Revelation 20:12

I saw that the people who had died but now lived again were standing in front of the throne. They included people of every social status! The books in which God records what people do were opened { God/God’s angel opened the books in which God records what people do}. Another book was opened { He opened another book}, which is called the Book of Life, in which God has written the names of people who have eternal life. God judged the people who had died and now lived again according to what they had done, just like he had recorded it in the books.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

In Context

11Then I saw a huge white throne on which God was sitting. He was so awesome that the earth and the sky disappeared from his presence completely; they were completely destroyed { God completely destroyed them}.

13The people whose bodies were buried in the sea became alive again in order to stand before God’s throne. Everyone who had been buried on the land (OR, Every person who was waiting in the place where dead people stay) became alive again, in order to stand before the throne. God judged each one of them according to what each one had done.

Read all of Revelation 20

Cross References

Psalms 28:4Punish those people in the way that they deserve for what they have done; punish them for their evil deeds [DOU].

Psalms 69:28Erase their names [SYN] from the book containing the names of those who have eternal life; do not include them in the list of righteous people.

Proverbs 24:29Do not say, “I will do to him what he did to me; I will pay him back for the bad things that he did to me.”

Jeremiah 17:10But I, Yahweh, search what is in everyone’s inner being, and I examine what they are thinking. I will give all people rewards, what they deserve for what they have done.”

Daniel 7:10A fire was rushing out of in front of him like a stream. Many thousands of people (OR, angels) were there serving him, and millions of other people (OR, angels) were standing in front of him. They started ◄the court session/judging people►, and they opened the books in which they had written the record of all the good and bad things that people had done.

Matthew 16:27Listen carefully: I, the one who came from heaven, will leave this earth, but I will return, and the angels of heaven will accompany me. At that time I will have the glorious radiance that my Father has, and I will reward everyone according to what they did when they were living on earth.

Matthew Henry on Revelation 20:12-15

The Universal Judgment. ( a. d. 95.) 11 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. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the… Read the whole commentary →

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Study Revelation 20:12