The Great White Throne

Wernher von Braun is a complex and intriguing historical figure. He was a German engineer who became a central figure in the advance of rocket technology, first in Nazi Germany and later in the United States. During World War II, Von Braun headed the German V2 rocket program. Following the war, von Braun immigrated to the United States, where he was instrumental in developing the massive rocket systems which launched American astronauts into space and eventually took us to the moon. His achievements have earned him praise as “the father of rocket science.”

I recently came across a fascinating video clip of von Braun. The clip was recorded in 1961, during the height of the Cold War, when there were widespread fears of a cataclysmic nuclear conflagration between the United States and the Soviet Union. Here is what von Braun had to say:

“Today more than ever before our survival…depends on our adherence to ethical principles. Ethics alone will decide whether atomic energy will be an earthly blessing or the source of mankind’s utter destruction. But where does the desire for ethical action come from? What makes us want to be ethical? I believe there are two forces which move us. One is belief in the last judgment when every one of us has to account for what he did with God’s great gift of life on the earth. There other is belief in an immortal soul, a soul which will cherish the award or suffer the penalty decreed in the final judgment. Belief in God and immortality gives us the moral strength and ethical guidance we need for virtually every action in our daily lives. In our modern world many feel that science has somehow made such religious ideas untimely or old fashioned. But I think that science has a real surprise for the skeptics.”

Von Braun goes on to explain how his scientific knowledge had not shaken, but rather affirmed his belief in religious principles such as the final judgment and everlasting life.

These convictions are thoroughly Biblical. Wernher von Braun was convinced that mankind’s ethical behavior had the potential to make the world either a place of peace and blessing or a hellish wasteland. And the expectation of God’s coming judgment compels humans to choose the good and reject evil. Indeed, the ancient Israelites and the first Christians affirmed again and again that the one true God would one day dramatically act to cleanse and restore his beloved creation; those who persisted in wickedness would face eternal punishment while the righteous would be awarded the redeemed world as their inheritance.

Let’s see how these themes play out in the final chapters of the book of Revelation, which describes the time when God’s kingdom will be established over all the earth.

John hears a great multitude crying out, “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.” (Revelation 19:8) The Old Testament often used the metaphor of a wedding to depict how God had chosen Israel to be his covenant people, his treasured possession. Now John famously uses the same imagery to portray the consummation of the New Covenant between Jesus the lamb and his bride, the church.

What is particularly notable here is John’s description of the bride’s wedding garments: “fine linen, bright and clean.” This is one of those blessed moments in the book of Revelation when John clarifies his symbolism; the fine linen represents the “righteous acts of the saints.” In other words, the characteristics which qualify them as the people of God are their right behavior.

Here is John’s depiction of the final judgment itself: “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it…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…And each person was judged according to what he had done.” (Revelation 20:11-13) This solemn moment is described succinctly and clearly: all people will face final judgment on the basis of their works, their conduct, their behavior.

The passage should not require any complicated hermeneutical gymnastics. John is simply affirming what we’ve seen throughout the Bible: the bedrock Jewish belief and hope that God will one day set his whole creation right again; the wicked will be punished and the righteous vindicated. This is exactly what Jesus himself proclaimed, “the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear [God’s] voice and come out – those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29)

Oddly, many pastors who confidently affirm their Biblical fidelity conspicuously avoid addressing the climactic final judgment scene in Revelation 20. This passage has sadly become problematic because so many Christians have been taught that our behavior can make no contribution to our salvation. Yet the scriptures consistently affirm that our behavior is vital, in fact, essential for our salvation.

We need to remember here what John assumes but doesn’t explicitly say: those who are “in the Messiah” and filled with his Holy Spirit receive power to lead lives of righteousness. The transformational work of the Spirit will culminate the vindication of true Christ-followers on the great day of judgment. The Apostle Paul would fully agree: “if you live according to the sinful nature you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13)

One of the great flaws in the theology of many churches today is that forgiveness has been separated from repentance. We rightly celebrate the forgiveness which comes to us through Jesus’ sacrificial death upon the cross. But we forget that this forgiveness wholly depends upon us turning away from previous patterns of sinful behavior.

There are many, many passages of scripture which illustrate this principle. One of my favorites comes at the conclusion of Peter’s Pentecost sermon. He urges the crowd: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of the Lord Jesus the Messiah for the forgiveness of sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”(Acts 2:38) Here we find three key elements brought together: repentance, forgiveness and the Holy Spirit. It’s crucial to recognize that the forgiveness offered to the people of Israel was contingent upon their repentance – the rejection of their previous wickedness.

Baptism is included, too, as a sign of “faith” in Jesus. But such faith involves more than simply affirming that Jesus’ sacrifice covers our sins. Baptism is a declaration of active loyalty to Jesus as God’s anointed king. It involves a commitment to conform all of our behavior to his will and service. And yes, all this comes about through the work of the Holy Spirit.

The constellation of repentance, forgiveness and the Holy Spirit can also be found in Acts chapter 10. There we see how God orchestrated the opportunity for Peter to carry the gospel to the Gentile world. The apostle brings the good news of Jesus to a Roman centurion named Cornelius. Peter tells Cornelius, “Everyone who believes in [Jesus] receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

At first glance, this passage might seem to undercut my position. Doesn’t this verse imply that salvation came to Cornelius only through belief, independent of his actions? But things become much clearer in the following chapter, when Peter is forced to explain the whole episode to Jewish believers who are suspicious that God’s grace has come to the Gentiles. When the Jewish Christians hear Peter’s account, they praise God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.” (Acts 11:18) Thus, the Bible confirms that the forgiveness which came to Cornelius depended upon his repentance.

The main point is this: if Christians want to truly understand the framework of the Bible, they must comprehend how God’s final judgment according to works fits into the big picture. It is deeply unhealthy to tell people that their ultimate salvation depends solely upon some kind of inward belief in Jesus independent of their actions. The final judgment scene before the great white throne makes it abundantly clear that all people will ultimately be called to account based upon their conduct.

This realization might startle or even alarm some people as they reflect on their lives and recall their previous misdeeds. For those of us who fall into this category, we must constantly reflect upon these twin realities: first, the gift of the Holy Spirit which empowers us to repentance and second, the forgiveness which is promised to us as the result of our repentance. No matter what our past looks like, the Spirit gives us the ability to commit our lives to righteousness, so that we might, at the last judgment, receive the divine accolade: “Well done! My good and faithful servant!”