If you can turn your Bibles to Revelation chapter 20, verses 11 through 15, we're going to do an exposition of the great white throne judgment. Many of us have heard some say that Jesus does not send people to hell. I saw a pastor share that recently on social media, and I've heard it many times in sermons. Sadly, this is a common belief amongst our post-modern Christendom. the westernized evangelicalism, that statement couldn't be farther from the truth. Their basis for this wrong belief is that the individual goes to hell by their own choice. The same type of people that believe that they can be saved by their own choice, through their own wrong synergism, or that they send themselves to hell. But we must remember that Jesus Christ is Lord, He's King over all, He's Ruler, He's Sovereign, and He sits on the throne. And He's seated at the right hand of the Father today as we preach this message. So many today in their own imagination have romanticized Jesus. It's a minimal John 3.16 love story. And to be honest with you, this sermon If the Motion Picture Association were to rate it, it would be rated R for violence and graphic imagery. I'm not going to exaggerate it, I'm just going to preach it the way the text reads, lest we water it down. Yes, it is the love of God that can bring a man to repentance, but as it says in Proverbs 1, 7, fear of God, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. So we mustn't have a skew view of whom Jesus truly is, Jesus the Christ, Jesus of the scriptures. Henceforth, here's what the Bible says about this horrific, catastrophic, prolific, prophetic event known as the Great White Throne Judgment. The fact is, every man will one day stand before God, and they will be judged by Jesus, and Jesus will cast many into hell. Because the scripture says, the way to heaven is few, it's narrow. It's narrow and few will find it, but the way to destruction is wide and broad and many will go through that way. However, this great white throne judgment is the last and final judgment. This is where sinners will be judged according to their sins and then cast into hell. As one scholar said, and I quote, God appears in a scene of final judgment. God's authority to judge has already been anticipated in chapters four and five. Now he executes the judgment that befits his character and power over the created universe. The vision shares features with Psalms 7, 6-8, Psalms 47, 8-9, Daniel 7, 9-10, and other Old Testament judgment scenes, end of quote. The book of Romans calls this great white throne judgment the day of wrath. It's also called in Romans the day of judgment. Jesus called it the resurrection of damnation in John 5 29. The book of Jude calls this judgment the judgment of the great day. It says in Acts 17 31, because he hath appointed a day into which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead." You see, church, in this great white throne judgment, Jesus will open the books and mankind will be judged. Joel Beakey said this, the world that seems so substantial and important fades into irrelevance. All that matters now are the great white throne and the verdict about to be rendered by the one who occupies that throne. The day of resurrection is the day of judgment. For some, it is resurrection onto eternal life through Jesus Christ, robed in the perfect righteousness of Christ. These blessed ones appear before his judgment seat without terror. For others, it is the resurrection of damnation, John 5.29. For them, there is no blessing in being summoned to appear before this throne, for it is the embodiment of all their worst fears." End of quote. This great white throne judgment is the highest court in the heavens and the earth. Every lost sinner will have their day in this court. There will be no more grace. There will be no more forgiveness. There will be no more mercy. No more defense attorneys. No more rebuttals. no closing arguments. There will be no court of appeals. There will be no trial by a jury of your peers. There will be no mistrials or hung juries. There will be no constitutional rights, no changes of venue, no habeas corpus hearings, no plea bargains. Nobody will be released on bail or on their own recognance. There will be no probation or parole. There will be no U.S. Supreme Court overturns. And yes, the supremacy of Jesus Christ will overrule and overturn every bad decision made by our United States Supreme Court. Praise be to God. If you could, please stand for the reading of the passage. Verses 11 through 15 of Revelation, the Apostle John, also known as the Revelator, said this, Then I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on 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 is not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Please be seated. So now let's do an exposition of these wonderful passages of each verse, one verse at a time. John said in verse 11, and I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away and there was found no place for them. In verse 11a, John said that he saw a great white throne. Look at these three words or characterizations describing God's great white throne. This word great speaks of its power and its most awesomest size held ever. The word white speaks of its purity and its holiness in which it will be conducted. The word thrown here speaks of its purpose and majestic authority, more majestic and with more authority than anything we could imagine that we've seen here on planet Earth. John said in verse 11b, that he saw him who sat on it. Who's the him? The him. And who's the it? The person called him is Jesus, the