The Great White Throne: The Opening of the Book of Life - Glorious Hope | Studies in Revelation

Revelation chapter 20 and beginning at verse 11.

Revelation 20 · chapter mention

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on

it.

From his presence, earth and sky fled away, and no place was found

for them.

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 give up the 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.

Amen.

This is the word of God.

I don't think any of us would doubt the fact that we have grown

up in British culture recognizing the value of books.

In each of our homes, there will be books of many kinds, as well

as magazines and newspapers.

And there probably hasn't been a time in any of our lives when we

haven't had a book of some kind.

The vast majority of us grew up with a Bible and a hymnbook.

Those most likely were given to us as prizes at Sunday school,

and then they were required items every time that we would attend

worship.

We may also have had novels at home, and we will certainly have

had access to books in school and in local libraries.

Books are probably one of those things that we have had to

take for granted because of the access that we've had to them.

And really, it's 500 years since we've had access to books.

Maybe 400 years ago, because 500 years ago, and Martin Luther

and the printing press, it was these truths of Scripture that were

printed and disseminated across Western Europe.

And so as it became cheaper to publish and print books, so we have

found them cheaper to buy and have access to.

I have to keep that in mind, because as we're reading Revelation,

we mustn't think that there's people reading this or hearing this

at the original time or even throughout those first 1500 years

of church history, who thought of a bookshelf of books?

It was amazing to them of books in the plural.

All they would have had in front of them would have been the

manuscript that would have been sent to read out this letter.

And so this was something truly amazing, something of awe,

awe and wonder that there would be multiple books opened.

And if you want to know what that's like, all you have to do is

visit many countries around the world who don't have access to

what we have.

And even if they did have access, they wouldn't be able to

afford the books that we can afford here today.

Now, I've always enjoyed books.

Growing up in our house, we had old novels that my grandparents

had as well as Bible storybooks that my parents used in

Sunday school.

Attending college and university required me to buy, and

I suppose the intention was to read them as well.

But at least I bought them.

And now I have.

I counted this afternoon 30 shelves of books at home and more

in boxes.

I'd like to say it looks like this, but it is not as neat and tidy

as this.

It is categorized, but it's not as neat and tidy.

I have over a thousand books at home and that commonly suggests

that I have a personal library.

I have joked that there's a wee place down Main street.

It's got two car parking spaces outside.

It's up for sale.

The McCullough Memorial Library.

I think that has a ring to it, although I'm told you have to be

dead for such a thing to take place.

But why am I talking about books?

Because I don't think it'll be any.

You can't have missed it.

Books are opened and these books are significant.

Throughout history, books have been the mechanisms of how change

has happened.

Books and literature have influenced culture and they've influenced

society more so than any social media we are seeing or hear

hearing.

The largest hits in politics have not come from words spoken,

but words written and printed.

Peace is always found in the written word, with the agreements

that countries make with each other.

They're set in ink so that everybody knows where they are.

It was the English author Edward Bueller lytton in his 1839

historical play Cardinal Richelieu, who coined the phrase,

the pen is mightier than the sword.

And in that play, the cardinal discovers a plot against his life.

But as a priest, he's unable to take up physical arms against

his enemies.

Instead, he relies on his administrative power and the written

word to outmaneuver the conspirators.

And so for him, the pen was truly mightier than the sword.

Well, as we turn to the last five verses of Revelation 20, we

see the importance and we see the value of books.

But rather than the pen being mightier than the sword, we see the

pen and the sword coming into play, as we once again have John

tell us about the judgment of humankind before the Great White

Throne.

Now, the previous verses have caused us to think about the thousand

years in verses 1 to 6 and the defeat of Satan.

Satan and then verses 7 to 10.

And you will recall from last week that the three main interpretations

of these verses center around an understanding of what the thousand

years are.

Now, I'm not going to go over that again, but I will say what I

said last week.

I have my theological interpretation of this book, as do

you.

For some, you will agree with me, and for some you will not.

But the point of this series is not to argue and fight over who

is right and who is wrong.

And that certainly hasn't been my agenda.

Rather, in this living word of Scripture, we will get a glimpse

of what our future reality will be.

