Equal Ground
And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. Revelation 20:12
I remember watching the Titanic movie shortly after it was released on dvd years ago. It was all the rage at the time, so I was compelled to see it. It was basically about a poor guy falling for a rich girl. As the film began and people were boarding the ship, it was easy to recognize the upper class from the peasants. The status of each passenger was evident by which deck their cabin was on. There was one scene in that drama that made a great impact on me. That was the part when the boat was going down. Suddenly, everyone’s position changed, and it didn’t matter how much money or how little money anyone had. All the money and importance in the world could not stop the vessel from sinking and no amount of fame could save those who were going down with the ship. Every person on that voyage became equal because of the circumstances. They were all in the same boat, literally, and faced the same fate regardless of how hard they had worked in life.
I bring this up because it is what I thought of when I read today’s passage in Revelation 20. After Satan is finally put away forever, the apostle John saw a great white throne and heaven and earth was no longer there. Just every person, great and small, rich and poor, famous and common. No status at all. Just people! Each person was faced with the same question of: “Is your name in the Book of Life?” Everyone will be equal in that day, or at least face the same judgement. Their works were written in the book and each person will be judged accordingly. This event seems like it would take a long time to play out, but in the end, the only thing that mattered was walking in a personally relationship through the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is also what is important to us today. The activities and objectives that we strive for in today’s world will not even be noticed when we stand before the Lord. Even if we do know Him, the only things that will make it into the next life are the results that bring others along with us. Reaching people with the good news of salvation will be the only thing that we can take into eternity with us and every pursuit for wealth and fame will burn up and fade away like a vapor.
So today I want to encourage you to make sure your name is written in the Book of Life. This is no joking matter, but it is a matter of life or death for all eternity. Don’t miss out on spending forever with your loving heavenly Father. Accept His gift of salvation today through the blood and sacrifice of His Son Jesus, the first born of many brethren. It is not too hard, and it is not too late. Pray this salvation prayer out loud from your heart and Jesus will come into your heart and into your life and you will live with Him in splendor for all eternity.
Pray: God in heaven, I know I’m a sinner and I need a Savior. I want to turn away from my sinful life to the life You have planned for me. Please forgive my sins, cleanse me from my past, and make me new today. I know Your Son, Jesus died for me. I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead. At this very moment, I accept, confess, and proclaim Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior . . . to be Lord of my life from this day forward. I now have a right relationship with God my Father through this salvation in the blood of Jesus. I thank You for giving me Your Holy Spirit to guide me and to empower me to accomplish the things You have planned for my life in Jesus’ name, Amen
Today’s scripture reading: Revelation 20:11-15
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
13 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.
The Daily Dose 