The Great White Throne Judgment

Revelation 20:11–15
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We find here the “great white throne judgment” which will come at the close of the millennium. The purpose of this judgment is to judge the wicked dead. From other Scripture it seems that all the righteous dead have been raised before this time. This would have included the Old Testament Saints, the dead of the Great Tribulation and the church saints. The great white throne apparently is located neither in heaven nor earth but in space as suggested in verse 11 where it says “earth and heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.” The judge must be Jesus Christ Himself as John 5:22 says the Father has given all judgment into the hands of the Son. While Christ is now seated on the throne in heaven he will be seated on the Davidic throne on earth during the Millennium.

The basis for judgment concerns the works of the people (vv. 12-13). All final judgments deal with works whether it is the works of Christians who are rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ or the works of the unsaved which are in view here. The book of life will be opened to show that no name of anyone standing before the throne is written in it. Rejection of the Savior results in this judgment. The physical bodies of the unsaved will be joined with their spirits for this judgment regardless of how far a body has disintegrated. The result of this judgment is that all of those who stand there will be cast into the lake of fire forever. The death of men on earth is only temporary and all men will either be resurrected to life eternal or the lake of fire.

Application

The facts presented in this Scripture are a great motivation for me to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth before it is too late, regardless of the cost.