Years ago, I was at a restaurant, and put my name in. My wife and I watched as people came in and were seated. Finally, after watching this for about a half hour, I went up to find out why we were being forgotten. Come to find out, someone had crossed us off the list, and we were forgotten. According to Revelation 20.12-13, there is going to be a judgment coming that people will hope that somehow they will be lost in the multitude of those being judged. The Great White throne judgment will be a time when God will open the books of heaven, which contains all the thoughts, words, and actions of every person who has ever lived. People will not be lost in the mass of humanity, nor will they be overlooked in the list. People can not hide themselves, and they will all give account of their behavior. This is a scarry time! People have told me for years that when they get to heaven they hope that their good deeds will out-way their bad deeds, but interestingly, this passage reminds us that it is not our deeds that are important, rather our relationship. Those not found written in the “Book of Life” will be cast into the “lake of Fire.” This judgment is not to determine your eternal destiny, rather to determine the degree to which they will be “punished” for their sin. The good news is that those who have been “better” will sustain less judgment than those whose thoughts, words, and actions are worse. The bad news is that it is still judgment. This is not a judgement we will share with our friends, rather it is a judgment that we will bear alone. This judgement is established because of our unwillingness to turn to our Savior, Jesus Christ. Again, we are reminded that our hope is in the world, and we are citizens of heaven. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, do not get enamored with this world, we are simply passing through. Our true hope and rest is found in the world to come. Continue to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14).
