Grace and peace to you in the name of our Risen and Reigning King Jesus. Amen.

Daniel gives us a short, but very powerful vision of the all-powerful God, described as "the Ancient of Days." "As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. (Daniel 7:9-10)

Christ, Our Lord, King, and Judge, we eagerly look forward to the day we will see you face to face. Until that times, help us to get ready for your coming by daily reading your Word and regularly partaking of your Holy Supper. Through these gracious means, forgive our sins, strengthen our faith, and empower our resolve to live a godly life for you. We eagerly await your summons to eternal life. We are excited about your coming because we know that you died so that we might live with you now and with you forever. Amen.

A politician awoke after an operation and found the curtains in his hospital room drawn. "Why are the curtains closed?" he asked the nurse. "Is it night time already?" "No," the nurse replied, "But there’s a fire across the street, and we didn’t want you to wake and think the operation was unsuccessful."

Hell is a very real place. It is not someplace where you want to end up for eternity.

Still, there are those who deny the reality of hell. On my favorite TV show, Mythbusters, one of the hosts wears a T-shirt that says, "I reject your reality and substitute my own." I think that is many people’s reaction to hell. I have met people who deny the reality of everlasting punishment. They don’t believe that a loving God would send someone to hell. There are many in this world who feel that this life is a party that should be lived to the fullest with no repercussions. Many think that it doesn’t matter what you believe in, as long as you are sincere. Many feel that if they reject hell’s reality, they can substitute their own reality that there is no hell. But, no matter how strongly you believe something, that doesn’t make it true.

This morning as we focus on the Last Judgment we see that it definitely does matter what you believe. It does matter who you profess as your Savior from sin. It does matter who you know. It matters because it’s who you know that determines where you go. If you know God the Father and Jesus as your Savior, then you are going to heaven. If you know and trust in anybody else as your god and savior, then you are going to hell. Daniel’s powerful vision is a sobering reminder of the seriousness of God’s judgment and justice. It is also a wonderful reminder of God’ s love and mercy.

At the outset we should remember that Daniel was not seeing an actual, literal representation of what God’s throne looked like. The visions in the books of Daniel and Revelation are intended to be rich in symbolism. Interpretation of every detail is not as important as recognizing the point that the visions are to make.

In this vision, Daniel saw a heavenly courtroom, one that was equipped with thrones, symbols of kingly authority. The courtroom proceedings were conducted by one called "the Ancient of Days." This unusual title, used only here in Scripture, emphasizes the mystery that God is eternal. He’s different from the constant shuffling of kings and kingdoms here on earth. His authority is constant while earthly authorities are constantly changing. He was there at the beginning of creation and will be there after the destruction of the universe.

The Ancient of Days took his seat on one of the thrones. We learn later in Daniel’s vision and also John’s Revelation that the other throne was for the Lamb, God’s Son, Jesus Christ. They are at the center of the multitudes of angels.

The Ancient of Days appears in his royal splendor. God appears in white clothing, which is a biblical image for righteousness and purity. This shows that the Ancient and his Son have the moral right to condemn all sin and sinners. The hair, white as wool, is an image chosen to portray the king’s age; he is a distinguished ruler, one who has been around, one who will not be fooled.

The Ancient appears on his throne in flaming fire. Even the wheels are ablaze. This is a war chariot. Justice was often executed right on the battlefield following a victory. Isaiah uses the same imagery in chapter 66:15-16: "See, the LORD is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword the LORD will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the LORD."

God will bring down swift and strong justice on those who disobey him. He will bring his righteous punishment on those who have rejected his free forgiveness offered in his Son’s death. God’s enemies – the atheists, the pagans, the unbelievers, the hypocrites – all of these enemies will be wiped out in the battle. Believe me, you won’t want to be one of God’s enemies on the Day of Judgment.

A friend of mine worked with a man who once said, "When I die I know I am going to hell, but I also know that my friends are going to be there with me and it is going to be an eternal party!" The Bible describes hell as weeping and gnashing of teeth, outer darkness, eternal punishment, unquenchable fire, and eternal separation from God’s presence. That doesn’t sound like much of a party atmosphere.

Non-Christians often ask the Christian, "But how can the God of love allow any of his creatures to suffer unending misery?" The question really is, how can he not? The fact that God is love makes hell necessary. God is both loving and just. Christian author, E. L. Mascall once said, "Hell is not compatible with God’s love; it is a direct consequence of it." That was his way of stressing the fact that the very God who loves us is the one who respects our decisions. He loves us, but he does not force his love on us. God allows us to accept his love or reject it. He loves us, he encourages our response, he woos us, he pursues us, he urges us, but he does not force us, because he respects us.

