Bible Question:

At the great white throne judgment, we are told that books will be opened and all of the dead are judged and cast into the lake of fire. Then why was the book of life opened up? It says that if a name is not found in the book of life, they will be cast into the lake of fIre. If the judgment is just for the ungodly dead, then why is the book of life even opened?

Bible Answer:

At the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15), we are told that all of the unrighteous dead will be judged according to their deeds. If their names are not found in the book of life, they will be cast into the lake of fire. The question we are concerned with is if the judgment is for the ungodly dead, then why is the book of life opened at the white throne judgement?

Book of Life - Revelation 20:12

Great White Throne Judgment

After the millennial kingdom (Revelation 20:4-6), God will permit all the unbelievers of the world to be led into a brief rebellion by Satan (v. 7-10). Then the great white throne judgment will be held to judge all of the unrighteous (Revelation 20:11-15).

 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.  And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And 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 (NASB)

This passage reveals that only unrighteous people will be judged at this time. Why? First, if we look back to Revelation 20:5-6, we learn it refers to two resurrections. The first resurrection is for the righteous and the second resurrection is called the second death. Then the  second resurrection is mentioned in verse 12-14. At this time, the unrighteous people will be resurrected in verses 12-14 and verse 14 says they will experience the second death.

Book of Life Opened

The key to understanding Revelation 20:11-15 is to notice that verse 15 says if anyone’s name is not in the book of life they will be thrown into the lake of fire or hell.   They are not going to heaven. Then notice that verse 14 tells us that the lake of fire is the second death. The first death is physical death. The second death is living in the lake of fire forever and ever. Only the unrighteous are sent to the lake of fire, and only believers will allowed into the eternal heaven which is described at length in Revelation 21. Revelation 21:27 states that only believers will be in the eternal heaven.

Note that every person who is raised in verses 12-13 will be thrown into the lake of fire and experience the second death. This means they are unrighteous or unbelievers. They never believed in Jesus. They never repented of their sins and never yielded themselves to Jesus or accepted Him as Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-11).

Now, why is the book of life opened at the white throne judgement? The answer is that it reveals to the billions of unbelievers, who will be standing before the throne of God the Father, that they are sentenced to spend their eternity in the lake of fire. The other books provide the supporting evidence that they deserve to go to the lake of fire because they are wicked, as proven by their rebellious attitudes, thoughts, and conduct. The book of life determines their sentence to the lake of fire, and the other books provide the evidence that they deserve their sentence. The book of life and the other books will demonstrate that God is righteous and justified when He sentences them to the lake of fire.

Conclusion:

Why is the Book of Life opened at the white throne judgement? It will demonstrate that God is righteous when He issues the verdict that these rebellious men and women are sentenced to an eternity in the lake of fire. Imagine a person’s life history revealed before everyone, their wicked attitudes, thoughts, words, and conduct. God has all eternity to review everyone’s wickedness. Luke 11:29-32 teaches us that everyone will watch the unrighteous be judged. Everyone will hear about the wicked’s attitudes, thoughts, words, and conduct. They will not be able to slander God, for everyone will know what they did and that they deserve the lake of fire.

Can I urge you to visit Searching for God to rescue yourself from the second death if you have not already embraced Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

Suggested Links:

What is the Book of Life and the Book of the Living?
Would God blot someone’s name from the Book of Life?
Will those in the Book of Life have to refuse the mark of the beast?
Are the names of the chosen already written in the Lamb’s Book of Life?
Searching For God
Are You Wasting Your Life?
What is the Lake of Fire in Revelation 20:10-15?
What will the earth be like in the millennial kingdom?