Then I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.

— Revelation 20:12

on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.

— Romans 2:16

And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are uncovered and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we have an account to give.

— Hebrews 4:13

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

— 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

Almighty God, who knows and sees everything, will formally examine every human life. Revelation speaks of two sets of books opened before God. One records all who have eternal life by grace through faith in Jesus, the Lamb of God. The other books contain humanity’s deeds. No one meets God’s perfectly righteous standard except Jesus Christ. Because Jesus took on Himself the judgment every human being deserves, God credits Jesus’s righteousness to every believer. The names of all who trust in Christ are written in the Book of Life because of His grace, not their merit

God’s judgment tells only half of the story of history’s culmination. The world will be changed. Even now, God transforms individual lives through faith in Jesus. This new creation in human hearts foreshadows God’s coming transtormation of the universe. The new heaven and earth will reflect the perfect redemption God completes in His people through His Son. Everything will be made new as God brings His new Jerusalem to a world that once again blossoms with untarnished life. The Holy City shines as a true community experiencing constant companionship with God Himself. This is the glorious consummation of God’s eternal plan.