And that is a reality where Christ is on the throne and death

is defeated, sin will be punished, and the redeemed in Christ

will be brought home to heaven.

All theological positions are secondary to this.

And because I haven't preached what I believe the nuts and bolts

of Revelation are, that doesn't mean I don't have a conviction

about it.

I do.

But the purpose of the pulpit is not for me to persuade you of

what I believe.

The purpose of preaching is to open God's word and understand Christ

from every page and the salvation that he brings through

the Gospel.

And this is how we look at these verses again this evening.

Now, verses 7 to 10 told us of the defeat of Satan, and this is

welcome news for God's people, because the great enemy will be no

more.

But like I've said on numerous occasions, sin has consequences.

And for those who followed the ways of Satan, their consequence

now is to face the judgment of God.

And verse 11 tells us what John now sees then.

I saw a great white throne, and him who was seated on it.

From his presence, earth and sky fled away and no place was found

for them.

John now sees before him God's throne, representing God's authority

and rule as he is seated on it.

And we have seen God's throne before, and it is prominent in what

John sees in Revelation.

And the word throne refers to God's rule more than 30 times in

this book, and in particular in chapter four.

It signifies the sovereignty and the rule of God as the Creator

of all.

All creation bows in worship before the one exalted in His Majesty.

And as we come to this part of Revelation and this final section

of chapter 20, that's what we're getting a sense of again, that

all creation will bow before him.

And this is something Daniel spoke of in Daniel chapter 2, in

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

verse 35, where Daniel wrote, then the iron, the clay, the bronze,

the silver and the gold all together were broken in pieces and

became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors.

And the wind carries them away so that not a trace of them could

be found.

But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and

filled the whole earth.

Daniel's talking about the idolatry of his time.

He's talking about those graven images, but in particular

the vision given to him of what was meant with each part of

these graven images.

And so in saying all of this, what he prophesied is becoming a

reality.

For the stone that's mentioned here represents the kingdom of God

that is now a great mountain filling the earth, and the anti God

kingdoms no longer reign.

And as he looks on the Great white Throne, he understands it to

be that very place of God's judgment.

Heaven and earth flee, John says, from God's presence, and no

place is found for them.

And this tells us that the end of history has arrived.

Their fleeing means that the world as we know it is no more.

And so we see similar expressions elsewhere in Revelation.

When the new heaven and earth arrive, the first earth passes away

along with the sea.

So John speaks here of the passing away of the old creation,

but he sees more than just the Great White Throne.

What he sees in verse 12 can appear gruesome to our modern sensitivities,

but it is a reality that we must understand, because this is

what verse 12 tells us.

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.

Seeing the dead as John sees them here is not something that we're

used to.

But that's not the point of what John is communicating to us.

In fact, he's telling us here a number of things.

First of all, all the dead, whether powerful or poor, stand before

God's throne to be assessed by Him.

There's no one who can escape, be it those who were used to buying

their way out of situations, or those who feel they have no power

at all, rich and poor alike, will be before the throne.

But secondly, John says before him also that books are opened, including

the Book of Life.

Now, we read of the Book of Life in chapter three, and its presence

here means that the time of judgment has come.

The dead are judged by what is written in the book.

In other words, they're judged according to their works.

And that's what that phrase means, according to what they've

done.

Now, Scripture repeatedly says that judgment will be according to

works.

Judgment according to works is not merely an Old Testament theme,

but is also prominent in the New Testament.

Those who are in the Book of Life have performed works warranting

inclusion, while those who are punished are those who have pursued

and practiced evil.

Now, let me be clear.

These works are not the basis for being found in the Book of Life.

It is salvation in Christ that warrants inclusion in the Book of

Life.

Rather, these works constitute the necessary evidence of belonging

to God.

So names in the Book of Life are there because of their salvation,

but what is recorded is what they have done for Christ.

Daniel teaches in chapter 12 of his book that those written in

the book will be delivered on the last day, raised to everlasting

life.

But those who have done evil will know shame and everlasting contempt.

So Daniel prophesied what we're seeing here now in chapter

20 of those who are not found in the Book, who have not received

Christ, and who have not lived the life that they're commanded to

live.