Christ, and the it is the judgment seat of Almighty God. God sits on the great white throne judgment in the person of Jesus Christ, the second distinct person of the Trinity. And regarding the judgment, Jesus said this in John chapter 5, For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son, that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. For as for the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself, and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man." Those same ones that are not God's elect, or that perhaps they believed in Jesus but it was not a salvific belief, it was an unbiblical Jesus, will now have to personally face the true Messiah, the true Son of God, Jesus Christ. But it'll be too late for them then, because Jesus won't be their savior then, he will now be their judge. They will not experience his eternal love as we will as Christians, but rather they will experience the judgment and eternal wrath of a holy God. They will soon join Satan in the eternal lake of fire. In verse 11, see indeed John said this, the earth and heaven fled away and there was no place found for them. This is in reference to John's observation in Revelation 6.14, and the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. See, the Lord's judgment will cause his own creation to be utterly destroyed. I believe planet Earth will be destroyed by fire. Peter also described this destruction in 2 Peter 3, But one author writes this, and I love this, quote, injustices and sufferings in history never escape God's eye. Those who persecute and practice injustice cannot ultimately win. God will judge every deed, all wrongs will be righted, and all attempts to dethrone God and enthrone anything or anyone else will be turned around to frustrate God's enemies completely. The prospect of final judgment ought to be a terror to God's enemies, but a foundation of assurance to the saints. It will be a terror to the non-elect, but it should be a foundation of assurance to us saints, to us Christians. Verse 12. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God. And the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. In verse 12b, he said, I saw the small and great. Who are the small and great that will be judged at this great white throne judgment? One Bible scholar describes these small and great groups as this. He categorized what he believes is different groups of people within a diverse populace of people. If we were to subcategorize everybody that faces the Great White Throne Judgment, it would be like this, specifically the ones that are not God's elect, even knowing God's elect will also be there. But they won't have small groups. Each group will be all within one large mass of humanity. One large group of human beings standing before Christ on this throne. The first group is the obvious, willful, intentional sinner. They have no need for God. They're honest. They're not lying. And I'll tell you, they don't believe in Jesus. I'm not a Christian. I have no need for salvation. I don't believe in Jesus. And I love it when people are honest to you. And there's no doubt that they're not saved. The second group that will face Christ at this white throne judgment is the self-righteous, or the Pharisees. They pride themselves as being good and moral. My dear friends, they'll be people that never smoked, that never drank, and that never cussed that will be in hell because they know not the Jesus of the Bible. The third group is this. It is the religious people or the cult members and those that followed their own religion, those that followed Muhammad, those that followed Reverend Sun Moon, those that followed Joseph Smith or Mormonism, those that followed the Watchtower Society or Jehovah Witnesses, those that followed Buddha, those that followed Rome, the Pope, Mary, or Roman Catholicism, those that followed the religion that they were brought up in that's contrary to the scripture, or those that followed any other religion besides Christianity, period. And the fourth and final group in this diverse populace of people. They are the many false converts. The many false converts. And I think this group's going to be very large. As one scholar called them, lost church members. Lost church members. They profess to be Christians, even belonging to a local professed Protestant church. They might have even been a member of the church, but they followed an unbiblical Jesus. They have formed Jesus into a figment of their own imagination, rather than submit themselves to the image of Jesus as the Christ according to the scriptures. We were forewarned in 2 Corinthians 11 that many would believe in another Jesus, another spirit, and a different gospel. Those that believe in an unbiblical Jesus or a false gospel through the teachings of their purpose-driven, seeker-sensitive, emergent, unhealthy churches, and they will be eternally lost. These are the many that thought they were saved because they believed their pastors' unbiblical soteriologies. I know I talk about this a lot, but this is important because this is what causes false converts. Repeat this prayer after me. Or if you want to go to heaven, just raise your hand. Or just accept Jesus. That's blasphemy. Jesus doesn't want to be accepted. He wants to be worshipped. Or how about bow your head, close your eyes, and slip your hand up. Oh, you're now welcome to the family of God. Or if you walk forward to the front of this church, you will be saved. Or, why don't you make a decision for Christ? All of these are unbiblical ways of salvation, and they won't save you. And if