Don’t you love the parallels found in Scripture?

"I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened" (Daniel 7:9–10).

Look closer at Daniel 7:10: "The court was seated, and the books were opened." Revelation 20:12 says the same thing: "And I saw…books were opened."

This is a picture of God the Father sitting on the throne of judgment. We have the same depiction of Jesus Christ in the first chapter of Revelation, with the imagery of white hair and white robe (see vv. 13–16). But if you remember, Jesus said, "The Father…has committed all judgment to the Son" (John 5:22), so the fact that thrones (plural) are set up probably speaks of the Father and the Son united here in judgment against the Antichrist.

"Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him" (Daniel 7:27).

That’s the end of the world as we know it, and then Jesus will bring in His kingdom. All the kingdoms of men will dissolve, and this world will end. But Jesus said, "Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die" (John 11:26).

Do you know that God keeps books on everybody? And as He gets to your page, He's looking for a big "canceled" stamp across it: "Transgressions canceled by the blood of Jesus Christ." I hope it's there. I hope you're a follower of Christ and your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Because if it's not, there is enough evidence to convict you—and all of us—to eternal condemnation.

We all have to decide. At some point in the future, the world will have to make a decision. And there will be a few who will decide to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, even in the face of persecution and death.

But we can and we should decide now. Jesus said, "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad" (Matthew 12:30). If you're saying, "I'm not really against God. I like coming to church every now and then," Jesus will say, "You're against Me."

But the good news is that Jesus came to save His enemies. Jesus came to forgive every one of us so that before the court is seated and the books are opened, He can step up and say, "Father, that one's mine! That debt has been canceled."

It's both amazing and humbling that God, in His sovereignty, has graciously invited us to respond in faith, deciding to say yes or no to His offer of salvation.

God is drawing men and women to Himself. And our response should be a resounding, "Yes. I want Jesus as my Savior and as my Lord." God is in the business of rescuing people, of wiping away their past. He loves to open the book and write "canceled" over our debt.