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Choose Your Own Judgment Day

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I must admit...I am pretty pumped. In the not too distant future, the very first "Choose Your Own Adventure" DVD comes out. And though I would probably be considered a little old to be watching it, you can bet that Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman DVD will be playing at a home theater near me.

Do you remember the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books? If not, they were basically books about, you know, choosing your own adventure. For me, they were out of control fun. To have the ability to control my character's destiny and see the consequences of my actions provided hours of fascinating entertainment that included the discovery of lost civilizations and navigating through black holes.

Plus it was really cool to find the Yeti.

Did you know that in many ways the Bible is the original "choose your own adventure" book? No, there isn't the typical "make a choice then turn to page whatever" feature, but there definitely is an ending with, not 15 or so, but only two possible endings.

And you get to choose which one will apply to you. Except, of course, this choice doesn't affect a character in a book in a fantasy setting...this choice determines your status and final destination for eternity. So let me lay out the two scenarios so you don't choose the wrong adventure and end up in the wrong scene!

Adventure #1 - The Great White Throne Judgment (hint: this is the one you want to avoid at all costs)

This is the ending/judgment day for all people who refused the free gift of salvation offered to them during their lifetime. For some, perhaps they only had a few chances. For others, maybe they had hundreds or even thousands of chances. Either way, every person who ever lived and consciously rejected Jesus Christ as their Savior are gathered in one place. Basically, their lives could be summed up as "choose your own salvation" - because these are the folks that chose their own way instead of trusting Jesus as their only hope of salvation.

And now they are paying the consequences:

And I saw a great white throne, and I saw the one who was sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God's throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to the things written in the books, according to what they had done. The sea gave up the dead in it, and death and the grave gave up the dead in them. They were all judged according to their deeds. And death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death--the lake of fire. And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)

Understand that this is not some fantasy or dream conjured up by Steven Spielberg. This is more like a reporter or journalist describing the scene of a crime...and the crime is that all these people made a choice to be standing before God on his throne receiving their final judgment and being thrown into hell. The "book" of their lives would have page after page where the offer of an eternity in heaven was given and promptly rejected out of stubbornness and pride.

And now their adventure is over...but yours isn't...at least not yet.

Adventure #2 - The Judgment Seat of Christ (hint: this is the one you want to attend)

This is the ending/judgment day for all people who accepted the free gift of salvation offered to them during their lifetime. For some, perhaps they only have been saved for a few minutes. For others, maybe they trusted Christ as a child. Either way, every person who ever lived and consciously accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior are gathered in one place. Basically, their lives could be summed up as "choose the only salvation" - because these are the folks that chose to trust Jesus as their only hope of salvation.

And now they are reaping the rewards:

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)

Understand that this is not some churchy type story made up by a Sunday School teacher. This is more like a reporter or journalist describing a scene at a graduation...and the graduating class is all the people who made a choice to be standing before Jesus and receiving their final rewards before being welcomed into heaven.

So now that you know the "book" of your life will be opened, the biggest choice you have is whether or not to love God and love others wthl all your heart, soul, mind and strength. If you do, the ending of your story will be one filled with the applause of heaven and a smile from your Savior...and that's an adventure worth choosing!

So...what'll it be?

Head: What you need to know about this truth

The Bible teaches that one day every person on earth will face one of two judgment days. The "Great White Throne Judgment" is for those who rejected Christ as their only hope of salvation. The "Judgment Seat of Christ" is for those who accepted Christ as their only hope of salvation.

Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

Sad, nervous, and excited. Sad because there are people who will end up in the Lake of Fire by their own choice. Nervous because one day you will have to give an account of your life. Excited because every day gives you opportunity to earn rewards on judgment day!

Hands: What you need to do about this truth

Every Christian will either see a smile or a scolding look on Jesus' face on judgment day. To get a scolding look is easy...just live your life the way you want with no thought whatsoever about serving Christ. To get a smile is hard...but if you live your life with every thought about serving Christ, it will be worth every minute.