REVELATION 20:11-15: “Then I saw a great white throne and one seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them. I also saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged according to their works by what was written in the books. Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them; each one was judged according to their works. Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” CSB

OBSERVATION: What would you do if every thought, every attitude, and ever action was played right before your eyes on a giant screen? All the things you secretly thought, secretly did, and secretly desired? The things that were done in the shadows so no one else would know?

It is a horrifying thought to say the least. I don’t know about you but I sure would not want this to happen to me. Yet, this is exactly what people are wishing for who insist on being justified by their own good works. They refuse to receive the grace of God, reject the invitation to believe in Jesus Christ, and openly criticize and malign the very Word of God. In their opinion they are good enough, they don’t need religion as a crutch!

The book of Job is a very insightful book. Job was a man who was suffering from a terrible disease. His friends told him it was because of sin that Job had committed. Job rejected this premise and stood boldly proclaiming his own righteousness. He also demanded an audience with the Almighty.

Job wanted his day in court.

However, in God’s mercy, Job received something that was needed more. He received a revelation of God. The Lord knew that Job could not stand on his own merit and be justified before a righteous and all powerful God. So God revealed Himself to Job and extended His grace and mercy to him. When Job stood in the presence of the living God and beheld His power and His glory, Job said,

• “I had heard reports about you, but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore, I reject my words and am sorry for them; I am dust and ashes.” Job 42:5-6 CSB

When Job was confronted with the glory and nature of God he humbled himself in sincere repentance. Some may insist – “If God revealed Himself to me like he did to Job, maybe I would believe too!” And, dear friend, the answer to you would be – HE DID!

• “The Word (Jesus Christ) became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth…No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son (Jesus Christ), who is himself God and is at the Father’s side — he has revealed him.” John 1:14, 18 CSB

There is a choice before every man, woman, and child who walks this earth. It is a choice to receive grace or to insist on a trial. Grace calls us to faith in Jesus Christ, who wipes away all of our sins, and writes our names in His Book of Life. Standing on our own goodness and merit, ushers us before the Great White Throne, where one will stand trial with all of their works exposed before a righteous and holy God.

The choice is ours to make!

We, like Job, can try to stack our personal righteousness up against a righteous and holy God. The Apostle Paul once did this, before He met Jesus on the Road to Damascus. When Paul encountered Jesus Christ, he realized that even his best deeds were but filthy rags when compared to the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

Everyone will get a fair trial before the Creator of the Universe. It is a choice of what evidence you wish to stand upon.

• “More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ — the righteousness from God based on faith. My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.” Philippians 3:8-11 CSB

The choice is before us all. Lord, I choose to be found in Christ, not having my own righteousness, but the righteousness that is only received through faith in the completed work of His death and resurrection. I pray all those who read this choose the same!

• “I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, love the Lord your God, obey him, and remain faithful to him. For he is your life, and he will prolong your days as you live in the land the Lord swore to give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Deuteronomy‬ ‭30:19-20‬ ‭CSB‬‬

In Jesus Name!