Hey, podcast listeners! Thanks for streaming today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast. To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes.
Now, here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory, the fact is that book has been composed. Every name in it is a record of everyone who's ever been saved or will be saved.
And unless your name is written in that Lamb's Book of Life, you will not escape the Great White Throne Judgment. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. You know, Jesus Christ could return to gather his church at any moment, but he continues to wait patiently so that unbelievers have more time to give their lives to him. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress warns that one day God's patience will run out, and he will come again to judge the unrighteous. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress? Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Dr. Jeffress has worked on an exciting journey through biblical prophecy. Our series is called Perfect Ending, and time is running out to take advantage of the three special resources I've set aside for you. First, I've written a book that represents the culmination of a lifetime of personal study. It's called Perfect Ending, Why Your Eternal Future Matters Today. Let me put you at ease by saying this book isn't a tedious, deep dive into the complicated chronology of the indelible, end times. In fact, in sending this book to you, I'm intent on helping you grasp not only the key elements of Christ's return, but more importantly, why his return matters to you right now. Second, I'll also include the popular End Times Illustrated. Showing God's timeline for the future, this 72-page book will become a treasured resource that you can refer to for many years to come. This fold-out brochure gives you the entire scope of biblical prophecy at a glance so that you can visualize the chronology of God's timeline for the future.
And I'll make sure you receive all three resources when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory. Now, it's time to continue our study of Revelation chapter 20 and an event I introduced on an earlier program. I hope today's message brings clarity to a subject that is often misunderstood. Today, we're talking about the great white throne judgment for unbelievers in a message I've entitled, Final Judgment. The Bible says one day, Jesus Christ is coming back to earth, not as the savior of the world, but as the judge of the world. And it's that second coming of Christ when he comes to judge all unbelievers that we're going to look at today. It is a judgment that takes place at an event we often call the great white throne judgment.
However, John says, before that final judgment, one last thing has to occur. God chooses to let Satan go instead of dropping him into the lake of fire. Notice the reality of Satan's being released at the end of the thousand years. Revelation 20 verse seven, and when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison and he will come out to deceive the nations, which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war. The number of them is like the sand of the seashore, that is those who are deceived into making war against God.
And they, that is the opponents of God, verse nine, came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and of the beloved city, that is Jerusalem, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. What is the purpose of Satan's release? Why does God choose to let him go? Well, it says in the text here, in order that he might deceive the nations.
Now, of course, that brings up a number of questions. Who are these people that would choose to follow after Satan? And why does it say that God must release Satan for a little while? Well, let's identify those who are deceived by Satan's release.
Let's make something very, very clear. It is impossible for somebody who is a genuine Christian to ever be lost. When God gives you eternal life, it's eternal. God is the author, Hebrews says, of eternal salvation.
God does not rescind his offer of eternal life. So these are not genuine Christians who are deceived by Satan. But wait a minute, pastor, only believers can enter into the millennium. All unbelievers will be swept away at the judgment. Only believers enter into the millennium, those of us in our resurrected bodies and those Christians who survived the Great Tribulation. So if it's only Christians who can enter into the millennium, how will some be deceived? It's because there will be some Christians who enter into the millennium in their natural bodies. And I believe it is the children of those Christians who are produced in the millennium in their natural bodies, some of whom will be deceived. You see, the Bible teaches that during the millennium, there will be Christians with two different kinds of bodies. Some of us, the church, will have our resurrection bodies. But there'll be a group of Christians who survive the tribulation that enter the millennium in their natural bodies.
You say, well, that's the oddest thing I've ever heard. I mean, that's science fiction. How would believers with two different kinds of bodies exist and have fellowship with one another? Well, just think about Jesus Christ after his resurrection from the dead.
He had a new body for 40 days, and yet he was able to fellowship with his disciples in their natural bodies. That's a picture of what will happen during the millennium. And that is the only explanation for how there can be both birth and death in the millennium. For example, going back to that verse we've looked at several times, Isaiah 65, verse 20, no longer will there be in it, talking about the millennium, an infant who lives but a few days. There are going to be babies in the millennium.
