Revelation 20:11–12: “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things that were written in the books.”

September 13th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

This “great white throne” illustrates that God Almighty is powerful (great), pure (white), and sovereign (throne). The majority of conservative expositors understand this to be John’s vision of the final judgment of all unbelievers not resurrected in the first resurrection. It will certainly be an awesome scene as these books, filled with the record of unbeliever’s deeds, are opened. For those who rebelled against God and refused His gracious sacrifice, there will be no other appeal. Since the books of records will contain perfect information, lame excuses will fade as motives of the heart are clearly seen by all present.

Of course we are not told exactly how the judging will be accomplished, but perhaps a statement like, “As a boy scout, I helped little old ladies across the street,” will receive an answer like, “Yes, but it says here you only did it to get a merit badge and look good.” Or the business man who offers, “I had perfect attendance at every meeting of the Rotary and Kiwanis Club,” will hear, “Yes, but it says here it was mainly so that you could make more business contacts.” God always looks at our heart.

At a large Billy Graham Crusade, the daughter of very wealthy American parents got up from her seat to go forward. Her mother, sitting beside her, became embarrassed and grabbed her daughter’s arm. She said, “You are a sweet, sweet girl, and you don’t need to do this.” But the daughter looked her mother in the eyes and said, “Mom, you cannot see my heart.” She knew she needed God’s forgiveness and salvation. Her honest, heartfelt words so touched her mother that she too got up and walked forward to receive salvation.

“LORD, we do not trust in anything we have done besides believing that You died for our sins and offer forgiveness to all who call on You.”