Good morning. I'm going to put a little timestamp on this recording.
Wauwatosa Bible Chapel, April 6, 2025. Neil Solanke. Our topic is the great White throne.
Tim read the passage. Revelation 20 verses 11 to 15 regarding the great white throne.
But I'm going to start with
A current or a recent scandal that occurred And… It's just going to illustrate a little bit about the justice system.
In our world today. The world's not a perfect place and neither is our justice system.
There was a scandal recently of when it was called Kids for Cash.
And it involved judicial kickbacks to two judges at Luzerne County Court.
In Pennsylvania. The judges, two judges were convicted of accepting money in return for imposing harsh adjudications on juveniles to increase occupancy at a private prison operated in Pennsylvania.
The judges deposed thousands of children to extended stay in youth centers for offenses that were trivial.
So that they could… receive money. They receive millions of dollars.
And these two men were found guilty. And… Unfortunately, they were both judges.
And this is a part that I'm trying to illustrate is illustrate These men were the trusted people in Pennsylvania that were supposed to bring justice to Pennsylvania and they did the opposite.
In 1971. A man who called himself Dan Cooper bought a one-way ticket.
On an air airline that was bound for Seattle. On the plane, he handed the stewardess a note saying that he had a bomb in the briefcase and he wanted her to sit with him and the stewardess did as she was told
And… Cooper showed her a glimpse of what was in his bag, a wires.
And red colored sticks. And demanded that she give a note.
To the captain of the plane. The notes said that Cooper wanted four parachutes.
And $200,000 in $20 bills. The flight landed in Seattle.
The hijacker exchanged the flight's 36 passengers for money in the parachutes.
And he kept the crew and the plane took off towards Mexico City somewhere between Seattle and Reno after 8 p.m.
The hijacker. Jumped out of the back of the plane with a parachute and the ransom money.
The pilots landed safely, but Cooper had disappeared into the night.
And his ultimate fate remains a mystery today. It's an unsolved mystery and justice was not served.
Our topic today is the great white throne. The great white throne judgment is different from other judgments in the Bible.
The great white throne white throne is… The Lord Jesus Christ.
Sitting as judge. To those that have not accepted his plea to accept his sacrifice.
These are the people that have died in their sins. The people that will be in front of this throne are the ones that did not accept Christ.
When they had their chance. This is a… a solemn topic, a scary topic, one that I know as a kid myself.
Brought anxiety and fear And… at all costs, you must escape this their own judgment. You do not want to be at this their own judgment as a defendant.
Because those that are in front of this judgment We'll end.
In an eternity in the lake of fire. So in verse… 11 of chapter 20 it says… And I saw a great white throne.
And him who sat on it from whose face the earth And the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them.
I'd like to talk a little bit about the judge. We talked a little bit about two cases One in which the judges were corrupt and another where the criminal was never even brought to justice.
The judge at the great white throne will be the Lord Jesus Christ.
And it's important to know who Jesus Christ is what his qualifications are.
And why it will be a fair judgment.
So I found an article from Up Look magazine magazine And I wanted to read some of the points that were made there.
And… As much as I can… It's pivotal.
To think of the great white throne as being fair.
In our minds. In our human minds, it's very difficult for us to wrap our heads around eternal damnation.
It's hard for us to consider that's someone… can be guilty of something that will cause them to spend an eternity in the lake of fire.
And I don't treat that lightly at all. I hope that… Each and every one here today knows exactly that they won't be at this judgment.
And so does the Lord Jesus Christ. So does the great judge.
He doesn't want… anyone to perish.
But that they would accept his. Sacrifice on their behalf.
So… The Lord Jesus Christ, he loves righteousness and hates wickedness.
And… One of the things about the Lord Jesus Christ is that He… He can be trusted and we can look at what's happening in today's society and see… that… And I'm reading from the article, the contemporary scene is marked by injustice and oppression. Crime abounds on every inhabited continent.
The suffering masses cry out for someone to punish the guilty, protect the weak, and liberate the oppressed.
Corruption in the judiciaries of the world only adds to the pain that iniquity causes.
All over this troubled globe. Worse than its effect on humans, however, sin offends the holy creator.
And Mars, his planet. Thankfully, the word assures us he hath appointed a day in 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 has raised him from the dead Acts 17, 31.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only perfect judge and possesses all of the qualities that one desires in a jurist Only he can effectively put down evil.
