Revelation 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.”?
John 5:22?, “For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son.”
In the book of Revelation, we find that John the Revelator many times changes the scenes. Sometimes these scenes take us ahead of what he has just described; sometimes he takes us back to a time before. Many times, he takes us back to the same time period but with a different perspective. These changes are preceded with “then I saw,” “then I looked,” “then I heard,” etc.
Revelation 20:11 is a stand-alone verse. The “great white throne” is Messiah’s. The color white indicates that the one seated on the throne will have a pure and upright character, wisdom, and the peaceable fruits of righteousness. The throne is described as great because of the large magnitude and scope of its authority. Christ will have full power to dispense justice and judgment without partiality.
The setting of verse 11 is the initial establishment of Christ’s Kingdom. Christ is judging all the systems of this present evil world both civil and ecclesiastical (heaven and earth). Daniel 2:44, “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”
The one that sits upon this throne is “The Christ” – Jesus being the Head and the church being his body. It is they who will reign (be on the great white throne) during the thousand-year day of judgment. For God has committed all judgment to the son. Faithful Christians who conform to the image of the Son shall also reign with him. 2 Timothy 2:12, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him…” Revelation 5:10, “And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”
Christ reigns (sits on the throne and judges) until He has eradicated all evil. Then He will turn the restored earth and mankind back over to God. 1Corinthians 15:24-25, 28 (NKJV), “Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all (opposing) rule and all authority and power (in opposition to God’s law of righteousness). For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. . .Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.”
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