Will Christians be at the great white throne judgment?

There will be a final judgment just before God creates the new heaven and the new earth.

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life.

And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.

This is the second death, the lake of fire.  And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.  (Revelation 20:11-15)

Books containing a record of what the dead had done will be opened and the dead will be judged by what is written in them.  Another book, the book of life, will be opened and anyone whose name is not written in it will be thrown into the lake of fire.

If it is being in the book of life that determines who does into the lake of fire, what is the reason for examining everyone’s works?  The only reason for this would be to determine the severity of each person’s punishment.

Will Christians be among those being judged?  There are two reasons that we will not be in this judgment.

The first is that this is a judgment of the dead and we will have been resurrected before this time.

Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.  (Revelation 20:6)

The second is that our works will have already been judged at the judgment seat of Christ.

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 

If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.  If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.  (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)

I don’t know when this judgment will take place but it will certainly be before the great white throne judgment.

Whether we spend eternity in the lake of fire or the new earth is determined before we die by whether we have repented of our sins and put our faith in Jesus Christ.  The only reason for a judgment after death is to determine the reward or punishment we have earned by what we have done.

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