But in the Bible, you'll find a court session where everyone who is summoned to be there, will be there. There will be no fugitives. So, let's read about it in God's Word.
Receive
Hebrews 9:27-28 (ESV) "And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him."
In this passage, you see that the common experience for all humans is to die once. In the passage below, however, you see that some--but not everyone--will die twice.
Revelation 20:11-15 (ESV) "Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."
Look through the Bible passage above (Revelation 20:11-15) and answer these questions:
- In verses 11-12, the apostle John twice says, "I saw." What two things did he see?
- What are the dead spoken of in verse 12 doing?
- Where do all these dead people come from (verse 13)?
- On what information does God base His judgment of the dead (verses 12, 13, 15)?
- In what two ways does John describe the final destination of the dead (verse 14)?
- What guarantees that a person will not be thrown into the lake of fire (verse 15)?
Reflect
According to the apostle Paul, death for the saved is the last enemy (1 Corinthians 15:26). That thought led Paul to break out in joy, saying, "When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
'Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?'" (1 Corinthians 15:54-55 ESV).
You'll also find assurance in 2 Corinthians 5:8 (ESV) "Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
You see, then, though a Christian physically dies, he or she is alive and will be alive and blessed for all eternity. Every true believer's name is written in the Book of Life and no child of God will be summoned to stand before the Great White Throne.
But what if you have never believed the good news of Christ? What if you die without trusting Him for salvation? What does the future hold for you then? Proverbs 14:12 (ESV) gives the sober answer:
"There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death."
That death is the second death--the death all lost people will experience in the lake of fire.
The final judgment and condemnation of the unsaved is not a figment of someone's imagination. Read Revelation 21:3-8, which gives the vivid contrast of those who die in the Lord and those who die in their sins.
Respond
Read John 3:16-18 and then answer this question honestly: "Am I one of the condemned, or am I among those who are not condemned?"
Where are you today? Is your name recorded in the Book of Life? If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, it is there and will never be erased. But if your name is not there, why don't you make certain that it gets written down right now? Quietly pray, confess your sin to God and ask Him to save you and give you eternal life. Then, thank Him for what He has done.
Please visit the "Meet Jesus" page to get more information and help.
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