As you know I am currently writing the chapter on the Good Judgement of God, although I have done very little in the past few months for several "good" reasons.
However I have squeezed in some good reading between events and have discovered an interesting snippet in these readings that I had not run across before.
In Revelation 20 : 11 - 15, we have the following:
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books (scrollets Gk: biblion) were opened. Another book (scrollet Gk:biblion) was opened, which is the book (absent in Gk text) of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books (scrollets Gk:biblion).
13 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 they had done.
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book (scroll Gk:biblos) of life was thrown into the lake of fire. (NIV)
In verse 12 all the books mentioned were scrollets or small scrolls (Gk:biblion), but the one mentioned in verse 15 is the normal scroll (Gk:biblos).
The book of life gets bigger, becomes a normal sized scroll, during the Great White Throne judgement.
What do you make of that?
Who do you think gets added to the book of life during the judgement?
Who remains to get thrown into the lake of fire?
Please share your thoughts on these questions.
Blessings, Barry
Wow Barry! That is a really interesting point, seeing the way the size of the Book of Life increases at the GWTJ. Those added must be those who were never saved before they died in the current age or ages, prior to the GWTJ. I expect that everyone resurrected had to be those who had not been saved formerly. I also expect they are given a chance to hear the Gospel and accept Jesus as their saviour, and hence be added to the Book Of Life. Those who go into the lake of fire would be those who for whatever reason, still have a hard heart after hearing the Gospel, andwon't bow their knees before God. They may need more "purifying'. The text does not allow for the concept of being saved on the other side of the fire, but other texts would support that view.
ReplyDeleteCheers, Roger
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting Barry & Roger - the idea of how the book of life gets bigger. Now here is a nice cross over for us to ponder that may be connected with this idea somehow. Today I heard a sermon from my pastor based on the Sheep and the Goats (Matt 25:31-46). This is an interesting set of verses because it is all about judgment but on what basis will the judgment be made?
ReplyDelete"40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"
Does this mean judgment is based on how well people have treated Christ's brothers (Christians) during their time on Earth? Plainly reading these verses it would seem so. Then it would follow that 'unsaved' people before the GWT may or may not be added the the book of life (they become sheep or goats) based on their treatment of Christ's brothers and sisters.
I may be off the mark here but I thought it was worth a bit of air time with you guys.
What do you think?
Of course this seems to open the door of salvation for pure philanthropy - or salvation based on works which we know is not the case. Is this just another great unresolved biblical contradiction? hmm..
ReplyDelete