The Great White Throne Is Coming, the Books Will Be Opened, and Every Sinner Without Jesus Christ Will Face the Second Death With No Hope of Deliverance or Escape
The Great White Throne Judgment is the last courtroom, the final reckoning and the ultimate point of no return for the unsaved dead. Everyone standing there has already rejected God’s salvation, and no one will leave that throne justified. The books will be opened, every hidden work exposed and every excuse stripped away as sinners are judged according to their works. Death and hell will surrender their prisoners, proving that hell is not the final destination but the temporary holding place of the lost until judgment. After sentencing, they will be cast into the lake of fire, which the Bible calls the second death. There will be no advocate, no appeal, no repentance and no second chance—only the righteous judgment of a HOLY God. This will be the point of no return.
“And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.” Revelation 20:11 (KJB)
This terrifying reality is why we preach the gospel of the grace of God with urgency. During this present Church Age, salvation is freely offered to every sinner who will place his faith in the shed blood, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are not attempting merely to improve society, reform human behavior or make people more religious; we are warning souls to flee from the wrath to come. Every gospel tract, street sermon, missionary journey and personal witness is an opportunity to reach someone before death closes the door forever. The Great White Throne reminds the saved that evangelism is not optional religious activity—it is an urgent rescue mission. The time to believe is now, because there will be no gospel invitation given when the books are opened.
The Bible Believers Sunday Service: The Point Of No Return
The Point Of No Return
I. This Is the Final Judgment of the Unsaved Dead
The Great White Throne takes place after the thousand-year reign of Jesus Christ. It must not be confused with the Judgment Seat of Christ, where saved members of the Body of Christ have their service examined for reward.
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 1 Corinthians 5:10 (KJB)
The people standing before the Great White Throne are called “the dead.” These are the lost dead of every generation, resurrected to receive their final judgment.
- “Small and great” means that earthly position will mean nothing.
- Kings will stand beside beggars.
- Religious leaders will stand beside atheists.
- The famous will stand beside the forgotten.
- Every Christ-rejecting sinner will stand personally before God.
Death is not the end. Every lost person will eventually stand before the Lord Jesus Christ. This doctrine is declared in both Testaments.
“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.” Isaiah 45:22,23 (KJB)
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 (KJB)
II. There Will Be No Place to Hide
The earth and heaven flee from the face of the One sitting upon the throne. The condemned sinner will have nowhere to run, nowhere to hide and no one behind whom he can conceal himself.
“The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” Proverbs 15:3 (KJB)
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” Hebrews 4:11,12 (KJB)
At this judgment there will be:
- No defense attorney.
- No excuse accepted.
- No plea bargain offered.
- No opportunity for repentance.
- No second chance to believe the gospel.
- No appeal from the sentence.
The Great White Throne is the final point of no return.
III. The Books Will Be Opened
“And the books were opened” shows that God maintains a perfect and complete record. Nothing has been forgotten, overlooked or erased. None of it.
Those books contain the record of every:
- Sin committed.
- Lie spoken.
- Evil thought entertained.
- Opportunity rejected.
- Gospel invitation refused.
- Work performed in rebellion against God.
People may hide their sins from family, government, employers and churches, but no one can hide anything from God. All their sin will be paid for, and must be paid for, by themselves for eternity in the Lake of Fire.
IV. The Book of Life Will Be Opened
Alongside the books of works, God opens “the book of life.” This book settles the eternal question. The books demonstrate the sinner’s guilt. The book of life reveals that the sinner never received God’s salvation. The final issue is not whether someone performed religious works, joined a church, received baptism or tried to live a moral life. The determining issue is whether that person belonged to Jesus Christ.
“And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15 (KJB)
No one standing at the Great White Throne will be justified by works. Their works will determine the measure of their judgment, but works cannot produce salvation. We are all born in the image of Adam, and only the New Birth can, and will, fix that!
