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In Revelation, we see that a book, which contains a record of the actions that each person has done in his or her life, is opened before the throne of judgment when the time comes for God to judge human beings. According to what is written in the book, God will examine the whole course of our lives on this earth—whether we have done right or wrong and whether we have done good in obedience to God’s will or we have done evil, and He will judge each of us according to our deeds.
So, every moment given to us each day is very important. As for those whose record of actions is filled with evil deeds, God will judge and punish them for their evil deeds. We should fill every moment of our lives given to us each day with beautiful deeds, so that the heavenly record of our actions will be filled with good deeds.
As recorded in the books
These days, the arrest rate of offenders is increasing in South Korea as well. It is because secretive mass surveillance systems such as CCTV view and record the activities of individuals. Even something trivial like shaking one’s fist at another or raising one’s voice is recorded on CCTV. So, the person who has committed an offense cannot help but confess it all immediately after seeing the recorded CCTV images.
The activities of individuals are recorded precisely by such systems on this earth. How much more precisely are our deeds being recorded before God?
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 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. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Rev 20:11–15
The above verses say that each person will be judged according to what he has done. Mother also taught us about this at an educational gathering which was held recently. She said that our every thought and action would be fully exposed and recorded before God.
Actually, Mother always gave us that teaching, but when I heard it that day, it had a much bigger impact on me than before. What deeds will be found written in the record of our actions when we go back to heaven?
The record of Mary’s actions, where good deeds are written
We can find many verses about actions in the Bible. The four Gospels, including Matthew, record the beautiful deeds of Mary.
While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Mt 26:6–13
Mary poured an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume on the head of Jesus. Then Judas Iscariot became very angry and said that it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. He did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he wanted to have the money that the perfume could have been sold for. That is why the Bible describes him as a thief (Jn 12:1–8). Jesus did not rebuke Mary for what she did, but rather commended her, saying, “Wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Suppose that this beautiful deed of Mary is completely written down in the heavenly record of her actions. To be precise, it is actually recorded in heaven. If you were given the right to judge Mary according to the record of her actions, would you judge her to heaven or to hell? Jesus has already judged that what she did is a good deed and should be told wherever the gospel is preached.
The record of Judas Iscariot’s actions, where evil deeds are written
The Bible shows that whereas there are such records of actions where good deeds are written down, there are also the records of actions where evil deeds are recorded.
When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him. Mt 26:2–4
Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. Mt 26:14–16
Judas Iscariot met up with the wicked who tried to arrest and kill Jesus, and haggled with them over the blood price for the betrayal of Jesus. From then on he watched for an opportunity to hand Him over, and finally he took the lead in killing Jesus.
While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. Jesus replied, “Friend, do what you came for.” Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. Mt 26:47–50
Through the Bible we now see some part of what is written precisely in the heavenly record of actions. Judas Iscariot who committed such an evil act came to a miserable end.
. . . and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus—he was one of our number and shared in this ministry.” (With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, ‘May another take his place of leadership.’ ” Ac 1:16–20
So, Judas Iscariot was excluded from the glorious ranks of the Twelve Apostles, and a man named Matthias took his place (Ac 1:21–26). Judas Iscariot ended up betraying Jesus; his betrayal didn’t help him accumulate wealth or live a more comfortable life on this earth. Such is the end of the wicked. They are primarily judged for their wrongdoings on this earth, and they will be judged according to what they have done as written in the record of actions when they go to the eternal world.
Would you judge Judas Iscariot to heaven if you look at the record of his actions? Jesus said of Judas, “It would be better for him if he had not been born.” Considering these words of Jesus, we can definitely see where his final destination is.
What each person does is written down in the record of his or her actions
There are not only the records of actions for Judas Iscariot and Mary. The Bible says that God will judge each person according to what he has done as recorded in the books.
Since our every deed is recorded in the heavenly record of our actions, we need to think about what we should do in our daily lives, so that the record of our actions can be filled with beautiful deeds. Please think carefully about whether you will shrink from your God-given mission to preach the gospel or have a passionate faith in the gospel or whether you will quarrel with brothers and sisters or be considerate of them and become united beautifully with them.
