In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the last judgment of the unwavered man. He emphasizes the idea that sin must be punished and that judgment is inevitable. The preacher references various Bible verses to support his message, including Revelation 20:1-4, Galatians 6:7-8, Acts 17, Romans 14, and Hebrews 9:27. He highlights the image of an angel coming down from heaven to bind the devil and Satan for a thousand years, and the souls of those who were beheaded for their faith in Jesus. The sermon emphasizes the importance of every individual giving an account of themselves before God and standing before the judgment seat of Christ.

In chapter 20, here are 15 verses. We'll read 12 of them, and I'm going to preach on the last judgment of the unsaved dead. I want to preach about when skeletons come out of their closets and when chickens come home to roost at this judgment, when sinners receive their wages, when people get what's coming to them. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand, and laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled, and after that he must be loose a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them, and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part from the first resurrection, on such the second that hath no part. But they should be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison. Then comes the last rebellion after the thousand years are over. Now skip to verse 11, 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 are 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 one 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. Now there are two themes that run throughout the Bible, and they are akin. They belong together. One theme is that your sin will find you out. In the Garden of Eden, God said to Adam and Eve, In the day you eat thereof of the forbidden fruit, in the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. And again, in Ezekiel, the Lord says, The soul that sinned, it shall die. In Numbers 32.23, Moses said to the half-tribe of Manasseh, the two tribes and the half-tribe, He said, If you will come and help your brothers to take this land, well and good. If you don't do that, if you don't come and help them at all, you have sinned against God. Listen now. Then he said, But if ye will not do so, ye have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out. When you come into the New Testament, it's the same way. In Romans 6.23, the wages of sin is death. In Galatians 6.78, the Lord put it in these words, Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. I say one clear theme through the Bible, sin must be punished. It doesn't pay the sin. You can't get by with sin. The way of transgressions is hard. It's coming. And then another theme akin to it is judgment. Judgment is coming. Judgment is coming. Jesus said, God hath delivered all judgment to the Son. In Acts chapter 17, Paul stood on Mars Hill in Athens. I stood there two weeks ago yesterday. Yes, two weeks ago, three weeks ago yesterday, I stood on Mars Hill where Paul stood and preached. There's a plaque and there is the language of Paul's discussion on Mars Hill and on great brass bronze plate. I said, Paul stood there and he said, At the times of this sequence God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent, because he hath appointed a day into which he was justly willed by that man whom he hath ordained, whereupon he hath given assurance to all men in that he hath raised him from the dead. Judgment time coming, God said. And that's the way it is again. In Romans chapter 14, the Lord brings up this subject again and gives plain words. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, Every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God, so that every one of us shall give an account of himself before God. And verse 10, For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Judgment is coming. Actually, that theme runs through the Bible. In Hebrews 9.27, the scripture has it this way, And as it is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment, death and then judgment. In Philippians chapter 1, verse 9 to 11, about Jesus, it is said, Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name that is above every name. That is the name of Jesus. Everything should bow, both things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. I say, I thank God that one of these days every stiff knee is going to bend. Oh, you may be too proud to pray now, you won't bend. Or you may be now one of these infidels that doesn't believe Jesus is God. You say he was a good man. You say the Spirit was on him. You say that in some special way he revealed God. No, Jesus is the mighty God. The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. I say, Jesus is one with the Father. I am my Father one. He is as much God as the Father. He is the Creator. All things were made by him. Without him was not anything made that was made. And I thank God the time is coming. You are going to bend that stiff knee and bow that stubborn neck before God and confess that Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. He said here, everything in heaven. Well, the angels do not mind how proud they are to tell it. The angel that came to tell Mary, you are going to have a son and he will be the son of the highest. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. The angel was glad to tell Joseph, troubled in a dream about Mary, how she is pregnant and I did not know how and I thought she was poor. And the angel said, that which was conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. The angel was glad to tell those shepherds, watching their flocks by night on the hills. I looked out over those fields where the shepherds were the other day in Bethlehem. I do not know whether that that they parted out were the ones, but it was one of those fields around Bethlehem and I saw them all. And so the angel was glad to tell it. You need not tell me the angels are mind power than these. Oh, I think when Jesus was born and that angel said, unto you this day is born in the city of David, our Savior is Christ the Lord. Then the Bible says there was suddenly with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host. You know why? Well, I think every angel was saying, Lord, let me tell it. I want to go too. Let me tell it. I want in. And so the Lord said, okay, just leave the gates open. Everybody go on, leave heaven. Go on down there and tell it. And the multitude of the heavenly host said, glory to God in the highest. Peace on earth. Angels were mind bound to Jesus. Everything in heaven. Saints walked up in heaven. And everything on earth. I'll be glad when principalities and powers and kings bow before Jesus. Boy, they'd better. Thrones are going to be falling down. All the university buildings will be razed. The capital of Washington will fall to pieces. I saw the other day the Tower of London and Buckingham Palace and the changing of the Queen's Guard. It'll all be gone. A great stone cut out of a mount without hands will come down and smite the image of world empires, the governments of this world. And it'll be ground apart and the wind will blow it away. And the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ will become the kingdoms of this world. The scripture makes it clear that one of these days the Lord Jesus, every knee in the air, and then in hell, down in hell, God will lift the lid of hell and every sinner in hell will bow their knee before Jesus Christ. Well, you know, Jesus said to the Pharisees, they said, are you the Son of God? When he was on trial. And he said, you've said it. We'll show you by the whole time. We'll put you on the roof. Will you, do you say you're the Son of God? He said, thou said it. And you shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory. Who are these same wicked Pharisees? Yes, they're going to see him. And don't you remember in Revelation the scripture says, Behold, he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him, heaven and earth and hell, every eye. And all the nations of the earth shall wail because of him. Let me tell you, they shall look on him whom they pierced. And everybody in hell, wicked nails foray. That said that Jesus may have been the bastard son of a blond German soldier in the Roman army, and Mary was kind of a camp follower hanging around the soldiers and got pregnant. And Jesus may have been that illegitimate son. And God, one day that dirty blasphemer will bow the knee. He'll be in hell unless he repents, but he's going to bow the knee. That pink bishop in Oxnard with bishop robes that said that God in the Old Testament that demanded judgment and demanded atonement as a dirty bully. I'm going to see him. Oh yes, I know you good Methodists, the principal bishop, presiding bishop, and in Washington and just retired the other day. But he's going to bow the knee to Jesus. He's going to weep and cry for rocks and mountains to fall on him unless he repents of his sins. The blasphemers and those who want to steal the crown of deity of Jesus and spit in his face and try to undefeat the blood, every day he's going to bow. I'm saying this one thing blessed are through the Bible, judgment day is coming. I'm glad it is. I'm glad it is forever Christ rejecter and forever blaspheming tongue and forever unbelieving heart. All right, every day he shall bow, the scripture says. All right, so now we're talking tonight about sin coming to judgment. Now, there are three simple things I'll be saying tonight. Let's get the outline. First of all, which of several Bible judgments is the one I read about in Revelation 20? Which of several Bible judgments? The second part we'll talk about is who will be judged in that judgment. And the last part, on what basis will it be judged? How will people be judged at this judgment? Oh, God, I need you tonight. I wouldn't ever want to go anywhere without thee. Lord, I can't preach acceptably and with blessing unless thou dost breathe upon me. Never mind about pleasing anybody, Lord, but thee. But, oh, help me be true and let the words be thine and the power thine and the results thine and suitable to thy power and mercy. And give us souls now. Lord, tonight give us souls. Amen. Well, first of all, then, which of several Bible judgments is the judgment in Revelation 20? Listen to me. There was one judgment when Jesus hung on the cross. Did you know that was a great judgment, the greatest of all? When Jesus was on the cross, that's when I was judged. All my sins, all the sins of everyone who puts his trust in Jesus, were that they put on Jesus. And he who knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures. The Bible says, with his stripes we are healed. The God that laid on him the iniquity of us all. Ah, brother Deacon, that one, Jesus hung on that cross, that was a great judgment. God turned his face away. God said, all right, let him die. Because he's become officially the greatest sinner in the world. All the sins of John Rice and Bud Lyles and Dr. Kittler, and all, every preacher, every deacon, every drunkard, every harlot, every infidel. All the sins was all laid on Jesus, and Jesus died. Jesus was properly being judged. Let's put it this way. I was judged that day. My sins came to judgment, and the punishment was death. All right, he ought to die. And I died. Well, you say, no, you didn't die. It was Jesus. But he was dying in my place. He took my place. My sins were judged that day. Oh, I thank God, judgment's already passed, as far as I'm concerned. That's why in John 5, verse 24, the Bible says, Verily, verily, I say unto you. I like that, verily. I like that truly, truly. When God's going to say something real big, sometimes, you know, a big train goes through the mountains, sometimes it'll call a double-header engine. And God says, boy, I've got a big train coming now. I'm going to hook two engines on to it. Verily, verily, he said. Truly, truly, he said. I say unto you. That's reading, he said to John, to Nicodemus. Verily, verily, I say to you, you must be born again. Well, now, here he said it. Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that heareth my words, and believeth on them, that said unto me, Hath everlasting life? Not going to have as it now. And shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death to life. Not come into condemnation? No, condemnation's already fallen. The debt's already paid. Punishment's already meted out. The sentence has already been served. The death penalty's already executed. The blood's already poured out. The sinner's come to ask for his sins. I thank God. That's paid. That's all settled. Jesus was judged for my sins and paid my debt. That's wonderful. In the American Standard Version, that translation is a little better. Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that heareth my word, John 5 through to 4, and believeth on him, that said unto me, Hath everlasting life? And cometh not to take him, but is passed out of death into life. You know, a fellow who comes to a place called jeopardy and gets tried again for the same thing he's done, been tried before and punished for it, you know. If a fellow, if he tried me and said, I'm fined a hundred dollars, I'm paid the fine, they don't go arrest me and say, Come and try you for this, and fine. I done been arrested. I done been proved guilty. I done been paid the fine. Well, Jesus has paid the fine, and it's all done. That's one judgment. That's not the judgment here. This is a judgment. For those that wouldn't accept that judgment, let Jesus take our place. Well, let's see. There's another judgment the Bible tells about, and that's a judgment of, at the judgment seat of Christ, in 1 Corinthians chapter 3. The Bible says there, Paul says, a wise master builder. I came to Corinth. I held a revival. I got two people saved. He said, I laid the foundation. He said, Christ is the foundation, or the foundation to no man laid. I got you saved. Well, I said, now take heed how you build on that foundation. For he said, there's coming a great time of testing, when every man's work shall be tried by fire. He said, take heed how you build. Gold, silver, precious stones. The three kinds won't burn. Or wood and stubble. Those three kinds will burn. For he said, the day shall occur for it will be manifested by fire. All right. But he said, if a man's work be burned up, he'll receive reward. He'll be saved if sort of a fire, he'll not receive reward. But if a man's work survive, he'll receive reward. Now then, that's a judgment of Christians, up in heaven, already in heaven, in glorified bodies, a judgment for rewards of Christians. Who's going to reign over ten cities? Who's going to reign over five? Who's going to be a street sweeper? Who's going to be a garbage collector? You've got to be somebody else besides rainers up there, and that'll be a judgment for Christ. That's not the same as this one. No, no. There's another judgment mentioned in the Bible. It is often confused with this last judgment of them saved, the white throne judgment. It ought not to be. That's discussed in Matthew, chapter 25. Note the words carefully. When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, so this is at the second coming, when he comes back to reign. When the Son of Man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. That's the throne of his father David at Jerusalem. That's Mount Zion. That's where he climbed so many steps to get up to the top of it the other day, in Jerusalem. Jesus is going to set up his throne and reign in Jerusalem. When the Son of Man shall come in his glory and all his holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, and before him shall be gathered all nations. The word for nations in the Greek is the same as the word for Gentiles, and evidently what it means is all the Gentile people but the Jews. There will have been a great persecution in the tribulation time, and those that were for God will side in with the Jews and help protect them. Those that were for the Antichrist will help kill out the Jews. And then there will be judgment, and before him shall be gathered. And those on the left hand, he'll say, depart from me into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Those on the right hand, he'll say, come ye blessed of my Father in the head of the kingdom prepared for you, and Christ will reign with them on the earth. Now notice, that's a judgment of people alive. That's a judgment of Gentile people alive on the earth after tribulation. It'll be at Jerusalem, and those who are lost will be sent on to hell, and those who are saved come in to live on this kingdom on earth with Jesus during the millennial reign. That's not the same as this judgment. Now here's another judgment. I saw a great white throne of him that sat upon it and from his face earth and heaven fled away. That's all fear out in space. The one we talked about, the Matthew 25, is at Jerusalem. This is out in space. The one in Matthew is when he comes at the beginning of his reign. This judgment's when the thousand years are expired and later, out in space, a great judgment. And will you notice? All right, then this is the judgment of the unsaved dead at the end of the millennial reign of Christ on earth. Now let's see. I've said who to be judged, but let's prove it now. Who is this to be judged in this judgment? Who is this to be judged? Not Christians, but lost people. Now how do you know? Well, because it says, I saw him at death fall in great sin before God. Now if you can find who's alive and who's dead, you'll know who's going to be judged. All right, come back to the first of the chapter. And the scripture says, I saw an angel come down from heaven having a great key at the bottom of his fist and a great chain in his hand and he's holding the dragon. That old serpent which is the devil and Satan and bound them a thousand years and so on. Now verse 4. And I saw thorns and they sat upon them and judgment was given them. And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God and which did not worship the beast neither ascended neither received his mark in the forehead or in the hand. Now notice. I saw those of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus. Now let's see what happens. Girls, what happens when a fellow gets his head cut off? Does he go downtown and go to work then? Huh? Huh? What does he do? He's dead, isn't he? All right. So he said, I saw those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus so they died. Is that right? Now listen. