Revelation 20:13 states, “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 their works.”
Here is the Great White Throne Judgment, a time when all those who did not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior will be judged to determine their level of torment in the eternal Lake of Fire.
Here are countless millions of sinners who have perished with their transgressions unforgiven. Here are millions who have heard the word of God’s salvation and rejected it. Thousands are present who were almost persuaded, but not quite. Thousands wail in fear who once said, We will hear thee again of this matter and then turned away to indulge their lusts. Here are hundreds of thousands who were certain that any religion would do as long as one was sincere. How terrified are those who watch as Mohammed, Confucius, Reverend Moon, Emperor Hirohito, Pope Pauls I-XXIII, and a dozen other blasphemous usurperse of the glory of Jesus Christ are cast into the lake of fire. What terror fills the followers as their leaders meet their fate. Here are myriads who fully intended to “get right one day,” but they did not live to see that day. Here are millions who were certain that they were justified in scorning the Lamb of God because they knew a Christian who was a hypocrite.
The atheists now believe. The skeptics are now certain. The rationalists finally think rationally. The universalists of all varieties now curse the day they trusted the serpent. Men and women who never murdered anyone, teenagers who never got drunk, church members who helped little children in Sunday School receive the same condemnation as the molester and the mugger.
GUILTY OF REJECTING THE ONLY WAY OF SALVATION JESUS CHRIST THE LORD!
This is the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ (Romans 2:16).
Source: The Book of Revelation, a Christ-honoring commentary by James Knox.
It’s hard to grasp just how many will be judged at the Great White Throne, and perhaps the only thing that is for certain is that the number present there will be far fewer than those who are saved, who will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
Two great companies of men, those who accepted Christ and those who did not. Two judgments, both according to works. Two destinations, Heaven or the Lake of Fire. One choice, Jesus Christ.
Tell me Rick, why do you speak of this “lake of fire” with such glee? You can tell me that you don’t feel any anticipation, but the sad reality of the fundamentalist movement in America is that they look forward to this so-called “Rapture” and the suffering of the so-called “heathens”. Hence the phenomenon of people looking forward to the Rapture.
It’s nothing more than superstition to me, but if you truly believe in it, why do you speak of it in such a positive manner? Why do you view it as a good thing? Are you so lacking in compassion for us so-called “sinners” that you approve of the idea of torturing us? We didn’t convert, so we deserve it? Is that how you view all the people around you who won’t believe as you do?
I suppose you will say “we ALL deserve it, but for salvation in Christ blah blah blah”, to which I can only ask what kind of person thinks that every man, woman, and child truly deserves an eternity of torture simply for being an ordinary human being. Why does your particular brand of Christianity practice such an extreme form of anti-humanism? Do you hate your own human identity so much?
Even when my wife was a churchgoing Christian, she never understood your ilk. And in fact, people like you were part of what drove her AWAY from the church.
Glee? No, no glee. The impending judgments are not something I look forward to, whether I will be a part of them or not. Rather, they serve as a reminder to be steady on the straight and narrow. Even the Christian faces a time of judgment ahead for the deeds done in the flesh, though few Christians place much of a solemn attitude on that.
I joyously look forward to the Rapture, whether I’m alive or not. To be rid of this corruptible body is a joyous thing indeed. I feel nothing but dread, however, for those who aren’t secure in Christ.
No glee.
The simple fact is, Darth, that I deserve it as well. Billy Graham deserves it. Apostle Paul deserves it. That we won’t partake in it is solely because of our acceptance of the gift of eternal life provided for in Jesus.
Sins are already forgiven. Murders, rapes, adulteries, and lies already dealt with. However, it does people little good unless they accept that forgiveness. Otherwise, yes, they have little to look forward to except the condemnation of unbelief (John 3).
What is positive about the upcoming judgments is that finally and for all eternity, justice will be served once and for all, each man according to his works. All will be dealt with justly and none will have excuse.
Do I hate being human? Of course not. Humans are formed in the image of God. I hate the stains of sin, stains which defile us and separate us from a Holy God.
Whether there is fire in Hell or not does not matter. Whether there is weeping and gnashing of teeth matters not. All that is important is that it will be an eternity separated from the love of God. This is a love which permeates our world, a love which all humans can partake of (and many do, especially in marriage, whether they Christian or not). We have no idea what the complete and final separation from God is like. In Him Creation is sustained. In Him are found love, joy, peace, hope, faith… Remove Him, and you have chaos, utter hate of all degrees.
