Now, this morning we are in our second of a four -part series on the subject of the end of the world and events that relate thereto, and we're talking in our eschatological look last week at the second coming of Christ and today about judgment, and the next two Sundays about heaven and hell, future events on the calendar of God. And I know that you're going to be bringing your Bibles, and I want you to open them this morning to 2 Thessalonians and to Revelation. We'll take just a moment and find them. I don't know if we reached our Sunday school goal this morning. I think we came a little bit short, but I know that numbers of our departments had all -time record attendances, and that's exciting, and we're grateful to God. The theme of this last fourth spirit in the Lord's Day is the spirit of patriotism. As we thought for a moment about God's blessings upon our nation and God's need to bless the world and continue in giving peace in many places, we want to remember that the gospel is a two -edged sword. It brings peace, but it also brings judgment. God is a God of judgment. He judged Adam and Eve, who by transgression fell. He judged the serpent. He judged Cain. He said, A fugitive and a vagabond, All of thy days shall thou be. He judged Hitler, and he judged Tojo, and he's going to judge all of the nations of the world. But the Bible tells us there are, I think, seven basic kinds of distinct judgment we'll not go into. I want us this morning to look at a future -specific judgment of two kinds of persons and compare the thrones of those judgment for a moment, the judgment of the unsaved and the judgment of the saved in the future. Now, lest you think that this is very far off, it's some great future distant date, and we have all the time in the world to get ready, I want to point your attention this morning to just one thing. After the rapture of the church that I talked about last week, when the Christians are caught up and the world is left to its own designs, the Spirit of God, having been taken out as the church is taken away, in 2 Thessalonians 2, verse number 3, Let no man deceive you, for that day shall not come, except there come first of all a falling away, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. Now, please understand, it appears from the Word of God that into the vacuum that will be created, when righteousness is removed, the Spirit of God is taken out, and all believers are left, that there will be a breakdown of discipline and authority and control, and such chaos and confusion will result, that men will cry for some kind of a world leader to step forward and bring economic and social unity out of the chaos and holocaust that's going to result. Now, the Bible teaches us that the son of perdition will step forward, the Antichrist, and this Antichrist will become so popular that finally he'll rip off the mask of his disguise, and he will declare that he is God, and he will exalt himself, and he will assume the throne of David that is promised to Jesus Christ, the Son. And then, when that happens, Christ will come in glory with the saints and all the holy angels with him to the battle of Armageddon. Let no man deceive you, he says, and then he describes this man of sin, verse 4, For whoever this man who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, which was promised to the Son of God, showing or declaring himself that he is God. Now, verse 7, the mystery of iniquity, this principle, this undercurrent, is already at work. Only he who now letteth, that means restrains, the Holy Spirit who holds it back and holds evil in check, will let, will restrain it, will hold it back until he be taken out of the way. And when will the Holy Spirit's restraint be taken out of the way? When he's in the hearts of believers. When they're caught out, the Spirit will be removed. And then shall that wicked, that's the Antichrist, capital W, be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. Now, over in the book of Revelation, the Bible tells us that one of the great problems is going to be, and we're seeing the foregleams of it right now, the problem in the future of economic stability in the world. The world will be in a state of horrible confusion after the rapture, and economic problems will not be the least. Revelation chapter 13, 11. Revelation chapter 13, verse 11. You've heard all of your life about the beast and about the mark of the beast during the tribulation and how you'll not be able to buy. Don't worry if you're saved. I don't believe you're going to go through this. But the unbeliever will not be able to buy or to sell without the mark of the beast in his forehead or in the back of his hand. Revelation 13, 11, And I beheld another beast coming out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doth great wonder, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword but did live. And he had power to give life, the beast did, unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads, and that no man might buy or sell except he that had the mark or the name of the beast or the number of his name. And what is his number? Here is wisdom, let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is six hundred, three score, and six. That's six, six, six. I want to read for you verbatim an article from the March edition of the Moody Monthly. Quote, The following news release was reprinted this week. It reads as follows, quote, Dr. Henrik Eldman, chief analyst of the Common Market Confederacy, announced today from Brussels that a computerized restoration plan is already underway to be put into operation in the aftermath of world chaos. In the crisis meeting which brought together scientists, advisors, and CMC, common market country leaders, Dr. Eldman unveiled, quote, The Beast. The Beast is a gigantic computer that takes up three floors in the administration building of market headquarters. This monster is a self -programming unit that has over 100 sensing input sources. Computer experts have been working on a plan to computerize all world trade. This master plan involves a digital numbering system for every human on earth. The computer would assign each citizen of the world a number to use for all buying and selling to avoid the problems of ordinary credit cards. The number would be established, would be invisibly laser tattooed on the forehead or back of the hand. It would provide a walking credit card system. A number