If we have done immature deeds and they have been written in the record of our actions until now, from now on let us fill it with mature and fruitful deeds. Let’s take a look at another verse about deeds.
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ‘sinner.’ ” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the LORD, “Look, LORD! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.” Lk 19:1–9
Zacchaeus was very happy to have Jesus in his house, and said to Him that he would give half of his possessions to the poor, and that if he had cheated anybody out of anything unwittingly, he would pay back four times the amount. Jesus was also so happy that Zacchaeus welcomed Him joyfully, and blessed him with salvation.
All the deeds of people like Zacchaeus, who honored Jesus and did good, are fully written down in the heavenly record of actions. Even at this moment, the angels in heaven are diligently writing down our deeds in the record of our actions.
When we examine the history of the dynastic period, we see that even the crown prince who inherited the blood of the king wasn’t unconditionally appointed to be king. If he behaved badly, he was dethroned. In the same way, even though we are the children of heaven who have inherited the flesh and blood of God, if the record of our actions is filled with more wicked deeds than those of the people in the world, God will separate us from the righteous and exclude us from the saved (Mt 13:47–50). If God did not do that, there would be no need for us to be faithful, even to the point of death, or to walk the right path of faith.
If you think that you can be saved even though you just remain indulging in worldly pleasures like the people in the world, you are greatly mistaken. God will judge each of us according to what we have done.
The record of actions in the desert period and a lesson for us
The Bible also records in detail what the Israelites did while wandering in the desert for 40 years. God watched everything they did on their journey from Egypt to Canaan after they celebrated the Passover. He put them in difficult situations in order to know whether or not they would obey His words, whether or not they had the fear of God in their hearts, and at every moment God examined and judged them.
Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers. Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land . . . Dt 8:1–10
God made the Israelites go through many sufferings for 40 years in order to know what was in their hearts, whether or not they would keep His commands; God humbled them and made them suffer sometimes from thirst and sometimes from hunger. Then everything in their hearts was completely laid bare. Some people were caught up in worshiping idols, some in sexual immorality, some in testing God, and others in grumbling, and they were all destroyed in the end (1 Co 10:1–12). Among the six hundred thousand men twenty years old or more, there was no one except Joshua and Caleb whose deeds were beautiful and worthy enough in God’s eyes to allow them to enter Canaan. As a result, only two people—Joshua and Caleb—endured and survived from that generation and entered the land of Canaan.
God tells us not to be like those who were destroyed in the desert. He wants us to fill the record of our actions with more beautiful deeds, taking a lesson from the record of their actions.
Today, at this very moment, let us examine ourselves to see if we are living a life of obedience to God’s laws and degrees or if we fear anything other than God or if our hearts are captivated by something else. God puts us in various situations, and He selects those who realize they are sinners from heaven—spiritual prisoners on death row—and live a life of repentance in all those situations, giving thanks to Him for forgiving their sins through His holy sacrifice and opening the glorious way for them to go back to heaven, their eternal home.
Spiritually we are all sinners. So, let us repent of our sins completely, and preach diligently wherever we are—students at school, workers in their workplaces, and housewives in their neighborhood—since God has given us the mission of preaching the gospel so that we can lead all people in the world to repentance. By doing so, let us record the beautiful “New Acts” for us in our given situations, so that the record of our actions can be filled with gracious deeds.
What judgment and condemnation does Judas Iscariot deserve, and what kind of blessings and rewards does Mary deserve? Not only the deeds of Mary and Judas Iscariot but also the deeds of the Israelites 3,500 years ago are all written down in the record of their actions, and the deeds of us all in this age are now being written in the record of our actions. Instead of grumbling, let us always try to find things to be grateful for and follow the Lamb wherever He leads us while fearing God and keeping His commands, decrees and laws with respect for them, so that the record of our actions can be filled with gracious deeds. Since God has told us to be the salt and the light to the world, let us lead people in the world to the right path through our good deeds as the worthy children of God and always strive to carry out the mission of preaching the gospel to save the whole world whether the time is favorable or unfavorable. By doing so, let us fill the heavenly record of actions with beautiful deeds.