“And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:” Genesis 5:3 (KJB)
“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” John 3:7 (KJB)
V. Hell Will Deliver Up Its Dead
“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.” Revelation 20:13 (KJB)
Hell is not the final destination of the lost. It is the present place of conscious punishment where the lost dead await final judgment. At the Great White Throne, hell will surrender its inhabitants. They will be bodily resurrected, brought before God, judged and cast into the lake of fire.
The biblical order is:
- The lost person dies.
- The soul goes to hell.
- The lost dead are resurrected.
- They stand before the Great White Throne.
- They are judged according to their works.
- They are cast into the lake of fire.
VI. The Lake of Fire Is the Second Death
“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” Revelation 20:14 (KJB)
The first death separates the soul from the body. The second death is eternal separation from God in the lake of fire.
The second death is:
- Conscious.
- Final.
- Irreversible.
- Eternal.
- The righteous judgment of God against sin.
The lake of fire was not invented by medieval religion. It is the unmistakable teaching of the word of God. Jesus Christ warned about it, and Revelation identifies it as the final destination of everyone whose name is not found in the book of life. In our day, Laodiceans like Kirk Cameron, Rob Bell, John Stott, Brandan Robertson, David Bentley Hart and many others all preach either a universalism salvation or annihilationism, instead of what the word of God so clearly proclaims to be true about the place called Hell.
“We think of God as a just God, he is a just God and we believe that the punishment should fit the crime. Exactly, and so, if the punishment was cruel and unusual punishment that went far beyond the severity of the crime, that would no longer be just. After 10,000 years of anguish and pain and torment and darkness, you’re not one day closer to finding relief. You’re not even one second closer after a billion years. You’re not one second closer to the end.” – Kirk Cameron
What Cameron overlooks is that the sinner has sinned against a righteous and holy ETERNAL God who never dies, so the punishment must be eternal. Cameron’s estimation of who God is is far too small, so he rejects eternal conscious torment as the Bible teaches.
VII. This Is Why We Preach the Gospel of Grace
The Great White Throne explains the urgency of evangelism. We do not preach merely to improve people’s temporary lives. We preach because lost souls are heading toward an eternal judgment from which there will be no escape.
The gospel for the Church Age is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ:
“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” 1 Corinthians 15:3,4 (KJB)
Salvation is not found through human works, religious rituals or personal goodness. It is received by believing the gospel and trusting the finished work of Jesus Christ.
This is the ministry committed to the apostle Paul:
“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24 (KJB)
Death will no longer threaten us:
“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:26 (KJB)
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 (KJB)
Application
To the Saved
- Remember what Jesus Christ saved you from. Keep it personal.
- Stop treating salvation casually, it’s literally life or death.
- Pray for lost family members and friends.
- Support missionaries and gospel-preaching ministries.
- Hand out tracts, witness publicly and preach the gospel plainly.
- Never substitute politics, social reform or religious activity for the gospel.
To the Preacher
Preach the whole counsel of God. Tell people about the love of God, but do not hide the wrath of God. Preach heaven, but also warn about hell and the lake of fire. A preacher who refuses to warn sinners about judgment is not showing compassion. Biblical compassion tells people the truth while there is still time to be saved.
“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” Hebrews 13:17 (KJB)
“My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.” James 3:1 (KJB)
To the Lost
You are not promised another opportunity. You may dismiss the gospel today, but you will not dismiss the Judge at the Great White Throne.
“For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2 (KJB)
Do not trust your works, church membership, baptism, morality or sincerity. Trust the shed blood and finished work of Jesus Christ.
Closing Challenge
The Great White Throne is coming. The books will be opened. Every lost sinner will be found guilty, and everyone whose name is not found in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire.
For the saved, the question is: Whom are you warning?
For the preacher, the question is: Are you still preaching the gospel plainly?
For the lost, the question is: Will you trust Jesus Christ now, or meet Him later as your Judge?
There will be no gospel invitation at the Great White Throne. There will be no altar call, no opportunity to repent and no second chance to believe. The time to be saved is now.
The war is REAL, the battle HOT, and the time is SHORT…to the FIGHT!!!
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