And I saw a great white throne
This vision refers not to the Gospel dispensation, from the
exaltation of Christ to his second coming; when he sat down on
his throne at the right hand of God, and was declared Lord and
Christ; when there was a shaking of the heavens and the earth, a
removing of the Mosaic economy, and the ordinances of the
ceremonial law in Judea, and of Paganism in the Gentile world;
when the Gospel was preached to all nations, and the dead in sins
were quickened, and arose and stood before the throne of grace;
when the books of the Scriptures were opened and explained, and
the book of life was also opened; and by the conversion of some,
and not others, it was known who were written in it and who were
not, and men were judged to be alive or dead in a spiritual
sense, according to the influence the opening of these books had
upon them; and the powers of the world, comparable to a sea, and
of death and hell, were not able to hold in the dead in sin, when
they were called to life, with respect to whom death and hell
were destroyed; nor was the Gospel the savour of death to any but
to such who were not written in the book of life. This, in other
words, is the sum of Cocceius's sense of this vision; but this
affair will be over, and all God's elect gathered in by the
preaching of the Gospel, before this vision takes place: nor does
it respect the restoration of the Jews, who now are as dead, like
Ezekiel's dry bones, but will at this time be quickened, and
stand upon their feet an exceeding great army, and will be
gathered from the several parts where they are as dead; and when
it will be known by their conduct and behaviour who are God's
elect among them, and who are not; which is Brightman's
interpretation of the vision: but this, as we have seen, will
come to pass according to the vision in the preceding chapter,
before the thousand years begin; whereas this vision will not
begin to be accomplished until they are ended: it is best
therefore to understand it of the general judgment at the last
day, which is the common sense of ancient and modern
interpreters; though it seems only to regard the judgment of the
wicked, for no other are made mention of in it: the "throne" here
seen is a throne of judgment; it is called a "great" one, because
a great Person sat upon it, the Word of God, the King of kings
and Lord of lords, even he who is the great God, and Judge of the
whole earth; and because of the great work that will be
transacted upon it, the judgment of all the wicked; this will be
the greatest assize that ever was held; it is called the judgment
of the great day, and the great and dreadful day of the Lord, (
Jude 6 ) (
Malachi 4:5 )
this throne is also said to be a "white" one; just as the same
Person is said to sit upon a white cloud, and ride upon a white
horse, ( Revelation
14:14 ) ( 19:11 )
it may be in allusion either to a white and serene cloud, or to a
throne of ivory, such an one as Solomon made, ( 2 Chronicles
9:17 ) and this is either expressive of the majesty and
splendour of it, it being a throne of glory, or a glorious
throne, ( Matthew
25:31 ) or else it may denote the purity and justice of him
that sits on it, according to which he will proceed in judgment,
and finish it; his character is the righteous judge, and the
judgment he will execute will be righteous judgment:
and him that sat on it;
the throne was not empty, one sat upon it, who is no other than
the Son of God; to whom all judgment is committed, and who is
ordained to be Judge of quick and dead; and is every way fit for
it, being of great knowledge, wisdom, and sagacity, and of great
integrity and faithfulness, as man and Mediator, and being, as
God, both omniscient and omnipotent, and so capable both of
passing a right sentence, and of executing it; to which may be
added, his great majesty and glory, necessary to strike an awe,
and command an attention to him:
from whose face the earth and the heavens fled away, and
there was
found no place for them;
which is to be understood not figuratively, as in ( Revelation
6:14 ) ( 16:20 )
where in the one place is described the destruction of Paganism,
and in the other the destruction of the Papacy, and all
antichristian powers; but literally, and not of the present earth
and heaven, as they now are, for these will be burnt up with fire
at the beginning of the thousand years, but of the new heaven and
new earth, at the end of them; and the phrases of fleeing away,
and place being found no more for them, show the entire
annihilation and utter abolition of them; after this there will
be no place in being but the heaven of angels and saints, and the
lake of fire, in which are the devils and damned spirits: but
though this is mentioned here, it will not be till after the
judgment is over; for how otherwise will the dead have a place to
stand in before the throne, or hell, that is the grave, and also
the sea, give up their dead, ( Revelation
20:12 Revelation
20:13 ) but it is observed here, though afterwards done, to
set off the majesty of the Judge upon the throne, at whose sight,
and by whose power, this will be effected.
