"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 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. 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. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."--Rev. 20:11-15.

Herein you find the story of what is known in doctrinal terminology as the "Great White Throne Judgment."

In all my ministry I have never thought there was anything as important as keeping folks out of Hell. I have always thought that was the biggest thing. In fact, if I understand the Bible, that is why Jesus left Heaven. That is why He came to earth. That is why He lived on earth for thirty-three years. That is why He went to Calvary. That is why He rose again. That is what He is doing in Heaven tonight, interceding for us, that people might go to Heaven.

That is the biggest thing the church has to do. That is the greatest job of the preacher. That is the most important job of the Christian. Jesus said, "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." He said again, "As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you."

Years ago the famous preacher, J. Wilbur Chapman, took a poll of people in his campaigns as to what age they were when they were saved. He found by far the great majority of people who ever came to Christ are saved before they reach the age of twenty. The greatest majority of people are saved between the ages of twelve and sixteen. For example, how many of you here received Christ somewhere between ten and fifteen? Well, you can see the huge response of those who are here, saved between the ages of ten and fifteen.

He took also a poll and found that when a man passes 25 years of age--man or woman--he has one chance in 1,000 to get saved. Only one person in 1,000 is saved after he is 25. If a person passes 35, he has one chance in 50,000 to be saved. If a person passes 45 without Jesus Christ, he has one chance in 200,000 to get saved. If a man passes 55 without Christ, he has one chance in 300,000 to get saved. And if a man passes 75 without Jesus, he has one chance in 700,000 to be saved, or one chance in almost a million.

Now you can see why it is tremendously important that we stay after sinners, that we try to get folks saved. And so constantly we are after people, trying to get them to receive the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now a word about the background. We are looking tonight for the rapture of the church. That is the event when the Lord Jesus Christ will come, the trumpet of God shall sound, the dead in Christ shall be raised, those who are alive and remain shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and for seven years we will be with Him in the air.

While that seven years transpires in the air, on the earth will be what is known as the Great Tribulation period, the time of suffering, of war, of famine, of death, of bloodshed. On the earth, a seven-year period known as the Great Tribulation period. In Heaven, the judgment seat, the marriage of the Lamb. We will be there seven years. The earth, in the Tribulation for seven years.

At the end of that time we will come back with Jesus to establish a kingdom on the earth. For one thousand years, we as God's children, shall rule and reign with the Lord Jesus Christ here upon this earth. We shall be priests of. God and shall rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years.

Now at the end of that thousand years will take place what is known as the Great White Throne Judgment. Have you ever heard anybody pray thusly, "Dear Lord, help me to live so as some day I may appear before the Great White Throne"? Now I don't want to pray like that. I don't intend to appear before the Great White Throne, for the Great White Throne Judgment is the closing judgment of the unsaved dead.

Now tonight for our message I will use the word "seconds" and show you a series of second things that will summarize the study of the Great White Throne Judgment found in Revelation, chapter 20, verses 11 through 15.

In the first place, I call your attention to the second resurrection. In the second place, I call your attention to the second judgment. In the third place, I would speak on the second Adam. In the fourth place, the second death. In the fifth place, the second birth.

Now look if you will in the first place to The Second Resurrection.

Turn to Revelation 20:5: "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection."

In verse 5 we find the resurrection of the saved, when those of us who are saved shall be caught up to meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the air. I remind you of this: All the people will not be raised at the same time. I hear people talk about, "At the last day," "the resurrection." There will not be any such thing as the resurrection, one general resurrection. The Bible says when Jesus comes, two shall be grinding at the mill. One shall be taken; the other left. Two shall be in bed. One shall be taken; the other left. And so at the first resurrection, which takes place at the rapture of the church, only Christians will be resurrected. For our message tonight we speak of the second resurrection.

Now, after the Christians are gone, the Bible says the unsaved will be left. Those who die in their sins will be still in the grave. And it says, "They lived not again until the thousand years were finished."

Just suppose tonight, here is a man who is saved; here is a wife who is lost. They die, they are buried. Now that man, that saved person, will be raised from the dead when Jesus comes for His own. When the trumpet of God sounds and the dead in Christ rise, the dead in Christ will be raised when Jesus comes for His own. But this lost wife over here in the grave, right beside the saved person, won't rise at the second coming of Christ. The lost person will not rise when Jesus comes for His own, but will stay in the grave a thousand and seven years longer than the saved. The saved rise before the millennium; the lost rise after the millennium. There are two different resurrections.

Look at verses 12 and 13:

"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. 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."

Now there is going to be a second resurrection. At the second resurrection, at the end of the thousand-year reign of Christ upon the earth, the unsaved dead will be raised- -the drunkards, the harlots, the whoremongers, the liars, the thieves, the sorcerers, the adulterers, the idolaters - -all unbelievers; those who rejected the Gospel of Christ, those who, in services like this, said no to Jesus Christ; those who believed they knew more than God- -the infidels, the liberals, the modernists--all the people who laughed at the Bible and thought they were too smart for the Word of God, they will be raised at the second resurrection.

Will you bow your heads for prayer?

Our Father, we come tonight in this sober thought, realizing some day the unsaved must stand before God. Some day those who have not received the Saviour must face Him. Oh, what an awful day! When the books are opened, and death and Hades deliver up their dead, and the people who are unsaved shall be judged according to their works and cast into the lake of fire! We thank Thee, our Saviour, that we have received Christ. We thank Thee for refuge in Him.

Our heads are bowed, our eyes are closed. I have mentioned this, but a famous artist was teaching one of his pupils. The pupil painted a beautiful scene, a beautiful forest scene. The trees were lovely, the forest was beautiful. The master came and looked at the picture. The young man was so proud, so happy. The master, as he observed the picture, made this criticism, "Young man, never paint a forest without a path leading out.

I think I can say that to every preacher: Never preach about Hell, never preach about the judgment, without a path leading out.

Thank God, there is a path! That path is Jesus who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

Do you know Him tonight? Have you trusted Him? Is He your Saviour?

Can you say, "Brother Preacher, I have received Him as Saviour. He is mine; I am His. I don't worry about the second judgment for I won't be there. I don't worry about the second resurrection. That won't affect me, for I have received the second Adam and experienced the second birth. I know I have. I belong to Christ. He is my Saviour, and I know it"? Will you lift your hands up high?

As you drop your hands, keep your heads bowed. How many of you will say, "Brother Preacher, I could not lift my hand tonight. I do not know that I am saved. I have not been born again. I am not a child of God. I wish I were. I don't want to go to Hell. I want to go to Heaven. I want to be saved. But I will have to confess tonight I do not know that I am a Christian. I wish you would pray for me. I want to know it. I don't want to go to Hell, I want to be saved some day. Preacher, pray for me"?

I wonder how many of you will lift your hand tonight, and by the uplifted hand you will be saying, "Include me in your prayer." Lift it now and I will pray for you.

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