Look inside this book.Where the Bush is Burning: A Daily Devotional by [Thomas Tice]

Tag: Revelation 20

A Great White Throne

A Great White Throne

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Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away.  And there was found no place for them.  And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened.  And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.  And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

Revelation 20:11-12

The return of Christ brings with it some sobering events.  Whereas the people of God will rejoice to see Christ return in victory, we realize that His return also entails what we call, ‘The Last Judgment.’  Our text brings us to the consideration of that judgment.  In order to come to a clearer understanding of it we consider Christ’s description from Matthew 25, ‘When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.  And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.’  What follows is a detailed record of the verbal exchanges between Christ and those who stand in the judgment before the Great White Throne.  This largely centers around the works, or lack of them, which have arisen out of belief.  Based on what we know from the rest of Scripture, acceptance with God rests upon the imputed righteousness of Christ.  The result of the work of the Spirit in the lives of those whom He transforms is Christ-like behavior.  This means that they, as He did, go about doing good.  Christ views this good as treatment of Him Personally.  He says, ‘And the King will answer and say to them, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’  This is that behavior which arises out of faith in Christ.  Therefore, we ought to begin by embracing Christ as the Gospel freely offers Him, and then go on to imitate Him in our relationships with other people.  We can then stand in the judgment unashamed.

Our righteous and Holy God,
we rejoice that You are the judge of all the earth,
and that You will do right.
We praise You that we shall stand before Your throne,
wholly and solely upon the merits of Christ.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
Justice Served

Justice Served

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Justice Served

And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

Revelation 20:12

Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

Genesis 18:25

As we consider why there must be a Last Judgment, we arrive at a large concept. It is the concept of Justice. Because God is Just, He must do Justly. This necessitates a Last Judgment. We live in a world full of predators. They prey upon those around them in all manner of wicked ways. They seem to prosper in their vile behavior. Godly people have struggled with this concept, that it seems that, ‘the bad guys always win.’ The Psalmist declared, ‘For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them like a garment. Their eyes bulge with abundance; They have more than heart could wish. They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; They speak loftily. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walks through the earth.’ It is not until he goes into the ‘sanctuary of God’ that he can say, ‘then I understood their end.’ There must be a Last Judgment because Justice must be served. In the larger scheme of things, we understand that justice must be done. Our souls cry out for the Righteous God to do righteously. We see inequity, oppression, and all manner of atrocities’ perpetrated on the innocent. We cry out for the All-Powerful Judge to do Judgment and Justice. He will, and there will be no escape for the wicked. So Christ has promised. ‘And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily.…’ So it will be. There must be a Last Judgment in order that Justice be done. We may wait long for it, but at the last it will come. Christ will do all that His Character demands, all that human depravity deserves, and all that Justice requires. He is ‘the Judge of all the earth,’ and He will ‘do right.’

Our Holy and Wise God,
we rejoice that You are Just, and that You do right.
We praise You that You will render to every man, ‘according to His works.’

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
‘Your Impenitent Heart’

‘Your Impenitent Heart’

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‘Your Impenitent Heart’

And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:15

But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds.”

Romans 2:5-6

As we continue to consider the question, ‘why a Last Judgment,’ we come to consider that the reason for it does not rest merely upon the Character of Christ. There is another reason which arises out of the total depravity of humanity. Paul makes a case for this depravity and the consequence of it when he declares, ‘who “will render to each one according to his deeds:” an eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness-indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil….’ God grants forgiveness on the basis of repentance. Those whom He condemns at the last are reflecting, ‘hardness and…(an) impenitent heart.’ What we want to appreciate from this knowledge, is that God has been overwhelmingly gracious to us. Our natural depravity is every bit as deep and wretched as the worst example of which we could think. We lack nothing of what a mass murderer, or serial adulterer has by way of depravity. It is only by the transforming Grace of God that we are not just as hard against Christ as they are. Having said that, this inveterate hardness and impenitence justifies and necessitates a Last Judgment. God could, if He so willed, save everyone. For His Own purposes, incomprehensible to us, He does not. So He does, without obligation to any, save some, and condemn others. Let us fall upon His Mercy, and faithfully warn against His Wrath.

O, ‘Judge of all the earth,’
we praise You, that You are Just.
We rejoice that You will ‘do right,’
rendering unto every one of us, according to our deeds.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
‘According To Their Works’

‘According To Their Works’

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‘According To Their Works’

And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.

Revelation 20:12-13

Actions have consequences. In the physical realm we see and accept this. Hit a nail with a hammer, and the nail will pierce the wood. Hit it a few more times and it will bury into the wood so deeply that it will become difficult to remove. In the moral realm, actions have consequences as well. What is the consequence of morally evil behavior without repentance? It is a verdict of condemnation. The Last Judgment must occur, because of the Character of God. Whereas Christ is Loving, He is also Just. If He calls upon us to ‘do justly,’ He must ‘do justly’ Himself. It would not be just for Him to ignore the unrepentant moral evil which people perpetrate against others. So it is that we find our text declaring, in two locations, ‘and they were judged according to their works.’ This is, perhaps, a surprise to those who believe that Christ grants a general amnesty, whether evil doers repent or not. His Character is such that He must render justice. For those who repent and seek forgiveness He offers abundant Mercy. For the unrepentant, He executes the Justice which they deserve. His Character demands it, and so it must be. Where does this bring us? First, we must recognize the Character of Christ. Next, we must realize that this is a Judgment at which we will all appear. Third, we are better to appear in a right relationship to Christ than as a rebel. Let these things dominate our thinking today.  How will it be with you?

Our Most Holy, and Righteous God,
we rejoice that You are the ‘Judge of all the earth,’
And that You will ‘do right.’
We know that Your Character demands that all must give account.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
‘A Great White Throne’

‘A Great White Throne’

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‘A Great White Throne’

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.

Revelation 20:11

Why must there be a ‘Last Judgment?’ As we continue to contemplate the logical ramifications of the Kingship of Christ, we have come to consider the exercise of His Kingly Office, as ‘The Judge of all the earth.’ Abraham recognized Him as such in the interview which he had with Him in Genesis 18. We saw the ancient kings of Israel, particularly David, and Solomon, exercising the office of judge while they reigned as king. So we see the precedent for Christ acting as the Judge, at what the old theologians called, ‘The Great Assize.’ There must be such a Judgment. There must be a ‘Last Judgment,’ because of the Character of God, and most specifically, the character of Christ. Christ is Loving, but, He is also Just. Because He is Just, He must ‘judge everyone according to what they have done.’ This brings to light that, while all have the responsibility to repent, not all will repent. Christ forgives on the basis of repentance. He will judge, with condemnation, those who refuse to repent. Beyond that, He must forever put a separation between those who are His and those who are not. Along with that, there is the fact that He, out of His Justice, must punish the unrepentant wicked. For the next few days we will meditate upon these things. They are the logical follow on, of the Kingly Office of Christ, as He exercises it in Judgment at the last. We are all going to appear there. We do well to consider it sooner than later.  Let us spend the next few days dwelling upon this divine appointment, which we all must meet.

O, ‘Judge of all the earth,’
we rejoice that You will do what is right, 
according to the Holiness of You Character.
We praise You that the day is coming, when we shall stand before You,
small and great, to give account of ourselves for every word and deed.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning

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