But John also sees the sea.

He sees death, and he sees Hades giving up the dead.

Now, none of the powers of the world, those that terrify human beings,

can withstand the voice of God or his power.

And so the sea here is not a neutral thing to God's people, as

we know.

As we've often said, the sea represents chaos, it represents destruction,

because it.

It can't be controlled by humanity.

And whenever you look into the next chapter, you'll notice that

there is no longer any sea.

Now, I know that's hard for people of Analong to accept, particularly

fishermen, but we have to understand what the Jewish mind has

always understood of the sea, a place of terror, of chaos and destruction.

And so John tells us again that the dead are judged according

to their works.

And by repeating this, he is telling us that God's judgment is

impartial and it's fair.

It's not arbitrary or spiteful.

Again, what we saw in Psalm 75 this morning, God's judgments agree

with what is right and what is true.

And no one will be able to question that truth.

No one will be able to stand before him and cry, that's not fair.

And we've seen that in the previous chapters, because God is

right in his judgments.

He is true in his judgments, and everything he does is the truth.

And as we come to verse 14, there may be something here that

also surprises us, because we've just read that Death and Hades

give up their dead, and now we see their destruction.

Because verse 14 says, Then death and Hades were thrown into

the lake of fire.

This is the second death, the lake of fire.

And of course, repetition is used here to affirm what has been

said so that we will take it more seriously.

And in this verse we get a sense that the end of history has

arrived as Death and Hades are cast into this lake of fire.

Death is the last enemy, as Paul writes in First Corinthians,

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

chapter 15, and verse 26.

And Hades represents the realm of death and final punishment.

So everything opposing God is now confined to the lake of fire,

destined here, or defined here as the second death.

Death is absent from the new creation along with the pain and

sorrow it brings.

Just read through to the next chapter in verse four, where we're

told he will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall

be no more.

Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore,

for the former things have passed away.

And so here in chapter 20, and as we'll see in chapter 21, death

needs to be dealt with.

And this is how it is dealt with.

Death is effectively punished as it's thrown into the lake of fire

and consumed by it.

And this is good news for those who belong to Christ.

We're seeing here the promise of isaiah in chapter 25 and verse

8.

It's becoming a reality, because Isaiah says there, speaking

of the Lord of hosts, he will swallow up death forever.

Isn't that good news, that all the pain, all the suffering, all

the burden that really has brought us down will be no more?

And here, even before we get to this great affirmation in chapter

21, we have it here in chapter 20.

And as the chapter closes, we see the sobering reality of the consequences

of sin.

For John tells us in verse 15, and if anyone's name was not found

written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

When we got married, an older minister and his wife gave us as

a wedding gift a visitor's book.

The visitors book sits on a dresser down in the hallway in the

manse.

But it's been a book that's been with us in every home that we've

lived in, from Enid Drive in Belfast to Area 47 in Lilongwe, and

now here in Anna Long.

This older minister and his wife had been missionaries in Malawi.

And they knew that in some way, maybe before we even knew that

our calling would be and for part of our life to be in that African

country.

As I've said since 2011, when we got married, every person who

has stayed with us has written in this book.

Now, we don't want them to write flattering things about our

hospitality, although that's nice if they do.

The purpose of a visitor's book is to keep a record of who stayed

with us because it forms who we are as a family as we recall those

who have stayed in our homes and what circumstances perhaps have

brought them to us.

Now I say everyone has filled it out, bar one, and sadly, we'll

never be able to get that person to sign the book.

We were too busy saying goodbye that we missed asking them

to sign it.

And so their name is missing because they can no longer write

because they have gone on to glory.

It is sad for us that their name is missing because we are now

missing a piece of what our family life down at the manse is

and the experiences that we've shared with others.

Now, this is a very simple illustration, but I'm trying to use

it to highlight something that we're reading here.

If your name is not found in the book of Life, then you're cast

into the lake of fire.

Now think about that.

This is no visitor's book that someone happened to forget to put

their name in.

This is knowing here and now that if you have accepted the Savior,

if you are living for him, then your name is found in the book

of life.

