The Destiny of the Bride of Christ - Part 18
The Almighty God on His Throne
After the last of the rebels are consumed by the fire of God, focus shifts to the great white throne of Almighty God. The time has come for the final judgment.
“Then I saw a great white throne and the One Who was seated upon it”—Revelation 20:11 (AMPC)
It is impossible for us to fully comprehend the awesome majesty of God as He is seated on His throne. Words could never describe the majesty and glory of God. Daniel witnessed this scene and gives us more details of the incredible glory of God from His experience.
“I kept looking Until thrones were set up, And the Ancient of Days (God) took His seat; His garment was white as snow And the hair of His head like pure wool. His throne was flames of fire; Its wheels were a burning fire.
“A river of fire was flowing And coming out from before Him; A thousand thousands were attending Him, And ten thousand times ten thousand were standing before Him” —Daniel 7:9-10 (AMP)
God is not presenting Himself here as the suffering servant, the Lamb, or the Son of Man.
This is God Almighty. This is God Who is a Consuming Fire, as He is called in Hebrews 12:29 and Deuteronomy 4:24.
When Isaiah had his experience of seeing Almighty God seated on His throne, he was convinced that he was doomed. He couldn’t imagine how he would ever survive the experience.
“It was in the year King Uzziah died that I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Attending him were mighty seraphim, each having six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. They were calling out to each other,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!”
Their voices shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire building was filled with smoke.
Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.” Isaiah 6:1-5 (NLT)
In the presence of The God Who is a Consuming Fire, the fear of God must be overwhelming.
The End of This Universe
In the presence of our awesome God at this time of final judgment, the first thing that happens as Scripture describes it is that the Earth and sky flee from His presence forever. They never return. There is no longer any place for them.
“Then I saw a great white throne and the One Who was seated upon it, from Whose presence and from the sight of Whose face earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.”—Revelation 20:11 (AMPC)
It’s not completely clear as it is written, but the word for “sky” most likely speaks of the entire universe—everything that was created in the beginning.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”—Genesis 1:1 (NKJV)
Jesus told us that this would happen.
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”—Matthew 24:35 (NIV)
God spoke about the end of this universe through his prophet, Isaiah.
“Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall be dissolved and vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner [like gnats]. But My salvation shall be forever, and My rightness and justice [and faithfully fulfilled promise] shall not be abolished.”—Isaiah 51:6 (AMPC)
Peter gives us more insight into this:
“But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly people.
“Nevertheless, do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day. The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will vanish with a [mighty and thunderous] roar, and the [material] elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and the works that are on it will be burned up.
“Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be [in the meantime] in holy behavior [that is, in a pattern of daily life that sets you apart as a believer] and in godliness [displaying profound reverence toward our awesome God], [while you earnestly] look for and await the coming of the day of God. For on this day the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the [material] elements will melt with intense heat!”—2 Peter 3:7-12 (AMP)
Of course, after the Earth and the Heavens are destroyed, we can be sure that there is no one left alive in a physical, human body. The next thing that John sees is the dead standing before the great white throne of God Almighty.
Picture this.
You are standing before the Great White Throne of God Almighty, the God Who is a Consuming Fire.
There is no place to hide.
The throne of God itself is flames of fire, as Daniel described it.
A river of fire is flowing from the One seated on this throne.
Flaming Seraphims fly above the throne of God, calling out “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” Their voices shake the very foundations of the place where you are standing.
You have just witnessed the One Who created the Universe destroy that same Universe, causing it to vanish without a trace just as easily as you might toss a piece of trash into a trash can.
And then … His focus turns to you.
To be continued…
