Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV)
For behold! I am creating a new heaven and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered, they shall never come to mind. Be glad, then, and rejoice forever in what I am creating. For I shall create Jerusalem as a joy, and her people as a delight;
Isaiah 65:17-18 (Tanakh)
On the Day of Judgment, all of the sins that you have ever committed against the Lord will be made known to you.
When the Lord opens up your heart, in order to expose your sins; not only will you hear each word you have ever spoken that injured someone else, the Lord will also make you aware of the pain that person suffered, when you hurt them. If you have caused unjustified pain toward someone else; not only will you see your actions, the Lord will also open up your heart to see and feel the injured person’s sorrow. You will also see how your behavior affected them and even altered their lives.
I am going to give you three examples that I am sure you will appreciate:
In every community, there are mom and pop shops. The small grocery store around the corner, everyone in the neighborhood frequents. Most of the people who opened these stores migrated from another country, fleeing from the past and searching for the “American dream." Others were born in the community, and wanted to make a simple contribution to their neighborhood, while they tried to support their family. In the beginning; they are young, ambitious, and friendly toward everyone who patronizes their store. And, it was not unusual if someone came in looking a bit forlorn, the owner would give them a hand. Then one day, someone comes in with another motive, and they have a gun. They want money and they want it now! Terrified, the poor cashier gives the thief the money he demands. The entire time that the oppressor is in his store, the cashier is wondering if this it. "Am I going to die?" Finally and thankfully, the thief flees and the cashier’s life is spared. The owner starts to become weary and he is not as friendly with everyone who comes into the store. Then he is robbed again and again and again. The owner loses compassion for the poor soul that needs a handout and he has stopped smiling at his patrons. Every day he wonders if he is going to be robbed. Or worse, as he enters the store, he wonders, "Will I make it home tonight or is this it? Will the next guy kill me for the lousy forty-five dollars that I have in my till?" Then one day, he has had enough! He closes his store and he moves away. The next thing you know, the people in the neighborhood begin to complain because they have to travel so far, just to buy a gallon of milk, and they cannot understand why? The thief only has two thoughts on his mind, at the moment that he is robbing the cashier. First, how much money will he get and second, is anyone going to catch him; but what he does not realize is that somebody already has, and one day he will see all of this replayed again in his mind.
One morning, like every morning for the past six weeks, a young woman leaves her apartment to go jogging. She places her earphones on and begins to listen to the music that is playing, while she begins to head towards the park. However, this time there is a predator that is waiting for her. He has seen her before and he is confident that she will be an easy target. She is violently assaulted and raped. At the moment, all he is thinking about is the adrenaline that is rushing through his body and the thrill of the attack; but she is scared to death and wondering if she is going to live through that moment, and she silently prays that she will. The assailant flees and she is left dumbfounded and severely injured. Emotionally, mentally, and physically; she knows that she will never be the same again. She no longer enjoys her independence and she is more cautious everywhere she goes. She finds it difficult to smile anymore and if she does smile, it is usually hollow. One day she will try to put this experience behind her and she will place the memory in the back recesses of her mind. Eventually she will marry and have children of her own. Without even realizing it, her entire family will suffer because of that one thoughtless moment that she experienced. When her husband spontaneously reaches out to caress her, he will not understand why she flinches like a frightened horse. Her children will be overly protected, because she will be afraid to have them out of her sight and every moment that they are away; she will quietly suffer, tormented, and wondering if they are safe and if she will ever see them again. All of this for an adrenaline rush! Her assailant will never turn back and he will never comprehend the profound effect that that one moment will have on her or those whom she loves, for the rest of her life. He thought that they were all alone and that he got away with what he had done; but he was wrong, because they were never alone, and one day he will see all of this replayed again in his mind and he will feel the pain of those whom he has injured.
A small helpless child is severally cursed and beaten, because they have just had an accident, and they cannot understand why their parent/caregiver has become so angry. The parent/caregiver thought that they were all alone, because they could not see the shepherd of the lamb, they have just assaulted, but one day―they will.
The Spirit of the Lord dwells in every living being and he is the air we breathe. On the Day of Judgment, the Lord will be a true and faithful witness to every word that was ever spoken and every deed performed. The Lord knows every motive, whether it was pure or evil. The Lord knows the oppressor, as well as the afflicted, and they will be judged accordingly.
In a dream, I saw myself standing with a large multitude of people, in a very large place. It was the Day of Judgment and the King of kings was sitting on a throne in front of us. One by one, I could see people rising and ascending upward and I began to ascend to another place as well. Everything that I saw was colorful and fresh. All of the vegetation was vibrant and new, just like spring! Then I saw a man who was directing each of us, while we descended toward the new earth. As I began to descend, he pointed toward my right and said, “The place where you shall dwell is over there.” I turned to see where I should go and I woke up, because this was a dream. (Revelation, chapter twenty-one)
Immediately after the dream that I have just shared with you, I had another dream. I was standing in the place of judgment and I saw a large multitude of people who still remained behind, from all walks of life. I recognized some of them, because they were people whom I knew and I loved. Then the Lord began to ascend and he left the rest of the people behind. When the Lord ascended, the people did not understand what was happening. They were still enduring the agony of judgment and reviewing their sins. Many of the people there, thought that they knew the Lord and that the Lord knew them. They believed that they were righteous and their sin’s would be forgiven; however, they were mislead and mistaken.
The most terrifying vision that I have ever seen, was the Great Lake of Fire and Brimstone. I was looking down upon a vast multitude of people, in a great lake, which looked like molten lava. It did not flow, but it remained stationary, like a large body of
