The Great White Throne Judgment | 10Dec2023

Pastor West: [00:00:00] Uh. Good morning. Welcome to Gracelife church. We're glad that you're here this morning. We want to welcome those who are watching or listening, uh, by other means or at other times of the broadcast. We're in Jemison, Alabama. We're having a great big time. And we're having, uh, we are, in closing, toward the end of a teaching of the end time events. We're not teaching every chapter, we're not teaching every verse, but we're doing the chronological order of events. And so we're today we're going to talk about the great White throne judgment. Before we begin, we want to put up an image we put up last week so that you could see the image. This just gives you a timetable of the chronological order of events, starts off with the present age, and then the next event. We're in the present age. But right after that comes what the rapture of the church. If you notice, there's an arrow pointing up. Then because we got to meet him in the air, do we not? Then we see there's the seven year tribulation, but on top it says the marriage supper of the lamb. So there'll be two things that happen during the rapture. We will go to the marriage supper of the lambs. Some say, Praise God. Praise God. But but believers will also go to the judgment seat of Christ. And if you notice in the middle there says the abomination of desolation. And then below that says the beginning of sorrows, the first three and a half years, and then the last three and a half years is the great tribulation.

 

Pastor West: [00:01:20] So the Antichrist will come in after the church is gone. You are, you are by the Holy Ghost, and you the great restrainer, the strainer that keeps him from coming. Amen. But he comes in, he comes in and answers the world's problems. He comes as a diplomat. He comes as a spokesman. He'll. He'll be eloquent in speech. The word will be in total chaos because everyone, so many people are gone. And so he'll come in and he'll create the one world system. It's already in place. They're already working on. That's how you know how close that you are. The world, the one world system will not take place while you're here, but the setup for it is taking place right now. I can I just know in my heart the Antichrist is already on the earth. You say, can you prove that by scripture? No, I didn't say that. I said, I just know in my heart he is you. Be led yourself. So. But the first three and a half years is called the Beginning of Sorrows. But in the mid, the middle, the middle point, it's called the abomination of desolation. What is that? That's where the Antichrist is no longer going to play patty cake. He's going to walk into the temple and he's going to tell them, no, no more sacrifices be made.

 

Pastor West: [00:02:24] I'm him, I'm God, and you will worship me. He'll have an image, uh, erected of him, and you're to bow down and worship him. The false prophet will be here to work with him. The the Antichrist is a political leader. The false prophet is a religious leader. And they'll work. They'll coincide to work the the enemy's agenda. So the last three and a half years will be the Great Tribulation, where. And that's what it really is, is tribulation. That greatly intensifies the last 42 months. The Bible said that if Jesus did not come back by the end of the three and a half years, no man would survive this planet. How bad would that be? So you can see there's all type of things that'll be all kind of wars. There'll be many things going on. There'll be famine, there'll be pestilences, there'll be many things that happen. We are. All this tragedy is taking place. You and I are in heaven at the marriage supper of the lamb and and the judgment seat of Christ, which we'll talk about today a little bit. After the seven years, there'll be a the Second Coming. Jesus will come, but we'll come with him on a white horse. Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up. Here we come. So we'll come. And he'll end the war of all wars. And so he will defeat the Antichrist.

 

Pastor West: [00:03:35] He will defeat the false prophet and those that's fighting with him. Uh, at the end of that period of time, then we know that the false prophet and we know that the the Antichrist will be thrown into the lake of fire. At that point, Satan will be put into a pit, a an angel will come down with a great chain and tell him to shut up and put him in a pit, and so he'll be in the pit. He won't be in hell, but he'll be in a pit. Don't know where the pit is, but we know that the false prophet, and we know that the Antichrist is actually in the lake of fire, and they're going to be there forever. They're not coming back out again. So they're actually going to beat Satan to his own home for a thousand years, because he's locked away for a thousand years while we have the millennium. And the millennium is where Jesus comes to the earth as King. Amen. And sets up his millennial kingdom. For a thousand years here on the earth, it'd be peace on earth. And I was, as I was saying, maybe we'll sing it, uh, as one of our Christmas songs this year, one of the songs that we were telling you that that was written a number of years ago by Isaac, I can't remember his last name. He don't have the notes in front of me, but, uh, he wrote a song called Joy to the world.

 

Pastor West: [00:04:38] And everyone knows Joy to the world. Uh, the Lord has come. He said that song was not was never written to be a Christmas song. It was meant to be a millennial song at the end of the second Coming, because he was he was trying to say, joy to the world, the Lord has come, let earth receive her King. When Jesus came, the earth did not receive him as king. But when he comes back, he won't run for king. He won't run for office. He will be king. He will be office. He will be the president of every nation. And he will rule from Jerusalem. And and things will be different on this planet. And we will work together with him for his agenda. And there will be there'll be peace on the earth simultaneously, while you have peace on the earth, you have people who's living on the planet with us, because when you come down from heaven, you're going to be in a spirit body, aren't you? Amen. How are you looking forward to your spirit body? Amen. How many you want to keep? The one you got forever? No. Nobody does. And nobody over three wants that body forever. And so you get a you get a great big upgrade and you're going to love the upgrade of your body forever. What? You're doing right now is the shortest little gig you're ever going to do in your life.