would show up under infrared scanners to be placed at all checkout counters and places of business in the world. Dr. Eldman suggests that by using three, six digital units, the entire world could be assigned a working credit card number. Other common market officials believe that the present chaos and disorder in the world economically points to the need of a world currency, perhaps an international mark that would do away with all currency and coin. Instead, credit cards would be exchanged throughout a World Bank clearing center. No member could buy or sell without having an assignment of a digital mark. Market directors are now convinced that a world order depends upon allegiance to an international program of peace and politics and policies, as well as a new world trade and numbering system. One man could have at his fingertips the number of any man on earth. It could provide the most powerful lever known to mankind. He could have a solution bank for world problems. It could be a tool for peace or a dictator's weapon. When one of the market leaders was asked what would happen if any person objected to the system and refused to cooperate, he replied rather pointedly, we would have no use, no choice, but to use force to make him conform to the requirements. When we remember that the Bible says concerning the appearance of the Antichrist as the head of this organization, the following quotation becomes exceedingly illuminating. Henry Spock, early planner of the European Common Market, the Secretary General of NATO, said in one of his speeches, quote, We do not want another committee. We have too many committees already. What we do want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all the people of the world and to lift us above the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man, and whether he be a god or a devil, we will receive him. It may be nearer than we believe. And when that day comes, the Bible says that all men are going to stand before God in judgment. Now, the Bible speaks, I believe, about two distinct kinds of judgments. I don't think that it's inconsistent with Jesus Christ's statement when he said he will separate them before him as the sheep and the goats, the sheep on the right and the goats on the left, and though this means one general judgment, I believe it's one judgment with two phases. He will separate them for their judgment, but the unbelieving at the great white throne judgment and the believer at the judgment seat of Christ will be judged on two different bases for two different purposes. Now, let me say again, the unbeliever is going to stand at the great white throne judgment, and he's going to hear the verdict of guilty, and he will be cast into hell forever for his rejection of the only way he could have been saved. The believer will stand at no such judgment. The believer is never going to be judged for his sins. We have passed from death and to life. My sins have already been judged. They're under the blood of Christ on the cross. When the believer stands in judgment, there will be no question of salvation. That's already been established. The only question when the believer is judged is his faithfulness to Jesus Christ and his use of his talents and abilities and his motives for service. And he's going to receive rewards. And if any man is not faithful, he will suffer loss. He will lose some rewards that he could have had and he should have had. The Bible says in Hebrews, when you sin in this life, if you're a believer, you say, and you are without judgment, then you're illegitimate. For the father scourgeth every son whom he receives. If you are saved, you may expect to be punished when you sin here and now. Judgment is immediate. But when a man is unsaved, God doesn't judge him for his sins right then. He lets it stack up. God deals with the unbeliever on a credit basis, but he deals with the believer on a cash basis. He is judged daily as he sins. So when he stands before judgment, there won't be any stacked up sins to be judged. They're under the blood that's over and finished. The unbeliever again will be judged for how faithful he was to his opportunities of service to Christ and his motives in those services. What he did in relationship to what he could have done and why he did what he did. It will be a happy judgment. I think it will be a judgment of reward, no judgment of salvation. That's done. We are as good as in heaven right now. The believer is safe and secure in Christ. But I want to stay to you who are unbelievers, that the Bible says your judgment is coming and it's going to be far different. Over in Revelation chapter 20, I want you to turn and then keep your Bible and look back in just a moment in chapter four. Revelation chapter 20, verse number 11. This is the unsaved man's judgment. And I saw a great white throne, Revelation 20 and 11. Here's the great white throne judgment of the unbeliever. I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, that means lost, small and great stand before God, no place to hide. And the books were open and another book was open, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things that were written in the books according to their works. You see, there's the book of your life. Every chance, every excuse, every opportunity. You can't say, I never heard. No one ever told me. I never had the chance. Some men will say, I didn't have the feeling. God will say, open the books. There'll be the preacher. The day he preached to you and said, you're not saved by feeling. Don't wait for a feeling. Be saved today. You're saved by faith. There'll be another man that'll come to the judgment. He'll say, nobody ever told me. I didn't know you had to be saved. I was baptized. I was good. I thought that was enough. God will say, open the books. There'll be the day, the picture of the person who witnessed to you and told you that salvation was by faith in Christ. There you'll be in church shaking your head. No. And the invitation, you see the books of the evidence will be open, but there's another book, the book of life. And the only way you can get your name written in the book of life is by the blood of Jesus Christ. It's written down indelibly by faith in Christ. When you come to Jesus and another book was open, which was the book of life and the dead were judged out of those things, which were written in the books, according to their works. And the, and