This is a message my pastor, Kenneth Ralph, preached this last Sunday May 24, 2026.
The Day That the Books Are Opened
Revelation 20:11-15 | May 24, 2026
When you have found your place in Revelation chapter 20. If you will please stand for the reading of God’s Word. As we reverence the very Word of God this morning, we will let our eyes fall down to verse number 11. I would like to preach a message this morning entitled, “The Day That the Books Are Opened.”
“And I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works.
And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man, according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Our Father, as we read Your Word today, I declare publicly that I need You to preach through me the words that are written here on this page. God, I desire to clearly communicate those things that You want said. And Lord, I desire greatly that You would curb me from saying anything that You would not like said. Lord, I want to be Your vessel, poured out and meet for Your use only. And so I pray that You would empty me of myself and fill me with Your Spirit right now to speak the words that you have given to me. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen and Amen.
This day is a day when the books are opened.
The scene here depicts what most Bible students would call the Great White Throne Judgment, a separate event from the judgment seat of Christ. And we will say more about that event later. But it’s my personal belief that both of these particular judgments, the records will be examined, the books will be pulled out, the books will be opened, and there will absolutely be a declaration of judgment that is placed on every individual who has ever been born onto planet Earth.
During our trip to Washington, D.C. we were privileged to go into the Library of Congress. And on the second, no, third story, they have an observation deck where you can overlook the reading room of the Library of Congress. Let your mind wrap around this number as there are 181 million items in their inventory, 25.7 million of which are books with 10,000 items added to their catalog every single workday. I do not think your mind, or my mind, for that matter of fact, could wrap around the vast amount of books that were in that place. There are reference books, there are novels, there are biographical books, comic books, cookbooks, personal growth books, and even instruction manuals. And the list could really go on and on.
But all of those books that were there and all the books that have ever been fall into one or two categories, fiction or nonfiction. One is reality, one is fantasy, one is fact, and one is fiction. And as we come to this idea on a day like today that we’ve chosen to acknowledge those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, and those who have graduated, we need to turn our attention to a specific type of a book that really records both of these types of people’s names.
A record book.
A record book.
There is a record book for everything that you have ever said and done in your life.
There is a record book of every person who has ever been born of woman.
There is a record book, and there are record books in heaven. Now, we are not unfamiliar with record books. We think of financial and business ledgers or medical and health journals or private diaries, records of people’s accomplishments or memoirs. We find that graduates are only graduates because of what the record book says they have accomplished. We recognize that those who have been awarded posthumously have only been done so because the record books declare that they have actually been an active service member and died in the line of duty.”
But as men, our human records are not always reliable, are they? From time to time, our records are flawed and faulty, but we recognize that God’s are always correct.
Always correct.
In Psalm 56, it says that God records all of the tears that you cry in a book. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes that He is going to bring every work into judgment, along with every secret thing. And in a New Testament text, it means every idle word that you and I have spoken will be brought into an account for when the books are opened.
In Matthew The Bible states that he knows the very number of the hairs on your head. And in Psalm 147, he calls every star by name.
Now, God does not need a book to remember all of this. The book is for our benefit. The books are for our benefit so that whenever we stand before God and he can pull out the books and say, right there, that is a record book. He is so great and powerful, He does not have to have a book to remember them, but they are recorded for our benefit. And if you do not believe me, you could listen to Malachi 3:16.
Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another, and the LORD hearkened and heard it. And a book of remembrance was written before him, for them that feared the LORD and that thought upon his name, a book of remembrance.
The very records of those who have run their race of faith have been recorded for your benefit.
First Corinthians, chapter 10.
Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and 20,000.
Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. And neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition.
The very record that God has kept in the Old Testament of the lives of people who have run the race before us, some faithfully and some not so faithfully, has been written down, has been recorded, has been preserved for your benefit and for my benefit.
He makes certain that all the proper information is retained. And since He is eternal, we do not have to worry anything about any of those records disappearing.
Interestingly enough, in 1890, the United States census had a fire. The massive fire destroyed the entire 1890 federal census records in the United States of America and over 60 million Americans’ records were either destroyed or permanently lost. And genealogists call this the great gap in American history. They say because the entire families virtually disappeared from the record. Military service members disappeared, family histories disappeared, property ownerships disappeared. Personal identities became difficult or impossible to verify because the records were just gone.
Now imagine serving your country or building a business, raising a family, or even just living an entire life, to wake up one morning and a fire erased all your records, and it was as if you did not exist.