And exalt righteousness. So what are his qualities?
Abraham said, shall not the judge of all the earth do right in Genesis 18, 25?
Truly a good judge must act righteously. Psalm 45, 6 through 7 affirms that the Messiah meets the requirement Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter of that kingdom is a right scepter. Thou lovest righteousness and hatest.
Wickedness. Therefore, God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Hebrews 1, 8 through 9 confirms that these verses refer to the Lord Jesus Christ.
He abhors wickedness. And he loves righteousness.
In addition to righteousness, one who presides over legal proceedings should possess an expert knowledge of the law.
Christ came to fulfill the law rather than destroy it in Matthew 5, 17.
He fulfilled its righteous demands. For he never sinned.
And he always did God's will. 1 Peter 2.22 and John 8.29.
Finally, he died and rose again in order to enable believers to walk in the Spirit.
Thereby fulfilling the law's righteous requirement.
The perfect knowledge of the judge. Human corruption or ignorance in legal proceedings sometimes leads to the guilty going free or the innocent being wrongly convicted.
But the Lord is omniscient. No facts pertain to the case will be overlooked.
His tribunal will one day judge the secrets of men, says Romans 2.16.
1 Corinthians 4.5 puts it this way. Therefore, judge nothing before the time until the Lord come.
Who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the heart.
Then each one's praise will come from God. In short. The all-wise judge knows the facts and will unfailingly execute judgment.
And justice accordingly. Justice is sometimes perverted by greedy members of the judiciary.
Christ is impartial. An incorruptible.
He never lies. Indeed, he is the truth. John 14, 6.
He is no respecter of persons. He cannot be bribed. Because he owns everything.
There are limits to human justice. Man's courts are often frustrated by their inability to enforce their decisions.
For example, criminers are sometimes tried in absentia.
Found guilty and given specific guilty sentences.
Since the court is powerless in these cases to apprehend the missing defendant, they are reduced to lamely handing down verdicts.
Without the ability to enforce them. But God being omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, the Lord is under no constraints and will never allow the guilty to escape judgment.
He knows where people are. He can apprehend them wherever they might hide.
When he arises to judge the earth. He will be inescapable.
Revelation 6, 15 and 17. And the people on the earth will say, fall on us.
Hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb for great The great day of his wrath has come.
And who is able to stand? Because Christ bore the believer's penalty on the cross, he saves him from the wrath to come in 1 Thessalonians 1.10.
There's therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8, 1. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth, who when he was reviled, reviled not again.
When he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judges righteously.
In 1 Peter 2. Today, men despise and honor the blessed Lord. All too often, he is viewed as a non-entity in both world and personal affairs.
When he judges, however, every knee will bow of those who are in heaven.
And on earth and under the earth. And every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
So… We have a judge that is fair, honest.
True, all-knowing, all-powerful. There will be a fair… and true judgment on that day.
At the great white throne.
Let's talk about the defendants at the great white throne. As I said, these are The people that have not trusted in the Lord as their Savior.
We have not accepted the free group. Free gift that Christ offers.
These are the people that have rejected Christ. They're not believers. They are known as the wicked dead.
The unregenerate ones not found in the book of life.
Those that died in their sins. Those that never trusted in Christ.
John 3.18 says, he who believes in him is not condemned.
But he who does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
How are they gathered? In many cases, it is difficult to round up ones under judgment.
How will this event occur? How will God bring all the unsaved.
In one place at one time.
And our text tells us. The sea gave up the dead who were in it.
And death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them.
At this time God will summon.
Those that must attend this event.
If those that are attending knew what was coming, they would do their best to flee.
But this is not possible. The creator of the world the sustainer of life The God of eternity will summon the souls of those unregenerate And they will be… put together with their body.
This body will be one that will… be able to be able to feel and pain.
And it will be… their body that was resurrected.
But this resurrection is resurrection to an eternal death.
The verse also says, and I saw the dead, small and great Standing before God.
Each person will stand before God in their body.
They will, with their own eyes, see God. Table with their own ears hear the judgment.
They will… be in this vast crowd.
Unfortunately. The Bible says… It is a great crowd.
And… There won't… Any difference between any difference between the most powerful person in the world in this group and the most lowly.
