Harvest Christian Fellowship Pastor Greg Laurie recently discussed the differences between how God will judge Christians and how He’ll judge non-believers during the End Times. In a sermon preached as part of a series on the End Times, Laurie said while everyone will face judgment one day, Christian and non-Christian,” these two groups will face different kinds of judgment.
Laurie said, referencing Revelation 20:15, “For the non-believer, they will face the Great White Throne Judgement. And a book is opened, which is the Book of Life, and whoever doesn’t have their name written in the Book of Life is cast into the Lake of Fire. That’s the judgment for the non-believer. If you end up there, there’s no turning back. It’s the final judgment.”
Next, Laurie addressed the judgment for Christians, telling his congregation to “think of it more as an awards ceremony where we’re awarded for our faithful service to the Lord.” He further compared the awards people get for their athletic achievement or degrees for academic success, saying that some awards are handed out merely for participation.
Laurie continued, “God didn’t save you, so you would just say, ‘Thanks for my salvation. I’m going to live my life, and I’ll see you later.’ When I’m saved, I realize God has a plan for my life. Now, my primary purpose for existence is to bring glory to God. You need to be the best version of you. I need to be the best version of me.” He emphasized that if you’re a Christian, you’ll stand at the judgment seat of Christ. In that situation, you shouldn’t panic because that’s when rewards are given out.
He warned, “But if you’re a non-believer, you’ll stand at the Great White Throne Judgment, and there’s no second chance after that. That’s why you want to decide now what you’re going to do. You decide in this life where you will spend the afterlife.” Laurie stressed that “it’s not going to be how good of a life that you live,” taking issue with the belief that one is saved if “my good deeds outweigh my bad deeds.”
He said, “What is that based on? I have no idea, but it’s not in the Bible. There’s no reason whatsoever to believe something like that, but so many do believe it.” Laurie added, “I would challenge this: Do your good work really outweigh your bad works? Do they really? I don’t think they do,” Laurie added, “Heaven is not for good people. Heaven is for forgiven people.”
The pastor also encouraged believers to lead a transformed life after being saved, noting that a true believer produces good “spiritual fruit” seen in “the way you live” as a Christian. Laurie said, “People should be able to see by your fruit, by your actions, by your works, that you are a Christian.” His remarks were part of a sermon series centered on topics related to the End Times and primarily focused on the New Testament book of Revelation.