The Great White Throne: Revelation 20:11-15

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it.

A throne. Great—massive, dominating. White—pure, holy, unapproachable in righteousness. Him—the One, the Judge, the final authority.

The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.

Earth and heaven fled. The creation itself retreated from the Judge's presence. No place for them. The old order dissolved. Space itself made way.

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened.

The dead. All of them. Great and small—no distinction of rank, no privilege of status. Standing—raised from death for this moment. Books opened—records kept, nothing forgotten.

Another book was opened, which is the book of life.

The book of life. The names of the redeemed. The roll call of grace.

The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

Judgment by deeds. What was done was recorded. What was recorded was the basis. The books contained everything.

The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them.

The sea—those lost in its depths. Death—those who had died. Hades—those in the realm of the dead. All yielding their inhabitants. No one missing from judgment.

And each person was judged according to what they had done.

Individual judgment. Each person. According to what they had done. Personal accountability, universal scope.

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.

Death itself—thrown into fire. Hades—the grave, the holding place—thrown in. The last enemy destroyed. Death died.

The lake of fire is the second death.

The first death ended physical life. The second death is final, permanent separation from God. The lake of fire is its name.

Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

The criterion. Not written in the book of life—thrown in. The books of deeds condemned; only the book of life could save. And names were either there or not.

The great white throne. The final assize. Every human standing before the Judge. Books open. Verdicts read. Destinations assigned.