The small and the great will be there. And they will be judged.
God will summon them to the great white throne.
And books were opened. There's books mentioned there's books There's books that will be opened.
And then there's the book of life. So what are these books?
And it says, and the dead were judged according to their works.
By the things which were written in the books This has got to be the most scary and solemn part.
One of the most scary and solemn parts of this Judgment.
Anything… that… you've ever wanted to hide in your life will not be hidden.
It's been recorded already. The Lord has been keeping books of your sin.
The things that you've thought the things that you… got away with.
In your mind, the things that
You wished you never did. These are all the things that will haunt you again.
At this time. And… I know for myself, when I was a kid, these are the type of things that were very scary for me.
I don't want anyone knowing that I thought that. Or I don't want anyone knowing And it's possible that you'll be there with a sea of other guilty people going through… the things that you wish you never did And even some will be some
Revealed. That things you didn't even know were sin were sinful.
These will even be revealed.
All recorded. All throughout your lifetime.
I can't even imagine how long this will take even for one person to review.
Much less this large crowd of people.
Home. The severity of your punishment will depend on the judgment that the judge makes according to the severity of your sin.
There is… different severities in sin.
I came up with a brief list of of some of the biggest criminals in history.
Adolf Hitler was responsible for the Holocaust in World War II, resulting in the death of millions.
Pol Pot was the leader of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.
Responsible for a genocide that resulted in the death of Almost 2 million people Nero, the Roman Empire, known for his extravagance and cruelty.
And persecution of Christians. Alleged his role in the Great Fire of Rome.
Genghis Khan… was responsible for the death of millions and so on.
Many of these people will be there. In the same crowd at the great white throne.
Daniel chapter 4. Speaks of Nebuchadnezzar, King Nebuchadnezzar.
A fearful king killed many. He was notorious for notorious His anger.
But in Daniel chapter 4 It's possible he trusted he trusted in God for his salvation.
Maybe he will avoid the great white throne.
Well, what are the other things that these books will reveal?
These books we'll show you.
What you've done and you've done Dr. David Jeremiah, who's does many… great things with end times.
Came up with a few verses that give an opportunity for us to know that God is fair.
And during this reviewing. I believe that it will be clear even to the person that they're guilty.
I believe God will show them that they had many chances.
To repent, to change their ways. They were given many chances to change.
And one of the verses mentioned here is about conscience. Romans 2.15 says.
Who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness.
And between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.
Although the law was not given to the Gentiles, yet they have an intimate knowledge of right and wrong.
They know instinctively that it is wrong to lie, steal, commit adultery and murder.
The fact is they know that it's right to respect their parents, for example.
And it shows that the law is written in their hearts.
They also know that certain acts are basically wrong. Their conscience serving as a monitor.
Confirms this instinctive knowledge and their thoughts are constantly deciding the rightness or wrongness of their actions.
So there's conscience. There's also words.
There are… In Matthew 12, 36 it says but i say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give an account.
Of it in the day of judgment. And it goes on to say, for by your words you will be justified.
And by your words you will be condemned. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.
Jesus warned them and us that people will give an account for every idle word they utter.
Because the words people have spoken or an accurate gauge of their lives.
They will form a suitable basis for condemnation or acquittal.
And what about those secrets? Romans 2.16 says in that in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
It teaches that one final truth about the judgment of God.
You will take into account the secrets of men, not just public sin.
Ecclesiastes 12, 14 says for god will bring every work into judgment.
Including every secret thing. Whether good or evil.
And there are those public works. These are the obvious sins. These are the sins that will not be surprised.
Are considered sins. Unfortunately, none of the good works will do any good to counteract the sin.
There's no balancing act of buying off sin with good works.
And as I said before, the degrees of punishment will be severe for others.
The fire will be hotter for some. And what about the book of life? So the deeds are mentioned of each person.
And they're judged. But what is the book of life Well, the book of life in this instance is a record of those that are have trusted in Christ.
And the book will be opened. And… Oh, someone's following along. Good. And… The book of life No one here at the Great White Throne, no defendant will have their name in this book of life.
And the book will be opened. And your name will not be found.
And that will be the sad, sad end of a long… a long trial.
And the book of life Even Moses talked about the book of life in Exodus He said, yet now if you will forgive their sin, but if not, I pray, blot me out of your book which you have written.
