Revelation 20:11; And There Was Found No Place For Them

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Revelation 20:11 (KJV)  And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

 Suffice it to notice at this point, fleeing from the face of God – from whose face, leaves nowhere to go because God is everywhere (Psalm 139:7) (Mounce).

Psalm 137:7 (KJV)  Remember, O LORD, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, evento the foundation thereof. 

This clause alludes to Psalm 114:3, 7.

Psalm 114:3 (KJV)  The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back. 

Psalm 114:7 (KJV)  Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob; 

The exit of the old creation aligns with the consistent teaching of the temporarily of matter in both the Old Testament (Psalm 97:5; 102:25-26; Isaiah 51:6) and New Testament (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17; 21:33; Hebrews 1:10-12; 2 Peter 3:10).

Psalm 97:5 (KJV)  The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. 

Psalm 102:25-26 (KJV)  Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: 

Isaiah 51:6 (KJV)  Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. 

Matthew 24:35 (KJV)  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Mark 13:31 (KJV)  Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

Luke 16:17 (KJV)  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.

Luke 21:33 (KJV)  Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

Hebrews 1:10-12 (KJV)  And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. 

2 Peter 3:10 (KJV)  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 

The unavailability of any “place” for the earth and the heaven following their departure indicates that theirs is a flight from present existence. They will give way to the new heaven and new earth (Lee).

[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody 1995, 430]