 

Pastor West: [00:05:51] No one's going to get a catch and or get along. No one's going to get, uh oh. No one's going to get anything like that. There's going to be no disappointment whatsoever. But there's going to be people who live through the tribulation. And there's going to be believers who became believers during the tribulation because they trusted on Jesus. And there'll be the tribulation saints that will be raised from the dead, who would not take the mark of the beast, who would not worship the image of the Antichrist. And they were killed. For that they will be raised, and the ones who live through the tribulation will come into the millennium of 1000 years, but they'll be in mortal bodies on this planet, while you and I, on this planet, in spiritual bodies, and the people with mortal bodies, will repopulate the earth for a thousand years, and I suppose the number will be in the multi billions of people. And during that time we'll still be happy. We'll still be preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, because there'll be mortal people born. If you're born, you're born with a sin nature, and then they're still going to have to hear the gospel. We know at the end of that time, at 1000 years, we know Satan's loosened the pit and he's loose in the pit, and he goes and does what he goes to do.

 

Pastor West: [00:07:02] The same thing he's always done. He goes to what, deceive the nations. Again, we know that there are still people on the planet who never receive Jesus during the millennium, even though they'll see him face to face and know him. You will go to Jerusalem at least once a year, the Bible says, and you'll hear Jesus preach. It doesn't say that you'll go to it doesn't really say. It just says that we will have an appointed time to go to Jerusalem once a year. In other words, Jesus has something so good it's going to last you a whole year of preaching. Amen. I don't know where that will lead me to do, but anyway, just anyway, I'll find something to do. And so. But no, we'll all have a job and and so so the thing is, after the thousand years Satan's loosed, he goes to gather up an army to fight Jesus. He. He's still trying to win this thing. We know there's unbelievers on the planet because the army consists of 200 million people. Now that's a lot of people who never become Christians. Of those who was born during the millennium. But it's a small fraction compared to the number of people going to be on the earth at that time. So today we're going to enter into the what's called the final judgment in eternity. And then after that, we're going to preach on heaven for our service or two.

 

Pastor West: [00:08:20] Would that be all right, y'all? How many y'all want to hear about heaven? What's going to be like? We ought to go ahead and learn something about your eternal home. How many believe in your mansion ain't going to need any upkeep. It's not going to be any remodeling. Amen. How many? Y'all not going answer me. No matter what I say. Amen. I see you in here. Those hands. Now, this is not what we're teaching, but I incorporate this almost every service because on we won't look at it again. But on that chart, the next thing that's going to happen is called what the rapture of the church. So I want to read this again to you before we get into our service today. First Thessalonians 413. This is the ESV. It says, but we don't want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do, who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare unto you by the word from the Lord, that we who are alive, and who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.

 

Pastor West: [00:09:32] And the dead in Christ shall rise first. And those who are alive who are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be so we will always so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. Now you only news if you're a believer that you have. About this whole teaching of revelation. The end times is good news for the believer. That's all it is. Uh, the the book of Revelation starts with blessed is he who reads it. He said, well, you can't even understand it. Well, you can't understand it. But he didn't even say if you understood it. He said, you just get blessed reading it. And we like to be blessed. Amen. So we're going to jump right into I'm going to move pretty quickly. Uh, there everything is broadcasted. You can go back. Takes a little while, but there'll be a PDF file if you want to print it off word from word. And. But we got to cover some events getting close to close to Christmas. So I don't want to end up on Christmas morning teaching on hell. I just I just don't want to be there. So I don't even want to comfort myself. We're going to do that. So revelation 20, uh, gives us, uh, understanding of the great White Throne judgment.

 

Pastor West: [00:10:52] And we'll just start reading verses 11 through 15. I'm in the new King James Version, uh, which is just a little bit newer than the King James Version, if you ever want to do a study on that. But anyway, verse 11. He said. Then I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. And books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life in the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead and who were in them, and they were judged according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of life was cast into the lake of fire. The name the Great White Throne Judgment has many implications to it, but the name itself speaks of great importance because the word great. The word great white throne judgment. The word great speaks of the infinite one. Who is the judge now? Who's the judge was Jesus Christ. So and then the word white speaks of divine holiness, justice, purity. The word throne speaks of the majestic one who has the right to determine the destiny of of any creature, of any creation he created.

