Revelation 20:12-15, “And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. And death, and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (NASV)
This passage describes the great white throne scene (v. 11) in which Jesus judges the world when they are on trial during the Millennial Age. During the one thousand years (2 Peter 3:8) Satan and his forces will not have influence (Revelation 20:2). The Old and New Testaments (the books) will be used to explain the divine message to the earth’s inhabitants. Verse 13 talks about the resurrection of all who have died, the first being Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:18). Isaiah 26:19 & 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 corroborate that the dead will live. All of mankind, both those living at that time and those who were dead and resurrected, will have a chance to fully understand and practice God’s righteousness. Isa. 26:9 says, “When the earth experiences Thy judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” Matthew 22:37-39 tells what the Heavenly Father will expect of mankind.
Verse 14 and Isaiah 25:8 cite that death will be done away with. Revelation 21:4 states this perfectly, “and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”
Revelation 3:5 illustrates the principle that those who overcome will not have their name erased from the book of life. Revelation 20:3, 7 states that after the one thousand years of no Satanic influence, Satan will be released for a short time. This will give mankind the opportunity to practice the righteousness and love that they learned. Those who choose not to follow the Divine standards of righteousness and love (whose names are not found in the book of life) will be thrown into the lake of fire as is Satan (Revelation 20:10, 15). [This however does not mean that they will be burning forever. They will destroyed and cease to exist. See Jeremiah 19:5, 32:35, Ecclesiastes 9:5]
What a beautiful plan God has laid out for mankind. “Weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning” (Psalm 30:5). God’s Kingdom will be established here on earth (remember the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13?). According to His promise in 2 Peter 3:13, there will be a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Related Questions
July 30th 2014 | 39986 views "And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 13:42). Is this a reference to hell?
December 23rd 2022 | 63180 views Is it a biblical fact that Christ descended into hell after his crucifixion and before his resurrection? 1 Peter 3:19
July 31st 2014 | 40225 views What happens to us the minute we die. Where do we go?
February 24th 2017 | 40842 views What part in the Bible shows that Jesus took Abraham and Moses into heaven?
February 01st 2015 | 42067 views If Moses and Elijah were actually dead, how could they appear on the Mount of Transfiguration with our Lord Jesus? (Matthew 17:1-3)
July 30th 2014 | 40675 views Do you mean to say that the spirit of the Thief, who died upon the cross when the Lord Jesus was crucified, remained in the grave with his body? If so, do the spirits of our dear friends, who turned to Christ in this life, remain with their bodies in the grave until the return of our Lord?
August 18th 2014 | 39434 views Since Jesus is to reign until all enemies are put under his feet, and the last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:25,26) would it not prove that Satan and his hosts would be destroyed before death is destroyed, and that both would be destroyed during the reign of Jesus?
August 18th 2014 | 39947 views