The Bible

 

Åbenbaring 20:4-15 : The Great White Throne

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4 Og jeg så Troner, og de satte sig dem, og Dommermagt blev given dem; og jeg så deres Sjæle, som vare halshuggede for Jesu Vidnesbyrds og for Guds Ords Skyld, og dem, som ikke havde tilbedt; Dyret eller dets Billede og ikke havde taget Mærket deres Pande og deres Hånd; og de bleve levende og bleve Konger med Kristus i tusinde År.

5 De øvrige af de døde bleve ikke levende, førend de tusinde År vare til Ende. Dette er den første Opstandelse.

6 Salig og hellig er den, som bar Del i den første Opstandelse; over disse har den anden Død ikke Magt, men de skulle være Guds og Kristi Præster og skulle være Konger med ham i de tusinde År.

7 Og når de tusinde År ere til Ende, skal Satan løses af sit Fængsel.

8 Og han skal gå ud for at forføre Folkeslagene ved Jordens fire Hjørner, Gog og Magog, for at samle dem til Krig; deres Tal er som Havets Sand.

9 Og de droge frem over Jordens Flade og omringede de helliges Lejr og den elskede Stad. Og Ild faldt ned fra Himmelen fra Gud og fortærede dem.

10 Og Djævelen, som forførte dem, blev kastet i Ild og Svovlsøen, hvor også Dyret og den falske Profet var; og de skulle pines Dag og Nat i Evighedernes Evigheder.

11 Og jeg så en stor, hvid Trone og ham, som sad derpå; for hans Åsyn flyede Jorden og Himmelen, og der blev ikke fundet Sted for dem.

12 Og jeg så de døde, de store og de små, stående for Tronen, og Bøger bleve åbnede; og en anden Bog blev åbnet, som er Livets Bog; og de døde bleve dømte efter det, som var skrevet i Bøgerne, efter deres Gerninger.

13 Og Havet afgav de døde, som vare i det; og Døden og Dødsriget afgave de døde, som vare i dem, og de bleve dømte, hver efter sine Gerninger.

14 Og Døden og Dødsriget bleve kastede i Ildsøen. Dette er den anden Død, Ildsøen.

15 Og dersom nogen ikke fandtes skreven i Livets Bog, blev han kastet i Ildsøen.


The Project Gutenberg Association at Carnegie Mellon University

Commentary

 

What about Judgement Day?

By Jeremy Simons

“And 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.” Revelation 20:11

The Element of Judgment

In many ways, judgment is a part of every occasion, and the greater the occasion the more significant is the judgment. The celebration of an achievement or milestone is a form of judgment, as is the reaching of a decision. Simply having the state of things clarified through discussion and the sharing of information is a form of judgment. The element of judgment may not be obvious, but this is one of the ways that life moves forward in the never-ending process of growth and change.

In Revelation, chapter 20, John sees a great white throne. What does it represents in our lives? This throne stands for the end of suffering for those who were originally seen as hidden under the altar at the beginning of the book – good people persecuted in an unjust world. The throne is a final decision-point, a clear sight of the way things are and ought to be. Our topic is what this means for us and the perspective it provides on the concept of judgment that so frequently comes up in the Word.

More than any other scene in Revelation the Great White Throne is the picture of the Last Judgment – the dead, small and great, standing before God. In its context this is a happy scene. The forces of evil have been overcome and put in their place. People have been set free. Immediately afterwards John sees the Holy City New Jerusalem descending to earth. God in His infinite power has set things right.

Yet, it's a scene that can produce anxiety, too. It can be seen as contributing to an idea of God as one who looks at you like a stern judge, who evaluates you and who probably finds you wanting. Will you someday stand before that throne? This is the picture in John's vision, but it's a picture of things that happen internally, not literally. Judgment is not what people think that it is, nor does it happen in the way that many people believe. New Church teachings give us a beautiful way to think about it, a way that is helpful to both groups and individuals as we all move forward in life.

Explaining Revelation 20

Our reading from Revelation 20 began this way:

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4)

This describes good news about the judgment.

The “thrones” here stand for the truths of the Word seen clearly (Apocalypse Revealed 845). Judgment is said to be “committed to them” because when you see the truth clearly it becomes the basis for better decision-making.

