Wahyu 20:11-15

The Great White Throne

20:11 Then ¹  I saw a large ²  white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven ³  fled ⁴  from his presence, and no place was found for them. 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then ⁵  books were opened, and another book was opened – the book of life. ⁶  So ⁷  the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. ⁸  20:13 The ⁹  sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death ¹⁰  and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. 20:14 Then ¹¹  Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death – the lake of fire. 20:15 If ¹²  anyone’s name ¹³  was not found written in the book of life, that person ¹⁴  was thrown into the lake of fire.

Wahyu 21:8

21:8 But to the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, ¹⁵  idol worshipers, ¹⁶  and all those who lie, their place ¹⁷  will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. ¹⁸  That ¹⁹  is the second death.”

Wahyu 21:27

21:27 but ²⁰  nothing ritually unclean ²¹  will ever enter into it, nor anyone who does what is detestable ²²  or practices falsehood, ²³  but only those whose names ²⁴  are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

[20:11]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[20:11]  ² tn Traditionally, “great,” but μέγας (megas) here refers to size rather than importance.

[20:11]  ³ tn Or “and the sky.” The same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky,” and context usually determines which is meant. In this apocalyptic scene, however, it is difficult to be sure what referent to assign the term.

[20:11]  ⁴ tn Or “vanished.”

[20:11]  sn The phrase the earth and the heaven fled from his presence can be understood (1) as visual imagery representing the fear of corruptible matter in the presence of God, but (2) it can also be understood more literally as the dissolution of the universe as we know it in preparation for the appearance of the new heaven and new earth (Rev 21:1).

[20:12]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[20:12]  ⁶ tn Grk “another book was opened, which is of life.”

[20:12]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the books being opened.

[20:12]  ⁸ tn Grk “from the things written in the books according to their works.”

[20:13]  ⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[20:13]  ¹⁰ sn Here Death is personified (cf. 1 Cor 15:55).

[20:14]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[20:15]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[20:15]  ¹³ tn The word “name” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[20:15]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “he”; the pronoun has been intensified by translating as “that person.”

[21:8]  ¹⁵ tn On the term φαρμακεία (farmakeia, “magic spells”) see L&N 53.100: “the use of magic, often involving drugs and the casting of spells upon people – ‘to practice magic, to cast spells upon, to engage in sorcery, magic, sorcery.’ φαρμακεία: ἐν τῇ φαρμακείᾳ σου ἐπλανήθησαν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ‘with your magic spells you deceived all the peoples (of the world)’ Re 18:23.”

[21:8]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “idolaters.”

[21:8]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “their share.”

[21:8]  ¹⁸ tn Traditionally, “brimstone.”

[21:8]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “sulfur, which is.” The relative pronoun has been translated as “that” to indicate its connection to the previous clause. The nearest logical antecedent is “the lake [that burns with fire and sulfur],” although “lake” (λίμνη, limnh) is feminine gender, while the pronoun “which” (ὅ, Jo) is neuter gender. This means that (1) the proper antecedent could be “their place” (Grk “their share,”) agreeing with the relative pronoun in number and gender, or (2) the neuter pronoun still has as its antecedent the feminine noun “lake,” since agreement in gender between pronoun and antecedent was not always maintained, with an explanatory phrase occurring with a neuter pronoun regardless of the case of the antecedent. In favor of the latter explanation is Rev 20:14, where the phrase “the lake of fire” is in apposition to the phrase “the second death.”

[21:27]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[21:27]  ²¹ tn Here BDAG 552 s.v. κοινός 2 states, “pert. to being of little value because of being common, common, ordinary, profane…b. specifically, of that which is ceremonially impure: Rv 21:27.”

[21:27]  ²² tn Or “what is abhorrent”; Grk “who practices abominations.”

[21:27]  ²³ tn Grk “practicing abomination or falsehood.” Because of the way βδέλυγμα (bdelugma) has been translated (“does what is detestable”) it was necessary to repeat the idea from the participle ποιῶν (poiwn, “practices”) before the term “falsehood.” On this term, BDAG 1097 s.v. ψεῦδος states, “ποιεῖν ψεῦδος practice (the things that go with) falsehood Rv 21:27; 22:15.” Cf. Rev 3:9.

[21:27]  ²⁴ tn Grk “those who are written”; the word “names” is implied.