Chapter
Verse
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Revelation 20:11

ESV Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them.
NIV Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.
NASB Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled, and no place was found for them.
CSB Then I saw a great white throne and one seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from his presence, and no place was found for them.
NLT And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide.
KJV And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
NKJV Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.

What does Revelation 20:11 mean?

The throne mentioned in this verse is not the same one mentioned in Revelation 4. That throne was surrounded by a rainbow, symbolic of mercy and everlasting life. Here, John sees a white throne, symbolic of the purity of the One who sits on it. Our Savior and Lord sits on this kind of throne because it is the seat of judgment. Acts 17:31 predicts a coming time of judgment "by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." This "man" must be Jesus, whom God raised from the dead.

The presence of the Judge on the great white throne causes the earth and sky to flee away. Perhaps the judgment takes place somewhere in outer space, and while it convenes, earth and sky pass away (2 Peter 3:10–13). Bible teachers are divided in their speculation of whether the earth and the heavens will be destroyed or renovated. The word describing the "new" heaven and earth in Revelation 21:1 indicates freshness and might suggest a renovated heaven and earth.

The events described here serve to remind us that God is not "only" loving and merciful, He is also holy, pure, and righteous. Every single sin, of every size and type, must be judged and punished—either through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, or an eternity in hell (John 3:16–18; Romans 6:23).
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