How does that happen? Luke chapter 20, verses 35 and 36 says, you and I and our resurrected bodies won't be able to procreate. No more Pampers, no need for that any longer. We won't be having children. But yet the millennium says there will be infants in the millennium. But he goes on to say, or will there be an old man who does not live out his days for the youth will die at the age of 100 and the one who does not reach the age of 100 will thought to be accursed. Not only will there be birth in the millennium, there'll be death in the millennium. It'll be later in life, but it will occur.
How can that happen? We're in our resurrection bodies and there is no death in our resurrection bodies. The only explanation is there are Christians who enter the millennium in their natural bodies, they will have children and those children will be deceived, some of them by Satan.
You know, that's an amazing thing when you think about it. After living under the rule of Christ for 1000 years, having experienced the blessing of Christ ruling, some will be deceived and actually choose to follow Satan. Ladies and gentlemen, the fact is every believer has to make a choice. Every person who's ever lived in whatever age he lived, starting in the Garden of Eden, has had to make an individual choice rather to follow God or follow Satan. And this is the reason God says he must be released for a little while.
Every person who ever lives on this planet has to be given that choice of following God or following Satan. And so the Bible says Satan will be released. He will deceive some, but it won't be a deception that will last for long because in Revelation chapter 20 verse 9, God sends a fire.
He devours those who have opposed him. And verse 10 says, he then takes Satan and he drops him into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet are. And that prepares the way for this judgment we're looking at, the great white throne judgment. Turn over to Revelation chapter 20 beginning with verse 11. There are some people who believe, some Christians, that there's only one judgment at the end of time, one judgment for both believers and unbelievers.
But the Bible does not teach that. There's a judgment for Christians. We're going to talk about that judgment next week that you and I are going to face. It's the judgment called the judgment seat of Christ. But there's another judgment for unbelievers that we're looking at today, the great white throne judgment. Look at the description of that judgment in verse 11. John says, and I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it from whose presence earth and heaven fled away and no place was found for them.
As John looked, he saw a single solitary throne suspended in space. Heaven and earth were gone at this point. What happened to the heaven and earth? See that white space in your Bible between verse 10 and 11?
Feel the white space there? In that white space, this earth and this heaven were destroyed by fire. Just as 2 Peter chapter 3 verses 10 and 11 state that one day, this present heaven and earth being reserved for judgment will be destroyed by fire. And when we get to the Satan's judgment in verse 10 and then to verse 11, the judgment of all unbelievers in between those two verses, the present heaven and earth fled away.
That is, they were destroyed. And so John only sees someone sitting on this great white throne. Now notice this is completely different from the picture in Revelation 4 verse 2 where at the beginning of the tribulation, John looked into heaven and he saw God the Father on a throne surrounded by the 24 elders, the church. And he saw the rainbow surrounding the throne and peals of lightning and the sounds of thunder.
That's not this picture. This picture is of a single solitary throne and it has a different occupant on it. The occupant is not God the Father. It is Jesus Christ the Son. Who is it that is going to be judged by Jesus the Son? Notice the subjects of the great white throne judgment in verses 12 and 13. John says, And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne and the books were opened.
Skip down to verse 13. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every one of them, according to their deeds. Remember when an unbeliever dies, no matter when it happens, his body goes into the grave, but his spirit, the real part of him, goes to this place called Hades.
It's a temporary waiting place for the unsaved, but it is a horrible place. Jesus talked about it in Luke 16 in the parable of the rich man in Lazarus. Remember the rich man opened his eyes and he found himself in this horrible place called Hades. The Bible says Hades is the place where all unbelievers are deposited until the final judgment. And at the great white throne judgment, John says in verse 13, Hades regurgitated all of the unsaved dead from the beginning of time to stand before this great white throne in judgment. The subjects of the great white throne judgment are unbelievers. And how are they judged?
What is the basis for their judgment? Go back to verses 12 and 13. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne and the books, underline that, were opened. Another book, singular, underline that, was opened.
What is that book? It is the book of life. But the dead were judged from the things that were written in the books, plural, not the book, the book of life. They were judged by the things which were written in the books according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it and the death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them.
