The Great White Throne Judgment—This is the final judgment of unbelievers at the end of the Millennium. It happens immediately before the eternal state. Every unbeliever—and no believers will appear here–who ever lived appears at this judgment. Because they never believed, God never wrote their names in the Book of Life (link). So, since they’re not sheltered by Christ, they’re judged according to their works. And since no one’s works are good enough to receive eternal life, they’re all cast into the lake of fire. Please watch the video on this page to find out how you can be saved from this fate.
The most common view in our society is that there’s one judgment at the end of time. We appear before God, and he weighs our good and bad deeds to determine if we’re good enough to go to heaven. The Bible doesn’t teach that view. Nobody gets to heaven apart from believing in Jesus’ Name.
The Timing
Revelation is written chronologically, from top to bottom, as shown in the table below.
Table: Chronological Themes in Revelation
|
Chapters |
Theme |
Content |
| 1 | Introduction | Source, purpose, destination, instructions, and symbolism |
| 2-3 | Church Age | Jesus’ instructions to the seven churches |
| 4:1 | Rapture | John is taken from the earth with the Church and relocated to heaven |
| 4-18 | Tribulation | Description of the seven-year tribulation |
| 19 | Second Advent | Jesus returns to earth to defeat His enemies and begin His Davidic reign |
| 20:1-6 | Millennial Reign | Jesus resurrects His saints and reigns for 1,000 years |
| 20:7-10 | Satan’s Rebellion | Satan is released at the end of the Millennium to lead a failed rebellion |
| 20:11-15 | Great White Throne | Unbelievers appear, are judged by their works, and sentenced to the Lake of Fire |
| 21-22 | Eternal State | God brings heaven to earth, and Jesus’ reign continues forever |
At the time of this judgment, between the end of the thousand-year reign and eternity, this judgment takes center stage. The rest of creation has vanished.
The Judge is Jesus Christ
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him (Jesus) who was seated on it. From His face the earth and the heavens fled away, and no place was found for them” (Revelation 20:11).
All unbelievers, whether famous in their earthly life or unknown, rich or poor, stand before God. God the Father gave all judgment to Jesus the Son (John 5:22).
The Offenders are All Unbelievers
“And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. Books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to their works as recorded in the books” (Revelation 20:12).
Jesus said, “For the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come out—those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29).
God checks the Book of Life to make sure no mistake is made. He makes sure He never wrote them in His book of believers.
The Charge
All present are “those who have done evil” by not believing in the Son. Oh, their deeds are insufficient too, but that’s not why they’re here. But because they never believed for salvation, they’re judged according to their unsatisfactory works. There are degrees of eternal separation from God for unbelievers, as there are different levels of rewards for believers at Jesus’ Bema Seat judgment (1 Corinthians 3:14-15).
The Evidence
“The sea … and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one by his works” (Revelation 20:13).
“The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26).
The Sentence
“Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Revelation 20:14).
Even the holding places for unbelievers get cast into the fire. None escape! There is no more death after the second death, which is an eternity in the lake of fire:
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars shall have their portion in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. This is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).
The Shield
We’re all guilty of the evil deeds listed above. Apart from Jesus, the believer’s shield, all would die the second death.
“Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15).
“The Scripture has confined all things under sin, that the promise through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe” (Galatians 3:22).