 

Pastor West: [00:12:21] He's the only one who is fit to judge. So we are currently at the end of the church age, aren't we? So we said, well, just a moment ago that the very next thing to happen is the rapture of the church. Some people still don't believe that, that they believe the church goes through the tribulation. Some believe they go midway through the tribulation. Um, either way. That works either. All are my belief, and I think your belief is that we're raptured on the front end. How many y'all believe? Jesus raptures us and takes us out of here before the wrath comes. Elijah with everything in Scripture. That's right. So, um, you say, well, rapture is not even the word rapture is not in the Bible. But I always said the word Bible is not in the word Bible. The word Trinity is not in the Bible. But would you say there's not a Trinity? No, but the word but the. But the Latin word is there. It's called harpazo harpazo h a r pazzo. And that just means to seize or to carry off or to carry off by force. Harpazo means to snatch away. And when you're raptured from the wrath that's about to come to the Second Coming, he seizes you. He takes you away. He he he pulls you out of this life. To rescue from the danger of destruction.

 

Pastor West: [00:13:44] Is that his mode of operation? But it was for Noah. But it was for lot. Right? Yeah, he got him out. So. So the church is raptured and the unbelieving world is in tribulation. Now, when we're raptured, we go immediately to the to the judgment seat of Christ. This the judgment seat of Christ is not is not to determine whether or not you're saved. That's right. I know you know this, but there's a lot of things that people are are still confused about. But the Great White Throne judgment is different from the judgment seat of Christ. There's has the word judgment in there. So when you use the word judgment, that sounds like, uh, a time of examining, which it is, but it also sounds like examining and punishing you, but you're not going to heaven to be punished. That's right. So, uh, it's not so it's not a time whether you're saved or not, the fact that you were raptured is means that you're saved. So the judgment seat of Christ is when you will. And I stand before Jesus himself. Uh, that's what that is. The judgment seat of Christ. The Greek, like the English, used the word judge in two different ways. One sense of the word judge is the word condemnation. How many know? There's no condemnation to those in Christ, right? The other sense of the word judge is the giving out of rewards. One's combination, one is given out rewards.

 

Pastor West: [00:15:16] The Bible teaches and says and tells us that unbelievers will be judged in the first sense, which will bring them condemnation, while believers will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ, and they will be given rewards. So judgment speaks of a. The Bible speaks of a special judgment the God hold for believers only. We'll give you a few scriptures. We won't. Here's the references. We won't take time to turn to them. But second Corinthians 510 in the King James, Paul said, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each 1st May receive the things done in the body according to what we have done, whether good or bad. So notice that all believers will stand before God and be individually judged. They won't be. You won't be judged by your family. You won't go up with your church. Your pastor won't be with you. You'll be by yourself. Romans 1410 Paul asked the question. He says, why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. The judgment seat of God. Now what will happen at the judgment seat of God? Who exactly will be judging us? John 522 and the ESV says, For the father judges no one, but he has given all judgment to his son Jesus. So Jesus is the judge. Now the participants in the judgment seat of Christ is the members of the of the church, the New Testament church at this at this time, it doesn't include the Old Testament believers.

 

Pastor West: [00:16:53] There'll be a separate time for their judgment and their reward. What will he be rewarding? Well, it will include your actions, won't it? Obviously, faith has action. Belief has action. If you're a believer, there's that's that's just not a status. That's who you are. We represent Christ on the earth. We're here to do his will. We're here to expand his kingdom. So your actions will be rewarded. So the Bible says in Psalm 62 two, when you think about rewards, there's several scriptures in the Bible about rewards, not all pertaining to end time, but just that the Lord is a rewarder. We know that he's rewarded those who diligently seek him. 6212 and the KJV says, the the Lord rewards each of us according to what we do. I mean, even when you give the Bible says a cold glass of water to someone who's thirsty, the Lord sees that and rewards you eternally in heaven for it. Jesus himself said in Matthew 12 1627 he said, The Son of Man shall come in the glory of his father, and with his angels, and he shall reward every man according to his works. So no, no good that you do is being left out. No, no faithfulness on your part. Where is the Lord willing to forgive? Paul wrote in Ephesians six eight he says, know that whatever good we do, you will receive the same again from the Lord, whether you're a slave or whether you're free.

 

Pastor West: [00:18:22] Whatever good that you do, whatever good that you are to do, he says, you will receive the same again from the Lord. Now, because the word judgment is used and it scares people, and if it's and we need to know the truth about things, not just what we want to hear, we know that our sins have been removed, haven't they? Yes, Micah, the book of Micah. Uh, in 719, he says he will again have compassion on us and will subdue our iniquities. He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. Amen. The penalty of that same verse says, the New Living Translation says, once again, you will have compassion on us. You will trample our sins under your feet, and you throw them into the depths of the ocean. Amen. Now some people bring your sins up. Don't shout any names and don't point nobody. But anyway. Uh. But the Lord forgets them. Yeah. The Bible says he cast him into the sea of forgiveness. He takes all your sins, all your mistakes, and he puts him in the sea of forgetfulness. And then he posted a no trespassing sign. No fishing here. Yeah, yeah. That's right. So the destiny of believers are settled through the death of Christ on the cross.

