“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. 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. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

The Day of Judgment. Even as Western society drifts away from its Judeo-Christian roots, I would suppose that our culture and many other cultures around the world sense that a judgment at death is inevitable.  I believe it is something written on the heart of all mankind, even in their lostness, that looms on the horizon. God is beckoning for all to turn to Him to avoid the consequences of rejecting Him.  In rejecting Him, God will give them want they want – eternal separation from Him.

Consider that we live in a world that is not quite right. But also imagine a world with God completely removed. In our current world, God’s grace and discipline abound as both believer and non-believer are recipients. For the believer, it is love poured out to mold us into the image of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. For the unbeliever, it is the shock that awakens the soul to seek Him.  Honestly, a world without Him involved is terrifying. The Lost will experience, for all eternity, abandonment from the only true goodness and love that exists.

And this judgment is what ALL people will face, the dead, small and great; young and old, low and high, poor and rich. “None are so mean, but they have some talents to account for; and none so great, as to avoid having to account for them” (Matthew Henry).  Books will be opened recording all deeds and recording names listed in the Lamb’s book of Life. All deeds, good and bad, will be accounted for. Yet, the names recorded in the Book of Life will be acquitted as Jesus has already incurred their punishment on the cross and paid their debt with His shed blood.  

But don’t miss this: those not written in the Book of Life will be cast away into a lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). Our eternal resting place doesn’t rest on our good or bad deeds, it rests on the Lamb who was slain “so that anyone who believes on Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Paul reminds us in Romans 6:23 that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Without Christ, we would all stand before a holy, righteous God condemned and thereby cast away for eternity.  

Earlier I had written that I believe all people sense an impending judgment. Some deny that outright or fill up their lives with busyness to avoid thinking about it. But God originally made man and woman in the Garden to live with Him without mention of death. It wasn’t until their disobedience, that death entered the scene: “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). Doesn’t it stand to reason that all have a sense of eternity? That the world we live in now just can’t be everything. Can it?  

This can be an inroad to sharing the Gospel, asking the question “Have you ever thought about eternity?” “Do you think this life is all there is?” And it can be a path for living the Gospel, asking ourselves in “Is this decision I’m about to make have eternal ramifications?” “Will my decision bring life or death?”

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us your Word. Thank you for revealing your plans for us. Thank you for being the Hope that sustains us now and in the next life. In Jesus name, Amen.

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