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Please open your Bibles to Revelation chapter 20. I want to read to you again the text we looked at this morning and spend a little time looking at some of the scripture that really reinforces the truths that we looked at this morning. Revelation chapter 20, verse 11. Then 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.

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. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. His name was not found in the book of life. He was thrown into the fire. So we looked at this this morning, looking at the judgment of Of the dead.

And there it is before us: the end of the world as we know it, the judgment as God has ordained it, and the specifics of it, and who's going to be judged and where they're going to spend eternity. This is a very baneful doctrine to many in the world.

Number one, the concept of eternal judgment is horrific to the minds that is not trained by the scriptures. But also, the things herein seem foolish. The world is going to disappear with the roar. Think about what we believe. Think about what we're saying. Think about the implications for the world.

And we're saying that we know how the world ends. And it's not going to be global warming. We're not going to fry ourselves off the planet. It's not going to be any number of things associated with climate change. No, we know how it ends. And we also know that there is another world coming.

And just as soon as this world goes out, Another world is going to come into place. Seem far-fetched? It's biblical truth. In fact, it's not just this passage that speaks about this. There are many revelations in Scripture that undergird, strengthen this teaching. We just see it in Revelation chapter 20.

This really is how the Bible testifies how the world's going to end and what's going to become of it and what's coming after it. So I have no problem with a young earth. God who can speak the world into existence and then speak it out of existence and bring in a whole other new heavens and a new earth.

That's just the God who is. This is the omnipotent power of God. This world isn't just going to go out slowly over time and then come in again over a long period of time. No, this language here is very quick and it's not, it shouldn't be hard to understand, especially I grew up in the atomic city and we studied nuclear fusion and how things could just Expand and melt reaction after reaction.

So, I want to take us through a little bit tonight through this passage again, but I want to look at it from other revelations or other scripture that strengthen this, so that you come away tonight that the things mentioned in this passage are not just isolated. These are events that have, and realities that have been testified to over and over again, because this is what the Bible attests is going to happen.

And that after all, the world and its elements melt away, there are going to be the souls of every man and every woman is going to be standing. That's the way the Bible describes. We are more eternal than the heavens, and the earth, and the moon, and all that.

Seem far-fetched? Not if you're tutored by scripture. But if you're tutored by an atheistic worldview, then yeah, it is utter foolishness. But tonight, I just want to go back, look at the judge, and bring in how that, who's sitting on the throne and what he's doing. I want to look at the judgments.

I want to look at some of the changes to the material order, these things, and the heavenly registries, the books, and what is that all about? Scripture is clear on this and doesn't want you to not be clear. The basis of judgment, all of these things, and the book of life, of course.

I want to look at those. So, just first of all, I want to think about the judge. Look at verse 11. Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled. It's a white throne, someone sitting upon it.

Who is that? Well, as I said this morning, it's God. But throughout the book of Revelation, it has been the heavenly Father that has been sitting on the throne. It's also throne shared by the Lamb. You'll see that also in Revelation. But in John 5, I just want to read to you what Jesus said.

He said, For not even the Father judges anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son. We're going to think about how does this reconcile with, how does this harmonize with Revelation 20. The Father doesn't judge anyone, but he has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.

He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. So here's Jesus saying, Look, the Father doesn't judge anyone, but has given all judgment over to the Son.

And yet, here we see the Heavenly Father in Revelation 20 sitting on the throne. Of course, you see that Jesus is there so that all would honor him. But listen to what Jesus says. He says, Truly, truly, now here's the one, here's the one to whom all judgment has been given.

He who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. Already has eternal life. If you hear Christ's word, if you believe that he was sent by the heavenly Father, you have eternal life. Already. It's not something that's going to come later. It's something that is already in your possession, eternal life.

And does not come into your life. To judgment. In other words, you're not heading to judgment anymore because you are on a different trajectory. Life. You have passed out of death into life. And this is the one to whom all judgment has been given. And he says, Truly, truly, let me tell you something.

If you hear my word and believe him who sent me, you have eternal life now. So go live eternal life. Go out and live. It's not just about duration of days, it is about the kind of living, a kind of living that comes from being connected with your heavenly Father.

Then John 10, 30, Jesus said, I and the Father are one. So you start thinking about, okay, if Jesus is saying all judgment has been given to the Son, Father's not judging anyone. And then you see this picture in Revelation where it's the Father on the throne, great, great white throne judgment.

We know Jesus is there in the midst. But it's a shared throne. And not only is it a shared throne, it is a shared essence. I and the Father are one. Or maybe even more clarifying. In John 8, Jesus says, But even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for I am not alone in it, but I and the Father who sent me.