And they were judged, every one of them, according to their deeds, their works. Did you know God keeps two sets of books on all of us? There is the book and there are the books. The book is what the Bible calls the Lamb's book of life, Revelation 13, verse 8. It is a book that is a record of everyone who is saved, of everyone who is trusted in Christ as his Savior. And you know what Revelation 13, 8 says? It says that book was written before the foundation of the world. Every name was entered into it before the foundation of the world. You probably thought, like I used to hear people say, well, when somebody walks down the aisle and trusts in Christ as Savior, God pulls out his pen and writes his name in the book of life.
It doesn't happen that way. The book is finished. All of the names have already been written in it that will ever be written in it, Revelation 13, 8, before the foundation of the world. And we say, well, how did God do that? Did he write people's names? On what basis were those names written? Did God write down the names of people he knew?
Would trust in Christ as Savior if given the opportunity? Was that the basis he wrote the names down in? Those he knew would accept Christ? Or did he write down the names that he predetermined would accept Christ? The answer is the subject of another sermon at some point.
How's that for a cop out? But the fact is that book has been composed. Every name in it is a record of everyone who's ever been saved or will be saved.
And unless your name is written in that Lamb's book of life, you will not escape the great white throne judgment. There is the book, but then there are the books. That is, God keeps a record of every person's, believer and unbeliever's works. Every word, every action, every thought is recorded according to the things that are written in the books. And nothing goes unnoticed by God. The money you gave to United Way, the time you helped an elderly grandmother across the street, the ugly word you spoke to your mate just as you got into the car to go to worship this morning, that lustful thought you had about your neighbor, everything, the good, the bad and the ugly is recorded in the books. No good deed goes unrecorded, no sin goes unnoticed.
It is all in the books. The Bible says that the unsaved are judged according to the books, according to their deeds, according to the things that have been written in this book. The Bible says in verse 12, if any man's name is not found written in the book of life, he was judged forever and ever. The unbeliever, listen to this, is the person who chooses to be judged not by having his name in the book, but according to his works in the books. You know, one of the saddest aspects to me of this judgment, the white throne judgment, is the confidence with which unbelievers will approach it. After the unbeliever gets over the initial shock of seeing the Lord Jesus Christ, whom he rejected, sitting on that great white throne, after that initial shock, the unbeliever will actually start to feel pretty confident as he hears Jesus announce the basis on which he's going to be judged. As Jesus begins to open the books and says, I will judge you as you've chosen to be judged according to your deeds, according to your works. But that optimism, that confidence will turn to despair very, very quickly as the unbeliever realizes that the basis, the standard by which his works will be judged will not be his relative righteousness to other people, but by the perfection of God's own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the standard by which our righteousness will be judged, and by that standard, everyone falls short.
What happens as a result of the white throne judgment? Look at verses 14 and 15. And death in Hades, that is unbelievers, were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if any man's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. You say, Pastor, I just can't put my mind around that. I cannot understand how a good and a loving God would choose to punish people, to torture people forever and ever and ever. May I remind you, there will not be one occupant in the lake of fire who is not there by his own choice.
The unbeliever is the person who has said to God, whatever Jesus Christ did means nothing to me. I don't need his death. I don't need his righteousness. I'm happy to be judged by you according to my own merits.
And God says, fine, I'll give you exactly what you wish. We'll judge you according to your works. But nobody's works will be good enough. For you see, the Bible says, unless we have a righteousness that equals that of Jesus Christ himself, none of us is qualified to enter into heaven. You say, well, that's impossible. Nobody could ever meet that standard. The perfection of Jesus Christ, nobody could ever meet that standard. Exactly.
