1 00:00:01,540 --> 00:00:06,960 Great God, I come before you by the 2 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:09,820 blood of thy dear son Jesus. 3 00:00:10,620 --> 00:00:15,620 I ask for your spirit to attend the 4 00:00:15,620 --> 00:00:17,000 preaching of your word. 5 00:00:17,220 --> 00:00:22,180 I ask for you to manifest your pungent 6 00:00:22,180 --> 00:00:26,840 presence among us and work in hearts tonight 7 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:30,160 and come and disturb folks. 8 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:35,080 Lead some poor sinner here this evening to 9 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:37,600 the very brink of eternity. 10 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:42,920 Lift the lid off that bottomless pit and 11 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:46,560 open their ears so they can hear the 12 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:50,600 screams and cries of the damned if they 13 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:51,960 are heading to hell. 14 00:00:52,540 --> 00:00:57,700 Then let hellfire flash upon their soul as 15 00:00:57,700 --> 00:01:01,800 a warning to repent and turn to you. 16 00:01:02,420 --> 00:01:06,760 Open someone's eyes and let them see a 17 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:13,880 bleeding and dying Christ on Calvary, hanging there 18 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:19,720 with his arms outstretched and squirming there beneath 19 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:22,320 the awful weight of sin. 20 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:27,440 Awaken an alarm and save some sinner here 21 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:31,700 tonight, I pray in the strong name of 22 00:01:31,700 --> 00:01:34,540 Jesus, Amen. 23 00:01:35,700 --> 00:01:40,980 My Bible says that, and it is appointed 24 00:01:40,980 --> 00:01:45,620 unto men once to die, but after this 25 00:01:45,620 --> 00:01:46,460 to judgment. 26 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:50,440 But there's a coming day, friends, when all 27 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:55,180 mankind will stand before the throne of God 28 00:01:55,180 --> 00:01:58,240 and give an account of themselves at the 29 00:01:58,240 --> 00:01:59,420 final judgment. 30 00:02:00,100 --> 00:02:03,880 We see a vivid picture of this from 31 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:08,580 the book of Revelation as found in chapter 32 00:02:08,580 --> 00:02:12,280 20, beginning in verse 11. 33 00:02:13,620 --> 00:02:18,680 And I saw a great white throne and 34 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:22,940 him that sat on it, from whose face 35 00:02:22,940 --> 00:02:27,800 the earth and the heaven fled away, and 36 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:30,520 there was found no place for them. 37 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,420 And I saw the dead, small and great, 38 00:02:34,900 --> 00:02:38,700 stand before God, and the books were opened, 39 00:02:39,340 --> 00:02:42,460 and another book was opened, which is the 40 00:02:42,460 --> 00:02:43,560 book of life. 41 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:47,640 And the dead were judged out of those 42 00:02:47,640 --> 00:02:51,660 things which were written in the books according 43 00:02:51,660 --> 00:02:53,000 to their works. 44 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:56,220 And the sea gave up the dead which 45 00:02:56,220 --> 00:03:00,140 were in it, and death and hell delivered 46 00:03:00,140 --> 00:03:03,780 up the dead which were in them, and 47 00:03:03,780 --> 00:03:07,940 they were judged every man according to their 48 00:03:07,940 --> 00:03:08,660 works. 49 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:13,220 And death and hell were cast into the 50 00:03:13,220 --> 00:03:14,340 lake of fire. 51 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:20,620 This is the second death, and whosoever was 52 00:03:20,620 --> 00:03:23,580 not found written in the book of life 53 00:03:23,580 --> 00:03:28,000 was cast into the lake of fire. 54 00:03:29,260 --> 00:03:32,900 It's a great roll call of the ages 55 00:03:32,900 --> 00:03:37,460 as every person who has ever lived is 56 00:03:37,460 --> 00:03:41,920 summoned before that terrible great white throne. 57 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:46,640 That throne is so in its majesty that 58 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:49,040 heaven and earth flee from it. 59 00:03:49,420 --> 00:03:52,600 Look at that judge who sits on that 60 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:53,140 throne. 61 00:03:53,780 --> 00:03:56,580 See his holiness and authority. 62 00:03:57,340 --> 00:04:00,500 Just looking at him fills you with dread. 63 00:04:00,980 --> 00:04:04,720 Listen to the march of the feet as 64 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:06,340 they approach that throne. 