Revelation 20:15<\/a>. \u201cAnd a book is opened, which is the Book of Life, and whoever doesn\u2019t have their name written in the Book of Life is cast into the Lake of Fire.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cThat\u2019s the judgment for the non-believer. If you end up there, there\u2019s no turning back. It\u2019s the final judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then Laurie addressed \u201cthe judgment for Christians,\u201d telling his congregation to \u201cthink of it more as an awards ceremony where we\u2019re awarded for our faithful service to the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laurie further drew a parallel to the awards people get for athletic achievement or degrees for academic success, noting that some awards are just handed out for participation.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod didn\u2019t save you so you would just say, \u2018Thanks for my salvation, I\u2019m going to live my life and I\u2019ll see you later,\u2019\u201d he continued. \u201cWhen I\u2019m saved, I realize God has a plan for my life. Now, my primary purpose for existence is to bring glory to God.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to be the best version of you. I need to be the best version of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laurie emphasized that \u201cif you\u2019re a Christian, you\u2019ll stand at the judgment seat of Christ,\u201d and in that situation should not \u201cpanic\u201d because \u201cthat\u2019s when rewards are given out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if you\u2019re a non-believer, you\u2019ll stand at the Great White Throne Judgment and there\u2019s no second chance after that,\u201d Laurie warned. \u201cThat\u2019s why you want to decide now what you\u2019re going to do. You decide in this life where you will spend the afterlife.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laurie stressed that \u201cit\u2019s not going to be how good of a life that you live,\u201d taking issue with the belief that one is saved if \u201cmy good deeds outweigh my bad deeds.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that based on? I have no idea, but it\u2019s not in the Bible,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s no reason whatsoever to believe something like that, but so many do believe it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI would challenge this: Do your good work really outweigh your bad works? Do they really? I don\u2019t think they do,\u201d Laurie added, noting that \u201cHeaven is not for good people, Heaven is for forgiven people.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pastor also encouraged believers to lead a transformed life after being saved, noting that a true believer produces good \u201cspiritual fruit\u201d seen in \u201cthe way you live\u201d as a Christian.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople should be able to see by your fruit, by your actions, by your works, that you are a Christian,\u201d Laurie said.<\/p>\n
Laurie\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
In a sermon<\/a> preached earlier this month, Laurie offered three possible explanations for why the United States is not mentioned in Revelation, including the final battle at Armageddon.<\/p>\nLaurie\u2019s reasons included the U.S. being destroyed in a nuclear war, the nation simply declining as all countries eventually do, or the nation experiencing a great revival in which, because of the rapture, few people are left behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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