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. He was beheaded so he died and I lived. So what's that? A resurrection, isn't it? That's a resurrection. All right. But the rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Now notice here. Two resurrections. And the next verse said, Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power. Now some people, they were beheaded. They suffered. Now they're raised from the dead and they reigned with Christ a thousand years. They raised the first resurrection. Then it takes place. When? At the beginning of the thousand years so he can get up and reign with Jesus a thousand years. All of us Christians. Is that right? But the rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. All right. Now when is the second resurrection then? Not till the thousand years are finished. You see that? All right. And blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power. But they should be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. And now then a thousand years go by. When the thousand years are finished I saw great white thorns in the Sodom and the earth and the heaven and the death and hell delivered the dead in them. And they were churned. Great. The dead stand before God. Now who is this that have been dead all the thousand years? And now they're brought to judgment the unsaved. All the Christians have already been raised up at the beginning of the thousand years. Now there are two resurrections. The first resurrection the Christians and the second resurrection the lost people. The first resurrection now don't think it's all in one little spot. Jesus is the first fruits of them that rose from the dead, isn't he? All right. So Jesus was a part of the first resurrection. And then there come of this rapture when he said, Trumpet, son, knock me right down. I don't care, fellas. Let's just take the roof off if a ghost Jesus comes tonight because we won't need death or you people are not saved. We'll need it. Well, so then that's a part of the first resurrection, isn't it? That the rapture of the Christian dead will be raised. They'll be changed and we'll be raised. And then when Jesus comes back to reign and these were beheaded during the tribulation time and they live and reign, that's all part of the first resurrection. That's Christians and all that's before the thousand years. Is that right? And who is the second resurrection? Lost people. All that through here in Revelation 20. I saw the dead, small and great stand before God. They're lost people and they come out of hell. Death and hell delivered up the dead that were in them. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it. Ah, then many a graveyard will be opened suddenly and dirt will fly and there come out that old body and then the soul dragged out of hell to bring it up and stand before Jesus. I don't wonder that the Bible says that he will cry for the rocks and mountains to fall on and hide them from him that sits on the throne. I don't wonder that the Bible says that they'll hide themselves in bins and caves of the earth. Jesus is going to call people out to judge them, the unsaved dead, out of hell, their bodies, their souls, out of the graves, their bodies, and sunken in the sea, torpedoed in war and drowned in fishing schooners and so on. And God will bring together the scattered bits of ashes and make again the bodies and the bodies and they'll come out and souls come out of hell and these will come to judgment, the last judgment of the unsaved dead. Who's in this judgment then? Unsaved people. Well where will we be? Well we'll be there. You know, I'm going to be at that judgment but I'm not going to be judged. I'm going to be there as a witness and two or three scriptures that make that clear. One thing is the Bible says Jesus said the man of Nineveh shall rise within the judgment and condemn this generation for they repented of the preaching of Jonah. Well the men of Jennah repented and the men of Nineveh so they're saved and they're going to rise up as witnesses so I'll be there too. And they'll say John Wise, did you preach on let's see, March 11th, was it? March 11th in the Woodruff High School Auditorium. Did you preach? And I'll say yes Lord. And he'll say was this man there? And I'll have perfect memory then and I'll say yes Lord, he was there and the best I knew and with great burden and even with tears I pleaded for people to be saved. I'll be a witness. That's right. And the mother who couldn't win her boy will say yes Lord, that's right. Yes, he ought to go to hell because he's had every chance. I grieve about it. Jesus does too. But the mother will say Jesus, I'm on your side. He ought to go to hell if he won't repent and the last witnesses are going to be there. Christians will be there to witness but not to be judged. Somebody said aren't you scared about that judgment? No. No, you know, right next to the store of the Lord's office in Wheaton for many years and next to the police department. See the police department. They moved and I got another