No Place to Hide: Daily Thoughts from Revelation (43)

We have seen judgment in the book of Revelation meted out as written in the seven-sealed scroll through the trumpets and the bowls. It resulted in the physical deaths of many. But there is a life after death for everyone, and it is to this judgment that John’s Revelation now speaks.

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.  (Revelation 20:11-15 ESV)

The final judgment of unbelievers caps off the millennial form of the kingdom.  Jesus sits on a white throne to judge the dead.  Death is personified as clinging to these souls but is forced to give them up.  Hades is the Greek term for the place of the dead (the Hebrew term is Sheol), which at this time only holds the souls of unbelievers.  Prior to Christ’s ascension there were believers there, too (Luke 16:19-31), awaiting the ascension of Christ to heaven to transport them to heaven on the merit of his atonement for sin. [see article]

The inability of anyone to escape this judgment is expressed by the earth and sky fleeing from Jesus, so searching is his presence. And the judgment itself is individual. To the last God treats those made in His image individually, with the respect due to divine image-bearers.

Judgment of unbelievers is based in two sets of books, the Lamb’s book of life, which records all who have trusted in him, and the books of each one’s deeds.  Unbelievers are judged because they never trusted in Jesus (their names are not found in his book of life) and because their deeds reflect their rebellion.

However, not everyone’s rebellion was the same.  Some perpetrated more evil than others and will be judged more severely.  Jesus said it would be more tolerable at the judgment for Sodom and Gomorrah than for the inhabitants of Capernaum because they saw Jesus’ works and still rejected him (Matthew 11:23,24).  There are degrees of punishment in hell, here called the Lake of Fire.

So, all unbelievers will suffer punishment in Hades, as Luke 16 depicts, until the great white throne judgment, at which time they will be consigned to the Lake of Fire forever.  This is the second death.

There is no reason for anyone to have to end up at this second death. There is resurrection and eternal life for all who will be reconciled to their Creator through Jesus Christ. As we have sung, “Bring the wandering ones to Jesus.”