65 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:08,340 Here they come. 66 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:10,240 Here come the dead. 67 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:14,240 Look at that mass of humanity as it 68 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:16,959 marches toward that throne. 69 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,560 Here come the dead from every civilization. 70 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:24,620 Here they come from every walk of life. 71 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:26,100 Here they come. 72 00:04:26,420 --> 00:04:27,440 Look at them. 73 00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:29,220 Here come the dead. 74 00:04:29,640 --> 00:04:31,740 The small and the great are there. 75 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:33,780 The rich and the famous. 76 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:36,980 The somebodies and the nobodies. 77 00:04:36,980 --> 00:04:38,940 Here come the dead. 78 00:04:39,420 --> 00:04:43,180 They must all stand before that judge who 79 00:04:43,180 --> 00:04:44,800 has eyes of fire. 80 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:50,040 His books are opened and lives are exposed. 81 00:04:50,620 --> 00:04:54,880 Every mother's son will be examined beneath the 82 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:57,980 intense scrutiny of that judge. 83 00:04:58,540 --> 00:04:59,780 Here come the dead. 84 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:02,720 Here come the Roman emperors. 85 00:05:03,180 --> 00:05:09,220 There's Julius Caesar and Tiberius, Caligula and Nero 86 00:05:09,220 --> 00:05:12,580 who fed Christians to the lions in the 87 00:05:12,580 --> 00:05:14,700 Roman Colosseum. 88 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:17,420 Here come the world rulers. 89 00:05:18,060 --> 00:05:23,060 There is Cleopatra, Napoleon and Alexander the Great. 90 00:05:23,580 --> 00:05:27,900 Here come the pimps and pornographers who trafficked 91 00:05:27,900 --> 00:05:28,560 in women. 92 00:05:29,220 --> 00:05:33,640 There stands Hugh Hefner who ruined generations of 93 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:37,120 men with his perverted magazine Empire. 94 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:42,400 There stands mass murderers like Hitler and Stalin 95 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:44,640 and Saddam Hussein. 96 00:05:45,100 --> 00:05:50,220 There are the great discoverers like Columbus and 97 00:05:50,220 --> 00:05:51,620 Marco Polo. 98 00:05:52,140 --> 00:05:56,780 Here come the famous Hollywood actresses and actors 99 00:05:56,780 --> 00:06:00,720 who clutched their Oscars in life. 100 00:06:01,060 --> 00:06:04,680 There stands Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. 101 00:06:05,140 --> 00:06:09,560 There stands the rock stars who ruined generations 102 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:12,980 of young people, influenced them to drugs and 103 00:06:12,980 --> 00:06:14,260 Satan worship. 104 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:20,180 There's Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, the Beatles 105 00:06:20,180 --> 00:06:22,340 and the Rolling Stones. 106 00:06:23,100 --> 00:06:25,380 Here come the superstar singers. 107 00:06:25,860 --> 00:06:31,640 Why, there's Elvis and Michael Jackson, Sinatra and 108 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:32,560 Crosby. 109 00:06:33,380 --> 00:06:37,240 There stands the billionaires of each generation who 110 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:40,400 made money through God and life. 111 00:06:41,100 --> 00:06:42,720 There stands the philosophers. 112 00:06:43,700 --> 00:06:49,180 There is Plato and Aristotle, Buddha and Confucius. 113 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:54,880 There stands the atheists, Voltaire, Darwin and Karl 114 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:55,660 Marx. 115 00:06:56,300 --> 00:07:00,460 Here come the drug dealers and beer barons 116 00:07:00,460 --> 00:07:03,160 who ruined the lives of families. 117 00:07:03,980 --> 00:07:08,360 There stands the captains of industry and the 118 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:09,420 heads of state. 119 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:14,960 American presidents are there and English kings, popes 120 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:16,600 and emperors. 121 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,420 There stands Pharaoh who stood against Moses. 122 00:07:21,460 --> 00:07:24,920 There's Bloody Mary who butchered Christians. 123 00:07:25,740 --> 00:07:28,700 There stands the great minds of all of 124 00:07:28,700 --> 00:07:33,680 history, Einstein and Edison, Nietzsche and Freud. 125 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:37,400 Here come the dead represent the art world. 