But if you have not come to Jesus for salvation, and if you are

not living for him, then your name will not be there.

And Scripture says that on that day of final judgment, you will

be cast into the lake of fire.

Do I want your name missing from the book?

Absolutely not.

After eight years, it turns out of I've actually come around

to love you all, and I desperately want you in that book

of life.

And so I ask you to search your soul tonight.

Are you sure your name is written in the Book of Life?

Because if it is not, then you will not be joining me and others

who are found in Christ in eternity in heaven.

Rather, you will be found in the lake of fire.

Matthew describes this place of punishment as a fiery furnace,

a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.

And he says that in chapter 13 and verses 42 and 50, Matthew also

tells us the eternal fire is prepared for the devil and his angels.

In chapter 25 is, which is what we're seeing with death and

hate.

He's been cast into the lake of fire.

None of this is new information.

We have been told it Already.

And the punishment here is not temporary.

It's not like going to the principal's office for however long

they deem necessary for your punishment.

John has made it very clear that the wicked suffer torment forever.

They will never enjoy rest or peace.

And again, Matthew confirms this.

For the righteous will enjoy eternal life, while the wicked will

suffer eternal punishment.

And that again is found in Matthew 25.

And so the parallel in Matthew, along with Revelation 20,

shows that the punishment is permanent.

Just as the life enjoyed by the righteous, by those in Christ

whose names are found in the book of life, will last forever,

those whose works testify that they truly belong to God, will be

vindicated at the great and white throne as their names are read

out or spoken of or found in that great book.

And so, as we conclude this evening, we read these closing verses

of chapter 20 and we understand how tragic will be this

end in the case of those who heard the warning of the final judgment

but refused the Gospel message of forgiveness in Christ.

It is truly tragic.

Was it because of pride that you wouldn't confess your sin, or

you wouldn't bend the knee to Jesus in repayment, you will feel

the penalty of those sins forever, while being forced to acknowledge

in hell what Paul tells us, as we used in our call to worship, that

at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on

earth, and where else?

Those under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ

is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

You see, it turns out on that last day when we will all confess

Jesus Christ as Lord, because we will know it is true.

For those in heaven, it will be a song and refrain of rejoicing.

For those in hell, it will be bitter punishment to recite these

words, knowing that you rejected your only way to salvation.

Was it through worldly wisdom that you've rejected the pleas of

the gospel of God's grace, gracious love?

Because I don't believe anyone here wants to consider an eternity

without God.

Yet through the unrepentant of our repentance of our sins, that

is what we will face.

Paul reminds us in 1st Corinthians 1:18.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing,

but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.

Books are powerful things.

This book that we call Scripture or the Bible is the most

powerful book we can know.

But in eternity, what will matter before that great white throne

is that great book of life.

And whether our name is found in it or not.

And so I urge you this evening to know for sure.

To know without shadow of doubt that your name is written there.

Because the punishment is far too great.

And while there is still time, come to Jesus.

Trust in him.

His arms are open wide as they were on Calvary's cross because he

died for you.

That you would know forgiveness of sins.

And as you know forgiveness of sins, you would rejoice in that wonderful

assurance that you are his forever.

So please, tonight, don't allow the cross to be folly to you.

But may you know what Jesus has accomplished to be the power

of your life and the assurance of.

Of eternity with him.

Let us pray.

Our Father God, we thank you that you have made it clear to us

what we must do so that we will be faithful unto Jesus.

And so we pray that you will help us to respond.

Help us to search our lives, each of us to know that our names

are written in the book of life.

That we will know forgiveness of sins, that we will know that we're

found there.

Because our works are telling the world that we love Jesus.

They're a demonstration of whom we've placed our trust in.

So, Lord, keep us faithful, Keep us true.

And may we not ignore this, for it is truly at our peril.

Lord, help us to know that there is a throne to which we can

come to this night, your amazing throne, and know Jesus as

Savior.

So that as we come to the great White Throne on that last day

of human history, we will rejoice in knowing we are found with

Christ and Him alone.

So speak to us clearly.

We pray in Jesus name.

Amen.

Sam.