somebody got saved doing that, it was in spite of their unbiblical soteriology. And then this last and final group were not born again of Christ's incorruptible seed, nor did they biblically repent, nor did they biblically believe in Jesus. They did not have a saving faith that comes from the Lord along with the gift of repentance. But repentance is not the cause of salvation. Repentance is because of salvation. Faith and repentance are gifts. once we are saved. Our confession of faith refers to unsaved believers or false converts as temporary believers in chapter 18. They are only temporary believers. They don't make it at this judgment and Christ casts them down. Don't be another person just merrily, happenstance believes in Jesus according to the modern definition of the word believe. I believe that's a podium, but am I entrusted and committed to that podium? Do I trust that podium or just believe that it's there? Though we cannot merit our salvation, once we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, a true believer will also believe in and obey his gospel. to not obey his gospel is a form of unbelief. As one commentary reads, furthermore, our sanctification visualizes our election. That's why Jesus said, by their fruits ye shall know them, Matthew 7 20. It says in 2 Thessalonians 1, 7-8, And to give you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It says in 1 Peter 4, 17, for the time will come for judgment to begin at the house of God. And if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Will we sometimes doubt our salvation? Yes, but that is sin. Will we sometimes lack faith? Yes, but that is sin. Though we will all fall short, biblical repentance and obedience are not the cause of salvation again. They are because of salvation. I said that twice because there is a movement, even amongst Reformed folks, that are preaching against repentance. Preaching against it. It's a hyper grace. It's a greasy grace. And so for salvation, we must trust in Christ alone and His finished work of what Christ accomplished on that cross. That's why we will go to heaven, because we will stand before the Father and we will say, I have nothing to offer you, Father, but my sins. But Christ, right there, who finished the work on the cross, He's the one that paid my sin debt. Christ, your Son, is the one that died, buried, rose again for my sins. Christ is the one that declared me righteous before you, Father. Only because of Christ can I enter your kingdom of God. You see, we've all broken all of God's law, and Christ kept all of the law for us. for God's elect, for Christians only. Jesus warned of the many false prophets and unsaved believers in Matthew 7. He said, Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in your name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. Church, we don't want to hear those words. We don't want to hear those words. We want to hear, well done, good job, faithful servant. Every non-saved sinner will stand before Jesus Christ at this judgment, and they will be eternally damned if they're not saved. Including those not saved will be the rich, the poor, many presidents, celebrities, cops, crooks, criminals, and every general citizen. Every non-saved pastor, priest, pope will stand before Christ at this judgment seat of Christ. Back to the text. Verse 12c says that they all stood or will stand before God. You see naked we came into this world and one day naked we will leave and one day we will stand spiritually naked before Christ. They will be condemned and damned, the non-saved, and they will have many excuses, but no defense. Verse 12d says that they stood before God and the books were open, as in plural, books in plural. These books are also known as God's books of omniscience. Because God is all-knowing, these books record every thought, word, deed, sin, and action of every man. Daniel 7, 9 through 10. and Revelation 18, 6-7. That's a scary thought to know that the creator of this world knows every thought that this sinner has ever thought of. Joel Beeky said this, ''These books are symbols of God's divine memory. That means that all you and I have ever thought, said, or done is on record.'' Ouch. Augustine said this, These will be open to show the commandments of God and the other scroll will be open to show how these commandments were kept or disobeyed by each and every person. Ouch. Let's take a brief forensic analysis of these books. because this is a forensic event it's as you know justification when christ justifies the center the doctrine of justification that's actually a forensic term illegal term with forensic value so this this is a little i guess we can call this a forensic analysis of these books one book opened is the book of works and deeds which is everything that's ever been done before or bad everything good or bad and the other book is the book of everything that we've ever said and even thought of. And the other book is the book of life. This is the birth record of every person that's been born, but only born once. Revelation 3, 4 through 5, and Revelation 22, 19. And the other book This is the one that you want to be in, my friends. The other book is the Lamb's Book of Life, the Book of Life. This is the rebirth record of every person that's been born twice, God's elect, the regenerate. Revelation 21, 27. There is only one true biblical church. That is the body of believers whose names have been written in this Lamb's Book of Life. Let me ask you, is your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life? Do you know for sure? Are you born again from above