Me. Even in your law, it has been written that the testimony of two men is true. So, how you put all this together, Jesus isn't alone in his judgment. He is doing the Father's will. What he sees the Father doing, he does. And his judgment, he is one with the Father.

And so, this great white throne judgment, when you put all this together, the Father has delegated the Son to the Son, all judgment. All judgment is being mediated through the Son, and the Son is doing the will of the Father. So they are together. But that is who the judge is.

He is mediating judgment through the Son, just like he mediates salvation. We'll look at some of these and then feel free if we have a little bit of time left, we'll open up for questions. Look at a couple judgments. Just want to verse 13. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every one of them, according to the deeds.

Scripture is clear who the judge is, and also all kinds of judgments. So the There's Daniel 12, the end of the book of Daniel. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.

Not a new concept. There's a division happening in humanity. Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. So, in this context, this judgment that is to come is to motivate people to righteousness and to lead others to righteousness.

Each context has its own emphasis that it's bringing forth as it relates this doctrinal truth. Yeah, there is a final day, a judgment. It says to Daniel, but as for you, go your way to the end, then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.

So, very clear early on is the ending point, the end of the age. I believe this is the first resurrection before the millennium. Go, Daniel, go into your rest. You'll rise again, and you'll enter into your allotted apportion at the end of the day, at the end of the age.

Matthew 25 speaks about the sheep and the goats' judgments, the two. And when the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. I think that's probably best to take at the very beginning. And he sits at the, and the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

And he will put the sheep on the right and the goats on the left. You know, the sheep will inherit eternal life. The goats will inherit an eternal condemnation. And in the context there of Matthew 25, this reality is the difference between the two groups is how they treated the people belonging to Christ.

What you've done to the least of these, you've done it to my brethren, you've done it to me. And certainly in the context of tribulation and what's leading up to it, I think there is a place there where it's how he's going to distinguish between peoples. But clearly, it's how he, the motivation is there to treat one another as, be ready for him and treat one another, brothers and sisters in Christ, as you would him.

John 5, Jesus says this, do not marvel at this in verse 28, for an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come forth. Those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.

This is in Jesus' mind, really, why he comes and to avert and to save his people from such. There it is. It's very judgment. 2 Corinthians 5 speaks of what we call the, what many theologians call the Bima seat of Christ. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed according to his deeds in the body, whether to what he has done, whether good or bad.

And I think that's where Christ's people will stand before him. And you have in Romans 14 something similar referring to the same event. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or again, why do you regard? Your brother with contempt, for we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.

For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God. So then, each one of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore, let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this, not to put an obstacle or stumbling block in a brother's way.

So basically, we're all going to stand before Christ. So, as a result of that, do not cause one another to stumble. And certainly, by the time you see the bride coming in Revelation 19, the bride is clothed with garments, white deeds, really the deeds of the saints. And so a judgment has already been made.

There's already been a connection. There's already been a reward, a clothing, and when he comes with them. So that has already taken place. And certainly we're all going to stand in that. It's not the same as the judgment between like at the dead, at the great white judgment, but others.

Another element that this Passage speaks about is the changes to the material order. Revelation 20, 11 speaks of earth and heaven fleeing from the presence of God. And this, too, is something that is spoken of over and over again in Scripture. I'll give you a few places. Psalm 102, 25.

Of old you founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. Even they will perish, but you endure. And all of them will wear out like a garment, like clothing. You will change them, and they will be changed. You see how Scripture is referring to this catastrophic changes in the present order.

It's very clear throughout. He's going to change them. He's going to take them off like a garment and put on others. But you are the same, and your years will not come to an end. The children of your servants will continue, and their descendants will be established before you.

So in the context of Psalm 102, serve the Lord. Serve the Lord more than serving man, because he endures forever. Even the present order is going to go away. But the children of your servants will continue, and their descendants be established. Isaiah 51, lift up your eyes, verse 6, to the sky.

Then look to the earth beneath, for the sky will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die in like manner. But my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will not wane. So Isaiah is saying, Look to your eyes.

There's something far more enduring even in the world than the world around you. Salvation is forever, relationship with him forever, and his righteousness does not wane. Listen to me, you who know righteousness. Now you get to the context here, why he's bringing this doctrine up. Listen to me, you who know righteousness.

I'd be us here if you are in Christ. A people in whose heart is my law. Do not fear the reproach of man, nor be dismayed at their revilings. Don't be afraid of people. Don't be afraid of, don't be ashamed of Christ in this world that we live in, in this generation, in this adulterous generation.

