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The Angel of Revelation, painted by
William Blake between 1803–05, shows
St. John on the island of Patmos gazing
up at a mighty angel “robed in a cloud,”
as described in Revelation 10:1.This sets the scene for the Final
Judgment itself. As the climax
of John’s vision draws near, in
Revelation 19–20, he sees a great
white throne, in front of which is a
vast crowd of all of the people who
have ever lived. Jesus then opens
the “book of life,” and every person
is judged “according to what they
[have] done” (20:12). Those whose
names are in the book of life are
welcomed into God’s new creation;
those whose names are absent are
thrown into a lake of fire, the final
hell, where “death and Hades” (the
underground world of the dead) are
also thrown (20:14–15).Humanity on trial
The Final Judgment is a crucial
motivation for the holiness and
mission of Christians. Although
Christians are assured that they
will be considered acceptable
by God on the “Day of the Lord”
simply because of their trust in
Jesus—this is called “justification,”
meaning that they are judged to
be righteous because Jesus hasACTS, EPISTLES, AND REVELATION
Revelation as a letter
to early ChristiansThe book of Revelation was
written to a number of early
Christian congregations who
were facing the threat of
persecution. Although seven
churches are mentioned in
the early chapters—those in
Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum,
Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia,
and Laodicea—the book of
Revelation became important
in encouraging all Christians.
The language of the book
relies heavily on symbolism,
and the recurring mentions
of “Babylon,” Israel’s ancient
enemy, are a veiled reference
to the Roman Empire, which
was putting increasing
pressure on early Christians,
because of their refusal to
worship the emperor. Through
its colorful language and
dramatic visions, the Book of
Revelation is a pastoral letter
that seeks to encourage
Christians to keep faith in
the face of persecution, for
regardless of the horrors of
history, the risen Jesus
remains the world’s ultimate
King, and faith in Him as
savior and Lord is the sole
criteria for salvation from
eternal condemnation at the
Final Judgment.The seven churches are guarded
by God’s angels. At the start of
Revelation, Jesus appears to John
and instructs him to write to them
recounting the coming vision.died for their sins and has cleaned
their record before God—they will
still be exposed to God’s judgment
of their deeds. Paul writes that on
“the day” fire will test each person’s
“foundation,” which will reveal its
quality, whether it was made
from “gold, silver, costly stones,
wood, hay, or straw.” When this
fire comes, if “what he has built
survives,” Paul writes, “he will
receive his reward” (1 Corinthians
3:12–14). Paul thus teaches that
some will pass through judgment
with nothing, while others will be
rewarded for their faithful lives.
This impending judgment also
promotes urgency in the missionary
task. Jesus tells His disciples to be
ready: His parousia may occur at
any moment (Mark 13:33). As Peter
says, “the Day of the Lord will come
like a thief” (2 Peter 3:10). Because
of this, Jesus’s great commission to
His disciples is all the more urgent.
God does not want anyone to go
to hell, but wants all to have the
chance of eternal salvation. ■God is just: He will
pay back trouble to
those who trouble you
and give relief to you
who are troubled.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-7US_316-321_The_final_judgement.indd 321 27/09/17 10:18 am