of the water and Holy Spirit? In the latter part of verse 12, John says this, the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. They were judged for everything, such as their thoughts, Luke 8, 17, and Romans 2, 16. They were judged for their words, Matthew 12, 37. They were judged for their deeds and actions, Matthew 16, 27, all of which will be compared to God's holy law, His ecologue, His standard, His scriptures. These four words, according to their works, implies that there will be different degrees of punishment in hell, according to their works. Mark 12, 38 through 40. Luke 12, 47 through 48. Matthew 10, 14 through 15. Matthew 11, 22. And Hebrews 10, 29. And old Stievel back there, he's turning pages fast. I will complement verses 11 through 12 with the theophany seen in Daniel 7, 9 through 10. I love this theophany in Daniel 7. As a matter of fact, years ago I taught the whole book of Revelation verse by verse. It took two years to complete, but taught it at one church. And you really have to understand Daniel to understand Revelation. Daniel is the Old Testament Revelation, and Revelation is the New Testament Daniel. But I kept looking until thrones were set up, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His vesture was like white snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool. His throne was ablaze with flames. Its wheels were a burning fire. A river of fire was flowing and coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands were attending him, and myriads upon myriads were standing before him. Christ! The court sat, and the books were opened. Wow, that's a powerful passage. Next in verse 13, John says this. And 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. The sea here represents the sea like the ocean is a mass of humanity. The sea gave up the dead who are in it, as read about in the two previous chapters, if you were to read the other chapters. Every man and every soul, dead or alive, will be judged in the end. Regarding death and hell, this word hell is also the name Hades which comes from the Hebrew word Sheol. Hell and Hades always refers to death. It's not a good thing. It also means the place or state of. It also means departed souls or the nether world or the realm of the dead. Hebrews 9.27 says, it has been pointed for man to die once, but after this comes judgment. At midnight last night, I got a notification saying that a dear friend of mine passed away, a Riverside police officer, Aaron Brandt, 41 years old, young and healthy, energetic, wasn't feeling good, and three days later, when he's being looked at in the hospital, he unexpectedly died. been appointed for a man to die once, but after this comes the judgment. Sister Erin, her brother, passed away. We all have death all around us. My friends, the best thing that we can do is share the gospel with these people somehow, someway, because the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. If God saves them, praise the Lord, but if he doesn't, we still must rejoice in God's sovereignty because that's what he chose to not do. There were two very different judgments, two different types of judgments. One, everybody will go through, which is the Great White Throne Judgment. And the other one is the Judgment Seat of Christ, which is also known as the Bemis Seat of Christ, or the Bemis Seat Judgment, which is where Christians will be judged according to their works. Romans 14.10 and 2 Corinthians 5.10. And then the second judgment, of course, is what we're teaching here today, the great white throne judgment. This is where everyone will be present and judged according to their works and their sins. Henceforth, the lost portion of them, which I believe will be the majority of them, will be cast into hell. Every man and every soul, dead or alive, will be judged in the end. In verse 14, John said this. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire." Folks, God's justice may seem delayed, but it will not be denied. Justice delayed, but not denied. God is an equal opportunity deployer for his elect, as he had deployed his son on that cross for his elect. I love the passage, God demonstrated his love towards us, Christians, and that yet while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, for his elect. But he's also an equal opportunity destroyer for the lost. Regarding a deployer, it says in Psalm 9, 7 through 8, but the Lord abides forever. He has established his throne for judgment, and he will judge the world in righteousness. He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity, with equity. His scales are always purpose. You don't need the Department of Weights and Measures to test his scales. It says in Psalm 5-5, oh, this is scary, God hates the workers of iniquity. Regarding a destroyer, it says in Psalm 7, 11 through 16, God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with, I actually preached this passage earlier last week at the Department of Motor Vehicles, if I was an archer pointing a bow at the DMV long, long lines. God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. If he turn not, he will wet his sword. He hath bent his bow, and make it ready. He hath also prepared for him the instrument of death. He ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors. Behold, he trevelleth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood. He made it pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head. and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate." As Charles Haddon Spurgeon said regarding God's bow and arrow, God never misses his mark. He's a