Our Beliefs : Sermons : Sermon Archive - 2005 : November 6, 2005

Theme: Enter God's Heavenly Courtroom

Church year occasion: End Times 2

Did you like all the teachers you had in school? I'm sure you still remember some teachers you've had with fondness, but I'm sure there were some that you could have done without. Now, don't get me wrong -- I like teachers. In fact, I'm married to one. But some teachers were just hard to like. Mr. Smith was one teacher that I could have done without. He ruled his classroom with fear. When you walked down the hall, you knew who was going to Mr. Smith's class because they all had an air of doom and despair about them. In Mr. Smith's classroom, it seemed that the air was a little less available; it felt clammy and uncomfortable for no apparent reason. And that was before Mr. Smith even walked into the room. When Mr. Smith arrived, all the nervous chatter instantly stopped; all the books were opened to the assignment for the day even before the bell rang; and then for the rest of the period you could hear a pin drop. No one looked at each other. No one looked up either -- especially not at Mr. Smith -- because then he'd call on you. Somehow, Mr. Smith knew when you weren't prepared. And whenever he did call on you, it was like a death sentence. Even on the days that you were prepared, Mr. Smith would find some gap in your armor, some way to show that you didn't know your assignment well enough, or at least not up to his standards. This is the reason I bring all of this up -- it was a good day, a very good day, when you could walk out of Mr. Smith's room without being called on, without being noticed.

There will be one room that we can't just walk out of without being noticed. That is the room described in the words of Scripture before us -- God's heavenly courtroom. In that courtroom, each of us will have to answer for what we've done in our lives. Does just thinking about that room make you break out in a cold sweat? It should because of who the Judge is and what we've done with our lives. What will it be like? What will happen to me? Those are the questions God's Word will answer for us this morning as we Enter God's Heavenly Courtroom.

God gives us a glimpse of God's heavenly courtroom through a vision he gave to the prophet Daniel. Daniel tells us: "As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat." I'm sure that when the Ancient of Days walks into this courtroom, you will be able to hear a pin drop. What does it mean that he is called the Ancient of Days? It shows that he's old -- he's been around for a long time. In fact, it shows that he's been around forever, he's eternal.

Who is he? God.

Why is it significant that he's been around forever? How will that influence his decision? God has been around from eternity and will exist forever -- without beginning or end -- and therefore he knows exactly what each person coming into his courtroom has done. Human judges can make mistakes. This one can't. His judgment would be absolutely just. And his seat is a throne because he is in control as the King of kings. All authority is his. So his judgment is also final.

It says that he takes his seat on his throne, showing that he is in charge. But it also says that other "thrones were set in place." Who would be sitting on those thrones? It will be easier to answer that after we see the rest of the picture unfold, so we'll come back to it later.

As you look at the Judge, the Ancient of Days, you notice some amazing characteristics. "His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool." What does that mean? This picture is the same as the picture of Jesus when the Apostle John was also given a glimpse of heaven in Revelation 1:14: "His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire." What does that mean? Snow and wool on this earth can be tainted with impurities like dirt and dust. But it is a way to describe that God is absolutely pure and holy. He is perfect. He is sinless. He is holy and righteous. What an amazing sight!

But we will notice something else as well. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. What does the fire mean? Two things -- first God appeared to his people in the form of fire and cloud in the Old Testament -- in the burning bush, in the pillar of fire, in the cloud at the top of Mt. Sinai, in the cloud that filled the temple. So, first, this again shows us that this is God himself. What else does it tell us? Fire is used to picture judgment. Secondly, whom is that fire for? Anyone opposed to God and his will -- God's enemies. Even today when it seems like the world is constantly going contrary to God's will and we might wonder if God is aware of it and maybe he can't stop it. But he can. And he will.

That makes sense, but what about the wheels on the throne? This is the same picture that Ezekiel saw -- God on a throne with wheels -- all of it of fire. Ezekiel and Daniel were given imagery from their own time. It is a picture of power and warfare. Today we might have a picture of a jet fighter or missile armed with multiple warheads. At Daniel and Ezekiel's time, something else gave a great advantage in war -- the chariot. The wheels remind us of a chariot -- a very swift weapon in war that gave one the advantage of quickness. When describing God, it reminds us of his presence -- he is everywhere at once. He fills heaven and earth. Again, we cannot escape his searching gaze -- he knows all and sees all.

"Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him." Who are they? These are the beings that serve God day and night. They are angels, ready to carry out his judgments. We think of Revelation in which angels are mentioned throughout the book as God is bringing judgment on the world.

