Revelation 20

¹¹ 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. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. ¹³ And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. ¹⁴ Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

A throne. And books. Everything has been working toward this great moment. All of life, indeed all of history, comes down to this.

The Great White Throne Judgment

We now come to the Great White Throne judgment that follows the millennial reign of Christ.

¹¹ 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. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. ¹³ And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. ¹⁴ Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

There are a couple of issues surrounding this judgment we need to consider.

First, we need to note that the images we find here are derived, at least in part, from Daniel’s earlier images of divine judgment. For instance, in Daniel 7 we find a description that is very similar: a throne, the presence of the Lord, the color white, and books.

⁹ “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. ¹⁰ A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.

Five chapters later, in Daniel 12, we find a reference to a book, singular, also used in judgment.

¹ “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. ² And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

The great controversy surrounding this final judgment is the question of who will be present at it: all of humanity or only lost humanity?

Many suggest that all of humanity, saved and unsaved, are present in this great final judgment. John tells us in verse 12 that he “saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.” G. K. Beale points out, interestingly, that:

Strikingly, the same phrase “the small and the great” refers to all classes of believers in 11:18 and to all classes of unbelievers in 19:18, so the similar wording here may be an all-inclusive reference to both (as in 2 Chron. 15:13; Ps. 115:13; Jer. 16:6).[1]

So “great and small” or “small and great” is used in scripture to refer to (a) only the saved, (b) only the lost, and/or (c) the saved and the lost. That does not help us much but it opens up the possibility that all might be present.

On the other hand, Danny Akin believes that only the unsaved are present at the Great White Throne judgment. He appeals to the phrase “the dead” in verse 12. “John here only sees ‘the dead’,” Akin writes, “(i.e., the spiritually dead; see Eph 2:1-3), those who died apart from Christ.”[2] He believes that we must draw a distinction between the “Judgment Seat of Christ” (Romans 14:10; 1 Cor. 3:10-15; 2 Cor. 5:10) and the “Great White Throne Judgment” (Rev. 20:11-15).[3]The question, however, is whether or not “the dead” can be limited in Revelation 20 to “the spiritually dead.”

But John McCallum points to the exact same language of “the dead” to argue that this is a general judgment for all, unsaved and saved.

And all the dead are raised—all of them: “Then the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death and Hades gave up the dead that were in it; each one was judged according to his works” (20:13; cf. Dan 12:2; Jn 5:24). Some think this judgment is only for those who do not know Christ. That could be true, but I believe it is a general judgment for all people saved and lost. Both books are present: the book of life which records the names of all believers, and the book of works.[4]

So you see the confusion? The same wording can be taken in different ways.

A final proposal is offered by the customarily careful Scott Duvall, who argues that the Great White Throne judgment of 20:11-15 is just a reiteration of the destruction of Gog and Magog by Jesus and His enthroned saints earlier in the chapter.

At the end of 20:10, the drama seems to be complete with all God’s enemies vanquished. As a result, 20:11–15 can be seen to provide further details of the judgment already mentioned in 20:9. In other words, 20:4–10 and 20:11–15 are really two versions of the same event: the final judgment of the wicked. This doublet (a common literary technique in Revelation—7:1–17; 14:14–20) reinforces what has already been reported and adds detail about the judgment of the wicked, especially as it relates to the images of war/battle, courtroom/judge, and reigning as priest-kings. According to this reading, believers will not stand before the great white throne to face judgment. God has already judged the eternal destiny of his people by raising them from the dead and giving them resurrection bodies. If a person experiences resurrection, they will never be condemned! This reading accords well with the immediate context (e.g., believers are raised at the return of Christ—19:14; 20:4–6) as well as the teaching of the rest of the New Testament (e.g., Matt. 24–25; 1 Thess. 4–5; 2 Thess. 1; 2 Pet. 3). None of those facing judgment in 20:11–15 will have their names included in the book of life. Those whose names are recorded have already been raised from the dead and made ready for eternal life in the new heaven and new earth. In many ways, 20:4–10 offers the positive side of final judgment, while 20:11–15 presents the negative side.[5]

I must say that I do think Duvall offers a very interesting proposal and that the argument concerning Revelation’s penchant for doublets is persuasive.