But heaven has never lost a single record. God has never had to reconstruct a file. And you can never call heaven and have them say, “We cannot locate the documents you are looking for.” And God has never overlooked a name. And that should bring feelings inside of us.
Number one, feelings of great joy.
That should be a very comforting thought to know that God sees every pain, every struggle, every trial, every difficult thing, every time that people have done me wrong, every time they have said something wrong, every time they have done other people wrong, every crime that is ever been committed, every crime against humanity, all of these things have been recorded in God’s record. That ought to bring some comfort to us. But more than comfort, it ought to cause us to examine ourselves of how we are going to stand with God when the record books are opened.
Revelation, chapter 22.
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still. And he which is filthy, let him be filthy still. And he that is righteous, let him be righteous still. And he that is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I come quickly. My reward is with me to give every man according as His work shall be.
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
Now, when you and I think of rewards, we think of good things. We think of good things. We think of things that we will be rewarded with, will be things that are good. But the Bible has a different definition on the word reward because it could be good, but it also could be very bad.
Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 2.
For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward, every good thing will receive a reward and every bad thing will receive a reward.
We should readily acknowledge this morning that God is a perfect record keeper. You believe that? Say amen. With His record keeping, we recognize He is coming again. And when He comes again, He said Himself that He is going to bring His rewards with Him. So that means that He is going to have the record books in tow to reward us accordingly, whether it be good or whether it be bad. Now it is interesting as we look through the Scripture, because the Bible really classifies five different types of crowns for the believer. Now these crowns, they may be a literal crown, they may be a figurative crown, they may be some type of a title or a distinction. But regardless of what they are, the Bible declares them very plainly.
Number one, there is an incorruptible crown that is awarded to Christians who exercise self-discipline in their Christian life. Ones who are consistently mastering their sinful desires. Instead of just living loosely, they are living with a life of spiritual temperance.
First Corinthians 9:25 and every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown. But we an incorruptible crown.
So there is the incorruptible crown.
Number two. There is the crown of rejoicing. This is often called the soul winner’s crown, and it is given to believers who actively and successfully lead others to Christ and disciple them in First Thessalonians, chapter 2.
For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing? Are not ye even in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?
There is the crown of righteousness given to saved individuals who eagerly anticipate, love and live their lives in preparation for the return of Jesus Christ, Second Timothy 4:8.
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.
Number four. There is the crown of life awarded to believers who faithfully endure severe trials and temptations, deep suffering or persecution, even to the point of martyrdom. James 1:12 and Revelation 2:10 tell us about that crown, that distinction, that honor.
But then there is the crown of glory listed in First Peter chapter five, given to those faithful pastors and church leaders who were spiritual shepherds, who were diligently too diligent to shepherd their flock toward the Lord Jesus Christ. And these distinctions, these honors, these crowns, these rewards are for those believers the day that the books are opened.
I wonder how you will stand the day that the books are opened.
Because you see, the rewards that we were just talking about were reserved only for those who had trusted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. Now, the Bible does not call it a reward of going to heaven, although that is probably got to be the greatest reward we could ever receive. I am not going to hell. I am not going to burn in the lake of fire. I am not going to have one iota of discomfort in eternity, not because of anything that I have done, but because of what Jesus Christ has done, because of His sacrifice and my placing my faith in that sacrifice. I am translated from death into life. And now I have been given the gift of eternal life because I have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus.
Now I can add to my faith those things that would produce rewards and distinctions and honors, that I might cast them at his feet one day.
I wonder how you do when the books are open.
I wonder how you would do when the books were opened. Let us just for instance, say the trumpet sounds and the saved in Christ, they’re raptured out, they are in the presence of God. And God opens the books for all of the believers and He looks at the things that you have done, the things that you have not done, the opportunities that you have taken, the opportunities that you have forfeited.
How are you going to do when the books are opened?
But our text verse is not talking about the judgment seat of Christ when those rewards are given. Our text is talking about the Great White Throne Judgment, when all unbelievers will stand before the very throne of God and give an account of this. Listen carefully.
What did you do with Jesus?
“I did not have time for Jesus” is not a good answer.
“I was too concerned about popularity to trust Jesus” is not a good answer.
“Well, I liked believing in Jesus, but I added to Jesus my own righteousness.” That is not a good answer.
“Well, I was a church member. I gave money to the church, or I did all of these things” is not a good answer.
Because the question at that Great White Throne Judgment is, “What did you do with My Son?”
I wonder how you would fare if the Great White Throne Judgment was to happen right now.
