Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Revelation 20:11

"And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them." — Revelation 20:11 (ASV)

John describes in vivid pictures the sixth last thing , the final judgment of humankind. Unlike many of the vivid, imaginative paintings based on this vision, here John describes a strange, unearthly scene. Heaven and earth flee from the unidentified figure who sits on the majestic white throne. The language of poetic imagery captures the fading character of everything of the world . Now the only reality is God seated on the throne of judgment, before whom all must appear (Hebrews 9:27). His verdict alone is holy and righteous (the symbolism of “white”). Since vv.11–12 make use of the theophany of Da 7:9–10, the one seated on the throne is presumably God himself; but since 22:1, 3 mention the throne of God and of the Lamb, it may well be that here Jesus shares in the judgment . God has kept the last judgment in his own hands. This vision declares that even though it may have seemed that earth’s course of history ran contrary to his holy will, no single day or hour in the world’s drama has ever detracted from the absolute sovereignty of God.

But who are “the dead” (vv.12–13)? Earlier in the chapter, John has mentioned the “rest of the dead” who are not resurrected till the thousand years are completed (v.5). While no resurrection is mentioned in vv.11–15, the dead are probably those who did not participate in the first resurrection. Since the second death has no power over those who were raised in the first resurrection (v.6), only the enemies of God now stand before this throne .

A moment of tension arrives. The books are opened. It is sobering to ponder that in God’s sight nothing is forgotten; all will give an account of their actions (v.13). Divine judgment always proceeds on the basis of human deeds (Matthew 25:41ff.; Romans 2:6; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 4:12–13), recorded in the “books” (v.12). John is probably alluding to Da 7:10. We are not told whether these books contain both good and evil works or only the latter. John is more concerned about another book, the book of life, which alone seems to be decisive (vv.12, 15; cf. 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 21:27). How can judgment by works and eternal life given by grace be harmonized? There is no conflict. Works are the unmistakable evidence of the loyalty of the heart; they express either belief or unbelief, faithfulness or unfaithfulness. The judgment will reveal whether or not one’s loyalties were with God and the Lamb or with God’s enemies. John’s theology of faith and its inseparable relation to works is the same as Jesus’ and Paul’s (Romans 2:6ff.). This judgment is not a balancing of good works over bad works. Those who have their names in the Lamb’s book of life will also have records of righteous deeds. The opposite will also be true. The imagery reflects the delicate balance between grace and obedience (cf. comments on 19:6–8).

Three broad places are mentioned as containing the dead: the sea, death, and Hades (v.13). The sea represents the place of unburied bodies while death and Hades represent the reality of dying and the condition entered on at death (cf. 1:18; 6:8).

The imagery suggests release of the bodies and persons from their places of confinement following death; i.e., it portrays resurrection. They rise to receive sentence (Jn 5:29b). Death and Hades are personified (cf. 6:8) and are cast into the lake of fire, to be permanently destroyed (cf. 19:20; 20:10). This not only fulfills Paul’s cry concerning the last enemy, death, which will be defeated by the victorious kingdom of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:26), but also signals the earth’s new condition in 21:4.

In the final scene in this dark and fearful passage (v.15), it is clear from the specific Greek form of “if” that John uses that some people will be thrown into the lake of fire. We might paraphrase the verse: “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, and I assume there were such, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” When taken seriously, this final note evaporates all theories of universalism.