(from The Revelation of Jesus Christ – A Commentary by John F. Walvoord)

The Great White Throne Judgment:

1. Happens at the end of the Millennium (but during).

2. Is the time when heavens and earth are completely destroyed, as per 2 Peter 3:10-12

3. Is the time when all the “wicked dead” who were not raised in the first resurrection, are being resurrected for this judgment and eternal punishment.

4. There are no resurrected saved dead at this judgment (“Though the passage does not state so explicitly, the implication is that in this judgment there are no saved”)

5 Another resurrection nowhere mentioned in scripture (“Apparently there is a separate resurrection of any righteous who may have died in the millennium, though this teaching is not presented anywhere in the Word of God.”)

6. The resurrection of the unsaved for the Great White Throne is a physical bodily one (“The wicked dead are given resurrection bodies suited for eternal punishment.”)

7. No difference between the physical and the spiritual reality (“It cannot safely be assumed that there is any important difference between the physical and the spiritual reality embodied in the term “lake of fire.”)

Problems with Walvoord’s interpretations and explanations:

1. Ignores the explicitly stated timing that this whole era including the Gog rebellion occurs after the 1000 year period is over (Rev. 20:5 & &)

2. Ignores the clear indication of 2 Peter 3:10-13 (and Isaiah 65:17) that this complete destruction of the present heavens and earth are to occur before the Millennium, at the “day of the Lord” second coming of Christ, at the end of this present church age in which we live.

3. Apparently overlooks the clear statement in Rev. 20:5 that the resurrection of the unsaved dead occurs after the end of the Millennium, but coincides with the release of Satan, and precedes the Gog/Magog rebellion and the physical judgment of Gog and all his unsaved, wicked followers.

Seems to contradict himself in that he recognizes the bodily resurrection of the unsaved dead in Rev. 20:5, but has it also at the Great White Throne judgment. Explanation seems to be that he interprets the bodily resurrection of the unsaved dead, “the rest of the dead”, as being after the Gog rebellion instead of before it where scripture has it, such that it is just a bodily resurrection to face the Great White Throne judgment. Thus he seems to be saying that they are cast into the almost literal lake of fire in their resurrected bodies. This ignores or fails to explain accurately what happens to all those who follow Satan and Gog in their last final rebellion, and are physically destroyed, or where they came from to begin with (without contradicting scripture telling us that there won’t be any unrighteous, or unrighteousness in the Millennial kingdom).

4. As admitted, there is no scriptural indication of this. Logically it is circular reasoning based on his other recognizably flawed interpretations.

5. Another interpretation based on no scripture, but only the flawed interpretation that this Great White Throne judgment is only for the unsaved – leaving no explanation for when the saved coming out of the Millennial Kingdom and Post-Millennial (this latter is not even recognized by Walvoord) ages, are judged, to determine their final eternal destiny and their reward.

6. Nothing in scripture saying that the resurrection of those who die or are killed in the period following the resurrection of the “rest of the dead” (the Post-millennial age) will be a physical bodily one. Again, this is based on the previous mistake that the resurrection of the rest of the dead of Rev. 20:5 doesn’t really happen until after the intervening events of 20:7-10 with Satan deceiving the nations and using Gog/Magog to lead the final rebellion against God, when they are all killed.

Taking what is literally stated, this physical bodily resurrection for the Great White Throne judgment would have those resurrected at the beginning of this Post-millennial period, then killed by God after their Gog rebellion, being resurrected again for the second time in a short period, just to face the spiritual judgment to determine their eternal fate. This is to have souls in physical bodies going to a physical place which is a lake of fire, which would immediately completely consume their physical bodies. Thus for it to be eternal physical punishment, we would now have to assume that they are given some kind of nonphysical physical bodies, that will feel the pain of burning, but not actually burn. None of this is supported by any explicit or even implicit scripture. It is merely human speculation which is not even good logic.

7. To suggest that there is no real difference between the physical and spiritual realities is not only illogical on the face of it, almost oxymoronic, but is far from scriptural. It is simply an ad hoc argument to support or justify the other flawed interpretations which are similarly lacking scriptural support as well as logically challenged.