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.
Parallel translations
- WEB I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. There was found no place for them.
- BSB Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it. Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.
- NKJV Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
- NASB Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled, and no place was found for them.
- NLT And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
John sees God on a great white throne, before whom heaven and earth flee away. The final judgment of all creation is at hand.
Overview
The 'great white throne' signals purity, majesty, and unassailable authority as God prepares to judge. Heaven and earth fleeing pictures the old order passing away before the Creator (cf. 21:1; 2 Peter 3:10). The scene presents God as the final Judge of all, a role Scripture also assigns to the exalted Christ (John 5:22; Acts 17:31).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 22
- Rev 21:1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
- 2 Pet 3:7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
- Matt 25:31When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
- Dan 2:35Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
- 2 Pet 3:10–12But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
- Rom 2:5But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
- Acts 17:30–31And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
- Jer 4:23–26I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
- Ps 9:7–8But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.
- Rev 16:20And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
- Matt 24:35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
- Rev 6:14And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
- Ps 47:8God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.
- Rev 12:8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
- Ps 89:14Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
- Ps 97:2Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
- Rev 20:2And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
- Rev 19:11And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
- Job 9:6Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
- Rev 4:2And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
- Ps 14:6–7Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the LORD is his refuge.
- Gen 18:25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
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Christ at the center
Revelation ends the story with the slain-yet-standing Lamb who is worthy, the Lion of Judah, the Alpha and Omega, the returning King who makes all things new and dwells with his people forever.
How Revelation 20:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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