fallen state, God now had the vehicle in which He could do a new thing. There would now come into existence fallen men with empty lifeless souls. He allowed this because in these empty souls, He would make a New Creation. One that would come into existence by choosing Him and the Life He offers. Therefore we have the gospel of Jesus. God Himself, at the proper time, would come in the likeness of man, Jesus. He would allow Himself to be the ultimate sacrifice for the forgiveness of the fallen nature, sin. With Jesus dying on the cross, "The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, He would unlock man's heart (Soul) door. Then any who would invite Him into their dead soul, He would come in and give their dead soul life, for He would become their life. Every man is born with a dead and empty soul. Jesus came to give the soul life to anyone who would choose Him. This is the difference between the angels that were spoken into existence verse the New Creation that would come into existence by choosing to be with Him. In the gospel of John in Chapter 3, verse 16, it is summed up in this;
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."
There will be just two things that will determine a person destiny. Did they choose Jesus and receive His gift of eternal life or did they refuse the offer of eternal life and stay in a fallen state with eternal darkness in their soul. An eternal soul without the life, cannot live in the eternal presence of the Life and must go where all darkness will be retained forever in the lake of fire..John writes this in Chapter 20, verse 11;
"And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face earth and
heaven fled away, and no place was found for them."
We know that the One on the throne is Jesus, because it was at Jesus presence that that earth and heaven fled away. John continues in verse 12;
"And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books
were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead
were judged from the things that were written in the books, according to their deeds."
If you notice, there are two groups of books here. There are books and then 'another book'. Then it
says that the dead would be judged by their deeds that are recorded in the 'books'. It did not mention any judgment pertaining to the book, which is the book of life. This is because the book of life holds the names of all those who chose to choose Jesus for the gaining of eternal life, becoming a New Creation. In the gospel of John Chapter 3, verses 17 and 18, it follows what we read above about the promise of eternal life, with this;
(17)"For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the
world should be saved through Him.(18) He who believes in Him is not judged; he
who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the
name of the only begotten Son of God."
So we have the two different groups. Those who chose to be saved and those who refused to be saved. When we read about the books that were opened and the dead were judged according to the things that were written in them, we must note that this does not include the New Creations because they are no longer dead. They participated in the first resurrection and are alive. Remember, those who participated in the first resurrection are blessed because over them the second death has no power. The second death is the death of the eternal death soul. John continues in Revelation Chapter 20, verse 13, with this;
"And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the
dead which were in them; and they were judged, everyone of them according to
their deeds."
Hades is the holding place for all the souls of people that refused to receive the gift of eternal life that comes with choosing what Jesus did for them. Jesus is the Light of the world. When a person comes to Jesus, it is like bringing with you all the things recorded in your life that you did in this earthly body on film. When it is exposed to the Light, the film is over exposed and there is nothing showing on the film. That is why it says this in Paul's letter to the Romans in Chapter 8, verses 1 and2;
(1)"There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.(2) For
the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and
death."
The prophet Isaiah writes this in his 1st Chapter, verse 18;
"Come now and let us reason together, Says the Lord, 'Though your sins are as
scarlet, they will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they
will be like wool."
Jesus looks at our sins through His shed blood. If you look at anything red through a piece of red glass, the red looks white. It is the shed blood of Jesus that makes our red sin, white and cleansed, because we are under the covering of His blood. There is nothing to see. Nothing recorded. No condemnation.
In contrast, all those who remain in the darkness all their deeds are recorded on the film where it is developed in the darkroom for all to see. Therefore they are recorded in the books. Everything that they have done will be exposed for all to see. John concludes Chapter 20 with this in verses 14 and15;
"And 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.
As difficult as man has made religion, the simple truth comes down to this, accept Jesus and live, or reject Jesus and accept the consequences of doing so.
2nd Peter Chapter 3, verse 9;
"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient
toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."
May Jesus grant you the wisdom and understanding to see His will.
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