Revelation 20:11-15. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 28, 2018.
Two weeks ago we were looking at that amazing time called the Millennial Kingdom, which lies in our future. What a wonderful time that will be as we experience life on this earth without war and unchecked unrighteousness. For the believer who has been resurrected, it will be even more amazing because we will not have a body that is bent towards its own lusts. Yet, the Bible tells us that the 1,000 years of peace will come to an end when Satan is released from prison and he is able to deceive a vast number of mortal humans to go to war against Christ and His glorified saints. This Final rebellion is quickly defeated as Revelation 20:9 says, “fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.” We were then told that the devil would finally be thrown into the Lake of Fire where he will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Some may wonder why God would put the devil in prison and then release him again. Though the Bible does not give an explicit reason, it should not escape our insight that the devil and mortal man is given another chance to refrain from rebelling against God. This seems to be the final argument in the case of God as for why all these are deserving of the Lake of Fire. Regardless, it is a reality we must all deal with. Even when given 1,000 years of peace and prosperity, multitudes would choose rebellion and the tyranny of sin over again when given the chance.
Our passage today follows on the heels of the fire falling from the sky and destroying the rebellion. It focuses on a great day of judgment in which all the wicked dead throughout history will be brought up out of Hades and placed before the Lord. You will remember that we previous spoke about a person who dies and is not in right relationship with God. Such a person will find themselves in torments in Hades, the spiritual holding place we call the grave. Most of what we have talked about has dealt with what the righteous will experience after death, but now we return to the wicked dead. Though it was clear what their judgment would be when they died, technically they have not been sentenced yet. One day their experience in Hades will be interrupted by this fire from heaven and they will be resurrected in order to stand before Christ for their sentencing.
Up to this point we have seen that the believers from every generation will have been resurrected and they will have glorified bodies (indestructible, imperishable, etc.). They have already been judged. In verses 11-15 we are dealing with the unrighteous dead.
Verse 11 begins with the earth and the heavens flee from the presence of the One who sits on the throne, but no place is found for them. The idea is that they can’t hide and disappear from the scene as all the unrighteous dead are brought before Christ. It is very likely that this passage and the fire that falls from heaven in verse 9 are tied to the prophecy that Peter makes in 2 Peter 3:10. There Peter says, “But the Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. This doesn’t fit with what we have seen regarding the 2nd Coming of Christ. Though we typically think of the Day of the Lord as referring to the Second Coming, it actually refers to the whole period from the pouring out of God’s wrath, to Christ’s 2nd Coming, including the Millennial Kingdom and the Great White Throne Judgment. So basically the whole universe melts into plasma before the full glory of Christ.
Thus as this creation is removed, we see the source of its melting. A Great White Throne towers above all the other thrones that have ever been mentioned in Scripture, even Christ’s millennial throne. This is the heavenly throne of God. It is white because of the purity of the One who sits upon it. Simultaneously the Second Resurrection occurs. Though the phrase is not explicitly stated here, it is a logical necessity from the details of verse 5. There we are told that the Resurrections that have occurred before this are a part of a class called the First Resurrection. It then pronounces a blessing on those who participate in the First Resurrection and a danger upon those who do not. Elsewhere in the Bible the resurrection is always described in two phases or at least two kinds. Daniel describes two different resurrections it in chapter 12 of his book when he writes, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Jesus described two resurrections and in John 5:29 the second one is specifically called “the resurrection of the condemnation.” Paul describes it in Acts 24:15 as “the resurrection of the unjust.” Thus the Second Resurrection is a time when all the wicked dead are raised up in order to receive condemnation and shame.
The picture is advanced as we see Hades completely emptied as all in it are brought before Christ. It also mentions the sea being emptied of any in it and brought before Christ. This is to emphasize that even those who could not be buried would be brought before Christ. No one will escape this judgment, but the righteous who have already been judged as worthy of life.
We are also told that both the small and the great are brought before Christ. No one will be too insignificant to escape this judgment, and no one will be too powerful to resist it.