And the Lord said to Moses, whoever has sinned against me, I will blot him out of my book.
Revelation 3.5 says he who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments and I will not blot out his name from the book of life.
But I will confess his name before my father and before his angels.
Revelation 21.27 says, but there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles or causes an abomination or a lie.
But only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
The timeline of the great white throne is… In contrast with the judgment seat of Christ. The judgment seat of Christ is for believers And it's a reward throne the great white throne will occur Later, after the millennium.
So the great white throne is a concluding judgment, a final judgment.
Whereas Christians and those that have accepted christ have a judgment seat.
Which is in their favor. They are rewarded for what they've done.
Their works are looked at. And their rewards are given.
But the great white throne is not that way. The great white throne involves eternal punishment.
This is one of my favorite charts and it's shows the path of shows the path of of a christian One who's trusted in Christ and who's died in their sins.
And the judgment seat of Christ is for those that have trusted Christ.
And the great white throne is for those that have not.
This is a chart by David Jeremiah. And it goes through the many things that we've talked about.
The judgment seat of Christ is for believers. The Great White Throne is for unbelievers.
Judgment seat of Christ is to reward faithful service of God's children.
And the great white throne is to settle accounts.
For those who rebelled against God.
I'll skip through this right now, but…
I wanted to say that the judgment seat of Christ will all those who are judged receive equal treatment?
Each person's motives, desires, and reasons for serving God will be judged.
In the great white throne you'll stand and be condemned. By the sins you've committed.
So where will these… End.
In revelation. 20 verse 14, it says, this is the second death.
Dwight Pentecost says the first death was a spiritual death which was suffered in Adam.
The second death is the confirmation and making eternal that separation from God.
Is complete. And the first death is complete.
The lake of fire will not result in reform or amendment. There's no hope for escape.
The lake of fire is not a state of mind. It is a real place, a place of torment in Luke 16.
This is a condition of unspeakable misery. Everlasting fire, Matthew 25.
Where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.
Mark 9.44. The lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. Revelation 21.
Outer darkness. A place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 8. Fire unquenchable. Luke 3, furnace of fire, Matthew 13.
Blackness of Darkness, Jude 1. The smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever, and they have no rest day and night. Revelation 14.
2 Thessalonians, these shall be punished with everlasting destruction. From the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power.
This is also known as the last hell. This place was created.
For Satan. And the beast and the false prophet will be there.
This is not a place that anyone should want to go And finally, here we see… What should we do about it?
Well, repent and believe the gospel. Do not wait. There may not be another chance.
But there was another judgment. And this judgment and judgment was placed upon the Lord Jesus.
And you are in the time of grace now. We are not in the end time.
We are not at the great white throne. We are in a time of grace.
And you have an opportunity today to change your outcome according to what you believe.
You're alive now in the time of grace. And you have a chance to escape the awful judgment of the great white throne.
And the Lord Jesus Christ. Did it for you. God's judgment fell on the Lord Jesus Christ.
And on that cross, the Son of God suffered, bled, and died.
2 Corinthians says, For he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us.
That we might become the righteousness of God in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.
That whoever believes in him should not perish. But have everlasting life.
Ecclesiastes says, For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.
The motive for fearing and obeying God here is the certainty of coming judgment. We can be eternally grateful as believers that the Savior has delivered us from this kind of fear.
There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.
But he who fears has not been made perfect in love, 1 John 4.18.
We do not trust and obey because of fear, but because of love.
Through his finished work on Calvary, we have the assurance that we will never come into judgment.
But have passed from death into life.
And I'll end with a… Small poem by Paul Gerhardt who says.
There is no condemnation. There is no hell for me. The torment and the fire my eyes shall never see.
For me, there is no sentence. For me, there is no sting because the Lord who loves me shall shield me with his wing.
If you do not know the Lord as your Savior. Make that choice today.
You don't know how much time you have left. And it will be a terrible thing to be.
At the great white throne. Let's pray.
Heavenly Father. We want to… Thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ, his great sacrifice on our behalf.
He bore the… The sin that we committed.
And he paid that debt for us. And as we look to him today, those that are Alive in the spirit.
Looked to him as… our savior and our king and those that are our Not in that relationship.
Lord, may they not find peace today. And come to know the Savior.
And come alive in the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you and praise you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.