REVELATION 20:11-15
LESSON 2
Part A
Perhaps no scene in the entire Bible grips our minds and stirs our souls as the last
verses of Revelation 20. To think that in one moment all the angels and all the humans
who have ever lived on this planet (perhaps as many as 45 billion souls) will be assembled.
In utter silence the scene opens. In the glow of God’s glory surrounding His throne stand
the redeemed of all the ages. Behind them in countless ranks are all the angelic hosts.
Hovering about God’s presence are the four angelic creatures, before the Throne stand,
then kneel, the 24 elders.
But then is the amazing reality, all the dead small and great assembled. All are there,
none missing. The last, the greatest and the final roll call. And no one misses this day
in court.
* All the Ivan the Butchers of this world are present. Those evil emissaries of Satan
that gassed women and children hide no more in disguise to escape penalty – they each
stand exposed.
* All the Genghis Khan’s of this world who flayed his enemies alive and has no armies
to protect his terrors – stand alone.
* The Scythians, the murderous horsemen who killed their foes and used the skull as a
cup to drink blood – stand silent.
* The ashes of countless cremated warlords and wealthy executives cast to the winds and
seas, hopeful of escaping God are now reassembled into bodies, souls imprisoned in Hades
now regain habitation in the bodies in which they sinned and turned from God.
* Yes, all God haters from Voltaire to Hitler now face the One they despised.
* The God resistors, who faced God and said no, are now assembled, from Pharaoh to the
priests of Molech, and they are quaking in dread.
* They are all present…inescapable in this is their final hour.
* Before this silent multitude, speechless in the sight of the God they never wanted to
know, nor ever wanted to meet, is the eerie flicker of the cauldron of God’s holy wrath.
It is a Lake; it is on fire. It is already filled with the Devil, his two apostles
(the beast and the false prophet) and all the malignant hordes of evil angels. They
have sunken into the blackness beginning their eternal plunge to the never-ending depths
of the blackened pit of darkness. Eternally tormented in the very desire that gripped them,
to be away from the Light, away from the truth and way from the Life. So they plunge downward.
And for the billions who stand frozen with the dreadful fear of inescapable doom, the Last
Word of the Final Judgment begins.
We now will look at the last word of God to sinners. Think of someone you know who died
refusing Jesus. Our text and the rest of the Word of God tell us the first thing they
experience after death is a terrible blast of pain. After a time of grinding their teeth
in horror they slowly regain the ability to think as their capacity to experience pain
enlarges. Then it hits them, they are falling and it is totally dark around them. The
heat of the invisible or back liquid fire that surrounds them sears at every sensory
receptor of their mind and then they start to scream. They scream for an hour and then
a day and then a year. Always tumbling, always falling, never resting. This is Hell
forever, this is blackness of darkness forever, and this is the vengeance of eternal
fire. And if it were not enough, all the time they fall, burn and scream, those worms
of memory chew deeper and deeper. Every sermon, every prayer, every verse, and every
word shared with them in their lifetime floods with scorching pain their thoughts.
They are lost, forever lost and they didn’t have to be, they chose to be!
THE GREAT WHITE THRONE AND THE LAKE OF FIRE
REVELATION 20:11-15
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the
earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened:
and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged
out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up
the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Two thousand years ago, God spoke to His church and warned, Heb. 9:27 “And as it is
appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:.”
Let’s grasp that verse from God.
1. It’s destined for man to die. RIGHT? From Eden onward, mankind who sins, dies.
No one escapes on their own.
2. Destined for man to die ONCE. – no reincarnation – no second chance – no intermediate
step.
3. Man is destined to die once. And after that to face judgment.
* God says life is a one-way street—no returns.
* God says it is a dead-end street literally.
* God has a final appointment with all who ever lived.
Let’s meditate on the immensity of that thought – All who ever live will die sooner or later.
So, man is destined to die. He lives and dies only once. And, after that to face judgment!
This section of Revelation 20 divides into 5 sobering truths:
* GREAT is THE JUDGE v. 11
* INESCAPAABLE is THE JUDGMENT v. 12
* EXACT is THE STANDARD v. 13
* FINAL is THE SENTENCE v. 14
* BLESSED is THE BOOK OF LIFE v. 15
THE GREAT WHITE THRONE HAS FIVE ELEMENTS
TO BE CONSIDERED
1. THE GREATNESS OF THE JUDGE – v.11
* It’s great because of His majesty (creator, sustainer, God of gods, Lord of lords,
King of kings, Rock, Endless of days)
* It’s white because of His holiness – (light, everlasting, burning) –
* It’s God, the Son who said He would do this –
* John 5:22, 27-28 – God committed all judgment to Christ, v.30
22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son
of man.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in
the graves shall hear his voice,
* Acts 10:42 – One appointed by God (Peter to Cornelius)
42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is
he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.
* Acts 17:31 – He will judge world in righteousness (Paul to Athenians)
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in
righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance
unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
* 2 Tim. 4:8 – The Lord, the Righteous Judge
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
* NO WONDER ALL FLEE FROM HIM – HE IS GREAT!
“Only one life to live and soon is past
Only what’s done for Christ will last!”
Hoping to make the time I have left count for the glory of God.
REVELATION 20:11-15 LESSON 2 Part A