126 00:07:37,860 --> 00:07:43,160 There is Matisse and Monet, Renoir and Picasso. 127 00:07:43,940 --> 00:07:48,980 Here come the literary lions, Hemingway and Fitzgerald, 128 00:07:48,980 --> 00:07:52,200 Flaubert and De Mausson. 129 00:07:52,380 --> 00:07:57,420 There are the famous poets, Shakespeare and Poe, 130 00:07:57,520 --> 00:07:58,600 Keats and Shelley. 131 00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:04,720 Here's the great composers, Mozart and Beethoven, Bach 132 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:06,280 and Chopin. 133 00:08:06,740 --> 00:08:11,560 The sports world, even a sports world is 134 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:13,020 represented here. 135 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:18,160 Why, there stands Muhammad Ali and Babe Ruth, 136 00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:21,420 Arnold Palmer and Michael Jordan. 137 00:08:22,100 --> 00:08:25,780 There they are, there they stand, the small 138 00:08:25,780 --> 00:08:28,780 and the great, as they stand before God 139 00:08:28,780 --> 00:08:30,640 and books are opened. 140 00:08:31,340 --> 00:08:35,280 Each of their lives is exposed, revealed and 141 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:36,419 reviewed. 142 00:08:37,039 --> 00:08:42,140 Books are opened, evidence is presented and cases 143 00:08:42,140 --> 00:08:43,360 are reviewed. 144 00:08:44,020 --> 00:08:47,720 Verdicts are handed out for there sits a 145 00:08:47,720 --> 00:08:51,600 holy God and a broken law and the 146 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:54,880 sentencing of the law must be carried out 147 00:08:54,880 --> 00:08:58,140 upon all guilty lawbreakers. 148 00:08:58,740 --> 00:09:02,400 One by one they stand before that great 149 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:05,380 white throne as the judge of all the 150 00:09:05,380 --> 00:09:07,120 earth does right. 151 00:09:07,580 --> 00:09:10,600 Free will by no means clear the guilty 152 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,400 as they stand before God. 153 00:09:13,860 --> 00:09:17,900 A red glow flashes behind them as that 154 00:09:17,900 --> 00:09:21,800 lake of fire spits and sputters with terrible 155 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:22,640 destruction. 156 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:27,780 It's a heavenly courtroom scene complete with its 157 00:09:27,780 --> 00:09:28,700 participants. 158 00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:34,400 The great white throne symbolizes purity and the 159 00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:35,680 holiness of God. 160 00:09:36,900 --> 00:09:40,860 Christ Jesus is the judge seated on that 161 00:09:40,860 --> 00:09:45,260 throne and if I may so speak the 162 00:09:45,260 --> 00:09:48,160 angels are the bailiffs in charge of the 163 00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:48,720 books. 164 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:53,360 Satan is the prosecutor, the accuser of the 165 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:53,940 brethren. 166 00:09:54,900 --> 00:09:58,220 I hear a voice of authority as it 167 00:09:58,220 --> 00:09:59,720 calls my name. 168 00:10:00,180 --> 00:10:05,680 There I stand, trembling before that throne and 169 00:10:05,680 --> 00:10:07,060 before that judge. 170 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:09,340 My sins accuse me. 171 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:13,120 My sins are stacked up and rise against 172 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:16,360 me like a black mountain before me. 173 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:20,440 There I stand by the dark shadow of 174 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:21,360 my sins. 175 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:26,240 I did in life sins of commission, sins 176 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:31,320 of omission, willful sins, presumptuous sins. 177 00:10:31,740 --> 00:10:35,340 My mouth is stopped as my sins accuse 178 00:10:35,340 --> 00:10:35,900 me. 179 00:10:36,420 --> 00:10:41,700 The strictness and severity of God's unbending law 180 00:10:41,700 --> 00:10:45,160 is held up against me as a holy 181 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:49,460 and righteous God drops his palm line on 182 00:10:49,460 --> 00:10:49,900 me. 183 00:10:50,360 --> 00:10:53,640 He measures me and I fail that test 184 00:10:53,640 --> 00:10:56,860 for all of sin and come short of 185 00:10:56,860 --> 00:10:58,380 the glory of God. 186 00:10:59,220 --> 00:11:04,100 A guilty sentence hangs over my head like 187 00:11:04,100 --> 00:11:07,880 the sword of Damocles ready to descend at 188 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:09,420 any moment. 189 00:11:09,580 --> 00:11:12,800 My knees knock together like door knockers. 