Next we are told that books are opened and the Book of Life is opened. The “books” plural are a record of the works and actions of each person. The Book of Life is a ledger of all the “imagers” of God who have been created. If they did not put their faith in god and His Christ then their name was blotted out of the book (see Psalm 69:28 and Acts 3:19). When we put our faith in Christ, our name remains in the Book of Life and the record of our sinful works is blotted out. Whether these are actual books in the heavens or merely symbols of God’s ability to record everything, it is clear that this is not a trial. Though evidence is present, there is no rebuttal or counter evidence. This is a sentencing phase where all will stand silent as the decision of Christ regarding them is made clear and carried out.
Some have asked this question. What about the righteous mortals of the Millennium? It stands to reason that not everyone will join the Final Rebellion. The glorified saints, of course, are able to withstand the fire that destroys all things. Though it is not stated, it would seem very probable that any righteous mortals will be instantly transformed and caught up to the side of Christ along with the other glorified saints. This will complete the First Resurrection. The resurrected righteous from every generation will stand as witnesses to this judgment alongside Christ.
Those whose names are not in the Book of Life are cast into the Lake of Fire. This is described in verses 14 and 15. Up until this point, we have seen that the Beast and the False Prophet are the first to go into the Lake of Fire (at the 2nd Coming) and then the devil is thrown into the Lake of Fire at the end of the Millennium. It would seem appropriate that, as the devil is thrown into the Lake of Fire, so his angels would be thrown in as well. Jesus himself said that hell was created for “the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41). The wicked humans are now joining the fate of the wicked supernatural beings. The Lake of Fire is a place of separation from God and all His goodness.
Thus they will never again be able to interact with God’s creation, specifically the New Heavens and the New Earth that are to be created and appear in Revelation chapter 21. Nothing that is wicked or potentially could become wicked will be allowed to go into the New Creation. Adam and eve were in paradise, but they were also ignorant to evil and wickedness. Thus they could easily be deceived. The glorified Sons of God who enter into the New Creation will not be ignorant. We will be completely convinced of the goodness of God.
Let me leave you with the challenge to make sure that you are right with God. Unless you surrender your life and put your faith in Jesus, you cannot escape the torments of Hades, the Great White Throne Judgment, and the Lake of Fire. Why choose death? Choose the life that God puts before you today. Some reject this offer and present all manner of arguments why God should not be worshipped, but this is folly. You will not judge God, He will judge you; and you are not truly righteous, but He truly is.
Are you angry at the idea of judgment and resentful towards God and His supposed goodness? You should read David Guzik’s commentary on Revelation 20:12-13. Here is part of what he has to say.
“i. Because this is a sentencing and not a trial, those who stand before the throne have nothing to say. Many think they will “tell God a thing or two” at the final judgment, as reflected in this letter to Dear Abby (a newspaper advice column) written some years ago:
Dear Abby: I am troubled with something a reader wrote: “What right do we mortals have to demand an explanation from God?” Abby, that writer has never known the gut-wrenching pain of losing a child...
God didn’t answer my prayers, and I resent being told that I have no right to question God. If there is a God, and if I ever get to meet him face to face, you can bet your life I will have plenty of whys for him to answer.
I want to know why my little girl died and why that drunk was allowed to go on living. I love her more than my life, and I miss her so. I am mad that I am having to live in a world where she no longer lives, and I want to know why. Why shouldn’t I have the right to ask God?
Aren’t we supposedly created in his image? If so, surely he has a heart and soul capable of hurting just as I hurt. Why would he not expect to be questioned if he has anything to do with miracles?
I don’t fear the Lord. And I don’t fear hell, either. I know what hell is like. I’ve already been there since the day my precious daughter was killed.
Please sign me... A Bereaved Mother
ii. Of course, there will be no criticism of God on that day. This desperate woman will see not only the righteousness and goodness of God, but she will also see her own sin and rejection of Him more clearly than ever. One could only pray and hope she came to understand how the Father Himself knew the pain she experienced, and sent His Son to give her hope and redemption.”