Regardless of how you unpack this, one thing that is not controversial is the stark contrast between those who come under the wrath of God and those who are saved. Simply put, John writes:

¹⁵ And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

It is interesting to note that even a liberal commentator like Eugene Boring has to acknowledge the stark reality of what John has written here. Boring writes:

It is futile to attempt to escape the conclusion that John has some scenes of damnation for the unfaithful. The “second death,” the place of torment beyond the “first” physical death, awaits not only the transcendent powers of evil (dragon, beast, false prophet, death [I Cor. 15:28!], and hades) but unfaithful human beings as well.[6]

To be sure, Boring goes on to argue that he believes in universal salvation, but he does so against the clear witness of Revelation 20. This hesitation to affirm the unpleasant reality of hell in light of the clear witness of scripture is lamentable. Dorothy Sayers summed up the situation nicely when she wrote:

There seems to be a kind of conspiracy, especially among middle-aged writers of vaguely liberal tendency, to forget or to conceal, where the doctrine of hell comes from. One finds frequent references to the “cruel and abominable doctrine of hell,” or “the childish and grotesque mediaeval imagery of physical fire and worms…”

But the case is quite otherwise; let us face the facts. The doctrine of hell is not “mediaeval”: it is Christ’s. It is not a device of “medieval priestcraft” for frightening people into giving money to the church: it is Christ’s deliberate judgment on sin. The imagery of the undying worm and the unquenchable fire derives, not from “medieval superstition,” but originally from the Prophet Isaiah, and it was Christ who emphatically used it…One cannot get rid of it without tearing the New Testament to tatters. We cannot repudiate Hell without altogether repudiating Christ.[7]

I believe that is the truth of the matter. I believe with verse 15 that “if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

And I believe this point is what makes the various controversies and questions surrounding this judgment to be a bit moot. While we may quibble about who exactly will be in the Great White Throne judgment, there is absolutely no question about the ultimate end of the judgment.

The Books and the Book.

In truth, John utilizes fairly simple imagery in Revelation 20 to make a clear and simple point. It is, again, imagery that is found earlier by Daniel. I am talking about the books and the book. The images are found in verses 12 and 15.

¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

¹⁵ And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Books and a book. A pile of books and a lone book

Consider the books, first. They are opened and recorded in them are the deeds of man. Everything you have done.

Everything.

Every thought.

Every deed.

Every bad word.

Every dishonest act.

Every bit of gossip.

Every time you lusted.

Every time you stoked the flames of your own bitterness.

Every time you wished for brutal revenge.

Everything you have done.

Everything.

Perhaps you try to console yourself. Perhaps you say, “Ok. I have a lot of bad written in there, but surely it is balanced out with the good, right? It says that all my deeds are recorded there. So that must include the righteous deeds.” But just as you say this, the words of Isaiah 64 appear:

⁶ We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

“But,” you protest, “surely I have done some good, right? Surely I have contributed something that might count toward the positive side of the ledger?” And as you say this the words of Genesis 6 appear:

⁵ The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

And then the chilling thought hits you: what if we are so corrupted by sin that our base intentions pollute even our good deeds? What if a lurking sense of arrogant satisfaction makes even our virtues corrupt? Can it be? Can it really be that we are really that dead in our sin? And just as you think this the words of Genesis 2 appear before you:

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Dead. We are dead in our sins.

And no sooner have you caught your breath from this than the words of Romans 5 hit you like lightning:

¹² Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned

And suddenly you realize why this pile of books is taller than that one book: because most of humanity refuses to acknowledge the unbelievable sin debt we owe. Most of humanity lives its life in willful blissful ignorance of the enormity of our crime against heaven.

Look at that pile of books! Now ask yourself this: is it not the case that the record of your sin piles up high to Heaven? Is it not the case that you have built a veritable Tower of Babel throughout your life?