building but this in the same block but I'm not scared. I'm not on trial. I'm behaving myself. They haven't got any case against me and so the Lord hasn't any case against me. Who is he that condemns this Christ that died yea rather that is risen again and he's paid for my sins and they are paid for. And alright this is the judgment of the unsaved dead. Another thing the Bible says that comfort people with these words he said that in Christ shall rise first we that are alive and remain shall be brought together with them to meet the Lord in the air and listen now so shall we ever be with the Lord. Oh, hallelujah. I've been away from him for all the battle. I don't want to see him. I'm tired of this business of I'm afraid to be amongst strangers. I'm a stranger here. I can tear it I can tear it but I'm not. Oh, I'm not at home in this world. I want to see Jesus and be with him. But he's promised that where I'm there you should be also. So if Jesus is going to be at that judgment I'm going to be there too. I'll say Jesus can I bring you a glass of water? He'll say well John hand me that record book right there or something. I'm going to be there where Jesus says we Christians going to be. We'll be there but not to be judged. We'll be there to see judgment won and to bear witness against those who go to hell. All right, this is judgment. Now how will it be judged? First we've said this is the last judgment of the unsaved dead and now then it is the unsaved judgment. Now how? On what basis will it be judged? Well the scripture says I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the books were opened and they were judged out of those things written in the books. God has record books. I'm glad he has. I don't remember very well. A lot of things I don't remember. I go back and I see in the sword of the Lord 15, 18, 20 years ago something I told there and I'm glad I have it written down because I've forgotten how it happened since then and I don't remember well. God has the record put down in the book. You know how we are about our sins? Oh first we feel bad about them and that's why we feel relieved we got out of it and that's why it seems funny and that's why you get to bragging about it. Your sins. Yeah I heard a preacher say the other day well when I was on the devil's side I made a good hand I would try to make a hand to the Lord like that. I felt like telling him well don't brag your low down sorry cuss and spit on Jesus don't brag about it. Nobody's ever a better preacher because he's a sinner. Nobody's ever no woman's ever a better wife because she was a harlot. You know that? No man's ever more pure and holy because he's a whoremonger and infidel and drunkard. You know that? No. Don't brag about your sins. They're all in the record book I'm just saying and God they look still pretty black they're just as black as they ever were. Yes. God has a record there. Books. Record books of sins. Record books of sins. Alright. According to their words how are you going to be judged? Brother you're going to get exactly what you deserve. Somebody said brother why is I don't know what's coming to me? Brother you'll get it then. Line upon line stripe for stripe burning for burning and eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. You'll get it then exactly what you've got coming to you. That's right. Let me tell you everybody goes to hell they get what they deserve. That's right. Those who go to heaven don't. I was in Bombay, India I believe it was and a Hindu man came to me and I had great joy in seeing how the power of God in the scriptures. I preached at a certain Anglican church in Bombay they had five services in different languages one of them at the Cantonese language service they had me preach and they had an interpreter to tell what it meant and we had four people say four men and a woman were saved. The first one to hold his hand for prayer one of us saved was an elder in the church who helped leading the worship service. They had on the credit program of that formal service they had 18 items before they got to my sermon. Oh yes for them it is nice and pious as you people here they can put on the gold too. Yes sir. Well I've got to start to say one of the elders who was in the Cantonese language and I couldn't understand it one of the elders who led the principal part in leading in that service was the first man to hold his hand he was one of the saved and so all right he went back yonder and then some others and a woman the mother of the assistant pastor got saved and the organist led the organ back in the balcony and the choir in the balcony and their formal service and bless their hearts they tried to follow through even after we had an old fashioned dynamite earthquake kind of a soul winning service but they wanted to end it properly so they had a song a certain hymn at the close they were in trouble they tried to sing it but the organist he's a grey headed man scholar college man he was down here back there getting saved he let this organ come on down here and getting saved but I started saying that elder went back yonder and I went back there and I asked a little bit to inquire and see how they get along and he said he said Dr. Rice he said why my Hindu friends why would they be lost because they are Hindus he said some of them as good men as I am I said they're not lost because they're Hindus and you're not saved because you're a church member you're lost because you're a clergy sinner and they're lost because they're sinners that's all and I said if you don't get born again you go to the same hell they would if they don't get born again well he looked shocked at that remember now he had just been taking the leading part in that formal responses reading back and forth in this formal anger and anger and anger and anger and anger and anger and anger and anger and anger and anger and anger and anger and anger and anger and anger