Revelation 20:12, “…and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life…And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
The simple idea of “judgment day” landed heavily on me this morning as I was reading Acts 24:25, and that brought me to the quintessential judgment passage in Revelation 20.
What a sobering reality it is–and how merciful of God to reveal it to us–there WILL be a day of final judgment….a day when the One True God, in perfect Love and perfect Mercy and perfect Justice searches all minds, tests all hearts, examines all deeds, rights all wrongs, recompenses all actions, and brings all of reality into alignment with His righteousness.
We cannot escape this reality. You, me, and everyone who has ever existed will have their one-on-one moment, stripped to the marrow of our beings, standing without excuse or escape before the world-melting eyes of the living God (Rev. 20:11).
And what will be our defense? What will be our hope? What will keep us from the lake of fire? What will be our salvation from the consuming inferno of His zeal for His Name (aka, His Holiness, aka, His Beauty, aka, His Love)? The answer is crystal clear in this text…
“…if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”
The only ones who will survive that day…the only ones who will not be plunged into the Second Death…are those whose names are written in the “Book of Life of the Lamb Who Was Slain” (Rev.13:8, 20:15).
And how is one’s name written in that book? Perhaps that isn’t the right question…..instead let me ask, how does one show that there name is written in that book? By receiving the crucified and risen Jesus Christ as Lord and God (John 20:28), and the only true satisfier of our souls (John 6:35)….by casting ourselves wholly and only on Him…by despairing of ANYTHING we can do and seeking only to be found in Him on the last day, wrapped in the flawless purity of the righteousness that comes from God through grace-given faith in Christ (Phil. 3:8-9)….that is they way.
We ought to tremble at the idea of the final judgment and it ought to be a sobering and powerful motivator in our lives (2 Cor. 5:9-10)–everyone reading these words will be standing there sooner or later…..But, at the same time, we ought to marvel that the One who will judge the eternal destinies of humanity is the same One who redeemed our souls and revealed our God when He gave Himself to uttermost on Calvary.
To be found in Him–to be plunged into the flood of just mercy pouring from the wound that merciful justice struck in our Judge’s side–that is our only hope, now and in eternity.
