The Great White Throne

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 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 which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 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, every one of them according to their deeds. 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.”
Revelation 20:11-15

“The scene at this final judgement is cosmic in scope. Every created being and every created thing will stand before the all-knowing gaze of God Himself. What are some of the implications of that judgement?

- The ultimate triumph of God’s will and the consummate display of His glory in history (the sign that all He intended has been accomplished).

- The cosmic declaration that God is just (all affronts to His glory are punished and all recognition of it is rewarded).

- The climax of Christ’s ministry, as the Apostles’ Creed affirms.
       
- The reminder that human and cosmic history move toward a goal, measured by the purposes of God.

- The absolute seal of human accountability (all believers are held responsible for their works at the Bema, and all unbelievers for their rebellion at the Great White Throne).
                   
- The most serious motive for Christian mission (in the face of such judgement, the world’s only hope is Christ’s salvation).”
                                                                                                  -D.A. Hubbard