The Bible says that God wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth, but some are not willing. Those who willingly reject God have thereby willingly rejected a home in heaven. They have instead chosen a home in hell for themselves. Those who did not want to worship God here on earth will not be forced to worship him for eternity. God will honor their choice and send them to a place where he is not present. He will send them to the lake of fire – hell. Those who reject the gift of God’s Son will feel divine wrath. God’s fury is not to be trifled with. The anger of a holy, just, omnipotent, and infinite Being is above all things to be feared.

God appears with white hair and white and holy clothing. He is seated on a chariot-throne of fire. He is called the Ancient of Days. He is described in his royal splendor. Know the Ancient of Days in his royal splendor. It’s who you know that determines where you go.

The emphasis shifts slightly now from what the Ancient looks like to what he will do. Know the Ancient of Days in his royal authority. In his royal authority God judges from his throne. In the vision a river of fire was flowing out from the throne. The throne and its wheels were flaming with fire. Fire is destructive. It burns things up, especially trash and useless waste. This fire is a vivid image of God’s law, his holy hatred against all unrighteousness and his holy ability to destroy it. Fire is the ultimate fate of all who rebel against him. No enemy of God will be able to escape the river of damning fire that flows from the war chariot-throne of the Ancient of Days.

Thankfully, though, that fire-flow from the throne will not be directed at everyone. When the Lord has brought vengeance on his enemies that fire will then become a river of life. John tells us in his revelation of heaven: "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city." (Revelation 22:1) As believers in Christ, we will escape the awful punishment of God’s enemies. We won’t be with the goats on the left. Instead we will be with the sheep on the right. We will be standing in the river of life.

The Ancient of Days and his Son are seated in the court ready to pronounce judgment. A court needs to have its books, its records of the defendant’s previous criminal activity and the formal charges against him, as well as records of the evidence for or against him. Obviously the omniscient God doesn’t need to have all these things recorded on paper in order to remember the sins of the billions of people in the world. Books, though, are symbolic of a judgment that will be scrupulously fair and absolutely without error. Every unbeliever will know exactly what he did and know that his judgment is precisely what he deserved.

John writes in Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. Those who refuse what Jesus has done for them will be judged on the basis of their own actions. If we are found on the side of the unbelievers, all our sins that we have committed will be read in public. All that we have hidden shall be revealed. Every thought of sin, every secret curse, and every hidden deed of selfishness – we will see them all again on the Day of Judgment. It will be made perfectly clear that we have fallen short of God’s demand for perfection. Who of us wants that?

The other book that God will use is the family register of the names of his people. Only those who claim to have forgiveness and perfection won by Christ will be able to stand before the throne of the Ancient of Days. Only those washed by the blood of the Lamb and clothed in his righteousness have their names in the book of life. As believers in the Lamb of God, our names are written in the Book of Life. And only our names are written, none of our weaknesses, failings or sins will be recorded. Only our names will be recorded because our sins have been washed by the blood of the Lamb.

This past month, Bert Sass, Mabel Nakiewich, Lorraine Rohner, Mary Pirk, Evelyn Riegelman, Rhoda Trautman, Elizabeth Heckel, and Sharon Peterson were called home to heaven. Their names were all graciously written in the Book of Life. Your name is written there, too. In the same way that we have you sign the guest register at church and take attendance, God keeps a record of all those who have been invited to his eternal kingdom, who is there, and who is still coming. We are all on the invitation list for the greatest and longest party of all time.

The Ancient of Days has offered you full and free forgiveness in his Son, Jesus. Accept the gift of salvation. Believe in Jesus as your Savior from sin. God prepared hell for the devil and his demons. Human beings were never meant to go there. But if people choose to reject his Son and thereby say that they desire hell, God will honor their choice. However, if you know that the Ancient of Days loves you and believe that he has given the Lamb to be your perfect sacrifice, you won’t be going to hell. Instead, you will be rescued. Your name will be written in the Book of Life. You will be on Jesus’ right as a sheep. You will be standing before the Ancient’s throne in the river of life ready to enter the paradise of heaven that the Ancient of Days has prepared for you.

Know the Ancient of Days as your God. Who you know determines where you go. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:9 God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰ He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Amen.