You Can’t Hide

George Mulholland holds the record for the longest prison escape. The Australian was convicted of stealing a police baton during a riot in Victoria. In 1928, he was thrown in prison but picked the lock and escaped to Sydney. Authorities weren’t hunting for him when, 58 years later, he showed up at a Melbourne city jail to give himself up. The 80-year-old was quickly pardoned.

You can run, so goes the saying, but you can’t hide. Today’s verse goes to even greater lengths than all the stories of manhunts in human history. It’s one thing to finally catch a criminal alive, but in this case, all the wicked who have ever lived will be brought before the Judge of the universe. Even “the sea gave up the [unrighteous] dead who were in it.” Not even “Death and Hades” could hold back the guilty from appearing in heaven’s court.

The second resurrection of unbelievers, as this verse reveals, is thorough, complete, and universal. Not a single person who has rejected God can escape heaven’s tribunal. The word “Hades” is interpreted as “hell” in the KJV. This certainly cannot be an eternally burning place for sinners, for why would they be taken out of such a place to be brought before the great white throne? Rather, this word refers to the grave.

We learned earlier in Revelation that Christ holds the power over death (Revelation 1:18). Jesus can not only raise the righteous, but also the wicked. And, like Adam and Eve, they stand in “naked shame” (Micah 1:11) before the Lord. Nothing is hidden, and each is judged “according to his works.” Imagine the regret, the remorse, and the humiliation.

These prophetic pictures in Revelation are not given to make us run and hide but to motivate us to turn ourselves over to Jesus, who will pardon us and cover us in His righteousness (Isaiah 61:10).

Dear Jesus, I have nothing to hide from You. Your eyes can see every stain of sin in my life. Forgive me and cover Me in Your perfect white robe of righteousness.

For Further Study: Genesis 3:8–11; Psalm 139:7–12; Luke 13:28

Key Bible Texts

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (Revelation 20:13 KJV)