Finally, "the court was seated, and the books were opened." What are these books? Revelation again helps us to fill out the picture. In Revelation 20:12, we are told about John seeing a glimpse of God's courtroom: "And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books." In Revelation, the thousands that stand before the throne are not angels -- they are human beings -- everyone who has ever lived and then died in this world. The only hope they have of getting to heaven is if their name is recorded in the book of life. Anyone whose name is not there will be sent to torments of hell. That will be all of God's enemies -- they will finally be judged guilty in God's heavenly courtroom. That's because all their evil deeds will be recorded in those books. And because God is just, he will have to judge his enemies as guilty.

That's quite a picture, isn't it? That's what God's courtroom will be like. Does that give you a good feeling or a bad one? Eventually, we will be standing with that multitude before God's throne on Judgment Day. You'll have to ask yourself, "What will happen to me?"

Well, let's see. God's verdict against his enemies will be: Guilty! They will go to hell. That includes any sinner -- the devil, his evil angels, and any humans who are God's enemy and showed it in their lives.

Why should that fill us with fear? Because we are God's enemies by nature. "The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." (Romans 8:7) Not only do we see that God is absolutely holy and righteous and we are sinners, but that he is also almighty and has the power to send to eternal damnation anyone who has opposed him. You and I as sinners have no hope before God. We are not prepared to stand before God as sinners. How can our name be written in the book of life? As sinners we have no chance of seeing our name there. Especially after all the other books are opened which have all the evidence of our lives in them. We will be judged according to what we have done and said and thought, and there can't be one sin in our whole lives or we will be found guilty and sent to hell forever.

The evidence is obvious. The Ancient of Days knows all. Satan, whose name means accuser could remind God of all our sins, but really there is no need. And then finally God will make his righteous judgment: I find you to be...not guilty! How? There is no possible way it could happen by what we've done. But then we look at the book of life, and there is our name. We look at all the books of evidence against us, and all it has is a perfect life. But it's not our perfect life -- it is Jesus' perfect life. The Bible tells us what happened. When Jesus' enemies were trying to put him to death, Jesus said, "Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?" And no one could. The Bible tells us that Christ was righteous. God demanded perfection, and Jesus lived that life of perfection. The life that we could never live. And then we see that Jesus gave us the perfection he had earned. Jeremiah calls him, "the LORD our Righteousness." So we have Christ's perfection credited to our account, but what about our sins that should fill up all those books of evidence against us? Jesus took care of that, too. Isaiah 53:5-6 says, "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed...and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." Jesus took the punishment we deserved for our sins when he died on the cross. So can we be condemned for our sins? No! Paul in Romans 8:1 tells us, "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." How are we "in Christ Jesus"? It is when we believe what Christ has done for us. We did nothing to deserve eternal life, but we have it through faith alone by God's grace alone. In fact, even believing is something we don't do. But God the Holy Spirit brings us to faith and keeps us in faith through his powerful Word and Sacraments.

Are you ready for Judgment Day? Are you prepared to stand before the judgment seat of the Holy God? Yes you are ready. God has made you ready through faith in Jesus' life and death in your place. You can be sure of it because Jesus did not stay dead, but he rose to life, just as we will. "He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

So let's get back to the other thrones besides God's throne that were set up. Perhaps angels will somehow assist God as he judges the world. But I think there's better evidence that the thrones are for God's people -- believers. Revelation 20 says that those who were suffered death for the name of Christ were already reigning with him in heaven. Paul in 1 Corinthians 6 says that believers will judge the world as well as angels! After all the suffering that God's people will undergo at the hands of godless people and enemies of God, including the temptations of the devil and his evil angels, we will be victorious!

No one was prepared for Mr. Smith's class. Especially when it came to the final exam. You couldn't hope to study enough to get a good grade. But Mr. Smith was very gracious when it came to his final exam with our whole grade hanging in the balance. He always gave a very gracious curve to the test scores. When it counted the most, Mr. Smith was a really nice guy and showed it by giving us a grace grade -- one that we in no way deserved. When it really mattered the most for us sinners, God really showed how much he loves us by giving us a grace grade -- 100% right; 0% wrong. We didn't do it. Jesus did it all for us. Now we have no fear as we enter God's heavenly courtroom; we don't have to walk in with fear with our heads bowed in shame because we aren't prepared. We are prepared to enter God's heavenly courtroom, as a well-known hymn says,

Jesus, your blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
Mid flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.