Revelation 20:13-15 “The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. (14) Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15) And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
As already mentioned in the previous section, the judgement day of the unbelievers is not to determine their guilt or innocence, for all would have already been pronounced guilty. All unbelievers do not have their names recorded in the Book of Life, and so as revealed in the above passage of scripture, all unbelievers, because of their guilt, will be cast into the lake of fire. And so, if not to determine their guilt or innocence, what will they be judged for on that day? In order for us to understand what judgement the unbelievers will incur on that day, we can look at how the legal system of this world works as an example. In this world’s legal system, when a criminal is convicted and found to be guilty in a court of law, they are normally not sentenced at the same time, but rather they are held over in custody, awaiting the hearing when the judge will pronounce their sentence for their crime. In the same manner, all unbelievers have already been found guilty and are being held in torment in Hades, waiting for their day of judgement when the church will pronounce their eternal sentence, for their works done in the earth.
Michael E.B. Maher
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