 

Pastor West: [00:19:35] Your destiny is settled. Your sins are paid. You're not going to be judged for sins. Amen. Y'all can't say amen. Now, if that's not good news, I don't know what is. Amen. Remember Romans eight one. There is therefore no condemnation for those who is in Christ Jesus. Does anybody here in Christ Jesus? Amen. So this is for those who have trusted Christ, who now possess eternal life. John 524 he says, I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word, Jesus said and believes in him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned. He has crossed over from death unto life. So Jesus paid for our sins. We know this verse Peter 224 said, who his own self to what Jesus bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness, by whose stripes ye were healed. Jesus himself presented himself as the sin offering for all mankind on our behalf. The Scripture says that he was the lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world. God knew the need would be here before he created the first person. Before he ever created Adam. God knew there was a need and Jesus, Jesus became the lamb that was slain before the foundation of the world. Amen. Well, whatever Jesus represents, he became that before there was ever a problem. We know that by stripes he was healed, which means he provided healing before there was the first person on the planet.

 

Pastor West: [00:21:11] Can you get that? So whatever that you have need of, know that Jesus has already. He's already the answer. He's already the solution. Second Corinthians 521 says, for our sake, for our sake he made him Jesus to be sin who knew no sin in him, that he might become the righteousness of God. Mm hmm. Well, speaking about rewards, so the judgment seat of Christ is not designed to punish believers. That is not his purpose, but reward them for faithful service. All of us will give an account one day of what we have done. After trusting Christ as our Savior, every one of us will. There is a judgment of believers after salvation. First Corinthians 310 Paul gives this analogy. This is the new living translation. It says, Because of God's grace to me. Paul said, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Know now others are building on it, but whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful, for no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have, which is Jesus Christ. He is the foundation. He is the solid rock. So what we build, we build on the foundation. There is no other foundation. So verse 12 says, anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay or straw.

 

Pastor West: [00:22:43] Verse 13 says, but on the Judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work has any value. Verse 14 said if the work survives, the builder will receive reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder suffered great loss. The builder will still be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames. So this is this is this is the judgment seat of Christ. Everyone will receive their due reward, but he'll examine everything. He'll examine your life. In other words, for your purpose of being here. He knows your purpose. He knows if you're if you're living your purpose. He knows the believer's didn't live their purpose. He knows every thought we've ever had, every action we do, every good thought that we've ever had. And he knows the motives of our heart. So not only will he take our actions, but he'll even take the motives. You know, some people do things and do good things, but sometimes for the wrong purpose, don't they? If you do the right thing for the wrong purpose, he says, those works will be burned up. I'll always like to be around Joe Marsh when we teach this on the millennium, because he talks about the judgment seat of Christ, and he always picks, you know, with Ross Roberts. Is he there? He says, man, I ain't going to stand nowhere near Ross when he gets judged.

 

Pastor West: [00:23:59] He says, because he's going to have all the stuff he thinks is real good, and the Lord's just going to hit it like he says. And all of a sudden your eyebrows are going to be singed all. Ross is his dear friend. That's how he likes to mess with you. So? So if it's wood, hay or straw. Then the fire will burn it up. But if it's the right stuff for the right reason, then it'll last forever. Now the judgment seat is known. Another word for judgment seat is the word bema. The word bema is translated as court or tribunal. What was. What was. What was the the Bema seat. How was it used? Well, it was a platform to stand on for public or private events. And it was used mostly like in Olympic Games and after the Olympic Games. Those who competed successfully, they came to be rewarded to be recognized. And the competitors would, would assemble before the bema and they would receive their crowns, and they would receive their bema or the crowns or their rewards at the bema. The bema was never a judicial bench, ever, where someone was condemned. And Paul said, the Christian life is like that of a of a race in the divine umpire as Jesus Christ himself. After the race is over for every believer, and it will be, whether in this life or when he comes to receive us, he will gather each of us for this purpose to reward you.

 

Pastor West: [00:25:32] To love you. To thank you. For expanding the kingdom, for loving him and loving others. Each one of us will be examined individually. And given them their proper rewards. Not just thank you, but he wants to reward you. Part of the millennium is part of the. We went through several reasons for the millennium, but part of the reason why we live here on this planet for a thousand years in its proper place, where the lion will lay down with the lamb. Were, you know, there's such peace on the earth that it extends into the animal kingdom where the Scripture says a child will put their hand. That could be that could play around a cobra's den and put their hand in a hole and never, never be hurt. I wouldn't try that now. But the day will come. Will be that much peace on the earth. Well, this is where you fought your fight. This is where. This is where the devil. This is the time the devil gave you wrong. Every day of your life. But he won't be here. And there won't be one demon on the planet. We'll have. We'll have people who have to decide for him or against him. But they'll they'll. There will be no demonic spirit on the planet. But this is where you fought the father. So he wants to reward you for a thousand years on the planet that you fought for.

