Revelation 20:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This heaven and this earth will cease to exist after the judgment has been completed, when the new heaven and the new earth appear. This world will pass away not in the sense of complete annihilation, but because of a change in things. Therefore the Apostle also says: "The form of this world is passing away. But I want you to be without anxiety" (1 Cor 7:31-32). Thus the form passes away, but not the nature.

The white throne signifies the repose of God, which He will establish in the saints adorned with virtues, sitting upon them as upon a throne.

"Heaven and earth fled away" signifies their destruction and renewal for torment, since no place for change will be found in them.

If creation was subjected to corruption for our sake, then, according to the apostle's witness, it also will be freed with us from bondage to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Rom 8:21).

It will be renewed in a better form, but not subjected to final annihilation, as blessed Antipater and other saints thought.

John calls the throne white because it is bright and radiant. By the flight of heaven and earth from His face he means their change and reordering.

For if, according to the divine Peter, the heavens will pass away with a noise (2 Pet 3:10), and according to the prophet who says: "In the beginning Thou, Lord, didst found the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They will perish, but Thou remainest. They all will grow old like a garment, and like clothing Thou shalt change them, and they will be changed" (Ps 101:26-27), then it is natural that Revelation called their passing and perishing, which signify their change, a flight, since no place was found for them.

For where can a corruptible nature that has been cast away be found? Thus their change is spoken of here, while a little later it is said that they will be renewed.

According to St. Andrew, the great white throne here means the saints of God who have been glorified by virtues. In his view, the fleeing away of heaven and earth from the face of God signifies only their change into a better form and renewal, not complete disappearance and destruction. Creation has been subjected to corruption, but it will be renewed, as the Apostle says: "Creation will be set free from bondage to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God" (Rom 8:21).

Here begin the concluding visions of the Apocalypse, in which the transformation of the earthly Church into the heavenly Kingdom is depicted. First there is portrayed the image of the universal judgment.

The whiteness of the throne on which the supreme Judge of the universe sits clearly signifies the holiness and righteousness of this Judge.

"From His face," that is, from the face of the Lord the Judge, "heaven and earth fled away, and no place was found for them."

This depicts those great and terrible upheavals in the universe before the final dread judgment, concerning which the holy Apostle Peter prophesies in his epistle.

He says that "then the heavens will pass away with a noise, the elements, being inflamed, will be dissolved, and the earth and all the works upon it will be burned up" (2 Pet 3:10).

It is enough for us that everything created by God is beyond doubt, while what is made from matter is doubtful. That everything was created from nothing agrees with the providence of God, who will return everything to nothing. If heaven has been rolled up like a scroll (cf. Isa 34:4; Rev 6:14), then surely it will depart into nothingness together with the earth, with which it was created from the beginning. "Heaven and earth will pass away" (Mt 24:35), He says. "The former heaven and the former earth passed away" (Rev 21:1), and no place was found for them, for what comes to an end has no place.