Appendix O
The Great White Throne Judgment Part II
By Lambert Dolphin

Judgments in Eternity are outside of Time

Although the last judgment follows 1000 years after the second coming of Christ to earth,
as far as earth-time is concerned, when any individual dies he or she immediately leaves time
and enters eternity—there is no intermediate state. In the experience of that individual, whether
he is a believer or an non-believer, the next event experienced is one of two judgments.
Unfortunately in our culture we are so accustomed to thinking of time as linear and everywhere
the same in the universe. But, it is clear from the Bible that mortal man is trapped in a linear time
frame, whereas heaven runs by different set of clocks. At physical death the individual timetravels
in an instant to one of two judgments–either reward or eternal punishment.
This immediate judgment after death (as far as eternity is concerned), for both believers
and unbelievers, is described for us in connection with the Second coming of Christ in glory (his
epiphaneia) recorded in 2 Thess. 2:
“…we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your
persecutions and in the afflictions which you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous
judgment of God, that you may be made worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are
suffering—since indeed God deems it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to
grant rest with us to you who are afflicted, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his
mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know God and upon
those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They shall suffer the punishment of eternal
destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he
comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at in all who have believed,
because our testimony to you was believed.” -2 Thessalonians 2:4-10
All judgment of mankind is committed to the Lord Jesus Christ. One man, Christ Jesus, is
now ruling our entire universe as the Lord of time and space, and nature, and history, and human
affairs. Every person’s life and destiny is in his hands. Jesus himself said this:
“For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.
The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, even
as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me, has eternal life;
he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. “Truly, truly, I say to you, the
hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in
himself, and has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of man. Do not
marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come
forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the
resurrection of judgment. – John 5:21-29
The setting of the judgment of the great white throne is associated with an event in the
Bible called the “second” resurrection. “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the
thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who shares in
the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God
and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are
ended…
“…Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it; from his presence earth and sky fled
away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the
throne, and books were opened.
Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was
written in the books, by what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades
gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had done. Then Death and Hades
were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; and if any one’s name
was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” – Revelation. 20:5,
6; 11-15
Two different documents are presented at this awesome courtroom scene. Books
recording the life-deeds of every individual are presented. These books are evidently the records
kept by recording angels (see for example, Ezekiel and The Destruction of Jerusalem).
The second book is “the Lamb’s Book of Life” where the names of all believers are
written “before the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8, see also, Phil. 4:3, Rev. 3:5, Rev. 13:8,
Rev. 17:8, Rev. 20:12, Rev. 21:27). Although eternal separation from God might seem to be in
itself the most awful and terrible ultimate punishment in itself, the text strongly suggests that
there are degrees of punishment in the lake of fire, for “all were judged by what they had done.”

 Ray C. Stedman, offers the following comments on the judgment of the great white throne:
Here is a startling and terrifying scene. Imagine standing on a starship, watching the earth
and the planets recede from view, the stars moving against the background of eternal night. That
is the vision suggested by John’s words, “Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no
place for them.” This suggests that all of humanity will be removed from earth, perhaps from the
universe as we know it, to eternity itself, where there is no space and no time. That is where
judgment will take place. The judge is Jesus, not God the Father. “The Father judges no one,”
said Jesus, “but has entrusted all judgment to the Son.” It is Jesus who sits upon the Great White
Throne of majesty and gathers all the dead before him.
There will also be some living people from the Millennium, far it must be determined if
their names are recorded in the book of life Judgment will be “according to what one had done.”
Deeds reveal the condition of the heart. Deeds reveal belief. All the deeds of mankind are
preserved in God’s great library. Books are a symbol of the eternal record of our lives. If John
were receiving this vision today, the symbol would probably be videotape or computer disks
rather than books. The books are metaphors for the record of every life—and the final judgment  of every life shall be made on the basis of that record. Only those whose names are in the book of
life can do righteous deeds. Only the deeds of the righteous will survive the fire of judgment. All
other deeds will be consumed to ashes. Only those acts that have been done by the power of the
Spirit of God and done for the glory of God will remain. Even the noblest and most impressive
accomplishments, even acts that have helped many people or changed the course of history—if
they were done by the power of the self and for the glory of the self—will vanish without a trace.
If your name is not in the book of life, your evil deeds will be revealed. All the hidden
corners of your life will be subjected to scrutiny. Nothing will go unnoticed. Today you may have
a reputation for your devotion, your caring, your humility, your abilities—but in that day Jesus
will judge the hidden motives behind your deeds. He will know if your real reason for service in
the Church and the community was to glorify God—or if it was all tainted by selfishness, pride,
and the lust for prominence, power, influence, and recognition…
When Jesus sent out the twelve disciples to minister to other cities and towns in Israel,
they returned rejoicing that they had cast out demons with just a word of command. They were
amazed at the power of God that was flowing through them, at the wonderful deeds that were
being accomplished, at the fact that even the demons submitted to them in the name of Jesus. “Do
not rejoice that the spirits submit to you,” Jesus replied, “but rejoice that your names are written
in heaven.” That is the central question in life: Is your name written in the Lamb’s book of life?
Beside this one issue, everything else pales in comparison. Your name is written in that book
when you commit your life to Jesus. No one needs to face the lake of fire. No one goes into the
Abyss against his or her own will. It is a choice we all make in this life. If we refuse the Savior,
God can only give us the fate we demand.

The issue of eternal punishment raises a problem in the minds of most thoughtful
Christians: What about those who have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ? Isn’t it unfair that
someone should be condemned to an eternity apart from God simply because he never had the
opportunity to hear about Jesus? This is a difficult question, but it is addressed in Scripture.
Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “Anyone who comes to [God] must believe that he exists and that he
rewards those who earnestly seek him.” God knows the intent and condition of every human
being, and he will deal with every individual according to the great declaration of Scripture, “Far
be it from [God] to…kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked
alike…Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” We know that God only holds us accountable
for the light of understanding we have received. Those of us who have received more revelation
are responsible for how we respond to that revelation. Scripture does not explicitly tell us the fate
of those who have not heard of Jesus, of the cross and the empty tomb, of the grace of God and
the forgiveness of sins. But the Bible does tell us that God will deal justly with them.
The question that confronts you and me, since we have received so much of the revelation of
God’s truth, is this: Have our names been written in the Lamb’s book of life? Jesus knows our
hearts. Nothing is hidden from his view. If we come to him, we belong to him and he to us. We
need fear nothing from the final judgment and the second death.” 144
One final note: Believers are raised from the dead and given resurrection bodies. When
unbelievers are raised at the Last Judgment they also stand before God with resurrection bodies.
We are not told anything about these bodies, but they will evidently be imperishable. The Bible
suggests that unbelievers suffer eternal torment separated from God–not as disembodied spirits,
but as persons who have body, soul, and spirit and are forever conscious of where they are and
why.