THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT

The account of this judgement is found in Revelation 20:11-15;

11. And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away; and there was found no place for them.
12. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the boom of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works.
14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

It will take place at the close of the Millennial reign of Christ, but it will not be on earth. The timing of this judgement seems to coincide with the renovation of the earth, in preparation for the new beginning. 2 Peter 3:7 confirms this.

7. But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men.

The reason for the timing of this judgement, is that the people attending make up the remainder of the human race who weren't either, caught up at the rapture, Killed for the Gospel of Christ during the period of tribulation or are part of the Faithful Jews who endured to the end, (Mark 13:13 & Mathew 24:13).

All the righteous dead will arise at the first resurrection with the rapture of the righteous living. We know from Revelation 20:4 that people killed during the tribulation who either preached the gospel or who choose to die for Christ are taken to be with God and reigned with Christ in the Millennial reign. Their act of self-sacrifice or belief judges them worthy to enter heaven. The Jews at the end of the final war (Armageddon) who have endured, holding fast to the law, we can only assume are taken or translated from the earth before it is destroyed. Their reward was the City, the new Jerusalem and so as it descends to the new earth it seems only right that they are already inhabiting the city. Theirs is a physical eternity ( in the sense of Adam's original state) so from the end to the new beginning they would have been a place prepared for them ( The new Jerusalem).

Those that are left are the people that do not fall into these categories. But reading Revelation 20:15 above where it says 'those not found written in the book of life', there must be some of those left who have been found worthy of eternal life. It says they will be judged by their works and will probably mean whether they have in their life been good to others or not. You have to realise that some people throughout the time have not heard of the gospel or God, going back to the times after the flood when the world was being re-populated groups will have split from the family as it grew and started again, forgetting the past and God. These people will be judged on how they conducted themselves, whether they lived to their conscience and did the decent things in life. They will be judged 'by their works'.

Ultimately they WILL be judged and what seems apparent is that their sentence will be an eternity in the lake of fire. As with the Judgement of Christ where the called out ones are rewarded depending on their works so too will the unjust and ungodly be sentenced on their works. Some will receive a severe punishment while others who may have been good throughout life will not. The common denominator with all of the judged is their rejection of God. Only God knows our hearts and it would be wrong for us to second guess why and how some one should be rewarded, based on our perception of their life.

The sentence is termed as the 'second death' (Revelation 2:11-20:6-20:14 & 21:8) Revelation 21:8 says;

8. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake, which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

This is the losing of their resurrection body, the body that would have kept them in the heavenly worlds. Without it they are tormented, like disembodied spirits. They can not be fed by God's love, this is the thirst or burning which is the lake of fire. In Luke 16:23-24 we are told of this burning thirst, which can not be quenched, in the story of the beggar Lazarus, and the rich man.

23. And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24. And he cried and said, Father Abraham have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

The 'fallen angels' who were reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, and the Devil's angels will be judged at this time which Jude calls the Judgement of the 'Great Day'. (Jude 6) When this judgement is over the Devil and his angels and all the ungodly, will have been consigned to the Lake of Fire and the universe purged of all sin, and righteousness will reign supreme on the New Earth and in the New Heaven.