Don't be ashamed. Don't be ashamed of these truths. This is where human history is going. And it's. It is well attested throughout Scripture. It's not just some little verse or strange interpretation of some verse somewhere. This is the teaching. And it's in this flow why the Redeemer came.

And so we know how it's going. So you do not fear or be dismayed at the people who reproach you, reproach the name. You run the race. You live for Christ. Do not be ashamed of Him. Do not be ashamed of His words. Matthew 24, Jesus says this: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Luke 16:17, it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the law to fail. Do you really believe that about the words that you hold? Everything you see around, it's the word of God that we read, that we are studying, that we are proclaiming here tonight, that we sang about in song, is more sure than the chair you're sitting on.

Foolishness to those who don't believe. But the truth. This is what Jesus' words. His words are going to endure. They're going to be remembered. Heaven and earth will pass away. 2 Peter, verse 3. I mean, chapter 3, verse 7. But by his word, the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

So the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire. The disciple Peter understood this. Kept for the day of judgment. That's when they're going to disappear. They're kept for the day of the judgment and destruction of ungodly men. Then, at that time, day of the Lord, verse 10, Peter goes on to say, 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 devoured, destroyed, with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

The earth and all its works burned up, and there they are, standing before the throne. That's the judgment we read about this morning. Since all these things, now Peter has a purpose for teaching this doctrine. It's not just to answer queries of the mind or Little fancies or questions, it's not academic.

It's about how to live. The reality of this informs us how to live. Verse 11 says, Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning and the elements will melt with intense heat.

But according to his promise, we are looking for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. So, looking forward, verse 12, hastening, that is, eagerly desiring the coming day of God. So, that's how, even in the midst of difficult times, we are to eat. This is our hope.

He is coming, and it will be glorious. A new heavens, a new earth in which righteousness dwells. There is no death, there is no spirit, evil spirit, and there are none of those susceptible to the evil spirit. This is where righteousness dwells. That's coming. We're going to step into that.

So now, with the few days that we have, live. Live in light of that. That's how Peter is using the doctrine. Well, then there's, we read about in Revelation 20, verse 12, that there were books opened, and another book was opened. What are these? Well, it's clear that throughout the Bible that there is also these heavenly registries, I can use that term.

Daniel 7, verse 9. Also, a judgment scene, vision that Daniel saw. I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the ancient of days took his seat. His vesture was white like white snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames.

Its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands were attending him, and myriads upon myriads were standing before him. The court sat, and the books were open. Something, again, seen in Scripture, just like in Revelation, books being opened.

Deuteronomy 32, 34. God says, This, is it not laid up in store with me, sealed up in my treasuries? Vengeance is mine, and retribution is mine. In due time, their foot will slip. For the day of their calamity is near, and the impending things are hastening upon them.

He's kept it sealed up in his treasuries. Day of vengeance. He's keeping record. Their foot's going to slip. Things are hastening upon them. Psalm 56, it's not just evil. God has a book about all the tears of his people. Psalm 56:8, you have taken account of my wandering.

Put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? God knows every tear, every sorrow, and they are written in some heavenly registry. God remembers. God knows. Malachi 3. Then those who feared the Lord, verse 16, spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it.

And a book of remembrance was written before him for those who fear the Lord and who esteemed his name. God never forgets those who fear him and esteem his name, even if it's among a generation that is compromising and sometimes you feel Like you're the only one, or among very few who are serving and all in with God.

Well, he remembers the faithful. He says, This, they will be mine, says the Lord of hosts, on the day that I prepare my own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him. A book of remembrance. He remembers the faithful, and he has written their names.

This book. Matthew 12, Jesus says this, but I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. Every word. This is kind of the books. This is some of the contents in the books, this image of how heaven has kept record of all and has record of all.

Verse 37, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. So they have registry. What is the basis of judgment? Well, in Revelation 12 or 20, verse 12, according to their deeds. Again, at the end of verse 13, and they were judged, every one of them, according to their deeds.

Basis of judgment. You see this also throughout. Scripture too. Look at Jesus in Matthew 7, verse 16, he says, You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.

A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then you will know them by their fruits. Jesus is laying out. Here's the basis of judgment. The fruits are an indication of the kind of tree that it is.

And same here. They were judged according to their deeds. Looking at their deeds indicates who they are, who they are in union with. Are they born of the Spirit of God or still the Spirit of the world? You'll know them. And so there is a registry, and this is what judgment's about.