 

Speaker2: [00:26:55] Amen. Good Lord, praise God, praise God.

 

Pastor West: [00:26:58] Praise God. So, uh. So not everyone's going to see the same reward, obviously. And if anyone's work is burned up, they will suffer loss, but they themselves will be saved. Uh, in other words, we want to do what's right for the right reasons, for the right purpose. And if you are, then you'll be greatly rewarded for all times. Fire says it will be. It will be tested by fire. Fire, many times in Scripture has a symbol of judgment. I mean, think about it. It's like Sodom and Gomorrah was judged by fire, weren't they? Genesis 1924 said the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of the heavens. That's fire. So we want to be without shame on that day, don't we? Before him at the Bema Seat? First, John 228 says, and now, little children, abide in him, that when he appears we may have confidence and not be ashamed at his coming. And then there's there's greater rewards. There's full rewards. Second John eight. John says, look to yourself that you don't lose those things which you have worked for, but that you may have a full reward. Well, if you can have a full reward, you could have a partial or you could have none. But here John talks about, you know, having your heart in such a way that you look to these things that you have worked towards and look look forward to and to know this, that you can receive a full reward from the Lord.

 

Pastor West: [00:28:29] It's a place. It's a place or position of honor and all who experiences the judgment seat of Christ. We possess the privileges and we possess the honors as children of God, the family of God. Jesus said that he would acknowledge the one who believed in him before his very own father. He said, if you acknowledge me now, he said, I'll acknowledge you before my father. If you deny me, I'll deny that I ever knew you. In Matthew 1032 he said, whoever confesses me before humanity, I will confess before my father who is in heaven. So we know that the rewards given out are proportionate. Uh, the believers that the believers receive, the. Not all the same, it's not one size fit all because not everyone lives the same kind of life. Not everyone's faithful. I mean, sometimes they make life. This life all their life. This is the this is the the stage. This is the practice run most. Well, I don't want to say most because I want it to be most. I don't know what it is. I'll take that back. But many people I know that they live their life a natural life. As if this is all life is. This is not all that it is. I mean, if you live 70, 80, 90 or 100 years, 120 years, what is that? To eternity? Everything that you're doing now is setting you up for what you're going to be doing here on this planet during the millennium.

 

Pastor West: [00:29:55] According to how faithful you was during here, according to what your position is in the millennium and then your rewards forever. Well. So we know that they're proportionate according to faithfulness. First Corinthians four two says it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I like the amplified. The MPC says it. Moreover, it's essential required of stewards that a man should be found faithful, proving himself worthy of trust. So Jesus spoke of degrees of rewards in the parables. You remember Luke 19 seven where Jesus says, well done, my good and faithful servant. He says. You've been trustworthy or faithful in a very small matter. Now take charge of ten cities. You can see, you can see even during the Gospels where Jesus taught these parables how he he wants to reward. He wants to. He wants to give inheritances. He wants to bless. He wants to acknowledge those who have been faithful. And he will. So he told one, he says, you have been faithful. He says, take charge over ten cities to another. He said, take charge of five cities in Luke 1919. So the rewards believer will receive also are called. Some are called crowns. In second Timothy four seven, Paul said, I have fought the good fight and I have finished the race and I have kept the faith.

 

Pastor West: [00:31:24] Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, but not to me only, Paul said, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. Amen. How many longed for his appearing? So the Bema Seat of Christ will occur after the rapture of the church, but before the second coming of Christ to the earth in revelation 19 seven through nine. In the NIV it says, let us rejoice and be glad, and give him glory. For the wedding of the lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear fine linen stands for the righteous acts of holy people. So, believe it or not, church, believe it or not, family, one day you and I are going to meet Jesus face to face. One day you're going to look into the eyes of the one who died for you on the cross. Just you. Just him. I don't know, Brother Hagan. You know, he he had eight visitations in his lifetime. And they always wanted to know everybody always wanted the natural stuff. They said, what does Jesus look like? How tall was he? He said, it's just. He says, when you are just natural, that's. I mean, I understand their curiosity. He says. He said, I could tell you.

