Bird's-eye view
Here, at the end of Revelation 20, we arrive at one of the most solemn and majestic scenes in all of Scripture: the final judgment. After the millennial reign, the final rebellion of Satan, and his ultimate defeat, all of history is brought to its final consummation. This is not a preliminary hearing or a regional judgment; this is the ultimate assize for all of humanity. John sees a great white throne, the absolute symbol of purity, power, and authority. The one who sits upon it is so overwhelmingly holy that the current created order, stained by sin, cannot endure His presence and effectively dissolves. This is the un-creation of the old order to make way for the new heavens and new earth.
Before this throne, all the dead, from all stations of life, are resurrected and assembled. The books are opened, which contain the detailed record of every human life, and judgment is rendered according to deeds. This establishes the perfect justice of God; no one is condemned arbitrarily. However, another book is opened, the book of life, which is the decisive book. The ultimate question is not the content of one's works, but the status of one's name. Those whose names are in the book of life are saved on the basis of Christ's work, not their own. Those whose names are not found there are cast into the lake of fire, which is defined as the second death, the final, eternal separation from the life and grace of God. This passage definitively settles the end of all things, demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty, perfect justice, and saving grace.
Outline
- 1. The Final Assize (Rev 20:11-15)
- a. The Unveiling of the Throne (Rev 20:11)
- b. The Dissolving of the Old Creation (Rev 20:11)
- c. The Resurrection of the Dead (Rev 20:12a, 13)
- d. The Judgment by Works: The Books Opened (Rev 20:12b, 13b)
- e. The Judgment by Grace: The Book of Life (Rev 20:12c, 15)
- f. The Final End of Death (Rev 20:14)
- g. The Sentence of the Second Death (Rev 20:14-15)
Context In Revelation
This passage is the judicial climax of the entire book of Revelation and, indeed, the entire Bible. It follows the binding of Satan and the millennial reign of Christ with His saints (Rev 20:1-6), and the final, brief rebellion and swift destruction of Gog and Magog (Rev 20:7-10). With Satan, the beast, and the false prophet now in the lake of fire, the only remaining loose end is the final judgment of humanity. This scene provides the ultimate resolution to the problem of evil and injustice in the world. It sets the stage for the final state of glory described in chapters 21 and 22, the new heavens and new earth where righteousness dwells. Without this final, universal judgment, the story of redemption would be incomplete. God must not only save His people but also demonstrate His perfect justice in His dealings with all His creatures. The Great White Throne judgment is the moment where every account is settled before the new creation is ushered in.
Key Issues
- The Identity of the Judge
- The Relationship Between Judgment by Works and Salvation by Grace
- The Nature of the Book of Life
- The Meaning of the "Second Death"
- The Symbolic Nature of "Lake of Fire"
- The Resurrection of the Just and Unjust
- The Dissolution of the First Heaven and Earth
The Court of Final Appeals
Every human legal system is flawed because it is administered by flawed men. There is always a higher court, another appeal, another potential for a miscarriage of justice. But the scene John describes here is the end of all that. This is the supreme court of the universe, from which there is no appeal. The Judge is omniscient, so no evidence can be hidden. The Judge is perfectly righteous, so no prejudice can taint the verdict. The Judge is omnipotent, so no sentence can be evaded.
The very presence of this throne is what brings history to its knees. The throne is "great," signifying its ultimate authority over all other thrones and powers. It is "white," signifying the absolute moral purity and justice of the One who sits on it. And who is the one on the throne? The Bible is clear that the Father has committed all judgment to the Son (John 5:22, 27; Acts 17:31). This is the throne of God, and it is also the throne of the Lamb. The one who came first as a Savior in humility will preside as the Judge in glory. This is the final reckoning, where every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Verse by Verse Commentary
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sits upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.
John's vision shifts to the final act of this age. The throne is great because its authority is absolute and universal. It is white because the judgment that issues from it is utterly pure, holy, and without error. The one sitting on it is God Himself, in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, the appointed Judge of all. The reaction of the created order to His presence is telling. "Earth and heaven fled away." This is apocalyptic language for a complete un-creation. The old cosmos, tainted by the fall and the long rebellion of man, cannot stand in the unveiled presence of absolute holiness. It is not annihilated in the sense of ceasing to exist, but it is dissolved, making way for the new heavens and new earth. "No place was found for them" means the old order has no standing, no place to hide, no right to continue. It has been entirely superseded by the glory of the Judge.