Exactly. And that's why the only way we'll ever be qualified to enter into heaven is not on the basis of our goodness, but on the basis of the goodness, the righteousness of Jesus Christ. I know I've said this before, but I think right now is a helpful time to illustrate exactly what that means, the righteousness of Jesus Christ and what it means to put that on. I want you to imagine here two books. One book is titled The Life and Times of Jesus Christ. This is a book that records every good deed, every perfect thing that Jesus Christ has ever done, his complete record of absolute righteousness, The Life and Times of Jesus Christ. I want you to imagine another book titled The Life and Times of Robert Jeffress. It is a book that records some of the good things I've done, but it also describes every wrong action, every wrong thought, every wrong motivation for doing anything I've ever had. This book reads like a supermarket tabloid.
It's a book I hope nobody will purchase. Two books, The Life and Times of Jesus Christ, The Life and Times of Robert Jeffress. Now, what happens when I trust in Christ as my Savior? You know what God does? He takes the cover of this book and he places it on this book containing Jesus' good deeds. And so when God looks at The Life and Times of Robert Jeffress, he no longer sees my sin. He sees all of the good things that Jesus did and he gives me credit for his righteous life.
But there's something else that happens. When I trust in Christ as my Savior, God takes the cover of this book, The Life and Times of Jesus, and he places it around my life story. Two thousand years ago when God looked down on Jesus on the cross, he saw my sin. He saw your sin. And he judged Jesus for what we have done.
It's the greatest exchange that has ever taken place when we become a Christian. I take my sinfulness and my righteousness and give it to Jesus Christ to suffer for. And he takes his righteousness and he credits it to my account so that I spend eternity benefiting from the perfect life of Jesus.
Second Corinthians 521 says it this way, God made him Jesus who knew no sin to become sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in him. The most important choice you ever make in life is this. What am I depending upon to get me into heaven one day? Am I gonna depend upon my righteousness, the fact that I'm a member of First Baptist Church Dallas, that I got baptized, that I had a grandfather who was a preacher one time?
Am I gonna depend on that? Or am I gonna choose to depend upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ and the perfect life he led? You see, it's one or the other. Either you're depending on your righteousness or you're depending completely on the righteousness of Christ. It's one or the other.
It can't be both. And ladies and gentlemen, that choice of what you're depending on to get into heaven is a choice you have to make right now in this life. If you wait until you die to make that choice, you've waited too long. If you wait until you die to call on the name of Christ for salvation, there is no salvation. If you find yourself standing before that great white throne judgment, it's too late.
You must choose the righteousness of Christ now to escape that final white throne judgment. God has given details about these future events not simply to satisfy our curiosity but to impact the choices we make every single day. And while there's still time, let me urge you to get in touch with Pathway to Victory to request the helpful book I've written for you. It's entitled, The Perfect Ending, Why Your Eternal Future Matters Today.
Bible prophecy doesn't have to be complicated or confusing, but it does need to be studied and understood. My book is designed to help you grasp the key elements so that you're filled with joy and anticipation as you look forward to the Lord's return. A copy of Perfect Ending is yours when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory.
It will arrive with two other resources that David will describe in a moment. Please keep in mind, when you give to Pathway to Victory, you're accomplishing far more than covering the cost of the resource. Whatever generous amount you choose to give, above and beyond the cost of the materials we provide, allows us to provide this program to you and your family. And when you give generously, you'll enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that God is using your regular giving to truly make a difference in pushing back the darkness in our culture. In recent days, thousands of friends have stepped forward to give, and we're absolutely thrilled.
I believe these new friends have the same convictions that I do, that Jesus is really coming back again one day soon. And God has given us the responsibility of sharing this message with as many people as possible before it's too late. Thank you so much for partnering with me in this ministry, as together we pierce the darkness with the light of God's Word.
David? Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. When you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request a copy of Dr. Jeffress' best-selling book titled Perfect Ending.
You'll get that along with The End Times Illustrated. To make your request, call 866-999-2965. Or even easier, just visit our website, ptv.org.
Now, when you give $75 or more, you'll also receive the complete, unabridged, perfect-ending teaching series on CD and DVD. To request the complete package of resources, call 866-999-2965, or go to ptv.org. If you'd like to write to us, jot down this mailing address, P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. One more time, that's P.O.
Box 223609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins. Wishing you a great weekend? Then join us next week when our series called Perfect Ending continues, right here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway Partner, go to ptv.org slash donate, or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.
