How can I avoid judgment in the afterlife?

Today we will be transitioning to a discussion about judgments - yuck! Why do we have to talk about them? Well, judgments in the Bible are different from A Few Good Men or other Hollywood-themed movies and TV shows. There is no drama, no anxiety over guilt or innocence, not even an opportunity for an appeal to change the outcome. The Bible reveals upfront what the verdict will be - and the punishment that will follow.

So why do we have to talk about them?

Give a listen to find out.

Blessings,
Fritz.

"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105)

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Good morning everyone and welcome to 15 Minutes with Fritz, where Scripture meets the sidewalk. For about six months now we've been answering questions from the one hundred most asked questions about heaven, hell, and the afterlife. We've touched on general questions about the afterlife. Is there life after death? Do unbelievers go to hell immediately when they die? And do believers go to heaven immediately when they die? We spent a lot of time reviewing what the Bible says about heaven, where it is located, what we will do in heaven, will our loved ones and our pets be there when we arrive? And we've covered the topic of hell. Does it exist? How can a loving God doom anyone to an eternity of suffering? And are there different levels of punishment in hell? We are now going to transition to another topic that is part of the afterlife judgments. If we're honest with ourselves, we probably don't relish a discussion on judgments because there are so many unknowns associated with it. There's the question of guilt or innocence. There's concern over the punishment associated with the judgment. There is anxiety because we're forced to entrust how our future will play out in the hands of a judge, and it's out of our control. But in spite of our concerns we can't ignore the topic, so let's see what we can learn about judgments in the afterlife. In our mind's eye we usually picture judgments from a Hollywood perspective because most of us have seen glorified representations of courtroom dramas in movies or on TV. Who can forget Tom Cruise peppering Jack Nicholson about the truth in the movie A Few Good Men? Or the calm demeanor of Henry Fonda as he and eleven other jurors determined the fate of a suspected murderer in twelve angry men. And we were all on the edge of our seat waiting to see if Gregory Peck was able to convince a jury that a young black man was innocent and to kill a mockingbird. These movies and others like them depict the court of law in ways that draw us in, that captivate us. Why? Because we never know what the outcome will be until the judge asks the question have you reached a verdict? Sometimes we're disappointed in the outcome because it didn't go the way we thought it would. And other times we're happy because the person on trial got exactly what we think they deserved. But as you might imagine, the way that Hollywood depicts a courtroom is completely different from the way the Bible portrays judgment. Now before we dive into today's topic, let me ask you a couple of questions. First, how would it affect your behavior if you knew for sure that you would be caught if you broke the law? What if there would be no fugitive style chases or Rambo like escapes as the law closed in on you? No, when you disobeyed the established law of the land, you would be captured and put on trial. Would that change the way you act? And second, would anything change if once you were caught you knew for certain that you would be found guilty? No plea bargaining for a reduced sentence, no attempts to get off on a technicality. No matter how good your lawyer is, you would be punished for your crime, and your punishment would be absolutely perfectly aligned with the seriousness of your offense. Would you be more careful before you decided to break the law? I think the answer to these questions would be yes. If I knew for certain I would be caught and then I would be punished for my crime, I would think twice about breaking the law. With that in mind, let's turn our attention to the Bible. You see, the Bible is very, very clear about judgments, and I'm here to tell you today that all of us have broken the law, God's law. And because we have broken the law, we deserve to stand before a perfectly righteous judge one day and face the consequences of our behavior. To keep things simple, today I'm only going to talk about one judgment, one that is coming in the future. But there will be no Hollywood drama surrounding this judgment because the Bible has already revealed everything about it. We know who will be on trial, and we know what the verdict will be. We even know the punishment that will be handed down by the judge. So there will be no anxious thoughts about guilt or innocence and no discussion about what the sentence will be. And while that won't make for a good TV show or movie, even so it's important that we understand everything we can about this judgment, since it just might affect us in our eternity. This judgment is found in the twentieth chapter of the book of Revelation. Listen as I read verses eleven to fifteen. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. This judgment is appropriately named the Great White Throne Judgment. Although we don't know the exact date, we do know that it takes place far in the future, over one thousand years from now. There is no jury, only a single judge who presides over the proceedings. We're not given the name of the judge here, but since the gospel of John tells us that the Father judges no one but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, we can safely assume this is Jesus Christ sitting on the throne. There are a few things I want to point out about this passage. There is no arguing about guilt or innocence. There is no discussion about small crimes and big crimes. Everyone faces the same sentence regardless of what they did, the lake of fire. There isn't even any debate about whether the defendants even committed any crimes. We are clearly told that everyone is judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books, and each person will end up in the lake of fire. No drama, no arguments. This is a horrible scenario. In my mind's eye I can see myself standing in a long line of people watching everything unfold in front of me. Each person has read a list of their crimes and then they hear the verdict guilty, followed by their sentence, the lake of fire. I can't even argue that my failings weren't nearly as bad as the person in front of me because the judge doesn't grade on a curve. And I can't deny that I deserve a guilty verdict because everything I've ever done has been recorded in a book. There are no appeals to change the outcome. I have no recourse other than to accept my fate the lake of fire. It seems hopeless, doesn't it? But there is one tidbit of information that we can't overlook in the passage I just read. Sure there's a book that contains a list of all the things I've done, even the ones that I've done my best to hide. But notice that there is another book. This one is called the Book of Life, and it's completely different from the other books. What's the purpose of this book? After he announces the verdict, the judge will open this book and look for each person's name. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. So just before each person is thrown into the lake of fire, they will be shown the book of life, and they will finally grasp the fact that they could have avoided this great white throne judgment, that they didn't have to attend this judgment. Well that begs the question, how do I get my name written in this book of life? What do I have to do to escape the lake of fire? It's actually quite simple. First, there is something to admit I am wrong before God. I have failed to fully obey him, and I have followed my own way instead of his, and therefore I am guilty. Second, there is something to believe. Our sins have already been paid for. While we were still sinners, the Bible tells us, Christ died for us. He bore our sins on the cross. He already accepted the punishment we deserve so that we don't have to. Third, there is something to consider. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. This is the good news. By believing that Jesus is the Son of God we can enjoy eternity with him, not in the lake of fire. And finally there is something to do repent and believe. John tells us that to all who received him to those who believed in his name he gave the right to become the children of God. Notice the word all. It doesn't matter what is written in that horrible book that lists everything I've ever done. This invitation is open to everyone. The result of following these simple steps is that our name is now written in the book of life, and we won't be standing in line at the great white throne judgment, waiting for our name to be called. And there is one more good thing. This is a permanent entry. There will be no edits once your name has been entered, no revisions to take your name out because you tripped up one more time. The Bible assures us that God will never blot out your name from the book of life. Once I'm in it, I'm in it forever. If you haven't already, please take that step today. Let's pray. Our gracious Heavenly Father, I know that I deserve to stand before Jesus the righteous judge and face the consequences of my guilty behavior. But I also stand amazed that in spite of my shortcomings, in spite of what I do that disappoints you, you loved me so much that you sent your one and only Son to die on the cross, to take the punishment I deserve, just so we can spend eternity together. Thank you for this precious gift that I do not deserve for Jesus' sake. Amen. Thank you for listening.