When the books are opened at this Great White Throne Judgment, among the books that will be opened will be the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Now, when a believer dies, or whenever they are raptured out and they stand before the Lord when that time comes, there are books that are opened, but there is one book that is not opened.
The Lamb’s Book of Life is opened and the things that they have done to receive the rewards of being a Christian are opened. But there is one book that is not opened because all of it has been blotted out.” And it is the works that you did to receive eternal life. Because there is nothing that you could do to receive eternal life. When you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, all of those works were blotted out.” And instead of all of those things, it just says Christ paid in full. And so when that book is opened, if it is opened that day, “Oh, this one is blood-bought.” They look at the Lamb’s Book of Life. Yes, sure enough, there is their name in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Okay, bring all the books of the things that they did as a believer and let us reward them openly and accordingly. And that is what will happen.
But at the Great White Throne Judgment, all of your sin and wickedness and ungodliness and the bad thoughts that you had, the bad deeds that you have done, the things that you have done in your life from birth all the way until that judgment will be read.
Well, they lied on this date.
Well, they sinned on this date. They did this, they did that. They did this, they did that. Check the Lamb’s Book of Life.
No, their name is not in it.
Depart from me, ye worker of iniquity, for I never knew you.
And at that very moment you will be cast into the lake of fire. That is what the Bible says.
Now, there are some who like to think, “Oh, this is a fairy tale. This is not true. This is not right.” But it is the Bible. And so you take it for what the Bible says, and the Bible says that that is what is going to happen.
Now, God has providentially brought you to this place today so that you could, number one, examine yourself to say this.
Number one, have I trusted in Jesus Christ and Jesus alone for my salvation? Am I trusting his death, burial and resurrection to be my sin payment so that when I die or when I am raptured out of here, when one of those things happen when I stand before God, will my sins be paid for by Christ’s blood or will I have to give an account for them?
That is one of the reasons you are here today.
Another reason you might be here today is because you know people who have rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ. They have never trusted Jesus. And now you have an opportunity to intercede for them and say, “Lord, I do not want them to die and go to hell. I want them to be born again. God, give me the words to speak. Give me the gospel to preach. Give me the opportunities so that I can give them the truth before it is eternally too late.”
When the books are opened, there will be Christians who will be ushered into heaven and will be rewarded greatly for their service for the Lord.
When the books are opened, there will be Christians who go into heaven, and they are not greatly rewarded, but they will suffer great loss because they did not add to their faith after they were saved. They will go to heaven. But the Bible says, yet so as by fire.” Then there will be unbelievers, small and great, who have rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ, thinking that they. could merit salvation by being a good. person, by who their parents were, by going to church, by being baptized, by being the good neighbor, by just hoping that their good will outweigh the bad. And those people will be judged according to their works. And God will say, “Depart from me, for I never knew you.” And for all eternity they will burn in a lake of fire.
Now, the question is in closing today, what will your lot be when the books are opened?
Will you be rewarded for those things that you have done for Christ? Or will you suffer loss because of the opportunities that you squandered? When the Lamb’s Book of Life is opened, will your name be there, or will it not be?
When the books are opened.
Job chapter 16 and verse number 19. Job, you know, the man who got a lesson on patience. He said this when talking to his friends. He said also, now behold, my witness is in heaven and my record is on high. And what he was saying there is what you see. You do not know what you’re talking about. You have no ability to judge me by what you see. Because my witness is in heaven. My record is on high. He knows my heart. He knows that I have trusted Him. He knows that I am saved. And when it comes time for the rewarding, He will take care of that. That is what Job said.
I wonder what your lot will be the day the books are opened.
Ilya, I am so thankful that when the books were opened, they said, “You can graduate.” Kyle, I am really thankful that they said, “You can graduate.” We did not know, did we? Not until Friday morning. But the books were opened, and they said, “Yes, he can graduate.” I do not know if there are any Gold Star families in here today where their loved one has paid that ultimate sacrifice and given their life, but when the books are opened, they say, “Yes, they were an active service member who died in the line of duty.” These family members are awarded the Gold Star because that is what happens when the books are opened.
There is a song. It is an old song, but it has some good lyrics to it. It says:
“There is a record book.
To be well known of men I may not ever be; I am sure my name will not go down in history. There will be no marble plaque to tell my good deeds, nor any great parades to honor me.
For every deed I do, for every word I say, there is a record kept until the judgment day. My name will not be lost, misplaced or overlooked for it is kept safely in God’s record book.
For there is a record book; my name is written in. It was recorded when I was born again. No one can blot it out.”
[End of provided transcript.]