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Whoever undertakes to interpret this passage ignoring this most important distinction,
thereby stamps himself as an untrustworthy expositor. Judgment is out of the books, not
out of the book. The judgment of the great white throne is a judgment upon "works".
Further there is no word "wrath" in the record of this solemn judgment. The vials of
wrath poured out by the seven angels completed the wrath of God. This is the testimony
of Scripture, and J.N.D. thus translates Rev. 15: 1, "For in them the fury of God is
completed". Rotherham reads "ended", the R.V "finished". It is not for us to theorize,
but it is for us to adhere faithfully to the word of truth. There are two words rendered
"wrath" in Revelation, thumos and orge, and they both terminate with the conclusion of
the seven vials. The last reference to thumos is Rev. 18: 3 where Babylon is in view,
and the last reference to orge is at Armageddon (Rev. 19: 15). We do not believe a
single Israelite will stand before the great white throne, for Israel being an elect nation
were saved by Christ, and the judgment of their works falls within the millennium. We
must be guided by the Word however and remember that "They are not all Israel that are
of Israel", for even in that elect race the holy seed had become corrupted, and some in our
Lord's day who were lineal descendants of Abraham were nevertheless said to be "of the
father the Devil" (John 8: 44). With that one reservation we can boldly say "And so all
Israel shall be saved" (Rom. 11: 26). There will not stand before that throne one of any
dispensation from Adam onwards who has walked by faith. "The rest of the dead"
includes that great company of Adam's sons, who were not elected to any of the
companies of faith, and who never attained either by award (Matt. 19: 16), fruit
(Rom. 6: 22), or faith (John 3: 16), the life of the age that had then gone by, usually
translated "everlasting life", and made parallel with the kingdom (Matt. 25: 34 and 46).
Eternal life and the rest of the Dead.
Tyre and Sidon and Sodom (Matt. 11: 21-24) shall find it "more tolerable" than some
who on the surface were nothing near so vile. We have it upon no less authority than that
of the living God Himself that Sodom was "more righteous" than Israel:--
"As I live, saith the Lord God, Sodom they sister hath not done, she nor her daughters,
as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters . . . . . they are more righteous than thou . . . . .
thou hast justified thy sisters" (Ezek. 16: 48-52).
Just as the enormity of Israel's sin "justified" Sodom, so we read that Nineveh's
repentance "condemns" Israel:--
"The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn
it" (Matt. 12: 41).
It is not possible for any human judge to deal with a man upon the ground of what he
would have done under altered circumstances--the whole world would cry out against
such an administration. But He Who sits upon this great white throne is One Who "tries
the reins and the heart". He knows what Sodom or Tyre would have done had the favours
shown to Chorazin and Bethsaida been shown to them. He alone can judge the "secrets
of men", and that "according to my gospel" says Paul (Rom. 2: 16). Paul's gospel
touches Adam and sin, no other gospel goes so far back nor so deep. We know it is quite