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11 And[kai] I saw[eido] a great[megas] white[leukos] throne,[thronos] and[kai] him that sat[kathemai] on[epi] it,[autos] from[apo] whose[hos] face[prosopon] the earth[ge] and[kai] the heaven[ouranos] fled
away;[pheugo] and[kai] there was found[heurisko]
no[ou] place[topos] for them.[autos] KJV-Interlinear
11 And I saw
a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and
heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. NASB
When history has been completed, all sinners, all peoples who have rejected Christ as their savior, will be resurrected in the last and most sobering judgment of all time. This will be the last court appearance, the last court proceeding. After this proceeding, there will never again be a need for a court appearance, and never again the need for a judge to decide a case.
In Gen 3:4, Satan told Eve, 'Surely you will not die,' implying that there will not be a judgment, a judgment that even Eve had known about, for she was taught in the Garden along with Adam, from the beginning.
Though they were the first of perhaps trillions of people to be born into history, and though no sin had yet taken place, both Adam and Eve knew the principle of sin and death, and the consequences of their decisions, 'do not eat of the fruit.'
And so Satan has attempted to deceive all of humanity throughout history, that there are no consequences to your decisions.
Atheists believe that they live as they please and then they cease in their existence.
Evolutionists believe that all has happened by accident and that life is an ongoing process of adjustment and improvement.
Liberal thinking follows this same principle, making everything relative and ever changing, making things like a constitution and/or laws subject to the principle that they deem reasonable at any given moment. That is, those in power decide, and those not in power have to live with it.
Religions face life with many variables of human righteousness and goodness, making things right subject to that which is in the heart or in sincerity, thus human good takes precedence over divine good.
Cults entertain sin as the reward of behavior. Many virgins or wives, or many rewards for killing infidels are promoted, rather than integrity and basic truth.
The Bible is not a cult, not a religion, not a nothing philosophy, but a relationship with God through Christ.
The Bible promotes Gods righteousness and Gods justice, demanding perfection of Gods integrity and sinless existence, and demanding justice against all that is not true and good. His work is perfect and all his ways are just, Deut. 32:4.
When righteousness is compromised and sin in any form is allowed in, then the only destiny is disaster. And so, while all are looking to the stars and the next generation of conquering the universe and imaginary villains, or while all are looking to the utopia of health care, acceptable unemployment, social justice, or things that are not possible, then time advances forward at a steady pace, second by second, year by year, and will eventually end as these last several chapters of scripture have painted for us.
Our present dispensation will continue and will end with a great apostasy seizing all of society worldwide.
The Rapture will occur like a thief, in the midst of apathy, taking all by surprise.
The Tribulation will open the door for mindboggling stupidity and unimaginable suffering.
And will end with the greatest and bloodiest war ever.
Christ will rule for 1000 years with prosperity and growth that too will zoom off the charts.
But by the end of the Millennium, a huge population will still reject Him in person even as He was rejected in the First Advent, in person, and will follow Satan totally clueless as to who he is.
History will end and then the last and final court appearance for all unbelievers will occur.
And now John describes a Great White Throne. Great because of its significance and authority and power and finality. White because of its purity and holiness and rightful authority. And it is a throne because it represents the sovereignty of the final and highest authority in all of heaven and creation.
It is the resurrection of judgment, Jn. 5:29, the judgment of God, Rom. 2:5, the final judgment, Psa. 9:7-8, Dan. 7:9-10.
And the one who sits on the throne, is the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Jn 5:22, 26-27, the one who has been appointed to judge, Acts 10:42
The John describes an incredible event. The earth and the heaven fled away.
This is not the final destruction of the universe as we know it, but sort of a clearing of the courtroom so to speak, as this final hearing is set to unfold.
In one swift and phenomenal event the world and all that is around us will be removed. If that does not open up the eyes of folks, then nothing will.
And why will the world be set aside? Because all unbelievers have placed their trust in the world, in their things, in their own plans, which do not exist beyond this world. And now suddenly there is nothing for them to rely or place their trust.
This is the ultimate of realities. All of your plans, all of your hopes and dreams, all that you are or own, will cease to exist, and before you and everyone, will be nothing. Nothing to be, nothing to own. Nothing to claim as superior. Nothing to claim as qualifying you as better or smarter or wiser.
All of our possessions will exist in the next life in the next universe. Nothing from this life or world will survive into the next. Just as sin cannot continue into the next life, most likely all that we know from this world will not be repeated in the next universe. The next universe will be far better.
So, John describes the setting. The final throne, the Great White Throne, and a cleared courtroom made ready for those who are the accused.
If you have believed in Christ, then you will be only a spectator.
If you have not believed in Christ, then you will be hauled in before the greatest judge, facing a judgment that will never end, from which there is no probation, no termination. And all because you did not think or believe six little words during your entire life, 'Father, I believe in Jesus Christ.'
Who could risk a horrible outcome for their life over those simple words?