perfect shot. We miss the mark, we sin, we fall short, we transgress his law. Death in Hades will be a diverse group of people. It will be full of the rich, the famous, the poor, the pretty, the handsome, and those from every walk of life and in between. Jesus said in John 14b, and this will be their second death, their second death. You see, the first death is only physical. We'll all are going to experience the first death, unless, of course, Christ came today for his church. Wouldn't that be glorious? Wouldn't that be exciting, the second coming of Christ today? But the second death is a spiritual death. It will be eternal punishment and an eternal hell. Unless, of course, you're saved and then you're glorified in heaven with a glorified body. All of these non-saved souls will now see their finality. They will finally see their finality. This is the second death. Augustine said this, There was also a total death of a person, a death of body and soul. Namely, when a soul, abandoned by God, abandons the body, in this case the soul has no life from God and the body no life from the soul. The consequences of such total death is the second death, so called on the authority of divine revelation. This is the death that our Savior meant when he said, be afraid of him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Close quote. Chapter 31, paragraph one of our confession of faith, as we hold to a full, strict subscription to our confession, it says, the bodies of men after death return to dust and see corruption, but their souls, which never die nor sleep, having an immortal substance, immediately return to God who gave them. The souls of the righteous being then made perfect in holiness, and received in the paradise, where they are with Christ, and behold the face of God in light of glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies. And the souls of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torment and utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day. Besides these two places, for souls separated from their bodies, the scripture acknowledgeth none. There is no purgatory. There is no doctrine of annihilation. There is no soul sleep. It's either the smoking section or the non-smoking section. The next verse finalizes the false theory of universalism. Verse 15 says, And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. In verse 15a it says, and if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life. The word if here is the Greek word itis, which means whoever or whatever. So to be more understandable, a better, more accurate translation would say, whoever's name not written in the book of life will be thrown into the lake of fire. The worldly whosoever movement that started in Costa Mesa, California, often quotes their favorite whosoever verses out of context. But this verse is one that they seem to forget or truncate. Only those names written in the Lamb's Book of Life will make it to heaven. Everyone else, the whosoevers and the whatevers, will spend an eternity in an eternity in hell, separated from God in the lake of fire, but not a total separation from God. It will be worse than being separated from God. Not only will they be separated from God in a salvific sense, they will still endure the wrath of God. for an eternity. God's wrath will be in hell. As their awakened conscience, their awakened conscience will be damned and tortured and tormented forever. They will never be able to go to sleep. Romans 1.18 says, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness. John 3.36 says, I know this is a tough study folks, But boy, may it give us even more of a gratitude attitude that we already have, thanking God for the salvation that he has bestowed to us, and a burning desire in our heart to share the gospel with more that aren't saved. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Revelation 19, 11 through 16. And I saw heaven open, and behold, a white horse. This is a picture of Jesus. You know the pictures that you see in churches? Or I should say, buildings where the churches meet? Pictures of Jesus, unbiblical pictures. You buy them at the Christian bookstores. This is what Jesus looks like right here. And I saw, and we also read one from Daniels, but listen to this. And I saw heaven open, and behold the white horse, and he sat upon him who was called faithful and true. And in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. And he had a name written that no man knew but himself. And he was clothed in a vesture dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations, and he should rule them with the rod of iron. And he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. Isaiah 51, 17. Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury. Thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling and wrung them out. More verses, for more verses on the imagery of God's wrath, read Psalm 63, 6, Psalm 75, 8, Jeremiah 25, 15-31, Ezekiel 23, 31-34, John 18, 11, Revelation 14, 10, and Revelation 16, 19. Back to verse 15. Those aforementioned non-saved people or false converts will be thrown into hellfire for an eternity. Some translations say that they are cast into the lake of fire. Thrown or cast. In verses 14 and 15, John used the word thrown or cast twice. Once in verse 14 and once in 15 right here. And this phrase was cast into fire comes from the Greek word balo. This is answering the question from the very beginning of the introduction, the false teaching that people believe that the sinner sends himself to hell. But it says right here in the Greek, Balo, that Christ casts them into the hellfire. It is a primary verb which means to throw, more or less with violence or intensity. or to cast out, to send, to strike, to throw down, or to thrust into hell. That's what it means when Jesus casts them into the lake against their will, just like he saved this wretch against my will. Jesus is the one on the throne, and Jesus will throw or cast them into hell with violence and intensity. If God has saved you, if you are born again, you will spend an eternity in heaven where you experience the awesome, amazing love of God forever, where there is no more pain, no more tears, no more COVID-19, no more sin, no more sorrow. But if you're not saved, then you belong to one of those aforementioned people groups that I went through. Henceforth, you will spend an eternity in hell, where there is eternal pain, sorrow, and the gnashing of teeth in eternal torment. Lastly, finally, lastly, but not least, The scriptures say that God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, and he does not desire that anyone should perish, but that all men would come to repentance, which means that none of his elect will perish. That means that those are the ones that will not perish. Those are the ones that will come to repentance, God's elect. But remember Jesus' prayer in the garden just before he was nailed to that cross for his church. As recorded in Matthew 26. And he went a little further and fell on his face. What a picture, Jesus falling on his face. And he prayed, saying, oh, my father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. This was the cup of wrath, the cup of God's fury. God the Father was going to pour out the cup of wrath upon Jesus on that cross. It says on Isaiah that it pleased the father to crush his only son. That cup of wrath is the wrath that we all deserve, especially this wretched sinner. Jesus drank that cup on behalf of his church. He became the substitutionary atonement on behalf of God's elect. It was here that Jesus bore the sins of his entire church, as well as the wrath of his blood-bought church. However, in the great white throne judgment, Jesus in return will violently cast the unsaved into the lake. Hence, they will not escape God's wrath. They will endure the wrath of God. You will either come to know Jesus as the loving Savior, or you will meet him as the judge, the God of eternal wrath. It says in 1 Corinthians 15, for I delivered you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins, speaking to Christians, Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried and that he rose again on the third day according to the scriptures. Jesus came into this world to die so that perhaps you would live. Jesus said in John 3, 3, Assuredly, I say to you that unless you are born again of the water and spirit, you will not inherit the kingdom of God. He said in John 14, 6, Truly, truly, I say, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and nobody comes to the Father except through me. He said in Luke 13, 3, he told the Pharisees, verses 3 through 5, I tell you nay, but except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Again, repentance doesn't save us. Repentance is because of salvation. Are those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you nay, but unless ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. And Jesus said in Mark 1 15, repent and believe in the gospel and the kingdom of God is at hand. The time is fulfilled. Repent and believe in the gospel. The Bible commands in Acts 17 chapter 3, to repent ye thee for and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. that he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken on the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." Again, Acts 1730, and the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. My dear friends, You're going to be judged according to God's law. You've broken all of his commandments. You've lied. You've stolen. You've had lust in your heart. You've coveted. You've put false gods before God. You haven't kept every Sabbath day holy. You've taken the name of the Lord in vain, and God says he will not hold you guiltless. And he will judge you according to his law. And he will not allow you to go into heaven unless you've been washed with the blood of Jesus. And that's where Christ came into this world, conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin birth. Jesus Christ, who knew no sin, then went to that cross where He bore the full wrath of God, where Christ propitiated the sins of God's elect, where Christ took my sins, put them on Him, and took His righteousness, put His righteousness on me. And only because of that will I stand before God and be allowed to go into heaven because I have repented and trusted in the finished work of Jesus Christ. And Christ was buried on the third day he bodily rose from the grave. That's when he forever defeated death and conquered sin on behalf of his church. And then he ascended into heaven, where now he's seated at the right hand of the Father. Would you please believe on that, repent, and put your trust in Christ alone for salvation. Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus to be saved. In Christ's holy name. Father, we thank you, Lord, for this message, Lord. It's a tough message to teach, but I thank you so much that you saved a wretch like me. I thank you so much for saving the rest of this church. I can't wait to spend an eternity with them, but more importantly, I can't wait to spend an eternity with you and Jesus Christ who saved me from your wrath. I thank you for your love. Amen.