“‘He said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water'” (Revelation 14:7 CEB).
This angelic pronouncement here in Revelation 14:7 is brief, but contains some helpful insights for those who are willing to consider this passage carefully. For example, this verse references the hour of God’s judgment. While “judgment” is a subject we often prefer to avoid, we should be aware that the Scriptures speak of two different types of judicial actions that will take place in the future.
One of those judicial actions has come to be known as the “Great White Throne Judgment” of the unrighteous dead that will appear later in Revelation 20:11-15…
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (Revelation 20:11-12),
This passage tells us that “…the dead, both small and great” will undergo this judicial review. This descriptive phrase tells us that social prominence, peer recognition, power, wealth, or status will have no impact upon that call to judgment. You see, who we are now will not matter in that eternal court; the critical factor will be what we are now.
On the other hand, God’s people will face a different type of judgment. That judicial proceeding will feature Jesus’ testimony as mentioned earlier in Revelation 3:5: “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels” (see also John 6:37-39, John 10:27-28, and Romans 8:33-39).
With this in mind, we may take comfort in the fact that God will not judge His people on the question of their salvation; instead, they will be called to account for how they used the skills, talents, abilities, gifts, and opportunities He provides for them now. As 2 Corinthians 5:10 reminds us, “…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” (NIV).
Thus we would do well to heed the reminder given to us in Proverbs 5:21: “God is closely watching you, and he weighs carefully everything you do” (TLB).