12 Then I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
The court is now in session. All the dead are present. Social status in the former life is irrelevant; "the great and the small" stand on equal footing before their Creator. This is the final resurrection, of both the just and the unjust (Acts 24:15). Two sets of books are brought forth. The first set, plural, are the books of works. These contain a perfect, exhaustive record of every deed, word, and thought of every person. God's justice is meticulous. The judgment is rendered "according to their deeds." This is the bedrock principle of biblical justice: God judges men for what they have actually done. This evidence will silence every mouth, proving the guilt of the unregenerate. But then, a second, singular book is opened: "the book of life." This is the registry of all those who belong to Christ, whose names were written there from before the foundation of the world (Rev 17:8). This is the book of grace, and as we will see, it is the decisive book.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.
This verse elaborates on the universal scope of the resurrection. No one is missing. Whether they were lost at sea, or their bodies are in the grave (death), or their souls were in the place of the dead (Hades), all are brought before the throne. The language is poetic and comprehensive. There is no corner of creation, no state of being, that can hide a person from this final summons. Every last person is accounted for. And again, the standard of justice is reiterated: "they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds." For the unbeliever, their works are the evidence for their condemnation. For the believer, their works are the evidence of their saving faith. The works do not save, but they demonstrate the reality of the salvation that has taken place. Good works are the fruit, not the root, of salvation.
14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.
After the dead have been given up, their former custodians are themselves judged. Death, the last enemy (1 Cor 15:26), and Hades, the realm of the dead, are personified and thrown into the lake of fire. This is a powerful symbol. It means that death itself is being put to death. The state of being dead, the separation of soul and body, will exist no more. For the redeemed, this means eternal, embodied life. For the lost, it means a different kind of existence, which the Bible here defines as the second death. This is not annihilation, but a final, fixed state of separation from God, who is the source of all life and goodness. The "lake of fire" is the Bible's ultimate metaphor for this terrible reality. It is a place of conscious, eternal ruin under the just wrath of God.
15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
This is the final, solemn verdict. After all is said and done, the ultimate issue is not the balance sheet of one's deeds. The books of works serve to demonstrate the justice of God's condemnation. But the book of life determines one's ultimate destiny. The decisive question is this: Is your name in the book? If it is, it is there by sheer, unadulterated grace, because the Lamb was slain for you. If it is not, then you stand on the record of your own works, a record which can do nothing but condemn you. The absence of one's name from the book of life is the final ground for being cast into the lake of fire. Salvation is not a matter of earning a place; it is a matter of having your name graciously written in the Lamb's book.
Application
The doctrine of final judgment is not given to us to satisfy our speculative curiosity about the future. It is given to us to shape our lives in the present. First, it is a profound comfort to the believer. We live in a world where injustice often seems to triumph. This passage assures us that a day of perfect reckoning is coming. Every wrong will be righted, and God's justice will be publicly vindicated. We can therefore entrust our cause to Him and refuse to take vengeance into our own hands.
Second, it is the most serious warning imaginable to the unbeliever. You cannot live your life in rebellion against the God who made you and expect to get away with it. There is a day of accounting, and it is coming. The throne is real, the books are real, and the lake of fire is real. The only escape is to flee to the one who will be the Judge. The Lord Jesus Christ, who will sit on that throne, is right now offered as a Savior. If you bow the knee to Him now in faith and repentance, you will not have to face Him then as your condemning judge. Your name will be found in His book, and your sins, which are many, will be remembered no more.
Finally, for the Christian, this passage should motivate us to holy living. While we are not saved by our works, we will be judged according to them. Our works are the evidence of our faith that will be brought forth on that day. As Paul says, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil (2 Cor 5:10). This is not a judgment for salvation, but for reward. Knowing that we will give an account for our lives should spur us on to live faithfully, to build with gold, silver, and precious stones, so that we may hear those glorious words from our Master: "Well done, good and faithful servant."