see, 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 and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire this is the second death and whosoever was not found written in the book of life the book of life was cast in the lake of fire now in revelation chapter 14 a chapter 4 please revelation chapter 4 john the beloved apostle was on the isle of patmos exiled for his faith in jesus christ on that isle god gave him many visions visions of battles visions of the end visions of of heaven visions of the glory land visions of the great of the new jerusalem but he only gave him two visions of a throne now throne bespeaks authority and leadership and judgment i believe when the christian stands before god in judgment at the bema seat it will be before a throne and when the christian unbeliever stands before the great white throne judgment he shall stand before a throne as well now i do not know that the other throne that john describes in revelation is the throne of the judgment seat of christ where the believers receive their rewards but i'm going to suggest to you that there's a possibility for it is a far different kind of throne and assuming that it might be i want you to look at the difference of the glorious beautiful wonder of the throne of revelation 4 and the awesome hellatian judgment of their own of the throne of chapter 20 revelation chapter 4 after this i looked and i beheld a door was open in heaven and the first voice which i heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me but said come up hither and i will show you these things which must be hereafter and immediately i was in the spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and one sat on the throne and he that sat was was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone and there was a rainbow around the throne in revelation 4's throne there's a great rainbow did you see the descriptive language it sounds like heaven i'm going to preach about heaven next week and all of these stones are in the foundation of heaven a layer of each and around this great throne there's a rainbow what does the rainbow mean when noah came from the ark god placed a rainbow that was god's covenant with the world that he would never again judge the world by water he said i'll judge it again by fire but not by water the rainbow is the symbol of hope the rainbow is god's covenant against judgment and around this throne there is a rainbow it speaks to me of hope it speaks of grace it speaks of the covenant of god it speaks of the blessings of god against the onslaught of judgment against these people but ladies and gentlemen when you come to revelation 20 you find no such rainbow there's no offer of hope no offer of peace no offer of grace whosoever's name was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire the hope has been removed the rainbow of grace has been taken away you've had your chance the rainbow was here it's here today the offer of grace the offer of protection against future judgment but it's removed in revelation 20 and the wrath of god abideth on the wicked forever now go on for a moment look in verse 5 and out of the throne proceeded the lightnings and thunders of voices what does that mean lightnings and thunders speak of warnings it speaks of pleading when you hear the thunder you run for cover when you see the lightning flash you know to get to safety lightning and thunder are god's way of warning us that there's a storm to come and in revelation 4 you see the grace suggested the warning but when you come to revelation 20 there's no thunder the only thunder is the thundering voice of god in judgment too late the only lightning is the lightning clap of god's judgment from the flames of hell which says whosoever was not found written in this book was cast into the lake of fire too late the warning is over the rainbow is removed the peace is taken away the invitation has been destroyed it's no longer it's too late the wrath of god is revealed from heaven against ungodly men the only only the graveyard of the awful silence i believe men will try to stand before god in judgment it may be possibly that they'll try to give their feeble excuses and find out that words cannot come i don't believe god's going to to glare and gleam and scald and scoff and laugh and say, I told you so, I believe it will be with great heartache and pity and pathos and agony that the wicked are told of their fate. Only no thunderings, no lightnings of warning, no thunderclaps of announcement of preparing against the storm that's coming. Only the awesome, awful graveyard of silence of the doom. Thirdly, in the same verse, he says, I saw lightnings and thunderings and voices, and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne. The seven lamps bespeak the seven golden Campbell sticks, symbolic of the spirit of God's work with the churches. The spirit of God in the midst of his churches. The seven churches of Asia, which were symbolic in revelation of all the churches of all time to come. All churches fall into one of those categories and symbols. And now we see that God is saying he is at work in the midst of his people. He is preserving them. He is helping them to be faithful. He is helping their motives to be pure. And they come to this judgment symbolized of God's work in the lives of his people. But when you come to the judgment of revelation 20, there is no such pleading. The Holy Spirit has been removed. There is only one way you can be saved. And that is to sense in your heart your need of Christ and to respond to Jesus to that sense. And the only one that creates the sense is the Holy Spirit. Some of you are dreadfully under conviction today. It is not because I am preaching. Some of you are here today and you are feeling nothing in your heart. That too is not because I am preaching. It is not because the word of God has been taught, although that is helpful. It is not because the people have sung, though that contributes. It is because the Spirit of God is or is not dealing with you. The Holy Spirit alone creates a conviction. You say that is a lot of emotion. The preacher talks about hell. Everybody gets scared and runs down to the front. No, that is the Holy Spirit. I have preached to hell to thousands of people and saw nobody move. I have been in services where I have preached on tithing and on the home and on things that had nothing to do with salvation and seen scores of people saved. I have preached on the cooperative program in Oklahoma City once and had 17 saved. