Welcome to the last post in our series on Revelation chapter 20. In our last post, we learned about what happens when Satan has served his 1,000 year prison sentence and is then let out of prison. In our last post of the series, we’re going to learn about the Great White Throne of judgment and about a new heaven and a new earth. It’s really interesting. You won’t want to miss it! 

Revelation Chapter 20: Satan’s Imprisonment, the First Resurrection, and the Second Death

Third in a Three-Part Series
by Karen Thompson

The Great White Throne Judgment
A New Heaven and New Earth

Rev. 20:11 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. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

After the last and final purging of earth’s rebels and after Satan has been thrown into the lake of fire, John described the next scenario. It is the great white throne judgment. John begins by saying,“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” (v. 11). There are two important elements in this verse: 1) a great white throne and Him that is sitting on it, and 2) the fact that the earth and the heaven fled away. Let’s first talk about the earth and heaven fleeing away.

A New Earth and a New Heaven

One of the important elements in this verse is the phrase “from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.” The earth and heaven flees away from the face of God? What does this mean? To answer this question, we have to jump to the first verse of the next chapter where it says, “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away” (Rev. 21:1). The old earth and the old heaven will flee away because a new earth and a new heaven will come forth. Fortunately, we know what the new earth and new heaven will be like because the prophet Isaiah prophesied about it.

In chapters 65 and 66, Isaiah prophesied about the new heaven and new earth saying: “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord” (Isa. 65:17–25).

And also, “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord” (Isa. 66:22–23).

The apostle Peter also talked about a new heaven and a new earth that will be righteous in 2^nd Peter chapter three: “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Pet. 3:12–13).

Peter tells us the difference between the new heavens and new earth from the old heavens and old earth is that the new will be righteous. Isaiah prophesied that the troubles and distress the Israelites experienced in the old heaven and the old earth will be a thing of the past. They’ll no longer experience persecution; they’ll no longer have enemies. There will be a new heaven because Satan and his demonic principalities will no longer occupy earth’s atmosphere. God’s heavenly angels will now occupy the heavens above earth. Finally, God the Father will, once again, dwell with them as He did before. The new earth and new heaven take place after Jesus’ millennial reign and after the great white throne judgment.

The Dead Are Judged

Now let’s look at the other important element in verse 11 when John said he saw “a great white throne, and him that sat on it….” Let’s go on and read verse 12: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” We are now reading about the great white throne judgment. This takes place after the 1,000 years of Jesus’ millennial reign and after the period when Satan was let out of the bottomless pit and went forth to deceive the nations for “a little season” until he was thrown into the lake of fire. We don’t know exactly how many years go by until the second resurrection takes place because we don’t know the length of time a “little season” will be. Nonetheless, judgment time has come for those who were not part of the first resurrection.

Books are opened! John then tells us the purpose of the books being opened: “the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.” These books will contain the “works” of the people that are standing before the great white throne about to be judged. They will be judged according to what is written about them in the books. It’s fascinating to know that throughout our lives, all of our works, or deeds, are being recorded in books in heaven. If people were cognizant of the fact that nothing they do is done in secret, that God sees all and knows all, they would live their lives much differently.

Books were opened and then John said, “and another book was opened, which is the book of life.” Here we have the famous “book of life.” On earth, the most famous book is the Bible. But in the Bible, the most famous book is the book of life. I’m not sure we know everything that is in the book of life, but we do know that it contains the names of those people who love God and are faithful to Him.

In fact, the first time we read about the book of life in Revelation is chapter three. It is one of the overcomer’s rewards: “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life…” (Rev. 3:5). What is significant about this statement is that it says the overcomer’s name will not be “blotted out” of the book of life. A couple of questions come to mind. First of all, what kind of life is being recorded in this book? Is it a record of when a baby is born into the earth? When does a person’s name become blotted out and why?

Let’s look at a couple of places that talk about the book of life. In Exodus chapter 32, Moses is praying to God, asking Him to forgive the people after they had sinned against Him by making the golden calves and worshiping them. Moses is praying to God saying that if He doesn’t forgive them, then He might as well blot his name out of the book of life. Verse 31 says, “And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book” (vv. 31–33). Moses seemed to be under the impression that he could trade his life for that of his countrymen. But the Lord set Moses straight on the qualifications for being removed from the book of life: only those that have sinned against Him does He blot out of His book of life. Every man is held accountable for his own sins.

The book of Daniel talks about those that are found in the book of life will be delivered. Daniel chapter 12 says, “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan. 12:1–2). Notice in verse two, it says depending on whose names are in the book of life, some will be resurrected to everlasting life but some to shame and everlasting contempt!

What is believed about the book of life is that every person that has ever been born on earth has had his or her name entered into the book of life. Not receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior will cause your name to be blotted out of the book of life. 

The Second Resurrection

Let’s look at the last three verses of chapter 20: “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:13–15).

Verse 13 is a description of the second resurrection: “the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them….” This is saying that all those people who died in the water will come forth out of the sea to stand before God’s great white throne to be judged. Those that died and went to hell will also come forth in a resurrected form to stand before God to receive their judgment. This is a judgment of all those who died outside of Christ. They will stand before God, the books will be opened, and they will be judged according to what is written about them in those books. But verse 15 tells us that regardless of what was written in the books, if a person’s name is not found in the book of life, they will be thrown into the lake of fire.

Death, the Last Enemy

Let’s look at verse 14: “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” Being thrown into the lake of fire is the second death. One of the overcomer’s rewards is that they will not experience the second death.

The very last thing that is thrown into the lake of fire is death and hell. First Corinthians chapter 15 confirms to us that death is the last enemy: “The last enemy to be subdued and abolished is death”(1 Cor. 15:26 Amp.). This portion of 1^st Corinthians is speaking about the events in Revelation. After Jesus has put all powers and authorities under His feet, He will then deliver the kingdom to God the Father. After that, verse 26 says the “last enemy to be subdued and abolished is death.” This is exactly what we’re seeing in Revelation chapter 20. After the great white throne judgment takes place and everyone that was not found in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire, that’s when the last enemy, death, is thrown into the lake of fire. After death is thrown into the lake of fire, God the Father will dwell among His people as when He dwelled with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

This is extraordinary. No more death and no more hell. It will be paradise on earth. No one except Adam and Eve has ever experienced living in paradise. When this happens, mankind will have experienced a full circle, beginning and ending in the same place.

The Bible is all one story. The ending of the last part of the Book reads like the closing to the story that began in the first part of the Book. Things that mankind lost because of the fall in the beginning of the Book are restored to mankind at the end of the Book. Negative consequences that came as a result of the fall in the beginning of the Book are removed at the end of the Book. The most important thing is that God Himself will once again dwell with mankind.

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