The Great White Throne

In Revelation 20:11-15, the apostle John saw a vision of the great white throne of God. This is the last judgment at the end of the millennium, or thousand year reign of Christ on this earth. The throne of God is described earlier in Revelation as surrounded by a rainbow, a sign of God's mercy (Rev. 4:3). Now, the rainbow is gone. White is symbolic of God's holiness. Those who are lost shall be judged without mercy.

God's great white throne is the end of this present age, making way for the eternal age. John's vision sees this earth passing away. He testified, "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away" (Rev. 20:11). Believers shall see a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells (Rev. 21:1; 2 Peter 3:13).

God's great white throne is the last judgment. The dead are judged according to the open books. John had a vision of the books of works and the Book of Life. "And the dead were judged according to their works" (Rev. 20:12). The Book of Life has the names of all who are redeemed. Elsewhere, it is referred to as the Lamb's Book of Life (Rev. 13:8). Jesus is every believer's Passover Lamb. We are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

"And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:15). The lake of fire is the place of everlasting punishment (Matthew 25:41). It was prepared for the devil and all fallen angels. It is also the place for all who are lost. 

The Gospel for All

Christ is good news freely offered to all nations. The salvation of Jesus Christ is sufficient for all. Yes, all are sincerely invited to Christ. Most assuredly, the gift of eternal life in Christ is certain for all who repent and believe. Therefore, Christ must be preached to all nations and people without exception (Matthew 28:18-20).

The word gospel simply means good news. It's the good news of God about the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). It's good news because Christ died on the cross to save believers from the judgment of sin. It's good news because God gives believers eternal life, through the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is risen from the dead to give believers everlasting life.

If the Christ is offered to all, why are all not saved? Jesus answered the question. "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). All people will simply not come to Christ, but many are certain to come to Him. All who do so will not be turned away (John 6:37).

Christ is freely offered to all nations and people. That certainly doesn't mean that anyone is saved without believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31). It does mean that the death of Jesus Christ for our sins effectively saves all who believe. Christ risen from the dead saves all who call upon him (Romans 10:9-13). Therefore, Jesus Christ must be preached to all nations and people (Mark 16:15). 

Who God Will Bless

God will bless us in Christ "to the praise of the glory of His grace"(Ephesians 1:6). Grace means that every blessing comes to us as the gift of God in Christ. A gift cannot be bought nor earned. The blessings of God are received by grace through faith in Christ.

God will bless with "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). By faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, all the blessings of God are yours. Don't beg God to bless you. Don't  struggle nor strive to receive God's blessings. They are all yours by grace through faith in Christ.

God will bless believers in Christ. In the first chapter of Ephesians, several of those blessings are mentioned. Believers are blessed with God's love, grace, peace, truth, forgiveness, and wisdom, through the Holy Spirit. There are countless more blessings "not only in this age, but also in the age to come"(Ephesians 1:21). All these blessings are ours by God's grace through faith in Christ.

Let us thank God for all His blessings for us in Christ. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Praise is the expression of grateful hearts to God for all of His blessings in Christ. Worship is giving thanks and praise to God through our prayers and songs. Praise God, because we are blessed in Christ.

God's New Creation

Creation is an act of God. He alone is our Creator. Through the gospel of our Lord Jesus, we become a new creation. God who created us from our mother's womb, now creates us anew in Christ. New life  is by the Holy Spirit, through the implanted Word of God in our hearts (James 1:18). Our mind, will, and emotions are changed by the Holy Spirit.

God's new creation is by grace through faith in Christ. We have a new identity with a new life. Old things pass away. God forgives all our sins, and we start a new life. That's our new life in Christ."Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new"(2 Corinthians 5:17).

God takes away our sins through the blood of Jesus Christ and gives us the righteousness of Christ (1 John 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:21). God has a purpose in your new life, and that purpose is always good."And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose"(Romans 8:28).

Our old life is buried in baptism (Romans 6:4). We are raised by God's grace to new life in Christ. We are not prisoners to the old things in the past. Trust God to bless and use your new life in Christ. Remember, the old things have passed away. Trust God to do new things in your life, because you are a new creation in Christ.

God Is with You

Don't think of God as being far away, because God is with you always. "For in Him we live and move and have our being"(Acts 17:28) That means God is where you are. Know God is there all the time. Only faith recognizes God is present everywhere. Unbelief cannot know God is present anywhere.

God is with you always. He's where you are now. Even though you don't see God, the Bible teaches that God is everywhere. Theologians use the word omnipresence, which means God is everywhere. Therefore, you can say with the psalmist,"The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth"(Psalm 145:18).

There is not only the omnipresence of God, but there is also the manifest presence of God. Know God is everywhere all the time, yet God may manifest himself in different ways at different times. God manifested his presence on the Day of Pentecost in a dramatic way (Acts 2). Yet, we should not think of God as only present in dramatic and unusual ways.

Know by faith that God is with you always (Hebrews 11:1-6). No need to seek dramatic manifestations to know that God is with you. Someone may say,"How can God be with me? I can't see Him nor feel His presence." Faith does not require feelings nor manifestations to know that God is with you always. Jesus says, "I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20).