What Will Happen to You on Judgment Day?

When you stand before God, what will you point to for confidence—your own righteous character or Christ’s righteousness?

Many people feel anxious about judgment day. Do you? It makes sense; after all, we’ll all face it someday. We naturally wonder, “Have I done enough? Have I truly lived up to God’s standards?” Perhaps you also worry about whether you’ve become the person God expects you to be, or if you’ve fully magnified the talents he’s given you. Maybe you’re concerned that God will be disappointed if you haven’t reached your full potential.

The Bible vividly describes what judgment day will look like. In Revelation, the final book of the Bible, we see a scene where books are opened:

“The dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Revelation 20:12).

These books contain a record of our lives—everything we’ve done and said. That’s a sobering thought. God’s standard is perfection, and anything short of that perfection means judgment:

“Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

That description sounds frightening because deep down, we know our records aren’t perfect. If our confidence is in our own striving, obedience, or progression, we’ll always wonder if we’ve done enough or become good enough.

But the Bible gives us another way—a different hope.

Consider King David, a man the Bible calls “a man after God’s own heart.” David wasn’t perfect; he made serious mistakes. Yet, he confidently prayed:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

David wasn’t confident because of his own goodness or because he’d fully lived up to his potential. Instead, he found confidence because he trusted in God’s mercy and forgiveness. The apostle Paul explains this clearly:

“David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” (Romans 4:6-8).

Think of it this way: standing before God is like entering a courtroom. If you point to your own life as your defense, every imperfection, every flaw, every sin will count against you. But what if there were another way? What if someone stood beside you, someone whose record was perfect, who fulfilled every commandment and never sinned? That’s exactly who Jesus is. His flawless life becomes your defense when you trust in him.

The Bible explains it beautifully:

“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight… but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested… even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe… Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:20-24).

In simpler terms, no matter how hard you strive, you can’t earn God’s approval—but Jesus did it for you. His perfect righteousness becomes yours through faith alone. When you trust in him, God no longer sees your imperfections; he sees only Christ’s perfect record covering you completely.

This truth is pictured in another book mentioned in Revelation—the Book of Life. It’s called:

“The book of life of the Lamb slain” (Revelation 13:8).

Jesus, the Lamb, was perfect. When you rely fully on his life, you’re described as “clothed in white” (Revelation 3:5), and through faith, your name is “written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27).

Imagine approaching judgment day clothed not in the stained garments of your own efforts, but wrapped securely in the spotless robe of Jesus’ righteousness. When you trust entirely in Jesus’ perfect life instead of your own efforts, you have nothing to fear. You already know the verdict: forgiven, accepted, beloved.

So let me ask you: What will you trust in on judgment day? Your striving, personal worthiness, and the pressure to fulfill your potential—or Jesus’ perfect life given freely to you?

By trusting in Jesus alone, you can look forward to that day with joyful confidence.