Sermon Central
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The Great White Throne Judgment - Judgement
Contributed by Jerry Shirley on Jun 9, 2005 (message contributor)
Summary: The Courtroom, the Judge, the Accused, the Evidence, the Defense, the Verdict, the Sentence. Link included to Formatted Text Version and Powerpoint, as well as links to "The Judgment Seat of Christ" and "5 Bible Judgments".
The Great White Throne
[Link at bottom...]
These verses describe the final event of all of human history. God is putting the last period on the last sentence of the last paragraph of the last page. This is the final judgment of all who die lost, never having repented and never having received Christ as their Savior. This is serious, and we need to give our full attention to this matter.
It is not easy to preach about this awesome and final judgment. I take absolutely no pleasure whatsoever in even thinking about ANYONE being thrown alive into a lake of fire for all eternity. Also: God takes no pleasure in it either…God never made hell for people…hell was created for the devil and his angels, and the people who end up in hell will be those who reject God’s way of escape, and never get saved. God doesn’t send people to hell…sin does…and so we must accept His salvation from sin!
If we say no to God’s provision, then the only alternative is hell. We cannot remain neutral. God is love, and He loves us so much that He took our hell for us if we’ll repent of those sins for which He died and receive His payment. But He is holy and perfect, and if we don’t accept His payment for our sins then we have to pay for them ourselves.
What we now look at is the darkest hour of human history…this is the supreme court of the universe! All the lost will be judged, and after the verdict is read, it is final…there will be no appeals. The sentence is a life/death sentence—a death row and torture chamber wrapped up in one, with no end for all eternity.
This is not politically correct, and some simply won’t believe it…but their argument will be with God, not with me. If I’ve ever preached a sermon direct from God’s Word, then this is it.
7 Aspects of the Great White Throne Judgment: The Courtroom, The Judge, The Accused, The Evidence, The Defense, The Verdict, and The Sentence.
1. The Courtroom
v. 11 “great white throne”…stop right there. These 3 words represent 3 things:
“Great” = speaks of power
The lost standing before this throne will be overcome w/ the incredible sense of power, awe, and fear. Some talk flippantly about what they’re gonna tell God when they see Him face to face…oh no they won’t! The person who never got saved will not be able to do anything but weep and tremble. Their mind may go back to each time they took His Name in vain, but they won’t be able to use it in vain on this occasion. They may think of jokes they told about hell, but there will be no joking on this day. They may remember the way they used to think about hell, but the reality of what it’s really like will now sink in.
“Hell for company, and Heaven for climate…I always did prefer company to climate!”
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
For our God is a consuming fire.
How dare we think we could ever stand before God and be anything but speechless?!
Notice how this judgment begins: the disposing of the earth...
v. 11 “earth and heaven fled away” – all will realize that everything they ever lived for on earth is gone forever, everything they put before God is gone, all their possessions, all their pleasures, popularity, prestige, all their family, their children…gone…disposed of…and they are left with God alone, Who now must dispose of them!
Hear this: in the end, all we have left is our soul!
No wonder Jesus said,
For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
And so the word “great” stands for power.
“White” = speaks of purity
This speaks of the unapproachable purity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why is this important? Because many on that day will stand before God and want to say, “I’m a good person.” But that will mean nothing compared to His unapproachable purity.
The only way you or I can be pure enough to stand before God is to be washed in the blood of Jesus!
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Purge me … and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
We see the power…it is great, we see the purity…it is white.
“Throne” = speaks of the Potentate
