Finale Revelation and Imagination Daily Devotional- 49

REVELATION 20:11-15 | ¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it; the earth and the heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, as recorded in the books. ¹³ And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and all were judged according to what they had done.  ¹⁴ Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; ¹⁵ and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

In compact poetic terms, John expresses the character of the Final Judgement. God’s glory is so brilliant that He sees earth and heaven dissolve like dew on the morning grass as the sun rises. They literally “flee.” Then every human being is judged, no exceptions, and no exemptions, on the basis of their deeds. Does this contradict the idea that we are saved by grace? No, for genuine grace will issue in deeds of love and mercy. Further, the book of life is a symbol of God’s decision to grant an everlasting blessing to those who receive His grace in Christ (all New Testament writers stress accountability, by the way, see 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, where St. Paul, the apostle of grace, describes judgement of our works).

Notice too that death and Hades are themselves destroyed at the judgement—clearing the way for a new heaven and earth, free of fear.

What makes a deed “righteous”?

For further references to a registry of the blessed, a book of life, Revelation 3:5, 13:18, 17:8, 20:12, 15, and 21:27. It is an Old Testament image as well, found in Exodus 32:32-33, Psalm 69:28, Malachi 3:16, and Daniel 7:10. 

Tags: righteous, deed