This is the basis. Deeds. And it's not teaching that we're all going to be judged, that it's a works of salvation. It is, it's very much, it's what the fruit bears shows what's on the inside. It's merely an indication. And so salvation is by. By grace alone and faith alone, and Christ alone, the glory of God alone, and that will be evident in the fruit.

Matthew 10, Jesus says this in verse 32: Therefore, everyone who confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven. Think about that judgment. Think about the judge.

Think about all judgment mediating through Christ. And think about Jesus' words here: whoever confesses me, I'm going to confess to the Father. Whoever denies me before men, I'm going to deny to the Father. That's how judgment is being mediated. It's through Christ. And whoever confesses. So, what's the takeaway from this?

Confess him. Do not be ashamed of him. And, wow. If you believe what's coming, it makes it very easy not to be afraid of what man can do. What can man do to you? Oh, they can kill the body, but they can not do anything else. But wow, there is one who throws people into hell.

Fear him. He's not taking that into the new heavens and the new earth. Fear him. Then there's this book of life. Revelation chapter 20, verse 12 speaks of the book of life, all these other books. And then there's this book of life that's the emphasis. And this too is spoken throughout.

This is not a new concept either. Isaiah 4, verse 2, in that day the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel. It will come about that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who is recorded for life in Jerusalem.

So a record, those recorded for life. Psalm 69, verse 24, pour out your indignation on them. These are precatory psalms. And may your burning anger overtake them. Add iniquity to their iniquity, and may they not come into your righteousness. May they be blotted out of the book of life, and may they not be recorded with.

The righteous. So think about that picture there, a registry of the righteous. Blot out their name from the book of life and do not let them be recorded. So, book of life, a registry of the righteous. Daniel 12, verse 1. Now at that time, Michael, the great prince, who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise.

And there will be a time of distress, such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time. And at that time, your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. Registry. God's people, God's elect. Special ones. Luke 10. This is my last verse.

Think about the book of life. Remember what's happening in Luke 10? All the disciples are coming back and they're excited about the power of God's word and the preaching and how they were just so effective in ministry, the demons were subject to them. And then Jesus says this.

He says, Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to your name, but rejoice that your names are recorded in. Heaven. That's when Jesus talks about a reason to rejoice, there it is. And it is occasion. That dwarfs every other thing you can imagine. And we have that.

Do you believe you're in Christ? Then your name is written in heaven. You have occasion to rejoice like the disciples. You think, well, sometimes, well, you wish, well, I wish I was there. I could have seen all these things and been part of this, but I couldn't. I wasn't there.

But what Christ has given us and what we have left for us is something to rejoice in that is on par with the greatest saints of all times. And that is what we have. By faith, we have it. Written, names written in the book of life. That is something to be excited about because it is coming.

These things will happen as they unfold. This will be history. These prophecies will be history. They will come about. And soon we will all be standing on another shore seeing this as history. Man, it happened in that. How did it all there? How are you going to live?

And I think that's what comes down to all of this. In light of how things are going to be judged, how do you live? And may we live for him. May we be all in for him. May we come out of the way of evil ourselves. May we keep coming out in every vestige of it.

And may we serve others who are coming out. Help our brothers and sisters to walk in his way and let us go out into the highways and byways and call people out of the way. Be part of that mission enterprise. That's all I have. Anybody have a question, thought, observation?

Yes, sir. I'll start. When I'm off just to kind of frame the pump here, so two judgments. This morning you preached on the judgment of the dead. But a few weeks ago, there was the judgment of Christ to those who marred the tribulation of sins and all those.

Could you talk a little bit more about that one? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, as you are walking through, as you're going through Revelation, it's clear that judgments are happening in phases. It's not just like all of a sudden there's just one big explosion, we're all together, and then all of a sudden, in A real short order, people are going one way and going the other.

As you're going through Revelation, judgments are, number one, way back in the fifth seal. If you remember, chapter 6, verse 9, when the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar of the souls those who had been slain because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had maintained.

And they cried out with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, will you refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth? And there was given to each one of them a white robe, and they were told they should rest a little while longer until the number of their fellow servants and brethren who were killed, even as they had been, would be completed.

So they were given a white robe. They were told to rest. There was a judgment. There was a decision made on their behalf. They were acknowledged. Their cry acknowledged. Here, rest. And they were given a white robe. So it's evident that an interaction with Christ took place. An interaction with God took place.

A decision. Same you have in In chapter 19, let me back up a little bit. Okay, chapter 19, verse 7, let us rejoice and give the glory to him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

So here's this bride ready. There's already been an interaction, and it was given to her. Some judgment was made on her behalf, given to her and clothed her in fine linen, which are the righteous acts of the saints. The judgment has been rendered on her behalf. And then the armies are going to come dressed in the same.

