You're saved by grace, but everything you do will be judged.
Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV)
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 37: The Last Judgment
Finally we believe,
according to God’s Word,
that when the time appointed by the Lord is come
(which is unknown to all creatures)
and the number of the elect is complete,
our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven,
bodily and visibly,
as he ascended,
with great glory and majesty,
to declare himself the judge
of the living and the dead.
He will burn this old world,
in fire and flame,
in order to cleanse it.
Then all human creatures will appear in person
before that great judge—
men, women, and children,
who have lived from the beginning until the end
of the world.
They will be summoned there
by the voice of the archangel
and by the sound of the divine trumpet.
For all those who died before that time
will be raised from the earth,
their spirits being joined and united
with their own bodies
in which they lived.
And as for those who are still alive,
they will not die like the others
but will be changed “in the twinkling of an eye”
from “corruptible to incorruptible.”
Therefore,
with good reason
the thought of this judgment
is horrible and dreadful
to wicked and evil people.
But it is very pleasant
and a great comfort
to the righteous and elect,
since their total redemption
will then be accomplished.
They will then receive the fruits of their labor
and of the trouble they have suffered;
their innocence will be openly recognized by all;
and they will see the terrible vengeance
that God will bring on the evil ones
who tyrannized, oppressed, and tormented them
in this world.
Summary
What a picture John paints for us here as he describes the final stages of the vision he witnessed. The material world - both the earth and sky and all that is far off - the created fleeing from its creator but finding nowhere to hide. The dead - those who had been great in life right alongside those whose lives had gone unnoticed - stand in a unity never before possible before a great white throne and Him who was seated on it.
In the midst of it all sat a set of books containing a record of every action ever taken, and the dead were judged according to what they had done. John spares us the logistic details here, not explaining if the spotlight moved from one individual to the next as the rest of the dead watched each life unpacked, or if all the judgment unfolded simultaneously. One of the keys to properly interpreting books like Revelation is to remember that when the details aren't specified by John, they're likely not important.
What's important in today's passage is another aspect that's conspicuously missing from John's account: there's no mention of anybody passing the test. None of the judged are singled out by the Judge has having met His requirements. Nobody enters into the Kingdom according to what they have done.
In fact, there's no mention of salvation at all in today's passage; it's only referenced negatively. The books chronicling each person's actions are not the only books set out. John tells of a second book: the book of life, and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.
Dig Deeper
As we've noticed several times this past year, the Bible presents so much of its theological truth in tension, and the doctrines of grace and salvation are perfect examples of that. On one hand, your actions don't save you. If that we're the case, certainly John would mention those who passed the King's judgment. Rather, your sins have been paid for and forgiven, and you're saved by grace, through faith, not by works.
But on the other hand, every choice you make has eternal consequence! Each action will be examined and reviewed by a Judge so fearful that heaven and earth itself flees from Him. How will He view the decisions you make today? And as we'll read later this week, the good things you do - which are certainly not good enough to merit salvation, but actions sanctified by the Holy Spirit working in and through you - will be rewarded in the Kingdom of God!
But today let's concentrate on what our Confession reminds us of: that the thought of this judgment is horrible and dreadful to wicked and evil people. But it is very pleasant and a great comfort to the righteous and elect, all because of one very important detail that John infers negatively: only those whose names were not found written in the book of life were thrown into the lake of fire. Those names written in the book of life are welcomed into the new heaven and new earth that John goes on to describe for the final two chapters of the Bible.
If your faith and trust are in Jesus Christ, then your name is written in the book of life! So don't fear the coming judgment. Remember that every deed you do will be reviewed, but look forward to that day, confidently anticipating seeing your name writ large in the King's book of life.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who sits in judgment of all people on the great white throne;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for wisdom, patience and confidence as you live in the tension of your salvation, knowing you're saved by grace but that every deed will be judged;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Revelation 13
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