But perhaps in your own pride you reach out for one last desperate bit of hope. “Maybe God has not seen the enormity of my sin! Maybe God does not truly know just how bad my record…” And this time you cannot even finish the sentence, for, before you do, the words of Genesis 4 thunder from the heavens:

¹⁰ And the Lord said [to Cain], “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.”

Ah! Our sin cries out to God! So perfect and holy and beautiful is God that His intent for us cannot be violated without a vociferous cry of protest from creation itself. (Thus, Romans 8:22, “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.”) God hears the groaning and crying of His distressed creation, creaking and wounded beneath the weight of the words of these books.

Here, in these books, are all the dastardly and devious deeds of lost, profligate, sinful, hard-hearted, rebellious, prodigal humanity! See here our sin! See and weep! Everything we have ever done! Everything! Everything! Everything!

But no sooner have we said this than that little phrase from Revelation 20:12, right in the middle of that verses, comes before our eyes:

¹² Then another book was opened, which is the book of life.

What is this? Yes, there is “another book.” And it too is opened. And it is “the book of life.”

This book. We have seen glimpses of it before in scripture. Do you remember when Moses called out to God on behalf of sinful Israel in Exodus 32? He says:

³² But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.

Paul appears to make reference to it in Philippians 4 as well.

³ Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

And what of the names written in this book? If the books of deeds leads to death, what of this other book? In Revelation 20 we read:

¹⁵ And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

It is the book of life, in contrast to the book of death and judgment. And what do we know of this book of life from Revelation? We know that those written in this book of life are a saved and changed people who are granted entry into glory. In Revelation 21 we read:

²⁷ But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

In Revelation 3 we learn whose book it is. Here, Jesus, speaking to the church of Sardis, says:

⁵ The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.

So the book belongs to Jesus and in the book we find the names of Jesus’ followers. But Revelation 13 gives us one more vitally important insight:

⁸ and all who dwell on earth will worship it [i.e., the first beast], everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.

The description—“the book of life of the Lamb who was slain”—is key. It tells us not only that the book is Christ’s book but it also shows us the way that we get our names entered into the book of life: “the Lamb who was slain.”

This is the book, then, of the crucified Christ, and it is only through the crucifixion of the Lamb that any can be recorded therein. In other words, this is the book of grace, the book of salvation, the book of mercy. All who come in faith to the crucified Lamb have their name written in His book…and it can never be erased! Now we understand the words of Paul in Ephesians 2:

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

We do not get to boast! We boast only in Christ! For we see and understand that the book of life actually is a book of works as well…but only one work: the work above all works, the perfect work, the complete work, the only work that was worked without arrogance or haughtiness, a work of pure, undiluted love. I speak of the work of Christ submitting Himself to the cross.

In fact, we are saved by a work: the work of Christ on the cross!

But how can the one great work of the crucifixion of Jesus undo the many, many, many wicked works of our hearts and hands? Paul tells us in Colossians 2:

¹³ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Ah! Do you see? The one work of this book outweighs the many works of these books! The cross is weightier than our sin for on the cross Jesus took our sin debt and canceled it with his blood! He paid the price for it!

Our works condemn us!

His work saves us!

Is your name in His book?

Repent and trust in Him and He will write your name in His book!

 

[1] Beale, G. K.; Campbell, David. Revelation (p. 460). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Kindle Edition.

[2] Akin, Danny. Exalting Jesus in Revelation. (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary) (p. 349). B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[3] Akin, Danny, p.348.

[4] McCallum, John. Revealed: The Sweeping Story of Revelation. (pp. 128-129). Kindle Edition.

[5] Duvall, J. Scott. Revelation (Teach the Text Commentary Series) (pp. 288-289). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

[6] Boring, M. Eugene. Revelation. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching (p. 212). Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. Kindle Edition. Nonetheless, Boring concludes: “Yet this scene as a whole must be placed alongside scenes of the universal salvation of God…which place its message in the proper perspective without neutralizing it.” (p. 213)

[7] Quoted in Akin, Danny, p. 352-353.