The great white throne. Revelation 20v11-15
The purpose is accountability. "I saw the dead small and great stand before God." This is not a popular subject yet it is something that we are all accustomed to, the need for a structure in society; children to parents, workers to masters, all of us to the law courts. Without this structure society would break down, yet we are loathe to accept the fact that we are all of us accountable to God. This fact is repeated in scripture many times. Hebrews 9v27 "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." The apostle Paul wrote to Timothy like this "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom; preach the word......" Solomon wrote, arguably the wisest man ever on earth in Ecclesiastes 12v13-14, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man for God shall bring every work into judgement." Peter also said in 1st Peter 1v17 that God would judge according to every man's work, without respect of persons; and in Romans 2 Paul makes clear in verse 3 that no one will escape the judgement of God. We are all accountable to God. The prophet Isaiah in chapter 45v23 records these words of God "I have sworn by myself, that the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return, for that unto me every knee shall bow, everyone shall swear." Paul quotes this verse directly in Romans 14v11, and indirectly in Philippians 2v10-11. Now there are a number of things to observe here:
- Jesus is God! Who is sitting upon this throne? Jesus, in a glorified body, a glorified human being, yet declared to be God. The same is said in Hebrews 1v8, speaking of the same person "Unto the Son He saith, Thy throne oh God is forever and ever."
- There is no escaping this event. In Acts 17v31 it is made clear that the day has been appointed and the man has been ordained. God never misses any appointments.
- The purpose of the judgment is manifold. Firstly to acknowledge the Creator God and the Saviour Jesus; Paul expands the thought in Philippians 2 by saying in verse 10 "At the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Secondly the judgment is for all to accept, the Divine assessment of our lives here on earth, and the tenancy of His earth that He permitted us to have. Thirdly, to learn the true nature of God and therefor the true nature of man and accept God's judgment.
There are many voices today raised in protest over this teaching but there will be no voices raised in that day. In the language of Romans 3v19 "Every mouth will be stopped and all the world come under judgment to God." The amplified version puts that same verse like this "All the murmurs and excuses of every mouth may be hushed and all the world may become accountable to God."
The bible is not a book of judgment, instead it is a book of how we can escape that judgment by providing a way of escape in the same person who will become the Judge. Solomon has a word to the young people of his generation and therefor to all young people today; Ecclesiastes 11v8 "Rejoice o young man in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Therefor remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity."
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