Great White Throne
The Great White Throne is the scene of final judgment described in Revelation 20:11–15. It refers to God’s decisive judgment of the dead before the final state.
At a Glance
The Great White Throne is the scene of final judgment described in Revelation 20:11–15. It refers to God’s decisive judgment of the dead before the final state.
Description
The Great White Throne is the name commonly given to the judgment scene in Revelation 20:11–15, where John sees a great white throne, the dead standing before it, books opened, and the dead judged according to their works, with anyone not found written in the book of life thrown into the lake of fire. In conservative evangelical understanding, this passage teaches the certainty, righteousness, and finality of God’s judgment at the close of history. The term itself comes from this apocalyptic vision, so interpreters should be careful not to claim more detail than the text clearly gives. Orthodox Christians generally agree that this is a final judgment of the wicked and a public display of God’s justice, though they differ on how it relates to other judgments mentioned in Scripture and on the sequencing within broader eschatological systems. The safest conclusion is that the Great White Throne refers to God’s final judicial judgment as revealed in Revelation.