And so there's already been an interaction. The bride of Christ has already met. I mean, and you think about that, and I believe that the church has been raptured here. The bride is coming, and there has already been the marriage union. The marriage has already been, so when you see Christ coming with his bride, they're already in.

Union, resurrected, married. And so there's already been an interaction. You think about how we, when, and so, anyway, there's been a judgment already made there. They've stood before Christ. They're already, they know they're good. They're coming back with him, so to speak. So there's already, and that's something separate than what's happening at the end with the judgment of the dead.

Blessed and holy are those who are part of the first resurrection. And so there's been this first resurrection of all the saints. They're blessed and holy in chapter 20. And they were part of the first resurrection. And so a judgment was made on their behalf. And a resurrection has already taken place.

Then you have the thousand years, and that's completed. And then shortly after the great, again, this battle, you have this final judgment and the great white throne judgment. And so even in the book of Revelation, you just see this progress in that there's judgment taking place. And then throughout, like the Bema seat, you start seeing some of the scriptures I read.

This is also spoken in different places. Is there another question? Yes, ma'am. Can you tell us specifically how? You cry out to Jesus Christ and say, You're the judge of all things. Forgive me of my sin. Put my name in that book. Do whatever you need to do.

I want life with you. And really, just come to the cross, confess your sins, ask for for in your name. Is there born from above? Yes. So when the rapture and actions, everybody is their glorified body, right? Certainly, the church, yes, certainly. So is there any indication, or do you have an assumption that those at the Great Right Horn Judgment, when they are raised, they will get some sort of body that will be ornamented forever?

Yeah. Yeah, they come to a resurrection. They are resurrected in a body. Humanity is not a disembodied spirit. We are a unity, body and soul, body and spirit, however you want to describe it. But yes, they stand there as a unity, a body put on, fit for destruction, and they're raised for that purpose to receive their sentence.

And so, yeah. Over here. Just speaking about these things and Understanding how the story ends and it gives us great courage for to stand in in our time. Do you have any uh knowledge of the history of the martyrs and and and knowing these truths at the end of Revelation and how the story ends and how it gains untranslated?

Oh, yeah, the first generations. You start reading the I mean, this was written to churches there in Asia Minor at the end of the first century, and you have this whole book was written for that, and then you have just martyrdom after martyrdom in mass, really for the first they'd come in waves, but for the first couple of hundred years.

And so, yes, these words have sustained them and every generation since. So, Pastor, we got a couple more, we got two more. Go ahead, we were just about to. Of course, the media will not make it public, but there's probably more martyrs today, numbers-wise, than in the first century.

Yeah, it's it's happening all around. People are and you have to stand on when I saw the dead, uh, the grave that's all sitting before the throne, and the books were open, and another book was open, which is the book of life. So by It says books plural.

It is Psalms and Isaiah pitch. You had a I I can't remember which book it was from, the book of remembrance. It is that so much life for that. Well, no, I think I was just trying to show that there are registries in heaven, books, and so I would say that there are books, and I don't think that's saying too.

He saw books and just whatever. I mean, that could be two, that could be fifty, it could be thousands. And then he saw one book, the book of life. And it seems like all these other books, registries of whatever, supported the verdict, the verdict that was in that one.

Well, our names are written in it, regardless. The book of life. And you're going to find that the merit behind all of that is not going to be found in us, but in Christ, in his benevolence for us. And that's what faith is about, is taking Christ at his word.

He is the judge of all things. And he is saying, truly, truly, I say to you, if you hear my words and believe that the Father has sent me to you, you already have eternal life. You're not heading to judgment. You've got eternal life. It's something that's already done.

Go live eternal life and live that kind of life in whatever short time we have. Occasion to rejoice like the disciples. Our names are written there. And if your name, tonight, if you don't know him, you're invited to know him. Cry out to him, confess your sin, pay homage, ask him to forgive you and ask the judge to pardon.

He has the authority to forgive sins, and he demonstrated that on earth. And he has the authority to baptize in the Holy Spirit, give you every good thing from above, and that's what he came to do. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this evening. We thank you for these truths.

We thank you that you have attested to these truths over and over and over again. And so we can really settle in our minds these realities that are to come, these realities and fixtures of heaven, the judgment to come. And Father, you give all this to us so that we can be prepared and so that we can come to you and rejoice in you and rejoice in what's coming ahead.

Even though the world is dark around us, Father, we have occasion to rejoice and be joyful and to be active in your work until you come. May you find us faithful and grant your spirit. Bring that about in Christ's name. Amen.