 

Pastor West: [00:32:39] He said, I don't know. I guess he was like 511. It seemed like it seemed to me like he weighed about 180, one, 85. He said, that has nothing to do with it. They said, what's his most distinguishing finger? Brother Hagan, what was the thing just to you that stood out in your visitation? Jesus, can you think of he said, oh, I can tell you what that is. He said, what is it? He said, it's his eyes. He said. What is it about his eyes? He said, they're like living wells of love. They said, what do you mean? He says, when he looks into you, he says, you just feel love all through you. You just feel the love go through you. He said until you melt. Well. Uh, that's the vision Brother Hagan had. If it's if it's right, it's okay by me. How about you? So one day, we're going to meet Jesus face to face. It's unavoidable. Unavoidable? You're going to. If you don't meet Jesus. If you don't meet him a savior with no condemnation, then you're going to have to meet him as judge. I want to say that again. For those who are listening now or at another time, if you don't meet Jesus as Savior with no condemnation because there's no condemnation in him, then one day you're going to meet him, but you're going to meet him as judge, and you don't want to meet him at judge, and you'll meet him at the Great White Throne judgment.

 

Pastor West: [00:34:00] Now notice those who are called to the to the to the final Great White Throne judgment. One of these if you want to call them classes of people is just the out out right center who mocks God or the self-righteous who thinks he's too good. He's such a good person, God wouldn't possibly judge him. Or how about the procrastinator, the one who intended to be saved but never confirmed his or her salvation? Never. How about the unsaved church member who has religion but does not have the Lord? There's many people fall in that category. There's a lot of people in the churches not saved. The one who said, I believe there are many paths to God but eternal life in heaven. You know, people said, well, I don't think you know, Jesus is one way, but I think there's many ways to God. This person will meet Jesus in the judgment seat of Christ because they're wrong. I want to tell you this morning and I want to invite you. You can. This is what you can do. This is what I've done. I'm not going to stand before the White Throne judgment. I'm not going to. And I'm going to tell you why I settled out of court. Amen. I settled out of court. Jesus became my Savior. Amen. He gave his life at the cross in agony and shame.

 

Pastor West: [00:35:20] He owed nothing. But he took my debt as his own, settled and closed the count. And my my account is closed forever. Amen. Have you settled out of court? If not, I invite you to settle out of court today. You don't have to go to the judgment seat. You don't have to go to the Great White Throne Judgment. You can settle out of court today. If you die without knowing Jesus personally, you will spend your eternity in hell. That's sobering. But if you spend your life in this life without Jesus, you will be without him. You will spend an eternity in eternal flames of hell. Romans 216 Paul says, so this judgment will be revealed on the day when God, through Jesus the Messiah, judges the hidden secrets of people's hearts. And their response, he said to my gospel will be the standard of judgment used in that day. So Paul said, I'm preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. And so he said, there'll be a day that you'll stand before him, and you will receive judgment based on what you do and what you hear at this gospel. Wow. The question is not well, it would not be if you were religious. The question won't be did you belong to a church or denomination? The question won't be, do you know the man? The question will never be. Did you ever know the plan of salvation? The question will be, did you know the man of salvation? Mm.

 

Pastor West: [00:36:46] That's good. Who is the man of salvation? It's the Lord Jesus himself. There's degrees of punishments. They're not all the same. There's those that who've already died. Without Jesus. They're already in hell. But he'll retrieve all them, and then they'll. They'll go back to the second death. Sounds pretty severe, doesn't it? In other words, if you leave this planet now without Jesus, you go to the eternal lake of fire. But you haven't been judged yet. If if Adolf Hitler's there. If he is, if he didn't, if he didn't accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, he's in hell like anybody else. But it doesn't mean he's even received the degree of punishment that he'll receive. Look what we have going on in Israel. Look at the campuses that we have in the United States. Talking about this week that Israel needs to be wiped off as a people, as a nation, forever, right here in the United States of America. This nation that you and I are citizens of, we have people around us that says Israel needs to be obliterated from the planet. You know, when Jesus comes and he judges at the end of the tribulation, so he's going to judge between the sheep and the goats. There'll be believers, they'll get saved during tribulation, and there'll be unbelievers at the end of the tribulation. If you're a non believer, you'll go to hell right then.

 

Pastor West: [00:38:05] But he'll also judge the nations that was for or against Israel. How many know we're for Israel? We are for Israel. Yes. Amen. So the question won't be whether you're religious or did you belong to a church denomination, or did you know the, you know, the the plan of salvation? But once again, did you know the man of salvation, the degree of punishments for, for example, be like Luke 1010 he says, but whatever, whenever you enter a city and they don't receive, you go into that city and say, even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you. So Jesus sent him out to preach, and he said, if they receive you, say, peace unto them. He said, but if they rebuke you, he said, just shake the dust off their off the feet of that city. He said, and I'll tell you, it'll be more bearable on that day of Sodom than of that town. Woe unto you, Corrasion and Bissetia, for the mighty works done, and you have been done in Tyre and Sidon, that would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. These are some of the cities that he did some of his greatest miracles in, but they refused to believe in him. He said, a greater judgment will be held against you.

