Revelation 20:12

Revelation 20:12. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Is this a general judgment? Such is the view generally, though not always, taken. All the dead, not only the wicked, but (as some think) certain classes of the righteous who had had no part in the ‘first resurrection,' or (as others think) the righteous without exception, are supposed to be included. It is thought that the literal reign of a thousand years had preceded the final determination of the state of any whether good or bad; that this reign is over; and that all, whether they have had a share in its blessedness or not, must now take their stand before the judgment-seat of God, that they may be judged by what they have done. But St. John speaks of ‘the dead,' and we have already seen that that word is used by him of the wicked only (comp. on Revelation 20:5 and on chap. Revelation 11:18). Such seems to be his meaning here; and that it is so will be abundantly confirmed as we proceed. Nor is the amplification of the term ‘the dead' by means of ‘the great and the small' at variance with the idea that the class so described is limited. Similar, at times even greater, amplifications occur elsewhere in connection with classes which the context undeniably confines to one class whether of the wicked or the good (chaps. Revelation 11:18; Revelation 13:16; Revelation 19:5; Revelation 19:18). The ‘dead,' therefore, are here the wicked alone; and the ‘books' contain a record of no deeds but theirs. The ‘books' are indeed expressly distinguished from ‘the book of life.'

And another book was opened which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books according to their works. The words ‘another book' show that this book is quite distinct from the ‘books' before mentioned, and that ‘the books' now spoken of are the ‘books' of the previous clause. It is indeed possible to conceive that the deeds of the righteous as well as of the wicked (names of persons being necessarily associated with them) may be contained in the ‘books,' while the ‘book of life' may at the same time contain a second list of the righteous alone. But this notion of two lists of the righteous seems in a high degree improbable, and the natural conclusion from the words before us is that what are spoken of as the ‘books,' in distinct contrast with ‘the book of life,' contain nothing but the names of the wicked and their works. The latter, too, are obviously the only books out of which judgment is pronounced. There is not the slightest indication that the ‘book of life' was opened for judgment. The only purpose for which it is used is that mentioned in Revelation 20:15. It will be observed, moreover, that no ‘works' are referred to except those of the wicked. So far, therefore, from being led by a ‘vicious literalism' to confine the judgment before us to the wicked, such an interpretation appears, at least as far as we have come, to be demanded by a plain and natural exegesis of the text.