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. Only the Spirit of God and these people can bring you to Christ. But if you reject, if you remove, if you say no, it's taken away and there's no more pleading in Revelation 20. Only judgment. No more opportunity. All of the groanings of the Holy Spirit's pleading and intercession are taken away. The lamp of grace has been blown out by the wind of judgment. No more lamps aflame in Revelation 20. Number four, look in verse six. And before the throne, there was a sea of glass like unto a crystal sea. What a beautiful, beautiful thing. That sea of glass to me is symbolizing, is symbolic of God's refuge. A celestial heavenly pavement upon which the saints of God stand secure. But when you come to Revelation, you find a bottomless pit. Nowhere to stand. Nowhere to hide. Nowhere, no excuse to stand on. No emotion to stand on. You can't say, well, I was a Baptist or Church of Christ or Methodist or a Catholic or Episcopal. Or I was good or I was baptized. Or I joined the church or gave to the Red Cross or I did good deeds. That's not the issue. Whosoever's name was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. No foundation. No security. No heavenly payment. Only a bottomless pit where men fall and fall away from God forever. No stability. No promise. No security. It's all been removed in Revelation 20. Number five. And this is the last thing I want to say very briefly. Revelation 4. There's a throne of great praise. Look in chapter, in verse 8. Revelation 4, 8. Down in the middle of the second verse. Let's pick it up right there. And they rest not day and night. Saying, holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty. Which was and is to come. And when those beasts, those are the heavenly ones that glory and honor and thanks to him that sat on the throne. Who live forever and ever. And the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne. And worship him that liveth forever and ever. And they cast their crowns down before the throne. Listen. Here we are. That's symbolic of all of us. I'm going to get a crown for what little faithfulness I've had. I'm going to get a crown for what few good motives I've had. You know what I'm going to do with them? I'm going to strut around heaven and say, look at my crowns. No, not in a million years. I'm going to lay him at the feet of Jesus and fall on my face and say to God be the glory. Oh, that with yonder royal diadem we at his feet may fall, bring forth the royal diadem and crown him Lord of all. I'm going to lay him down at his feet. The four and twenty elders speak for us all here where they fall down before him that sat on the throne and worship him that live it forever and ever and cast their crowns before the throne saying thou art worthy. Oh Lord not man only thou to receive glory and honor and power for those created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created. But there's no song of praise in Revelation 20. No testimony, no rejoicing, no worship to the lamb. The unbeliever stands with his jaws locked, mute, dumbed and numbed in silent judgment stricken before God. And he opens his voice with his feeble excuses and he tries to say here's my excuse. And immediately before the thought he's even out of his mouth the screams unfold the books of life and they're the books of the records and there's the evidence and there's nothing at all for the man to say. Ladies and gentlemen the songwriter said it very very well when he penned for us a glorious picture of that future judgment. I dreamed that the great judgment morning had dawned and the trumpet had blown. I dreamed that the nations had gathered to judgment before the white throne. From the throne came a bright shining angel and he stood on the land in the sea and he swore with his hand raised toward heaven that time was no longer to be. The rich man was there but his money had melted and vanished away. A pauper he stood in the judgment. His debts were too heavy to pay. The great man was there but his greatness when death came had left far behind and the angel that opened his record not a trace of his greatness could find. The widow was there with the orphan. God heard and remembered their prayer. No sorrow in heaven forever. God wiped all the tears from their eyes. The gambler was there and the drunkard and the man that sold them the drink with the people who gave him the license. Together in hell they did sink. The moral man came to the judgment but his self -righteous rags would not do. The men who had crucified Jesus were cast off as moral men too. The soul that had put off salvation. Not tonight. I'll get saved by and by. No time now to think of religion but at last he had found time to die. Oh what a weeping and wailing as the lost were told of their fate. They cried for the rocks and the mountains. They prayed. Oh they prayed. But their prayer was too late. No place to stand. No golden pavement. No lightnings of warnings. No lap pleadings of the Holy Spirit. No rainbow of grace. All removed. All taken away. Too late. Too late. Be no issue of whether you're good or bad. Baptist or Methodist. Baptized or not baptized. The only issue is what have you done with Jesus Christ? The only way to be saved is to repent of your sins and commit your life to Jesus Christ. Trusting him as your personal savior. Confessing him as Lord and Savior and pleading his blood. And when you do, God dips his pen of forgiveness in the blood of his son and writes your name indelibly in the Lamb's book of life and it's there forever. Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing flow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? Oh I plead with your heart. This day you shall open your heart to Jesus Christ. And we bow our heads together. Our Father we thank you that you have warmed of judgment. And you have given men the opportunity to be saved. And Father you've set forth a dynamic contrast in the future. The difference in these two kinds of judgment. In one there will be reward and blessing. In another there will be retribution and awful judgment. Oh God how we pray. This day is the hymn of invitation is sung. That men and women shall come trusting you as their savior. We pray in his name. Now his heads are bowed and eyes are closed. I want to ask you that are by the race.