 

Pastor West: [00:39:19] Verse 14, but it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon then for you. Verse 15. And you, Capernaum, will be exalted to heaven. You shall be brought down to Hades. The one who hears you hears me. And the one who rejects you rejects me. And the one Jesus rejects me. You are rejecting the one who sent me. It's a great great white throne judgment. Once again, the final sentence is determined. That is the. And this is the sureness of this final sentence. Revelation 20 verse 12 says, and I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. The books were opened and another book was opened, which is the Book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works. But the things which were written in the books, or by the things that were written in the books. There's severity of this final sentence. In other words, they were judged according to their own works. Not according to mercy, not according to grace. If you want mercy, if you want grace, you can experience his glorious grace and tender mercies today, in this day, in this time before Jesus comes. You can't wait till that time to throw yourself on the mercy of the court on the day of judgment. They'll be. There'll be no room for mercy at the judgment seat. If you want mercy. You must get it today. Romans 1013 says.

 

Pastor West: [00:41:20] Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. If you're listening. And even if you're listening during what we call the tribulation time, it's still not too late. If you're listening to this broadcast, I know times on earth must be terrible. Jesus said it would be predicted, but there was one message for you if you're listening to this message during the tribulation and Jesus said, endure to the end. Even if it cost you your life. After seven years, he'll come back. And those who would not receive the mark of the beast, and those who would not, uh, bow down to the image of Christ. Edith. They lose their life, Edith. They're beheaded. He shall receive you, and he shall raise you up forever. We pray, we pray. God is with you. The Holy Spirit is still on the earth. People say, well, the Holy Spirit goes to heaven. No, you can't be saved without the Holy Spirit. So you'll he'll still be here. Times will be difficult. More severe than ever before. But the message of the tribulation is hold out to the end. Endure, endure. Jesus is coming back. So the time of mercy in the time of gracious is now. So this judgment of the Great White Throne. It should never be confused with the Bema Seat of Rewards. The Great White Throne Judgment is for the resurrected unbelievers. Jesus will resurrect every unbeliever who died. From eternity.

 

Pastor West: [00:43:00] From the beginning of time. Revelations 2013. The Bible says the sea will give up the dead. And these unbelievers will be judged according to their works. Revelation 20 1415 says the then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. There is a saying. It says born once, die twice. Born twice, die once. In other words, those who are not born again will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death. It'll be the Great White Throne. Judgment could be likened to a courtroom scene with a few noticeable differences. In this courtroom where Jesus is the judge, there'll be no debate about guilt or innocence. There will be a prosecutor, but there'll be no defense. There will be a judge, but no jury. There will be sentencing, but it will have no appeal and there will be a punishment, but there will be no parole. That's hard news to tell, but it's true. And I make my appeal to you. Everyone listening. Watching. Jesus said, whoever comes to me, I will no wise cast out. Eternity is a long time to be wrong. A long time to be wrong. I want to leave with a little bit of good news. We're going to preach on heaven next. But I just want to open this up.

 

Pastor West: [00:44:49] I want to end this service on a higher note. After all, this is over and we are in our eternal place. There'll be a new heaven and a new earth. Heaven is a real place. It's being prepared. It's prepared for a place. It's ready and waiting for you. The Apostle John described the vision he had of the new heaven and new earth. He called it the dwelling place for the entire family of God. He said, you're now at your eternal home forever. Wow. Revelation 21, verses one through six. And the ESV says, John said, then I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven, and the first earth has passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a voice coming from the throne saying, behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God, and he'll wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death shall be no more. Neither shall be any mourning nor crying. There'll be no more pain for the former. Things have passed away. And he who sits on the throne said, behold, I am making all things new. Also he said, write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.

 

Pastor West: [00:46:16] Verse six. And he said to me, it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give him the spring of the water of life without payment. We have a lot to look forward to. It's good news, but we have responsibility. We have a responsibility to. To reach as many people, to tell the people, to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, to preach the good news. It's not bad news. It's not some good news. It is the good news. Amen. So we we make our appeal to you. It's not what Jesus has done. He's already done it. He. He's finished. He's completed. The question is, what are you going to do with him? Where you receive him? Will you let him be your Lord and be your Savior? You know there's a difference between Savior and Lord. A lot of people have Jesus as Savior and they want to be saved from hell. But they haven't. They haven't come to a place of lordship. Lordship is he. He rules and he reigns. I mean, your life as a believer, know it or not, belongs to him. People say, well, I got one. I got my own life to live more, live the life I want. To live the way I want to live it. Uh, you better be careful. You better be careful thinking like that. See, when you're born again, you died and his life is in you.

