“Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them” (Revelation 20:11 ESV).
The Apostle John wrote these words to the seven churches in Asia Minor, providing a prophetic vision of the culmination of human history. He observed a scene of terrifying holiness where the current universe “fled away” in the presence of the Creator. John identified this “Great White Throne” not as a courtroom for a trial, since the rejection of Christ had already secured the verdict, but as a place of final sentencing for the “great and small.” He contrasted this “second resurrection” of the unbelieving dead with the “first resurrection” of the righteous. While the righteous appeared before the Bema, which is the judgment seat of Christ, (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10), for ceremonial rewards and crowns, John saw those at the Great White Throne facing the “second death,” standing before a Judge whose righteousness left no room for excuses or escape.
We must grapple with the sobering reality that every one of us is on a trajectory toward one of two specific appointments. While the modern world often attempts to dismiss the idea of divine accountability, we recognize that Scripture leaves no middle ground: it is appointed for us once to die, and then to face the judgment (cf. Heb. 9:27). For us as believers, this passage should not spark a spirit of superiority, but a profound urgency to share the gospel with the lost. We are reminded that our appearance before the Bema seat is a celebration of grace and a distribution of rewards because Christ already bore our sentence. However, for those without Him, the Great White Throne remains a looming reality. This truth compels us to share the Gospel faithfully, understanding that every person we meet is heading toward one of two resurrections, one of two judgments, and one of two destinies.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we thank You for the gift of justification through Your Son, which frees us from condemnation. We ask for Your heart for the world, that we would not be silent about the truth of the coming judgment. Grant us boldness to point others toward Jesus as Lord and Savior, so they may escape the second death. May our lives reflect the gratitude of those who have been saved by grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.