The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

The Great White Throne Judgment

2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the Earth and its works will be burned up.”

The old adage, “You can’t do wrong and get by” was emphasized much earlier in Simon Peter’s second letter. The day of the LORD is surely coming! And it will come when we least expect it. The elements that hold the Earth and all together will be utterly destroyed and dispursed. Still, no one will escape the Judgment of the LORD, except those who had previously trusted Him as LORD and Savior. They alone will be saved.

Revelation 20:11-13, “And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12And 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. 13And 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.”

Everything we can see, and a lot that we cannot, is comprised of molecules. People destroyed by fires, by explosions, by drownings or by burials at sea will eventually decompose and become a part of something unseemly. Yet, the calling together of the molecules that comprised their bodies will be no difficulty for the LORD. There will be no hiding, no escape. The LORD will resurrect each and every one and summon them to the Great White Throne for judgment.

The LORD’s Throne is white, perhaps to certify the purity of the judgments that will be handed out. Scripture teaches us that the Father has handed all judgment to the Son. John 5:22 says, “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son.” Further, the Scripture says, “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats…” (Matt. 25:31-32).

Undoubtedly, as with court cases today, there will be those who will insist that they are innocent because of numerous factors. “I tried to live a good life”; “I never doubted You, God”; “I went to church as often as I could”; “I never killed anyone”; “My pastor never told us this would happen!” –and the innumerable list goes on and on. Walvoord says, “It is only human to try to find some escape from the rigidity of eternal punishment, but if one dies without salvation, there is no escape” (Major Bible Prophesies, p. 411).

The Apostle John tells us that “the books were opened.” God keeps an account of everything, and of everyone, who does everything. There is no evidence anywhere that will exonerate the activities, the motives, the results of what has occurred. Police can trace cell phone calls and sometimes identify who was talking. The LORD can do even more –much more!! When I was a child, I did wrong a number of times. My mother used to tell me that God has a book and keeps a record of every naughty thing I do. When I grew up, I discovered that this was yet another thing my mother knew that I did not, a truth I had to learn.

The Book of Life is there in the LORD’s courtroom, too; and anyone whose name was not found written in it, will suffer eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire. People (especially the lost) don’t like to talk or even think about “eternal punishment”; however, the LORD is in charge and He declares it so. I once referred to the Lake of Fire (gehenna) as “God’s ‘dumping ground.’” A preacher in the congregation later took issue with that designation. But, what else can it be called? What is the LORD to do with those who have refused His offer of salvation? Yes, as sorrowful as it is even to think of, it is the truth.

All of this should shake the lost into reality! And it should shake up the Christian who has neglected to share Christ Jesus with friends and neighbors who are lost. Death is a reality!

Preparation is vital! Witnesses are needed! Time is running out….

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”