Which Party are You Attending?

December 2 (I Cor. 5:10; Rev. 20:11-15)
Probably two subjects in scripture are better documented than any other, yet the church seems to know so little about them: heaven and hell. I’ve written a book on the four phases of the kingdom of God (aka sometimes called heaven). If you’d like a copy, just give me contact information in the comments sections below and I’ll get it to you on CD with notes. Right now the kingdom of God and heaven refer to two different locations. The kingdom of God today is the church as her members wander about on earth doing His will. Today, the third heaven is where the throne of God is located. God’s word tells us it’s above the second heaven (outer space), but that is all we know about its location for now. We know a lot about what is going on there right now, but that’s a topic for another devotional.

After the millennial reign of Christ, the one thousand year period when He will return and judge earth’s residence (those who survived the bowl judgments) from His throne which will be established in Jerusalem, there will be two final judgments: 1. one will be for those who will be spending eternity in some part of hell; 2. the other will be for the saints who will all be ushered into the final phase of the kingdom of God for eternity. The judgment of all who rejected God’s authority during their earthly lives and His provision for their sin in His Son at Calvary will attend the party reserved for goats. I’m not absolutely sure why the choice of sheep and goats, but I imagine it has something to do with the personality of each. Sheep are famous for following the sound of their master’s voice. Goats are infamous for butting their heads against anything that tries to rule them. Maybe that’s the significance. All I know for sure is they symbolize two kinds of people to God (Matt. 25:33).

I trust my reference to these two judgments as parties does not sound flippant, but there will definitely be a party atmosphere at the Bema Seat Judgment (this one’s for the saints). Once one is ushered before the throne of God at the Bema Seat, he knows finally and forever he will have the glorious privilege of living in the presence and under the complete care of the Master and Creator of the universe for all eternity. That judgment is not to determine whether or not he will enter the glorious kingdom of God. It is only to determine what crowns (there are six such crowns James 1:12; I Pet. 5:4; Rev. 3:11; 4:4, Heb. 2:9; II Tim. 4:8; I Thes. 2:9) he has earned or lost and what his tasks will be for all of eternity. Some will be kings of large kingdoms. Some will be kings of small kingdoms. Some will be masters over cities or lands of lesser size and importance. If I understand the biblical teaching on the topic, some will even be sanitary engineers (aka maintenance guys and gals). I know most teach we know little about heaven and some even teach we will be floating around on clouds playing harps. Please believe me, there is no support for such foolishness in God's word. I find it both sad and troubling that so many have no clue we will not all be rewarded equally in the eternal kingdom of God. To think I am going to be rewarded equally with the missionary man and/or woman who gave up everything to follow Jesus for twenty or thirty years in some foreign country, living on the bare necessities of life, is the worst example of stupidity I can fathom. And it’s just as foolish to suggest the man or woman who makes a true confession on their death bed after spending their entire lives rebelling against His known will is going to be rewarded equally with the man or woman who spent their final ten or twenty years of life as warriors for Christ, fighting the good fight, engaging spiritual warfare with the devil and his band of miscreants daily, snatching some of God’s elect from the very jaws of Satan.

Of course, any task in the kingdom of God will be far superior to one second in any part of hell. Those who will be at the great white throne judgment will only be there to be shown why they will be spending eternity in hell. No one attending that event will be there by accident. Nothing a person ever did will be withheld from that appearance. Everything will be revealed. Personally, I think God has a technological device that He has used to record every deed and thought man commits and thinks. At the great white throne the world will watch as you come before Him and He runs the reel of your entire life. Every thought, every deed, every thought to do a deed, everything you ever considered will be exposed to all of those with whom you will be spending eternity. We’re told it will be a time of wailing and gnashing of teeth. Maybe realizing everyone in all of hell will know your most private thoughts and the shameful deeds you did in secret will be the catalyst that brings on this wailing and gnashing of teeth. I don’t know, but I do know I am gloriously thankful Jesus paid the price for the disgusting things I have done in my life. I’m elated He continues to forgive me for unintentional sin I still commit all too often. I’m thankful when I acknowledge my failures and seek His strength He never turns away from me (I Cor. 10:13; Heb. 13:5). And most of all I think I’m thankful that He is perfectly just. He knows my heart better than I do. He has provided a covering for my sin. I did nothing to earn it and I can do nothing to keep it.

Upon completion of the personal interview, each of those at the great white throne judgment will be ushered into the particular part of hell he has earned by his deeds. Murderers will all be together, liars will all be together, kidnappers will all be together, cheats, homosexuals, thieves, burglars, each person will spend eternity with those who lived the kind of life he lived on earth. I’ve heard some of the lamest statements I think one could ever make lately. One girl said she’d prefer hell over heaven because all the cool guys will be in hell. Wow! Her statement was such incredible blasphemy, it amazes me God didn’t fry her instantly. Have you ever been really thirsty? Imagine the worst thirst you have ever experienced, multiply that by a couple of katrillion. Then imagine that would be heavenly compared to the thirst those in hell are going to experience for eternity. Imagine the darkest, hottest place you have ever been. Multiply that by a couple of katrillion. I trust you’re starting to get the point. Hell was originally designed for the devil and his band of fallen angels. Fallen man only got to inherit it by spending his entire life, however long or short it may be, rejecting the knowledge of God he has been given.

My final thoughts for today are that true believers need to be about the business of the kingdom of God. We need to be investing everything God has loaned us and expects us to manage properly back into His kingdom. It is our number one priority. Too many think they are part of the kingdom of God whose priorities are not anywhere near what God’s word declares they must be. It’s not a matter of earning God’s love; it is a matter of demonstrating His love by being honorable, loving, cross bearing, unwavering, card carrying, obedient, uncompromising, warriors for the cross. I suggest if honoring God in all you say and do each day is not your number one priority you’ll likely be seeing Him at the great white throne judgment, even if you faithfully attend church two or three times a week, even if you teach a bible study, even if you graduated from one of the finest bible colleges or seminaries in the country, even if you have helped many little old ladies across many streets, even if you serve in a soup kitchen every Christmas. There’s nothing wrong with doing any of those things, but unless honoring the God of creation and His only begotten Son is your number one priority each and every moment of each and every day, you are not likely a sheep. And that doesn’t mean if you are a sheep you’ll never fall short of God’s best for you. Paul makes that clear with this declaration in Philippians 3:12-14,

"Not that I have already attained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself to have laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Though, while in these earthly bodies, we will be in a constant running battle with the devil and his band of fallen angels, if we're sheep we will still be continually pressing forward for the prize of the upward call. I urge you, if you are reading this and aren’t absolutely sure you are a sheep, you need not put off reconciling that issue another moment. You can begin your walk in the footsteps of Jesus today. If you’ve been sitting in church services for years and have never heard the kinds of things I have written here, feel free to contact me and demand I prove from God’s word they are all true. For brevity, and because I know most people won’t read anything more than half of a page long in one sitting, I have left out more than I’ve included on the topic. Salvation is not attained by praying a prayer. It is not attained by raising your hand when all heads are bowed. Salvation comes into the life of the man, woman, boy, or girl who comes to the point in his life that he says, "Not my will, but Thy will be done." Salvation comes when one declares, "He must increase, but I must decrease." Salvation comes when one repents, gets baptized, believes God raised Jesus from the dead, confesses that Jesus as Lord, takes up his cross daily, is effectually called, regenerated, justified, definitively sanctified, begins being progressively sanctified, and gets adopted into the kingdom of God. And that’s God’s word for us today. Now, go and serve the Master.