For the opening of the books, the sea had also given up its dead. This devotional reading looks at how these came to judgment.
Nuggets
- Heaven’s majesty is clearly seen in the Judge’s throne.
- Judgment will be a process.
- Where we may say we are the author of the book of remembrance, Jesus is the author of the book of life.
- All dead will be resurrected and judged.
When I wrote the last devotion, it got to be too long. I divided it between verse 12 in the last devotion and verse 13 in this one.
I thought I divided the Connections appropriately, but I didn’t. We’re going to look at a couple of leftover connections first and then jump into verse 13.
Let's Put It into Context
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Devotions in the The Day of the Lord series
Making the Connections #1
Ever since Genesis, God has been dividing and choosing side. He choose Isaac over Ishmael. He choose Jacob over Esau. He choose Ephraim over Manasseh.
God will choose those who have asked Jesus as their Savior and Redeemer and submitted to Him over those who haven’t.
God isn’t going to make a mistake. He isn’t going to switch gears and accept everyone.
The sentence will be pronounced. Judgment will be executed.
Making the Connections #2
I may be off with this, but isn’t the opening of the books in the correct order? First, we have to remember what we did. We forget so many things — even before Alzheimer’s kicks in.
We do have to remember before we feel joy or regret for doing what we did. Plus, God wants us to know exactly why we are being rewarded or repaid.
The Dead Judged
“And the sea gave up the dead who were in it ...” (Rev. 20: 13 ESV)
All dead will be resurrected and judged.
Verse 13 is talking about a resurrection from the sea. It is a resurrection of non-believers who have died.
It’s easy to think of “… And the dead in Christ will rise first” (I Thess. 4: 16 ESV). But there are two important words in that verse: in Christ. That verse is part of the Rapture.
Revelation 20: 13 is part of the Day of the Lord.
Verse 13 says from where the dead came — everywhere. Well, of course. God knows everywhere. He is omnipresent.
- God — along with Jesus — created the sea. Of course, it will obey its Master. “And he [Jesus] said to them [the Apostles], ‘Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?’ Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm” (Mt. 8: 26 ESV).
- Jesus has conquered the grave. “… ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’ ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’” (I Cor. 15: 54-55 ESV).
- Jesus is the Ruler of Hades. “And the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Rev. 1: 18 ESV).
I see Jesus come crashing out when He rose from the grave. No, not because He was straining to do so. He came out decisively and victoriously.
That is the way Jesus broke the barriers of death for us. Death has to give us up to its Conqueror when He makes the demand.
Does this mean non-believers go straight to hell upon death? It is believed Saints go straight to God. “Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (II Cor. 5: 8 ESV).
It is interesting that it says – twice – that the dead are judged. Revelation 20: 12 ended with “… And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done” (Rev. 20: 12 ESV).
It also says twice that we will be judged “… according to what they had done” (Rev. 20: 13 ESV). The King James Version says, “… according to their works” (Rev. 20: 13 KJV).
We have to watch how we define works. It isn’t the Matthew 25 to-do list. Those can be construed as physical works. Physical works mean nothing.
It is more like Paul said. “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2: 8-10 ESV).
Our “works” is doing God’s Will. His Will is that we be saved.
Grant brought forth another danger. He wrote, “Another danger is that of our resting satisfied with inferior degrees of obedience.”
Resource
What would be inferior degrees of obedience? This would be making a profession of salvation without going navigating the Sanctification Road, for example. Another would be saying we will obey God’s laws and commandments, but trying to rewrite them to more of a worldview slant.
This says we will be judged on how our works follow God’s Will.
Hamilton said something interesting — or at least, I read it that way. He wrote, “The gates of ‘the shadow of death’ unbar, and its portals fly open.”
Resource
I have never read Psalms 23: 4 that way. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (ESV).
If the shadow of death is supposed to be some type of Purgatory, we would know fear, and God would not be comforting us!
But then, it also says in Psalms, “Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons” (Ps. 107: 10 ESV).
When we put the verse in context, these people are still alive. They have rebelled against God, but they eventually turn to God. “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart” (Ps. 107: 14 ESV).
Bottom line is “Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die” (Ezek. 18: 4 ESV).
Making the Connections #3
How can we know if we are on the right track to eternal life? We have God’s Word to tell us.
Macgadyen had a great take on this. He wrote,
“We stand in relation to the Book in which God has recorded His will. It challenges our belief and exacts our obedience. It lays down the principles of holiness, and enforces the guilt of transgression. Such a Book surely must be laid open at the bar of Judgment. Its mysterious passages will be read in a flood of light. Its neglected pages will flash with the fire of indignation.”
Resource
I get the judgment part, but I cannot wait to get to the understanding part. Every word, phrase, or passage we scratch our heads on now will one day be clear.
Faith will be sight. Confusion will be made clear.
Making the Connections #4
Walker gave us a history lesson.
Moses established a judicial system (Ex. 18) – a government of God here on earth – that has lasted into our time.
That brought them to where they should be. Walker wrote, “… there can be no doubt that in the time of our Lord the great body of the Jewish people had become believers in the doctrine of a future state of rewards and punishments.”
Resource
They knew God was going to exact retribution one day on non-believers.
Walker said that it is a Christian doctrine that eternity begins when this life ends. Why we may question that, we do not question that good will be rewarded and evil will be punished.
God will judge each and every person – from every generation – by their works to determine their fate for eternity. Those works must be genuine worship of Sovereign God.
How Do We Apply This?
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Father God. Everyone will stand for judgment – dead or alive. Lord, we choose You and Your Savior, Your Son Jesus the Messiah. Amen.
What do you think?
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