Judgment of Unbelievers

This is the third and last of the judgments, and the one that makes me weep. Revelation 20:11-15 tells us this judgment will occur after Jesus’ one thousand year reign on earth, and after Satan is released from the bottomless pit and allowed to deceived the world one last time before he’s cast into the lake of fire for all eternity. When this is done, the dead will be summoned. “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 his works. From previous scriptures, we know that believers have already been judged, even those believers who lived through the tribulation and did not worship the beast or take his number (Revelation 20:4). Thus, we can assume those at this judgment are unbelievers only.

This judgment will take place before a great white throne where Jesus will sit. Every deed, every thought, every word of every person has been recorded in books kept in heaven. Now those books will be opened and each person will come before the Great Judge and King of Kings, and give an account. And those found guilty will be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity. But found guilty of what?

Verse 15 tells us; “whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” It is this one thing, and not all their bad deeds, that will send them into eternal torment—not found written in the Book of Life. If that’s so, how does one get in? Philippians 4:3 gives us a clue.  It talks about those who are followers of Christ and His gospel and “whose names are in the book of life.” And again in Luke 10:20 after the disciples brag about how “even the devils were subject to them”, Jesus says this: “rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven (the book of life). Revelation 21:27 calls it the “Lamb’s book of life.” And there’s only one way in. Through Jesus. Those who have rejected Jesus, will not be written in the book, and at the white throne judgment it will be too late for them to change their minds.

And that’s the tragedy. It’s the easiest thing in the world to avoid this judgment. God has made it so simple: “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved.” And the alternative? Hebrews 10:31 says it well, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Until next time,

Sylvia