 

Pastor West: [00:47:40] Now, there's. There's one way people talk about. Well, there's there's. You know, I'm not trying to get into splitting hairs about theology, but because I've done it myself. But the more I look at it, I was like, I don't know if I can preach it just right, but I don't see it the way I used to see it. In Romans chapter 12. It talks about the good and the perfect and the acceptable will of God, I get that. I mean, you can see people living life in different degrees of faithfulness, but do you really think God has three wills? Like. Well, you know, I'd rather you come. I'd rather you come here. But it'd be okay if you just want to do that and I'll. I'll accept that. But this would be better and then this would be perfect. So which way would you like Jesus? Jesus offers you. Or he could have said, I am the three ways of truth and life. Now he is the way of truth in life. He is the way. So if you're going to do anything for the kingdom, do it now. If you need to get anything straight, get it now. If you need to go to someone and forgive someone, forgive them. Now. If you need to make the phone call, make the phone call now. If you know someone, you have a family member.

 

Pastor West: [00:48:54] We're we're continuing to pray for those in the lost and the unsaved. We're praying for the people and the peace of Jerusalem. I mean, all these things that you're seeing on the news is the setup for the Second Coming. All, pretty much every character, every actor that's going to be on the stage, that's going to be the battle of Armageddon. When we come back with Jesus in Revelation 19 on the White Horse. The nations that's going to be arrayed against him are all lining up and have been lined up in this three month war that's taking place. Jesus said, if you can see while you're on the earth the setup for the Second Coming. I'm coming seven years before that. How close are we to leaving this planet? The rapture could happen. At any moment. Jesus could sound the the trumpet and we could meet with him before we can get to our automobiles. How close are you? The Bible says he'll come in the twinkling of an eye, which is 1/40 of a second. You won't have time to pray. Then it'll be too late. Don't be here to go through the tribulation. Don't make that mistake. It's time to make our decision now. It's time to live the life that Jesus promised you. Now, I'm not preaching this to try to scare someone, but if that would work, I'd even do that. You wouldn't wash this with this on if you had an enemy.

 

Pastor West: [00:50:39] This earth has been moaning and groaning for 6000 years. 6000 years of human history is about to come to the end. The age of dispensation of grace is almost over. The Bible says there, and when Jesus comes back to the planet, he will rule it with an iron, a rod of iron, which is the rule of righteousness, absolute righteousness. You know something you're going to love about heaven? Because everything about heaven is just right. Everything about heaven is just. Everything. Sometimes you don't get justice here. Like you should get it there. Everything will be right. Everything will be known. And I know and I'm and I know if as a believer, you look forward to the time that you can meet face to face, just you and he, the one who gave his life for you. When you look into his eyes and he looks into yours. And then you would know it was worth it all. Paul said in this time in Second Corinthians four he said, there's some affliction that you're going to have to walk through. He said, but when you compare it to the eternal weight of glory, he said, it's nothing compared to what's ahead of you. Whatever you're walking in today, he said, it's temporary. It's about to change for you, and it's a lightweight. If it was a fight, a heavy weight and a light weight. So we have we have so much to look forward to.

 

Pastor West: [00:52:11] We have so much good news to tell. I just want to encourage you, when people come into your path and those that you're around, don't just make it business as usual. Ask the question, ask them and tell them Jesus has come and seen them and say, If Jesus was to come tonight, do you know where you would spend eternity? If the world was to come end today, or for some reason, I mean, for some reason that we would hope would never happen if something were to happen and you were something happened and today was the end of your life, you're on earth. Do you know where you would spend eternity? We found out from years of just asking people that through the years, going out and ministering to the community, a lot of people would say to the affirmative, I would say 80, 85% of the people would say, I believe I would spend eternity in heaven. And we would say, that's great, that's wonderful. But why do you say that? Because we need to know what the reason was. Did you know over half of those people who told us when we asked them how? Why? That's great. Glad that you could answer that. But why? Why do you say that? Did you know almost half of the people said, well, the reason I believe I would spend eternity in heaven is I'm a pretty good person.

 

Pastor West: [00:53:23] I don't know any way to get hell any faster than just to be a pretty good person. Now, the Bible says all have fallen short of the glory of God. There's no man without sin. God doesn't grade on the curve. He's 100% righteous. You can't get up there with 54%. You know, when you're born again, you become what? The righteous of God in Christ Jesus. And even though we make mistakes, even though we fail, sometimes, even though we sin, Jesus is paid for it. Past, present, future. When we're all coming to this planet. The Bible says our name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. But on that day when you're judged, even though your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life, I mean, just look at God. He's such a much a faith God that when you're born on the planet, he puts your name in the book. But he said, if the judgment seat of Christ, if you don't know Jesus, he said, they'll blot your name out forever. That'd be a terrible day for anybody. Don't let that be anyone that you know. Amen. Well, we bless you. Uh, this is a great time that we're in, and it's a time of acceleration. This year is coming to an end. We have a lot to look forward to. Uh, we believe it's going to be a great time of harvest for us. In Jesus name, Amen.

 

Pastor West: [00:54:43] Amen. Be blessed.