The souls of those who were raised up, who lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years, refer to good people who have been oppressed by injustice:

“To live and reign with Christ for a thousand years does not mean literally for that time, but rather that these people had for a long time already been a part of the Lord’s kingdom, even though they had been oppressed.” (Apocalypse Revealed 849).

When you are a part of the Lord’s kingdom you are said to “reign” with Him because you love Him, you cooperate with what He does, so you are joined with Him.

One of the frustrating things about life in this world is that we are all individuals with our own ideas, we each have a limited understanding of the truth, and we therefore do not agree about what to do. Things happen that we may oppose, or fail to happen that we may advocate.

This passage is urging us not to be discouraged. If we depend on the Lord and put our trust in Him we as it were “reign” with Him no matter how wrong things seem to go or how ignored or persecuted we may feel. This isn't to say that we will get our way in the end, but that we acknowledge that the Lord, not us, is in charge, that we trust in Him, and that we want what He wills. The reading goes on to say:

“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ.” Revelation 20:6

Being part of the “first resurrection” means nothing more than worshiping the Lord and living by His commandments – which is to be re-born or regenerated. The “second death” has no power over these people because this refers to spiritual death, or damnation. They are said to be “priests of God” because to be a priest means symbolically to be kept in the good of love and the truths of wisdom (Apocalypse Revealed 852-854).

This is saying that the most important thing is your priorities, what you value, and what you base your life on. This is what determines what happens as things move ahead.

Then we come to the part about the throne itself:

“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.” Revelation 20:11

The throne is the decision-point. Our reading explained that the throne is “white” because it is about the truth, and “great” because it is good. The “earth and heaven fled away” because the false heavens, or our own false ideas about what is good, cannot exist when they are exposed for what they are. Good choices are not made until the truth is seen.

The Book of Life

And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” Revelation 20:12

It sounds so much here as though the Lord judges you by reviewing your life and sentencing you to a reward or punishment accordingly. The “dead, small and great” stand for “people of every condition and character” (Apocalypse Revealed 866). Their being judged according to their works means “according to the inner life in each person’s outward appearance” (Apocalypse Revealed 868).

The “books” that are opened, and the “Book of Life” have this meaning:

“The books do not mean books, but the interiors of the minds of those being judged. The books symbolize the interiors of the minds of those who were evil and who received a verdict of death, and the Book of Life symbolizes those who were good and who received a verdict of life. The interiors are called books because the interiors of everyone's mind have inscribed on them everything the person thought, intended, said and did in the world that proceeded from his will or love and so from his intellect or faith. All of this is inscribed on everyone's life so precisely that nothing at all is lost.” (Apocalypse Revealed 867).

The point that is being made here is that the judgment is completely fair because it takes into account everything that a person has ever thought, intended, said or done. Nothing is lost because your inner mind retains everything that ever happens to you.

Judgment

But we are still left with the image of standing before a throne of judgment. This is where the greater teachings about how judgment works come into play.

The message of the Heavenly Doctrine is that if the Lord was seated on a great white throne in the inner chancel, and if you were to stand before Him, you would be standing before someone who loved you with every fiber of His being. He would not call to mind any fault in you, disapprove of anything you have ever said or done, or point out any areas to work on. He loves you just the way that you are. Similarly, if the entire church body were to stand before this throne His aspect would be the same.

The concept that the Lord is a judge in the same way that a courtroom judge sentences criminals, or even as a teacher or supervisor assesses student or employee performance, is faulty. It is a useful way to communicate the idea that the Lord governs and that there are consequences, and so the Word portrays it like that. But the truth is that this is not how judgment works.

Many passages in the Heavenly Doctrine point out that judgment is simply the individual choices of each person. You choose what you want to believe, what you want to love and what you want to do (Heaven and Hell 548). What is called “judgment” is individual and group decision-making. People decide how to spend their time, and the rest follows. The pursuit of each person’s interest is what brings people together and separates them. On a large scale these decisions are part of what determines the success or failure, the happiness or unhappiness of cultures, nations, and organizations. Every decision has consequences, and the cumulative results make up each person’s state of happiness.

Good choices from good intentions bring happy results, imperfectly in this world, but much more perfectly in each person’s life as time goes on – and especially in the next life. This is how the Lord brings about what is called judgment. What is special about the final judgment represented by the Great White Throne – and what is special in the New Christian Church - is that the choices are made with an opportunity to have a full understanding of what is true.