The Great White Throne

John saw a great white throne and the one who sat on it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled, and no place was found for them (Revelation 20:11). The text does not say the specific physical appearance of the one on the throne. John witnessed the dead, great and small, standing before the throne while books were opened, including another book described as the book of life (Revelation 20:12). The dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.

The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead (Revelation 20:13). Every person was judged according to their deeds. The text does not say the specific dialogue spoken by the judge or the judged during these proceedings. Following this judgment, Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire, which is identified as the second death (Revelation 20:14).

Any individual who was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:15). The text does not say the names of those who were excluded or the duration of time the judgment took to complete. The vision concludes with the finality of this casting into the lake of fire, based strictly on the records found within the opened books (Revelation 20:12-15).