190 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:16,540 The blood drains out of my face and 191 00:11:16,540 --> 00:11:20,940 my mind races back to a story I 192 00:11:20,940 --> 00:11:23,380 heard as a young boy. 193 00:11:23,860 --> 00:11:27,720 It's a story about a man traveling through 194 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:31,020 the city of St. Louis and it's a 195 00:11:31,020 --> 00:11:34,600 Sunday and he is a Christian so he 196 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:38,460 parks his car at a downtown church and 197 00:11:38,460 --> 00:11:40,200 goes inside to worship. 198 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:45,020 Once he's in there he realizes he is 199 00:11:45,020 --> 00:11:47,780 the only white person in an all-black 200 00:11:47,780 --> 00:11:50,880 church so he takes his seat on the 201 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:52,160 back row. 202 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:57,380 Up on the platform is the well-dressed 203 00:11:57,380 --> 00:12:02,820 elderly pastor who's speaking on his subject for 204 00:12:02,820 --> 00:12:04,180 that Sunday morning. 205 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:06,240 His subject is heaven. 206 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:11,720 He begins a sermon by saying, some folks 207 00:12:11,720 --> 00:12:18,580 call heaven paradise, other folks call it Abraham's 208 00:12:18,580 --> 00:12:19,300 bosom. 209 00:12:19,300 --> 00:12:22,600 I like to think of heaven this way. 210 00:12:23,460 --> 00:12:27,880 Here is Jesus just returned from his earthly 211 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:28,520 ministry. 212 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:32,980 He stands there at the pearly gates and 213 00:12:32,980 --> 00:12:34,820 old Gabriel greets him. 214 00:12:35,460 --> 00:12:39,040 Hello Jesus, sure is good to see you 215 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:39,880 Jesus. 216 00:12:40,460 --> 00:12:43,940 We sure missed you up here Jesus. 217 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:47,500 Good to have you home Jesus. 218 00:12:48,580 --> 00:12:51,120 But wait who's that with you? 219 00:12:51,460 --> 00:12:54,280 Is that that thief from the cross? 220 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:58,100 Oh no sir we can't have no thieves 221 00:12:58,100 --> 00:12:58,900 up here. 222 00:12:59,340 --> 00:13:01,000 He's not welcome here. 223 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:07,140 Jesus replied, never you mind Gabriel, never you 224 00:13:07,140 --> 00:13:07,800 mind. 225 00:13:08,260 --> 00:13:11,940 And just then Jesus put his arm around 226 00:13:11,940 --> 00:13:15,380 the thief and declared he's with me. 227 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:19,800 That's the story I'm thinking about is I 228 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:23,880 stand guilty before that great audience and before 229 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:25,800 that great white throne. 230 00:13:26,180 --> 00:13:27,940 My sins condemn me. 231 00:13:28,220 --> 00:13:31,220 I'm guilty as charged as I await the 232 00:13:31,220 --> 00:13:34,720 sentencing of the law as the verdict is 233 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:36,440 about to be read. 234 00:13:36,700 --> 00:13:39,560 I can see the red glow behind me 235 00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:43,400 of that burning lake as it flashes hell 236 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:45,040 upon my soul. 237 00:13:45,540 --> 00:13:49,000 But just then there's a disturbance in the 238 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:55,260 courtroom as my defense attorney, my advocate rises 239 00:13:55,260 --> 00:13:56,560 to his feet. 240 00:13:57,040 --> 00:14:00,380 He comes beside me and puts his arm 241 00:14:00,380 --> 00:14:03,960 around me and in a loud voice he 242 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:07,990 declares let him in he's with me. 243 00:14:08,960 --> 00:14:12,100 But then a shout of hallelujah rings out 244 00:14:12,100 --> 00:14:16,240 in that courtroom as I enter into God's 245 00:14:16,240 --> 00:14:18,620 presence forever and ever. 246 00:14:19,140 --> 00:14:22,180 There stands my loved ones and friends to 247 00:14:22,180 --> 00:14:23,080 greet me. 248 00:14:23,380 --> 00:14:26,840 It's a reunion unlike any on earth. 249 00:14:27,360 --> 00:14:30,400 Bless God for his mercy and his son 250 00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:31,480 for his blood. 251 00:14:32,040 --> 00:14:37,380 The hallelujah chorus stands up to sing and 252 00:14:37,380 --> 00:14:41,260 the spirit and the bride say come and 253 00:14:41,260 --> 00:14:45,720 let him that hear it say come and 254 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:49,800 let him that is a thirst come and 255 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:54,160 whosoever will let him take the water of 256 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:55,020 life freely.