Section 20:11–15
God judged the dead
In this section, John saw God sitting on his throne. God judged all people according to what they had done. If they had not followed God, he threw them into the lake of fire. These people did not have their names in the Book of Life.
Other examples for this section heading are:
The Judgment at the Great White Throne (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
The dead were judged
Paragraph 20:11–15
20:11a
great: The throne is probably called great because it is large, beautiful, and important. It is an important throne because it belongs to God.
throne: A throne is the official chair of a king. When the king is seated on his throne, he rules over his people and his country. Therefore, the word is used as a symbol for his authority to rule. Here the word throne refers to the place from where God rules.
See how you translated this word in 1:4.
the One seated on it: The word One refers to God here.
In some languages a literal translation would wrongly refer to someone other than God. If that is true in your language, you may want to refer to God in your translation. For example:
God who was seated on it
-or-
God, the one seated on it
20:11b
Earth and heaven fled from His presence: This clause is figurative language that describes the disappearance of the earth and sky. It pictures everything being cleared away, perhaps in the sense of clearing out God’s courtroom in preparation for the judging of all people. Other ways to translate this clause are:
Earth and sky left his presence
-or-
In his presence, earth and sky vanished (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Earth and sky ran away from him (New Century Version)
Earth and heaven: Here this phrase probably refers to the whole universe. So all the things in the sky, such as the sun, moon, planets, and stars, are included here. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
all that God created/made
-or-
earth and sky ⌊and all that is in them⌋
-or-
the universe
from His presence: This phrase is emphasized in the Greek. If possible, emphasize this phrase.
20:11c
no place was found for them: This clause probably indicates that the earth and sky had completely vanished (as in 21:1b). Other ways to translate this clause are:
there was no room for them any more (Revised English Bible)
-or-
were seen no more (Good News Translation)
-or-
disappeared (New Century Version)
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