There will be no place to hide or rock to crawl under.
Nobody escapes the Judgment of God. The sooner a person faces this fact, the better their chances are of surviving it. Sticking your head in the ground and pretending it won’t happen will not improve your chances. Ignorance will not hide you from the judgment. All who sin apart from the Law will perish apart from the Law (Rom 2:12). At the great white throne Judgment, there will be no place to hide. No rock to hide under. The very earth and sky will flee from God’s presence at the Great white throne judgment (Rev 20:11). Earth and Sky are reserved for fire on that day (II Peter 3:7). The Heavens will disappear with a roar & elements will be destroyed on that day (II Peter 3:10). There will be no place for them (Rev 20:11). The Sea, Death, and Hades will deliver up all the dead to stand before God on that day (Rev 20:13). Everything in the earth will be laid bare (II Peter 3:10b). No one will be able to hide or escape it. Every man should come to terms with the fact that they will face the judgment. The only practical thing for a man to do is to anticipate the event and prepare for it as God prescribes.
Justice implies nobody gets special privileges.
The Scripture says that God’s righteous Judgment will be administered with Justice (Ps 9:8). Justice requires not having differing weights and measures (Dt 25:13-16). Weights would be used to evaluate the worth of something on a scale. Measures would be used to meter out a standardized sentence for what had been evaluated. A just and fair judgment would evaluate everyone according to the same standard. It is unjust to have one measure for yourself and then another measure for others. People need to realize that God does not show such favoritism or partiality (Acts 10:34-35). God’s standard will be applied to all with equity (Ps 96:10, Ps 98:9). Men deceive themselves when they think God will afford a man special privileges just because He loves them. God will judge both the righteous and the wicked (Ecc 3:17). In fact, Judgment begins with the family of God (I Peter 4:17). The Lord will judge his people (Dt 32:36, Heb 10:30). Judgment comes first for the Jew, then for the Gentile (Rom 2:9). Each Christian will receive what is due, whether good or bad (II Cor 5:10b). Christians should not to take God’s discipline lightly or lose heart when they are disciplined (Heb 12:5-6). God judges us as discipline so we are not ultimately condemned (I Cor 11:32).
Men given a simple choice- be cleansed or be destroyed .
Preparation always begins with first understanding God’s intentions. The purpose of God’s Judgment is to bring righteousness to the world and to purge the world of it’s evil. God is a righteous Judge (Ps 7:11). He will judge the world in righteousness & govern with Justice (Ps 9:8). To be righteous implies that righteousness will be the standard. A righteous Judge will winnow out all evil with his eyes (Prov 20:8). There are two covenants given to man by which the Lord of the universe will judge- the Law of Moses and the new covenant of Grace. Both covenants aim to bring righteousness to the world by two very different means. The covenant of grace brings righteousness by writing the law into people’s hearts and sanctifying them of their sin. People that allow God to transform them by this covenant, the gospel, are credited with righteousness and can be forgiven of past sin. People who reject the gospel and refuse to be cleansed are judged by the Law of Moses. Those not under grace who fail to fulfill everything in the Law will be judged without mercy. So both covenants work to purge evil from the World. The covenant of Grace does this by cleansing a man of his evil and restoring him to a right standing with God. The law of Moses accomplishes this simply by condemning and destroying the sinner. These covenants give people a simple choice- be cleansed or be destroyed. One way or the other, God will one day purge the world of all it’s evil and establish righteousness on the earth.
Men need to know how they measure up by the Law.
Books will be opened at the Judgment (Rev 20:12). Books that record all of our works before they ever came to be (Ps 139:16). God will bring every deed into Judgment (Ecc 12:14). He will Judge every act, manner, and word people say (Jude 1:15). He will judge us by our own words (Mt 19:22). He will judge us righteously testing our Heart and Mind (Jer 11:20). God will judge us for the ways of our heart (Ecc 11:9). Not by Appearance but by our Heart (I Sam 16:7, Gal 2:6). God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ (Rom 2:16). Not by Appearance but by Justice (Isa 9:11). He will judge according to our ways (Ez 33:20). God will judge us according to our own measures and standards (Ez 7:27). For in the manner we Judge we will also be Judged (Mt 7:2). Man must be ready to give an account to Him who is ready to Judge (I Pet 4:5). How will men measure up to such scrutiny? The Scripture already declares how men will measure up to such an evaluation. They don’t make it. There is no one righteous, there is no one who does good, no not one (Rom 3:10). No one will be declared righteous by observing the law (Rom 3:20). For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God (Rom 3:23). No one is justified before God by the Law (Gal 3:11). Those under the law will only be silenced and held accountable (Rom 3:19). The law will only make men aware of their sin ( Rom 3:20) and kill them because of it (II Cor 3:6). This is why anyone whose name is not found written in the Book of life will be cast into the lake of fire (Rev 20:15). Try to prove this Scriptural prophecy wrong and God will only prove you a liar.
How men can know if their name is in the lamb’s book of life.
At the great white throne judgment, another book will be opened, which is the book of life (Rev 20:12). Only names written in the book of life will escape the condemnation of judgment (Rev 20:15). Everyone named in the book will be delivered (Dn 12:1). How can someone know whether or not one’s name is found written in the book? Scripture gives us some guidelines. Those who contend for the gospel are written in the book (Phil 4:3). He who is made white and overcomes will never be blotted out from the book of life (Rev 3:5). Like Abraham, God credits righteousness to everyone who trusts and follows Him (Rom 4:5; 4:24)- even while we are still sinners (Rom 5:8-10). This is a righteousness from God through faith apart from the Law (Rom 3:21). God will fulfill his promise to forgive the believer their sins and cleanse them of all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). Mercy & Salvation are the only loophole afforded to sinful men. A believer finds their security in this promise of God to clean and restore them and not in justifying themselves by their works. On the other hand, those who defy the Spirit to cleanse Him will never be forgiven (Mt 12:31). Whoever does not share in God’s Salvation is blotted out of the book of Life (Ps 69:27). Whoever sins and overcomes in it against God will be blotted out of his book (Ex 32:33). In short, the only people who go to hell are those refuse to allow God to change them.
Justice Delayed does not mean Justice denied.
Of course, God’s preference would be that men would choose to be cleansed rather than be destroyed. This preference is also the main reason God delays his judgment. God exhibits refrain out of patience not wanting any to perish (II Peter 3:9). God wants all men to be saved and come to the truth (I Tim 2:4). God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked but rather that they turn from their evil (Ezek 18:33). Of course, if God delays his judgment that some might be saved, justice requires He delays his judgment for all. As a result, nothing will be judged before the appointed time (I Cor 4:5). The Great white throne will be the last major event on the prophetic calendar before ushering in all of eternity for this reason. Of course, justice delayed does not mean justice denied with God. He will not always refrain from bringing judgment (Luke 18:7). Men should not tarry in making their peace with God and working out their salvation with Him.
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