God is too holy to look upon sin; that is His nature from eternity to eternity. He can’t change it, for He changes not. Therefore, sin must be purged. If it took the death of God to clean it, how much longer must a person die to purge his own sin?
I was under the impression that she was a Christian from our talks a year or two ago?
I can’t cast judgment on your wife for leaving the church; however, if those who took the Bible at its word pushed her away from what ought to be a Bible-based religion, I’d have to say that there is something wrong with that picture.
Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity, spoke more on Hell than Heaven, more on eternal suffering than eternal blessing.
If you take only the “feel good” stuff and build a religion out of it, it is not Christianity but rather a religion built by those who preach only to tickle the ears of their hearers (which, incidently, was prophesied in Scripture that it would happen). Whether it’s the “self-esteem” gospel or the “prosperity” gospel or “easy-prayerism” gospel or whatever, they are all perversions of what Bible-based Christianity has taught for just shy of 2,000 years.
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Oh, and, you read my blog? :?
[quote]I joyously look forward to the Rapture, whether I’m alive or not. To be rid of this corruptible body is a joyous thing indeed. I feel nothing but dread, however, for those who aren’t secure in Christ.[/quote]
You see, this is what I’ve never understood about fundamentalists: how you can state your hatred for your own “corruptible” humanity and your eagerness to die (that [i]is[/i] what it means to be rid of that body) while simultaneously claiming to affirm human life.
[quote]The simple fact is, Darth, that I deserve it as well. Billy Graham deserves it. Apostle Paul deserves it.[/quote]
Of course Billy Graham deserves it. He was a staunch supporter of McCarthyism in the 1950s, and Apostle Paul was a misogynist who supported slavery. But I understand that this is not what you meant: in your worldview these men are Great Men. The point is this: [i]why[/i] do they deserve it? Because the Bible says so? The moral judgment of a petulant narcissistic deity who kills billions of people in a temper tantrum and punishes the child for the sins of the father?
[quote]What is positive about the upcoming judgments is that finally and for all eternity, justice will be served once and for all, each man according to his works. All will be dealt with justly and none will have excuse.[/quote]
If everyone is judged according to his works, then how can this be reconciled with people being forgiven for all of their sins no matter how heinous?
[quote]God is too holy to look upon sin; that is His nature from eternity to eternity. He can’t change it, for He changes not. Therefore, sin must be purged. If it took the death of God to clean it, how much longer must a person die to purge his own sin?[/quote]
Precisely [i]how[/i] does pledging fealty to the sky god’s offspring purge you of sin? Personal responsibility for one’s own actions is a cornerstone of morality and justice. Without it, morality has no meaning. Saying “I believe in you” does not magically remove that responsibility; why [i]should[/i] it?
[quote]I was under the impression that she was a Christian from our talks a year or two ago?[/quote]
She was still a Christian a couple of years ago, although she was never a fundamentalist. She never seriously believed in talking snakes, Flood myths, etc. because of their scientific absurdity. But she believed in a religion of love, and when she was confronted with fellow churchgoers shoving the Bible in her face and trying to break up our marriage (because, after all, I’m a corrupting sinner), she quit the church.
[quote]Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity, spoke more on Hell than Heaven, more on eternal suffering than eternal blessing.[/quote]
Did he ever say anything about eliminating personal responsibility for your own sins if you pledged fealty to him? I know Paul expounded at great length upon that, but if I recall correctly, Jesus spent most of his time talking about how the rich and powerful would be cast down (ironic in light of the fact that the average American Christian is extremely rich in comparison to the world at large). I honestly don’t recall him saying anything about being able to break all of the rules he described in his parables and get away with it as long as you worship him.
[quote]Oh, and, you read my blog?[/quote]
Not too often; I only checked in recently because I recalled that you said you were getting married, and I think young people should be encouraged to get married. I’m not a big fan of the trend toward waiting until you’re in your mid-30s before you get married.
Besides, if I read your blog more frequently I would have noticed and commented on your amusing rant about evolution. You really shouldn’t pontificate on things you don’t understand (that’s a rule that more people on the Internet should follow; people shouldn’t talk science if they haven’t got at least some university-level education on the subject). Check out http://www.creationtheory.org/Database/Search.shtml to see a list of common Creationist arguments. It’s my website and it’s still under development, but it should already include all or most of yours. I know it includes that silly “evolution can’t be tested” argument.
PS. Apologies in advance for the use of BBCode. I don’t know whether you have the BBCode WordPress plugin installed, and I don’t know whether your software would permit ordinary HTML tags.